9th grade prom

The big day finally arrived. The dance floor was packed with couples, girls dancing in a circle with their friends, guys standing off to the side, eyeing the dateless girls conversing in a corner. Midsummer Night Eve was the theme of the dance, and somehow Trechial had a feeling Mrs. Dale was involved. The gym was decorated in purple, black, and blue. Silver, glittery crescent moons and paper mâché stars hung from the ceiling in the backdrop of the Devin booth. Teens sat around circular tables, covered with glittery dark blue tablecloths and battery-powered candle centerpieces, chatting with their dates and friends. A disco ball drew multi-color circles in the middle of the dance floor. A white guy with black spikes dressed in a sequence jacket and leather pants spun records behind on stage overlooking the crowd. Girls' dress choices ranged from air restricting, red tube top dresses to long, white strapless sheer dresses.

Trechial and Maylee stood off to the side, skimming the area for empty tables.

Maylee leaned into her ear, giving her a whiff of white musk perfume. "There's Trey," she shouted over the obnoxious singer belting out Pretty Fly for A White Guy.

Trey sat at a table over in the corner with Big Booty Judy twirling her Shirley Temple curls around her finger, whispering something in her ear. She covered her heart and threw her head back in laughter. Judy was short and burgundy curls fell down her peanut-colored shoulders. Her teal, tube-top dress housed the body of a voluptuous woman, hence the reason why most guys fawn over her. A gold medallion nameplate with the word 'Judy' written in Old English hung around her neck. Judy was nice enough, but Trechial was convinced she had failed a few grades and came with a guy who collected lunch money to date her.

Maylee pulled back a chair and took a seat beside Trey. She hung her purse on the back of the chair. "Sup, nasty."

Trey cast them both a get-the-heck-out-of-here look. He wore a baby blue suit jack with miniature Bart Simpson heads and classic Simpson's quotes on it, with a white button-down shirt beneath. Knowing him, basketball shorts completed the rest of the ridiculousness he wore.

"Hey, Big Bo––I mean Judy."

Trechial expanded her cheeks and hurriedly took a seat next to Maylee, who was trying to hold her laughter at her slip-up. Judy gave her a chin nod and rolled her eyes.

"Where is everyone?" Trechial asked, searching the crowds for the rest of their clique.

Trey searched around also. "Leandro decided not to come. For some reason, he's still avoiding Devin" He pointed at her, bucking his big eyes. "And Devin disappeared with Candice, probably in the bathroom––OUCH!" He flinched under the table and shot a flaming look at Maylee.

"You talk way too much," Maylee snapped.

"I agree," Devin said.

Trechial gazed up at him as he approached the table. She tried to keep from staring at how good he looked in a black button-down long sleeve and creased straight-legged jeans. His hair was styled back with a few loose strands hanging over his forehead. The bling in his ears shined like stars in the night sky. She tapped her throat, trying to clear it, gawking at Maylee for help. Maylee gave her a nudge and a smile, tilting her chin up at Devin. Talk about not helping at all.

Trechial found her way back to him, and in an instant, he made eye contact with her. "I was not in the bathroom with anybody."

His answer sprung undeserved happiness within her. He casually drank in her appearance with no apologies. After scouring the mall for hours and not finding anything, Trechial's mom brought her and Maylee to a small boutique on the way home, where she found a pink satin dress that hung off her shoulders and came down to her knees. Her hair was done in two top-knot buns separated by a zigzag part, and the rest hanging down her back. Maylee dazzled in a dark purple floral crochet dress with sequin satin, and her poetic justice braids were done up in a bun with two framing each side of her round face.

Yes, they were all that and a bag of chips.

"We could have been in the bathroom having a little fun," Candice pouted, coming around to stand next to Devin, her manicured bubblegum pink nails raking through her strands as usual. Trechial wondered if that was a nervous habit of hers. Trechial pressed her lips tightly together, holding in her trash talk.

Candice's ivory, lace, sleeveless dress stopped above her knees, and wedges gave her undeserved height. A tinge of jealously washed over Trechial, and she could no longer deny it–– Devin and Candice fit together like two perfect puzzle pieces.

Affection glowed in Devin's eyes as he regarded Trechial with importance. The corners of his mouth turned up. "Yeppeuda." His tone held affection. Pretty.

Trechial grinned. Her countenance brightened even though she had no idea what he said. "Uh-huh."

Candice glowered with her arms folded against her chest, but she didn't say anything. Guess there's a first for everything.

Devin smiled, pulling a chair out for Candice next to Judy. For some reason, the polite gesture irked Trechial but she kept her mask on, reminding herself of her place. Devin took a seat between her and Candice, peering around her at Maylee with a boyish grin. "You look really nice tonight, Maylee."

A smile uplifted her cheeks, "Thanks, Devin You look aight, too."

Did she just call him by his actual nickname? Trechial ping-ponged from him to her, sticking a finger in her ear and making sure she didn't have a wax build-up. They both laughed at her expense.

"She looks like the female gremlin from the new batch." Trey shrugged, commencing Judy and Candice into a shared snickered.

Maylee rolled her eyes and smacked her teeth. "Your momma got enough tracks on her head to make a CD, bald-headed roach!"

"My what, broke-down, Ursula-lookin,' creature-feature?" Trey leered.

"Boulder-head, troll-looking, toe-jam-smelling, ugly sewer rat."

Trey stood up, placing his hands on the table his lanky body leaning over to where Maylee was. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it in Maylee's face. The smell of ranch Doritos and mints spread around their side of the table.

Trechial covered her nose, and Devin fanned his. Candice held a napkin up to hers while a rage built up in Maylee. He sat back down, resting a hand on the back of Judy's chair with a neutral expression that dared Maylee to bust a move.

Maylee's head tilted until her ear touched her shoulder. "I'm going to kill him."

"And, I'm going get something to drink," Trechial interjected, looking from Maylee to Trey. "Do any of you want anything?" she offered around the table, avoiding Candice's scrutinizing face.

"I'll take a Coke," Candice threw at her like she was a low-level waitress in a back-alley diner. She fished a twenty-dollar bill out of her Coach purse and tossed it in her direction.

Trechial eyed the money like poisonous acid before glancing at Candice. "Get your date a Coke, Tae,"

"Can you get Maylee an order of bathwater?" Trey said, smiling.

Maylee picked up the plastic candle and pretended to throw it at him. "Says the guy who wouldn't know SURE if somebody rubbed it up under his stankin' armpits."

Trey drew a fist back and fake-lurched at her while his date laughed on at their antics. If only she knew how serious they were. If only they both would fess up to liking one another.

Trechial massaged her temples with her pointers; they were getting whatever she brought back, or they could get it themselves.

She stepped up to the concession stand, eyes going over the whiteboard with black letters.

Mr. Davidson flashed her a small, gap-tooth smile. Curly salt and pepper hair went well with his olive skin and deep-set orbs. "How can I help you, Miss. Winters?"

"Can I get a Sprite, Coke, and Pineapple Fanta?" she replied with a friendly smile of her own.

He slapped the counter and plucked his fingers, shifting them into finger guns and pointing them at her "Sure thing! That will be a buck fifty."

She went to reach in her absent purse and winced when she realized she had left her wallet in Maylee's purse.

Mr. Davidson held out his palm to her in anticipation of the money.

"Sorry, I forgot my money. I'll come back later." Her voice drained of all hopes of sipping a cold Pineapple Fanta.

"Ditz." Devin handed Mr. Davidson a Five-dollar bill then tugged at her hair.

"Stalker."

He shrugged a shoulder before retrieving his change and sticking it in his wallet.

They slowly made their way back to the table with the drinks, swerving through the crowd of party-harders avoiding spillage.

"You owe me," Devin remarked, looking ahead.

Her head bobbed. "I'll treat you to nasty Burger King tomorrow." His favorite.

"Nope, I want something else." He glimpsed at her out of the corner of his eyes.

Her footsteps slowed, along with her brain cells. She hated that the older she got the more her thoughts drifted in a morally bankrupt direction. Her fingers itched to grab hold of his hand. Or slide over his shoulders as they prepared to slow dance. She enjoyed the nonstop compliments and flirting shared between them, so she glanced at him with a shy hope that maybe he'd almost kiss her. That they would share another moment like the one they had in her room that one night.

Maybe it's because that's all the guys and girls talked about in school––morally bankrupt things. She took a sip of whoever's soda was closest to her parched lips, staring at Devin's confident stride back to the table. Whether confidence or arrogance, did he have the right to so boldly flirt with her as if he were not here with another girl? More importantly, why did it fluster her? Was it okay to like it? Her conscious seemed to war against her flesh. She shook her head. She would not be the other girl.

***

"Let's go dance, Devin!" Candice looped her arm through Devin's and pulled him up with her, not giving him a choice in the matter.

Trechial covered her smile behind a hand. Frightened and afraid, he silently pleaded with Trechial to save him, stretching his eyes at her. She thrust her chin toward the dance floor and gave him a thumbs up. Candice pulled him through the crowd, pushing those that didn't move quick enough out the way.

Maylee squinted at Trechial. "I really wish you would stop playing games and go get your fortune cookie."

"Fortune cookie, Maylee? Really?" Trechial turned her attention back to the dance floor, doing her best to not look in Candice and Devin's direction.

"What? His mom and dad have a fortune, and he's as sweet as a cookie. Fortune cookie."

Laughter flowed from both girls. "Fortune cookies aren't that sweet, and you say the craziest stuff sometimes."

"Meh, it's true, though."