The Hidden Life

The Hidden Life Chapter eight

Chapter 8 Black mail prom In the years of going to Brickfield High school we never had prom at all. It's not that we can't have prom because of God or whatever, it's because Lamberg doesn't think we should. I have seen past prom pictures of the years gone by. They look amazingly beautiful, filled with balloons and streamers. (School colors of course. Red and black with some white too.) The school hasn't had a school ruled prom since 2006 when my brother went to Brickfield. Same year Lamberg and her brother, the study hall teacher, started. The teachers get mad at the students because we keep checking our phones to get the text. See, since it is a secret someone, the main person has everyone's number from the school to send the text. The main person sends a trustworthy person to get the numbers. They give them to the main person so they get paid off to not tell.Trust me, we have all tried to get the info about the head prom guy from the 'trustworthy' person. But no matter how many threats or whatever you try to do to him he won't tell. The 'trustworthy' person is a pastor's son, his name is Emmett Portor. He is a good guy. He is what you will call a goody-goody. But he does use his father's name to get what he wants from people. (I mean whatever he wants.) He trades favors and helps people to get what he needs. But back to the prom drama. I know that prom means getting drunk and getting hotel rooms to have sex and whatever you do for proms. I don't know what is going to happen that night. Last week Arianna tried to get me to go to prom with her. I told her that I have a prom date. "What Jack what's his face? Does he even know who you really are? Because I might have to tell him. In fact I will be more than happy to tell him." I roll my eyes at her like she can try her mind games with me. "You can try to work me with those blue eyes all you want, it isn't going to work. But yeah I'm going with Jack, my soon to be husband. So leave me alone and don't go near Jack." I storm off towards the wrong part of the school but I turn the corner, do a double take and go the right way through the janitor room to the other side of the school to my english class. I sat on my desk until the bell and Mr.Kookie came in and snapped his fingers and pointed down for me to sit on the chair part of the desk. Mr.Kookie is a new young teacher so you would think we could pull things on him but he knows all the tricks of the trade. Even the ones we make up.The man is good, but even Mr.Kookie can't handle the phone text prom thing he is getting pissed about it. He has a box by the door and tells us to put our phones in the box before we sit down. We can't have our phones in his class anymore. The only time teachers do that is when we have tests so we don't cheat. Smart move on their behalf because kids can use those to look things up on the net or look up things that they shouldn't on school grounds. But that is teenagers for you there is nothing you can do other than lock them up until they are old enough to be out of your house. (Not that I'm saying you should do that. But if you do, make sure you feed your kids at least twice a day, shower once a week and use the crapper three times a day. But I'm not saying you should is all I'm not saying you should kidnap your own kids.)Since finals are around the corner soon, it means two things. One, more homework for everyone. Like four chapters of math and every other subject along with test after test. Plus it eases up the crapper. I know I'm complaining about homework when I'm freaked out about the other thing. I do that a lot, complain about one thing when something bigger is bugging me. You know what it is or if you don't and have started reading this book from the middle to the end and start over from the beginning maybe you shouldn't have done that.Because you just screwed yourself over big time. So I'm not going to say what the other reason is. But for those who have read this from the start knows what I'm talking about. Just don't tell the others. Let them suffer. But on to the rest of the story, I'm still surprised that I had the guts to tell you my story. If someone is going to read my story I guess it should be you. It's not like my family cared at all but the only surprise I got was at prom from J.G. But I'm getting ahead of myself, as always. So thanks to our fearless leader we will not have a prom at Brickfield High. Yeah she thinks we don't need to party and have drunken stupid sex on her dime. So instead we are throwing our own prom somewhere in New York. Don't know when or where or the theme. See a day or two before the "prom" we will get a text with the info. It's fun that way. But it does make it harder to get a dress and do my hair. Oh well. Who doesn't need more than a day to get ready for prom? (I mean other than guys, all they do is shower and spray on some weird smelling body stuff then pick up their date. Lucky bastards.) Sure, all the good places to get dresses don't have any left or any place worth spending hundreds of dollars for hair and nails are booked up. I guess us girls have to make do with Goodwill and the smart cuts at the outlet mall. On May seventh I got a text: black and white prom. 7:00pm. Times Square Hotel ballroom 2. May 10th, 2008.I write down the info and erase the info from my phone. I called Jack to ask him if he got the text about "prom" or not. He says yes and he has already got his tux for it. I told him I want to see it. He says maybe, then starts flirting with me for some reason. Yeah I know I'm his girlfriend and all but I don't like being all girly flirty bats my eyes at the guy. Sesh, I have already given him my virginity and what more can he ask for? Angel and I go to the mall in Times Square for prom dresses. "So since it is black and white prom I think I should not go with either color. I want to go with orange." Angel said, flipping through the dresses trying to find her size. "You know it's called black and white prom, not the orange and brown fall fest prom. Even though that would be a great one. Black and white prom is so over. It went out in the 90's along with hair scrunchies and Saturday night movie night on abc."In the end I found an amazing black sleeveless dress, with a tight bodice and long flowy skirt with little fake pearls in the bodice and scattered among the skirt. with black five inch heels. Plus I'm going to add fingerless white lace gloves. Angel found an Orange and white dress with black polka dots on the skirt of the dress. With black and orange heels. Jack is going to have a heart attack or something when he sees me in the dress of my picking. Lamberg isn't happy with the people who are doing the prom. She wants to know who does it so she can throw them out for it. She wants to know where it is going to be so she can get it shut down and everyone who goes to it thrown in jail. She even tried to look at people's phones to get the info about. But not even her little snitch Scrubbs won't tell in case she is voted prom queen. Scrubbs might be a lot of things (I mean a lot of things the list goes on for days on end) but if a crown is on the line and being queen of the school well not even she would risk it. On the tenth of May I got up kind of late. I meant to get up at eight a.m but I got up at ten. My sister Maddie kept bugging me, wanting me to help her with her dress. Putting the last touches on it. She made it herself. It seems that she got friendly with the good pastor's son. So she knew the theme before anyone else. She could have told me before the text went out. It would be a nice thing to do. Why else did mom and dad have her other than to give me heads up on different things? God knows that they already had a somewhat perfect daughter. I know what you are thinking, you, perfect Meredith yeah right. Ha-ha. Damn me I keep going off the track. Back to my story now, when I got up I threw on some clothes and headed out for coffee and gossip from J.G he still hadn't told me who he was taking to the prom. It might be his boyfriend going alone.I hand J.G his non fat skim milk mocha. (Can you say ew?) "So spill Lights, who are you taking tonight? Just so I know if I should steer clear of you and your make out buddy. J.G looked at me over his coffee trying not to laugh at me. "I'm not telling you Meredith ok. Let's just say out of myself and my date I'll be the hotter one." He gave me this big smile, showing off his oh I'm so good looking you can't stand it smile. After an hour of talking I couldn't get him to spill his guts. He would be a good cop or a law breaker either way he didn't crack. I guess having me as a friend for all his life he had to learn how to have a poker face. I got home, jumped in the shower, brushed my teeth, and flossed them. I even used mouth wash. I rarely do that. I mean unless I have to go to the dentist. I ate as little as possible. I didn't want to brush my teeth again. At five I got all my homework done for the weekend and started getting ready for the prom. I put hot curlers in my hair after being in the heat for over two hours. Then I got my phone and texted Angel asking her if she wants to come here and get ready or do it at her home. She said that she will be at my house within an hour. When she got here Matt Jr opened the door and let her in. She ran to my room as fast as she could. Soon as she got into my room Angel slammed my door making my light on the desk shake. "Hey, what is up with the pissed off act, you trying to break my door or something?" Angel looked pale and freaked out with her dress and shoes in her hands. "Why didn't you tell me that your brother was here? I look awful. I don't have any makeup on or anything?" I looked at her trying not to laugh. "Well I didn't know that he was here. I thought he had to work. And who cares what you look like. It's just my dumb, lazy of a brother. Come on, let's get ready. Jack and J.G will be here in a bit. We got dressed and curled our hair. I did her make up for her. Trying to make her eyes stand out giving her a perfect smoky eye effect. I took my curlers out and put my hair up and placed little black and white roses in it. When the bell rang I was putting my shoes on. "Meredith, a girl is here to see you!!" I look at Angel puzzled trying to think what girl it is. Maybe mom had it wrong, maybe the girl was for Maddie. I rush down the stairs and see Arianna there with a tie dye dress of black, red and white. I have to admit she looked amazing in the dress. For a second I thought something I shouldn't have but I stopped. Before I can say anything Jesse came down with Klaus at his feet. "What are you doing here? You should leave now!!" My mom looked at Jesse surprised that he would talk to someone like that. "Jesse Daniel, who taught you to be so rude? This is Meredith's friend. I'm guessing she needs a ride to prom. Right dear?" He went by Arianna to the living room. He grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table and turned around to leave. "You should leave now before Jack gets here. And there is no room for her in the car. So goodbye." Jesse pushed past her and went back to his room. "I'm going to have to talk to him about being rude to people, that isn't like him at all. Maybe your father can talk to Jesse. Well Arianna, why don't you come in? The rest of the group will be here soon I'm sure." "So how are you Meredith? I mean you missed your last class a couple weeks ago." My mom pulls a dad and crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently. "You missed a class Meredith, why?" I sighed and grabbed my jacket from the peg. "I had a headache so bad it felt like my head was cracked up. I spent it in the health office. You know I wouldn't skip a class unless I wasn't feeling good." It wasn't long until Jack and J.G knocked on the door for us to leave. I answered the door and saw Jack in his tux, but with a Jack twist. He had a mint green tie on that made his eyes stand out. "Well hello, good looking. Where have you been all my life?" Jack laughed and J.G coughed like hello, what about me? " You look good too J.G, happy?" In true J.G fashion he smirked and walked past me standing by Angel."Come on Maddie, we aren't waiting until you look nice. We won't make it until your grade 12 prom!!" My sister came down in a off the shoulder white dress with black roses on the skirt part of it. Right behind her, Jesse came down this time without Klaus. "Ok everyone, in the living room for a picture. Don't give me that look Meredith, it's just two pictures I think you can live for that." My mother can be so bossy sometimes. But then again, her job is to run the house and keep dad in check with his temper. We all got together in a group trying to stay away from Arianna, thankfully Jesse kept her from getting too close to me and Jack. Within 15 minutes (yeah, that was more then two pictures. it was more like 45 to 50) we were all crammed into Jack's van on the way to the prom. We got there early, well early for New York. Jack went to park the car. We all went inside well, all but myself and Arianna. Jesse was going to stay but I told him to go on. It's fine. "So you going to save me a dance Mere' Oh, we should dance to she could be you. It's slow and romantic." I tried to tune her out but she looked so.... No Meredith, you can't think like that. "Listen I'm done. I'm done trying to get you to see that I don't like you. I helped you out once ages ago. So just leave me alone and back off." I started to the door of the prom and turned around. "And find your own way home because you won't be riding with us!!" Jack came up the walkway as if he didn't hear anything. "Are you ready to be crowned queen of the prom?" I rolled my eyes at him and reached up and kissed his cheek. "Oh please Jack, the only people who will be queen are my sister or Scrubbs." He opened the door for me and led me into the lobby. "Well then, you will be my queen only then, forget all the others." I put my arms around his neck pulling him closer to me. "And you will be my king and only mine." The night went well if you count the people pouring more booze in the punch then New York has in the city and Scrubbs being prom queen. She'll be difficult to deal with after this then again, when hasn't she been difficult? I did hear that Lamberg busted a different prom across town thinking it was our's. I'm sure she'll find a way to say it was my fault in some way. Around ten thirty, Jack went to get some non booze punch and of course around that time a very drunk Starla Scrubbs walked over to me and put her arm around my neck. "You know you aren't half bad Meredith. Yeah you got Jack so what, I was about done with him anyway. He seems happier with you." Right then Scrubbs ran off to the bathroom ready to hurl. (She must have gotten sick from being nice to me. It can't be the booze more than ten percent.) Most of the night was great until Jesse got into a yelling match with Arianna. I guess he was busy most of the night trying to keep her away from me. "What's going on Jess'?" Arianna came running to me crying or pretending to cry. "He has been nothing but mean and hurtful to me all night keeping me away from you. Please tell him that you want to be with me." I step away from her, trying to keep her away from me. "Listen to me you crazy stalker. My cousin wants nothing to do with you at all. Now leave us alone and if you think of coming near us again you'll be in the back of a cop car! Got it?" Around midnight the prom started to let out and everyone was going home. I told mom I was staying over at Angel's house for the night. You can guess where I will be really there isn't much of a guess to tell the truth. If those who aren't getting it I'll be at Jack's for real. I know how teenager of me, lying to mom and dad. But I'm sure my sister has read my diary and they talked about it at the last family meeting. (I'm sure they have better things to talk about at the family meetings other then me. Then again you never know I guess.) The next morning when I got home, I went to my room to grab some clothes for a shower because I'm sure I smell of Jack. After my ten minute shower I go into my room and see I have a visitor of my least favorite kind. "I thought my cousin told you to leave me alone." Arianna stood up still wearing her prom dress and half her makeup was gone. Good lord, she must have slept in it. "But we never got our dance. I brought a cd player with me." She hit the play button and the song started to play. I walked over and stopped the song. "Ok listen to me and listen good. I love Jack and I'm going to marry Jack. And whatever vibe you have gotten from me so many months ago it was false. I helped you once and now I can't get you to leave me alone." Before I could kick her out She kissed me full on the mouth and all those feelings came back to me. She broke the kiss before I could. "I knew you still wanted me. You should tell Jack goodbye unless you want me to." I grabbed her cd player, handed it to her, opened my door and shoved her out. I sunk down to my floor trying to forget her. A knock on the door made me jump a mile high. I got up and opened the door with all the anger I had. "What do you want now?!!" J.G stood there wondering what he did wrong. "Wow, either you need sleep or you thought I was that girl that just left. Who was she? And why did your cousin get in a yelling match with her last night?" An hour later, my best friend who I had since forever just looked at me like I had two heads growing out of my ass. "And she has been waiting for her chance to what, break you and Jack up? She needs to bugger off. Sorry about that but she does. And the feeling you are getting. Well..." I looked at him like well what? "What is it J.G? Tell me please!" He held up one finger to tell me to hold on for a minute while he drank some coffee. "Well I was going to say that you are a teenager. And at this point in your life you are bound to be confused about who you are. It just takes time to find it. And you should tell someone about me, I mean other than who you have told. Plus tell Lamberg she can tell Arianna to stop stalking you at school. She really needs to back off." "So your idea is to tell Lamberg that a girl has a crush on me and she is stalking me?" He rolled his eyes at me. "Fine, deal with her on your own, just don't come crying to me when she tries to steal your DNA to make her own Meredith clone." I took my pillow and wacked him in the head with it. "Can I get a new guy best friend please?" J.G laughed and grabbed my other pillow and wacked me with it. "As if you can find a better best guy friend." The rest of the weekend I spent hanging out with my friends and even Klaus for a while. But really, I do need a back up guy best friend, anyone up for the gig write me.