by EJ Wozniak
Lumen walked off to the bathroom to ready himself for bed. He got into his pajamas, took Wrigley out one last time, and headed to bed. He didn’t want to seem tired at school in case he ran into Sofia.
The weekend moved along quickly for Lumen. On Monday, Lumen went to school to find homecoming posters hanging everywhere.
“BROMIDE HIGH HOMECOMING DANCE THIS SATURDAY. COME ROOT FOR YOUR COYOTES AT THE GAME FRIDAY NIGHT. GET YOUR DANCE TICKETS AT THE ASB OFFICE BEFORE THURSDAY.”
Lumen thought they should have made two different posters. He was absolutely not going to go to the football game. He didn’t care for football, and his only friend had to babysit on Friday nights. He didn’t want Sofia to see him alone at a school event and think he was a loner.
Lumen and Alec bought their tickets for the dance at lunch. Sofia was a few spots behind him in line. He looked behind and could see her green headband holding back her long black hair. She wore a black, long sleeve dress with a green scarf. Lumen caught her green eyes peered up in his direction. His heart nearly skipped a beat. He wondered if she noticed he was there, or if she was worried about the crazy kid going to the dance, or if she even remembered who he was. She smiled at him as he walked out of the ticket office. Lumen panicked and put his head down and walked out quickly. Alec smiled at him but didn’t say a word.
Lumen hadn’t apologized for what he said the other night. Because Alec wasn’t acting weird and never brought it up, Lumen thought it was best to leave it be. He did notice that Alec seemed distracted by something still, but not like he was over the weekend.
Lumen asked about Ashley Amber. He still thought it was amusing that this person had two first names. Alec seemed confused when he was asked about it.
“So, did the picture belong to that Ashley girl in your first period class?”
Alec looked at Lumen puzzled.
“You know, Ashley Amber? The one you got all weird about the other night?” Lumen said.
“Oh right,—yeah, it was hers,” Alec said as he looked the other way.
“Did you talk about anything else? Like the dance?”
“What? No. She isn’t going, I don’t think.”
“Oh bummer. You’ll have to show me this girl sometime. I’ve never seen you get so weird about a girl. You must really like her.”
Alec smiled but didn’t answer.
When Tuesday came, Lumen and Alec went to the suit rental shop after school with Alice. They both stood on a stand in front of a mirror while Alice’s friend did the measurements. Lumen felt embarrassed because his mom kept making comments about how handsome he was going to look. She said the same when Alec tried on his suit, but Alec thanked her instead of acting embarrassed. Alice’s friend said they would be ready by Saturday morning.
* * *
The rest of the week dragged on but continued without trouble for Lumen. He had a test on Thursday morning that he aced, and he had to run a mile on Friday in physical education. There was even a very noticeable absence of altercations with Blake and his crew of bullies. Lumen thought it was strange but did not complain.
Friday night came, and it brought with it an unending trail of thoughts, all of which pertained to the dance the following day. What would he say to Sofia? How would he approach her? How long should he wait to ask her to dance? Until the slow song or sooner? He had no idea what to do. He didn’t want to overthink anything, but he couldn’t help but question everything. What if she says no? What if she slaps him? What if she laughs in his face? Lumen began to question his decision to go. He didn’t know what he was thinking. Why would a nice girl like Sofia want to dance with him, the supposed crazy kid that doesn’t even stick up for himself when he gets picked on?
Lumen began feeling stressed and dismayed. He realized he walked a block past his house. When he got home, he called for Wrigley, who came running up to him right away. Lumen put on his leash and took him for a short walk.
Curiously enough, Lumen had noticed there hadn’t been many lights around that day and decided to check his room to see if he could see any. He peeked inside and hardly saw any. He was relieved to not have to worry about those the night before the dance. He had enough to think about.
Lumen got into his pajamas and headed into the living room. He looked on the side of the couch and saw Wrigley chewing on something. Lumen looked closer and noticed it was just one of his toys.
“Hopefully mom got the freezer fixed . . .” he said to himself.
Lumen folded the clothes, sat back down, and melted into the couch. He oddly felt very relaxed. No one bothered him at school today. He didn’t have to worry about anyone on his run. He had a great dinner at his favorite diner. Wrigley wasn’t acting strange, and best of all, the lights weren’t bothering him. The only thing he had to worry about was the dance tomorrow and what to say to Sofia. Lumen thought for a moment these things were almost harder to deal with than anything else, then realized this was what normal people worry about, and it made him happy. He wished most days were like this. He smiled to himself and continued watching some cartoons. He almost fell asleep on the couch when he decided to head to his room. He looked out his window and noticed more stars than usual. He slept like a rock that night.
* * *
Lumen awoke Saturday morning to the smell of bacon. Mom must be off today, he thought. He got up and hurried to the kitchen.
“Hey, sweetheart. How’d you sleep? I was home pretty early last night, and you were already knocked out,” Alice said.
Lumen stretched as he walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah, I was tired I guess. I slept pretty well.”
Lumen felt very refreshed.
“Good, well I have the day off. I made some eggs, bacon and pancakes. Dig in before it gets cold.”
Lumen served himself and chowed down the breakfast. He loved his mom’s breakfast. Alice sat down with a cup of coffee across from Lumen.
“So, we can pick up your suit around noon today. You should call Alec to see if he wants to come with us.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Wrigley barked at the door as Alice went to answer it. It was Alec.
“Oh hiya, hun! We were just talking about you. Come in, come in. I just made breakfast, you are welcome to have some!”
“Hi Miss Haaken. And thank you, that sounds great.”
They went into the kitchen. Alec grabbed a plate and dug in.
“So, do you need to come with us to get your suit for tonight?” Alice asked.
Alec swallowed his mouthful of food before answering. “Oh right, yes please.”
“I am so excited for you boys. I borrowed one of the other nurse’s cameras so we can take some pictures before I drop you off.”
“Oh c’mon, Mom. Is that necessary?” Lumen asked with a mouth full of pancake.
“Yes, yes it is, Lu.” Lumen turned red as he dove back into his food, and Alec smiled as he ate his. When they finished eating, they helped clean up the kitchen. Lumen and Alec went to the living room afterwards to play some video games until they had to leave to get their suits.
Alice called for them to get going, and they all got into the station wagon. They drove across town to Alice’s friend’s rental shop. Lumen’s suit was a dark blue, and Alec’s was black so it would be harder to see any sweat coming through. They both decided to go with bow ties to match. Alice’s friend asked if they had dates.
“No, we don’t,” Lumen answered, embarrassed.
“Well, that’s okay! No pressure to impress a girl then. Those school dances are more fun to go to single anyway!”
Lumen thought otherwise. He had to impress Sofia, and the dance was the perfect way to do it. He felt it was his big chance to make an impression on her.
They thanked Alice’s friend and headed back home. They stopped to get some fast food on the way home for lunch, but Lumen could barely eat any of it. They hung around the house for the rest of the day. They took Wrigley out to play fetch, played some video games, and watc
hed some TV to pass the time. Finally, it was time to get ready.
Lumen got dressed quickly and started pacing around the house, practicing what he would say to Sofia. Alec took his time getting ready. When he finally emerged from the bedroom, Lumen was still pacing around.
“Dude, relax. Whatever happens, happens. No need to overthink it.” Alec said as he adjusted his bow tie.
“How can I relax? There is so much that could go wrong. What if I trip walking over to her or I accidentally spit on her face when I am talking to her or . . . wait how are you not nervous? Aren’t you worried about seeing Ashley? Or Amber? Whatever her name is . . .”
“She isn’t going, remember?”
“Oh, right . . .” Lumen went back to pacing.
Alice came out with the camera.
“Oh my goodness! You boys look so handsome! I can’t believe my Lu is going to the dance!”
Alice appeared to get teary eyed and used her hands to wipe under her eyelids.
“Mom, stop it.” Lumen was embarrassed again. “Just take the pictures.”
Lumen and Alec put their arms around each other and smiled for the camera. Alice took a few pictures, and then they were off to Bromide High.
It was a short five minute car ride but, to Lumen, it felt like an eternity. The scenarios kept running through his mind. Lumen put his hand over his mouth to smell his own breath six different times. He checked his appearance in the sun visor mirror as they rolled up to the school. Lumen took two deep breaths before opening his door.
“Lu, remember I will pick you up out here at 10:30 sharp. Call me anytime to pick you up if you need to leave. You have your medicine right?”
“Yes, Mom. It’s in my pocket,” Lumen lied.
“Okay, well have fun boys!”
Lumen and Alec walked to the auditorium. They handed their tickets to the teacher at the door and walked in. The bleachers were all pushed in so there was more room for the students to mingle and dance. There was a DJ in the back with tables scattered around the sides. In the center of all the tables were shiny, purple letters that said “HOMECOMING”.
There were blue and purple streamers above them that twinkled when the lights hit them. A sign posted in the front that said “WELCOME TO BROMIDE HIGH HOMECOMING!”
Lumen noticed signs posted on the wall that listed the rules for the dance. How weird, Lumen thought One of the rules stated that you had to stand at least 3 inches apart when dancing. Lumen scoffed when he read that. He looked around and noticed that no one else was wearing suit coats; he felt overdressed. He and Alec looked at each other and took off their jackets, setting them on a chair.
They both sat down and instantly felt out of place. Lumen looked at Alec and noticed he was starting to sweat through his shirt already.
An hour had passed, and they hadn’t left their chairs. Lumen hadn’t seen Sofia walk in. He did, however, see Blake and his friends walk in as he looked around for Sofia. They all had dates. Blake and his crew immediately walked to the dance floor and started dancing. This was the only time Lumen had envied Blake.
Another 30 minutes passed, and still no Sofia. A girl that was a year older came over to ask Alec to dance. They headed out to the dance floor. Hating everything about the dance, Lumen wanted to leave. He felt stupid for thinking he could dance with Sofia. He got up to head outside to get some air when he saw her walk in... alone. She looked beautiful. She wore a long green dress that touched the floor with her hair up and in a nice bun and white heels. Lumen’s jaw literally dropped. She looked like she might be taller than Lumen with the heels on, but he did not care.
His heart raced. This is the moment, he thought. He got up and walked toward her. She looked his way, and smiled. Lumen waved awkwardly and felt himself start to sweat a little bit. He was almost there. He thought about what to say. He decided he would start with “You look nice” and ask her how she was doing. After they chat for a little bit, Lumen would ask her to dance. Lumen had it figured out. He was almost there when some other boy passed from right behind him and went up to Sofia. They hugged and walked the other way.
Lumen stopped dead in his tracks. Sofia looked back at Lumen for a moment. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. He lost his chance. Lumen felt defeated and didn’t know what to do. He looked back at the dance floor and saw everyone having a good time. Blake and his friends were all smiling and looked to be having the best time. Even Alec was dancing with some older girl. Lumen put his head down and walked outside to get some air. He wanted to leave but didn’t want to ruin Alec’s night. At least one of them was having fun.
Lumen went and sat on a bench outside the auditorium. Nobody else was there except for the lone teacher checking tickets. Even he was on the phone, laughing obnoxiously about something with someone.
Lumen tried to ignore the teacher talking. He looked up to the sky and saw that there was no moon. There were a lot of stars out, though. Lumen laid on the bench and stared at them for a while. He wondered if he would be alone forever. He thought that Alec would probably get a girlfriend soon so he wouldn’t have him to hang with anymore. Wrigley and his mom would be all he had, but even his mom had friends..
He stopped himself and tried to not think about that stuff. At least the lights weren’t bothering him. He decided to go back inside to go to the bathroom to pass some time. As he walked past the teacher into the auditorium, he noticed it was only nine o’clock. Lumen groaned at the idea that he had to wait another hour and a half for this to be over. He sighed and walked over to the bathroom. He could hear the DJ say something about slowing it down. Lumen knew that meant it was time for the slow dances. He thought about what it would have been like to be with Sofia. She would have her hands on his shoulders, and he would have his hands on her hips. He would make a comment about how pretty her eyes were, and she would make a comment about his green eyes. They would stare at each other for a moment, and then they would both go in for a kiss.
Lumen snapped himself out of it. He knew there was no chance for that anymore.
Stop sulking you baby, Lumen said to himself. He thought he never had a chance anyway, so there was no reason to be upset about a fantasy.
He walked into the bathroom and went into the stall at the end and locked the door. He figured he could just hang in there for a little bit. He sat down on the toilet until he heard someone come in. It sounded like a few people actually. They came in, and Lumen heard the door lock.
“Lulu, where are you? You think we forgot about you?”
It was Blake and another three or four guys. Lumen looked under the stall, and saw five pairs of legs. One of them set down a fire extinguisher and another set down what appeared to be a bag of feathers. They were going to make Lumen’s night even worse.
“We took it easy on you this week for a reason, skitzo. We didn’t want you to see this coming. We got a big surprise for you. Why don’t you come out and make this easier on yourself?”
Lumen froze on the seat the moment he heard Blake speak. He covered his mouth to cover up any noise his breaths would make. He looked up and around the stall for anything to help himself.
“You don’t got anything to say freak? Wouldn’t have made a difference anyway,” Blake sneered.
Lumen wished Alec could help him. He was out on the dance floor having the time of his life, while Lumen was in the bathroom, about to have the worst night of his life. The door was locked, so there was no hope of anyone coming in to save him.
“Which stall are you in, skitzy?” They picked up the extinguisher and feathers and walked to the first stall. Lumen got up on the toilet so they couldn’t see his legs. He looked around for something to help him. All that was there was an empty roll of toilet paper and a bunch of blue lights.
Great, they’re back, Lumen thought.
Blake kicked open the first stall. Lumen began to panic. There were only two more stalls to go before they were at his. He couldn’t think clearly with the lights bothering him.
> Blake kicked open the second stall. Lumen thought about trying to slide under to the stall next to his as they kicked open his stall.
Blake kicked open the stall next to him. Lumen had to act fast. Suddenly he felt frozen, paralyzed by the lights around him. They were all bunched up in front of him, just like in his bedroom. They were pulsating. He didn’t know what to do. He heard Blake making his way to the front of his stall.
“You ready freak? I hope you are, this isn’t gonna be fun. Well, not for you at least.” All of Blake’s friends were laughing.
Blake raised his leg to kick the door. At the very same moment, Lumen saw a hand coming through the pulsating blue lights. It looked like it belonged to an older person with a large black ring on the pinky. The hand grabbed Lumen by his bow tie and pulled him through the lights.
Blake kicked open the stall, and no one was there.
Chapter 5 - A.A.
E
verything was white for a moment. Lumen didn’t know what was happening. Was he dead? Everything was white and calm until suddenly, it wasn’t. The room was only lit by candle-light. Lumen looked for a light switch but didn’t see one on any of the walls. He found himself on a wooden floor. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he could see correctly and got up to look around. There were drawings on the wall, which hung above some older couches and chairs set up around an old oak coffee table with a chess board on top. It looked as if a game had just ended. The dark king piece had been cornered by the lighter queen piece.
Lumen took a deep breath through his nose and smelled something cooking.
“What is that?” Lumen said aloud, piqued.
Lumen stood up and saw a desk behind the couches. There were a lot of papers in a messy pile on the top and sides of it. Lumen walked over and saw what appeared to be maps. The top of one of the maps read “BONUMALUS”. He looked at the other words on the map and hardly recognized any of them. Lumen put the map down and noticed there were drawings on the desk as well. He picked up one of a large black cat, wearing a vest, standing on his hind legs. The cat had goggles on top of his head and almost appeared to be smiling. Lumen thought it looked familiar for some reason.
