Blandview High Musical

85. Prom Night

On Friday, there was so much buzz about prom that night that we could hardly keep our focus on the schoolwork that needed to be done. As I was heading to music class, Donnie pulled me off to the side. "Can we talk for a sec?" He asked. "Oh...I don't really have time, Donnie. Can't it wait til lunch?" I asked. He sighed. "I don't really wanna wait. I just need someone to hear me out." He said, tugging me towards the hallway.

Once we were alone, I could tell that Donnie was sweating with nervousness. "Alright, tell me what's going on." I said, leaning against the cork bulletin board. "How the hell am I supposed to ask her to marry me?" "Oh, don't tell me you're getting cold feet." I said, folding my arms across my chest. "No! I would never. I mean...how am I supposed to do it? I wanna do it tonight, but not in front of everyone. I want things to be a little bit private." He said. "Maybe you guys just dance for a while and then you lead her away from the people. I'm sure there will be some private places." I said.

The dance itself was being held at the Valley Villa venue in the North Hills. It was not very far from the school and most of the neighborhoods around. It was gorgeous with an amazing pool and outdoor patio area. I was excited just to get to be there. I didn't have any memory in my whole life of walking around such a lavish place. And we were only going to be there for one night. We hadn't decided if we were gonna do dinner before or after the prom. Surely my mother wouldn't expect me back by 7:30pm. I'm sure she would make an exception.

"I actually have the ring, would you like to see it?" As Donnie pulled the black velvet box from his jacket pocket, I heard footsteps. I looked past him to see a shadow moving down the hallway towards us. Her voice shattered the still air. "Donnie?" It was Jade. He jumped in fear, snapping the box close and hiding it behind his backside. "Jade!" He said. She furrowed her brow. "What are you two doing down here and what are you hiding behind your back?" She asked, attempting to look past him. "Nothing! It's none of your business. It's something private that Gill and I are sharing." He said, slipping his hand into his back pocket.

"Anyway, I gotta run. Thanks for listening to me, Gill." Donnie said, turning around and walking back down the hallway, leaving us alone. Jade stepped forward. "Alright, spill it." "No, I can't. If I do it will spoil the surprise and you will hate me more than if I don't tell you." She sighed. "Okay, fine. Keep y'all's secrets." She said, pushing past me. "By the way, Mr. Bannon is super pissed at you." "Fuck!" I shouted, running down the hall to his class. I ended up having to stay 15 minutes into lunch because of Donnie. Remind me to kick him in the balls when I see him again.

"Hopefully next time you will get to class in a more timely manner." Mr. Bannon said as I finished up the work he had assigned me. "Oh, I'm sure." I said, gathering up my things before heading to the door.

When I got into the cafeteria, Tommy was waiting by himself. I moved through the lunch line and got my food. I joined them at the table. "Where the hell were you?" Tommy asked. "Well, thanks to Donnie, I was completely late to Mr. Bannon's class. He made me stay 15 minutes after class to do some work." Donnie looked over at me, giving those sad eyes. I'm sorry. He said, softly. Honestly, I didn't really mind. I was bubbling with excitement over the fact that Donnie was going to ask Jade to marry him. I almost wanted to intrude on their private moment so I could see the look on her face while it was happening. What I hadn't noticed, was Caylie's absence from the table.

She walked up with her hands curled around her backpack straps. She stood there for a second before speaking. "Jade? Can I um—can I talk to you for a second?" She asked. "Yeah, is everything alright?" Jade asked. "In private, please?" She said. Jade nodded her head, getting up from where she was sitting. "Is she okay?" I asked, leaning towards Damien. He sighed. "I'm not sure. She's been really moody and upset. I just can't seem to do anything right." He said. I wrinkled my brow. "Maybe she's just having a hard time." I suggested. "I wish she'd tell me what the hard time is."