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Why the fuck would he bring up Alex? I panicked, trying to find my words.
“Who, Adriana?” I answered, playing dumb.
Debbie made a slight snicker and bowed her head to hide the smirk that formed on her face. Fuck! She must’ve known.
“No, her brother. The other Edwards kid.”
“Why would Alex be at prom? He’s twenty-five, not a senior.”
“I thought he might be chaperoning Adriana.”
I snorted, amused by the image. “Yeah, Adriana would die attending prom with her brother. Besides, she has a boyfriend, Elij
ah.”
“Oh yeah, the Morrison kid. Good. Never liked that Edwards boy.”
“Why on earth would you not like Alex, Dad? You don’t even know him,” I said defensively.
“Well, Alex, as you refer to him, was quite a troublemaker back in the day when he went to Carmel High. Got into all sorts of trouble.”
“How do you know that? And what trouble?” I asked.
Alex never came across as a law-breaker type, but then again, he also didn’t seem like the I’ll-have-an-affair-with-my-sister’s-best-friend type either.
“Oh, you know, the usual… reckless behavior, drugs, and alcohol. Your sister used to talk about him all the time to your mother…” he trailed off.
“Drugs?” I repeated, surprised how raised my voice was.
“Geez, Charlie, would you keep it down? Yes, caught smoking marijuana at a local party.”
My sister spoke about Alex? I didn’t remember any of these conversations, but this was years ago and most likely I also didn’t give a fuck, but talking to Mom? I wanted nothing more than to call my sister and ask her about him, but then I remembered she was traveling in a remote part of Africa, so there went that idea.
“Honey, I think Carter is here,” Debbie said as the doorbell rang.
Thank God for the interruption. Alex smoking pot wasn’t something I really cared about, unless he was still doing it, which would be hypocritical since he was an intern at the local hospital.
Making my way to the front door, I pulled it open to be greeted by an enthusiastic Carter eyeing me up and down. Gross.
“Charliiieee…” He whistled.
My dad cleared his throat, and immediately Carter regained his posture and extended his hand for Dad to shake. He put on his fake smile, not that it went unnoticed by my dad. “So, anyway, I was thinking of driving you guys to the prom.”
“Seriously, Dad?” I groaned.
Like I’d fucking let Carter feel me up in the car.
“That’s fine with me, Mr. Mason,” Carter agreed.
What a fucking douche.
Dad kissed Debbie goodbye and headed to the car. Just what I had always dreamed about, rolling up to my senior prom in a pickup truck. The drive was in an awkward silence, the arrival even worse. Kids were pulling up in fancy cars, limos, the works. To add insult to injury, Dad spoke to Principal Sinclair to double-check there was no alcohol on the premises. After their combined search came up empty, he decided to leave, but he couldn’t resist warning Carter where his hands should remain for the rest of the night.
The gymnasium was immaculately decorated. Adriana was part of the decorating committee. Actually, head of the committee as she referred to herself. The theme was ‘A Night in Paris.’ The room was strung with fairy lights that sat amongst the artificial trees creating a warm glow. Street signs scattered the room replicating famous Parisian streets. Parisian paintings covered the walls—the attention to detail was astonishing. The most impressive part was the Eiffel Tower. It looked amazing, drawn to perfection. Spotlights were positioned in front of it highlighting its beauty. They did such an amazing job, and for a moment, you could easily forget you were in the gym, not roaming the streets of Paris, the most romantic city on earth.
I sighed as I watched couples entering the hall, carefree, enjoying themselves and probably here with someone they actually liked, while here I stood wishing I had my prom date, my Prince Charming to dance and be silly with, to create memories that would last a lifetime. That’s what prom was, right? But instead, I was here alone, not even on good terms with Alex after our huge fight. I was determined to have a good night. One day I’d look back on this night when I’m old and senile in a nursing home and want to smile about it because it was a night to remember. How I’d make it a night to remember was beyond me.
I was minding my own business and enjoying the fashion parade surrounding me until Kaley, the school whore, decided to grace me with her presence. She stood before me dressed in a pale pink ruffle strapless gown. Her boobs barely covered as they popped out and greeted me hello. Her makeup was overkill, but at least her hair looked decent. Yeah, decent for a five-year-old practicing on her Barbie doll.
