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Jealousy almost consumed me seeing Billy and Tori kissing, and the only way I could suppress it was to talk to other boys who started to notice me. I wanted to see jealousy in Billy's eyes and make him feel what I felt.
Honor roll student and high school chess club member Logan Peabody noticed and showered me with attention that year. He was tall and skinny, wavy, with thick brown hair and brown eyes. He was thoughtful and cute in a geeky way.
But he wasn't Billy.
Logan asked me to attend the senior prom with him in May, and I said yes. Adam and Mark also asked Sarah and Hailey to go to the prom. Since I had my driver's license, I borrowed my mom's Jeep Liberty keys, drove the three of us to the mall, and shopped for dresses.
"So, are you and Logan coming to Adam's party Saturday night?" Sarah asked over the wall of her dressing booth beside mine.
Sarah's prom date, Adam, was popular and knew seniors in various cliques. His parents were away on an anniversary cruise, leaving Adam and his younger brother home without supervision and the opportune time to throw a house party.
"Logan keeps begging me to go to the party with him, but I don't know if I can make it," I replied, shimmying myself into a royal blue strapless gown.
"Oh, come on, Elle! Please!" Hailey whined from her dressing booth. "Mark wants to take me to the party, and it just won't be the same unless you are there with us!"
The three of us stuck together through thick and thin since ninth grade, and I didn't want to disappoint them.
"I have a curfew and can't be out past 10 pm on the weekends. So I'm going to need an alibi to stay out late."
"Tell your parents I'm having a sleepover," Sarah said.
I zipped up the back of the dress and stepped out of my booth, followed by Sarah in a pretty rose pink gown, then Hailey in a red and black gown. We wrapped our arms around each other's waists as we stood in front of the massive wall-to-floor mirror.
Looking at the three pretty teenage girls in the mirror, I thought about our fun times together. And then I thought about Billy and how I would miss him after we graduated and I went away to college.
"Why are you crying, Elle?" Sarah asked at my reflection in the mirror before I realized my eyes had welled with tears.
"I'm going to miss you both when we all go away to college."
I talked to Logan on the phone, and we planned everything for Saturday night. I rummaged through my bedroom closet to figure out what to wear to the party. I chose an ankle-length, sleeveless sundress with purple and blue flowers and sandals. I sat in front of my dresser mirror to put on a touch of mascara that made my naturally long lashes pop, then some lip gloss, and winked at my reflection. I packed an overnight bag Saturday night, and my mother drove me to Sarah's house for the so-called "sleepover." I hated to lie to my parents, but they sheltered me way too much during my years in high school. I wanted to do something rebellious since I would live in a dorm at Towson the following year.
"I'm going trust you, Eleanor," my mother said as she drove. "There better not be boys like Logan or Billy coming to Sarah's house."
"No, Mom," I replied, even though my stomach felt tied in knots with the guilt of lying. "It's Sarah, me and Hailey. We want to have some bonding time and fun before we go away to different colleges."
When my mother stopped the car at a traffic light, she asked, "Have you had sex, Elle?"
"No, Mom! Why the interrogation? I've always been home at curfew, and my grade point average is 4.0. I follow the rules you and Dad have put on me. Don't worry; I'm not going to come home to tell you I'm pregnant, run off with my baby daddy, and ruin my future.
"You're right, Elle. I'm sorry. You're a smart girl growing up fast and attending college next year. I just worry about you when it comes to boys. Even though you and Billy have been friends throughout high school, I can see you have a crush on him."
I loved Billy Cooper.
"We are just friends. Besides, Billy has plenty of girls in high school to choose from, and right now, he's in love with Tori Sutherland."
I didn't tell her that Billy hadn't spoken to me in two weeks, which crushed me.
"I bet that boy has broken lots of girls' hearts. It's good that you and him keep it on a friendship level and nothing more."
When my mother parked the car in front of Sarah's house, I said, "Sarah will drive me home in the morning." I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."
She smiled. "I love you too, Elle. Have fun and hug Sarah and Hailey for me."
Since Sarah's parents were much less lenient on her, she had a curfew of midnight on the weekends, enough time to enjoy ourselves at Adam's party. Logan picked us up in his parent's mini-van and drove us to the party. Hailey and Mark were already at Adam's colossal house in a wealthy gated community. Cars were parked up and down the street and in the driveway, and loud music blared from the two-door car garage. Teenagers were everywhere; some were stumbling in the front yard, and some were laughing and shouting. I felt out of place, and anxiety turned my stomach upside down as the three of us walked toward the open front door. This was the first party I'd ever been to, but when Logan slipped his arm around my waist and kissed me on the cheek, telling me to relax and have fun.
When we entered the front door, Sarah found Adam and moved through the crowd of dancing drunk teenagers to hug him.
That's when I spotted Billy, who was fast approaching me and Logan. I inhaled sharply when I noticed a dark bruise under Billy's left eye, and his bottom lip was cut.
