Yours Truly, Angel

An Assembly

Kendall awoke Monday morning with a feeling of dread. She slipped into shorts and a T-Shirt and went out the door, greeted by the vibrant color of Jenny's yellow buggy. Angel sat in the front with Jenny. She slipped into the back seat next to Amanda. Rose was staring blankly out the window.

She sighed. "Why are you guys at my house waiting for me?"

Jenny pulled out of the driveway. "I figured we should all be together."

Rose rolled her eyes. "There is no all if Zoe and Chloe aren't here."

Jenny pursed her lips. "You're right."

She pulled into the school's parking lot and noticed that it was filled with about one hundred students in front of the entrance. They all got out.

Amanda sighed. "Wonder what's going on."

Rose glanced over at her. "Metal detectors."

They all followed the small clump of students to the front doors. The teacher inspecting a boy with the metal detector was yelling at him.

"Son, what do you have?"

The detector was going off. The boy sighed, obviously annoyed. "It's just my cross necklace."

It was Colin. He took the necklace out from under his shirt, showing the teacher. He nodded. "Go in."

Colin rolled his eyes, sliding inside the school. When they all finally got inside, Amanda sighed. "Took them long enough."

Kendall nodded, nervously. There weren't many students at school. Only about two hundred or less. It seemed like Angel was the only freshman in the school today. She caught a glimpse of Colin at his locker. She walked over to him just as he punched the locker, yelling in frustration.

"Shi-" right before he saw her. "-t... Kendall, sorry I didn't see you there."

She forced a smile. "Locker problems?"

He winced. "Pretty much."

She looked around and caught a glimpse of Bill talking to Sam. She started walking away just as Colin whispered. "How's your mom?"

She froze in her tracks. "What?"

He looked up at her. "I said, how's your mom doing? You know... With all the info you told her about Angel."

She turned around to face him. "How did you know?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure that a lot of people know."

She walked towards him. "Not sure how she's doing. If my only daughter was being watched by three psycho teens, I probably wouldn't be doing so great."

She left Colon at his locker, meeting up with Bill and Sam. Sam smiled at her making her look away at Bill.

He smirked. "What's with you, Ken?"

She looked away. "Nothing."

Bill's concern made Kendall roll her eyesight "Look, B-" she crimes at the sound of the strange nickname. "-Bill, I don't need a pity party."

He frowned. "I understand."

She exhaled. "Depends on how you define understand."

He looked at Sam. He nodded and walked away. Bill looked back at her. "I want to know what's wrong."

She leaned against a locker. "I just-" she exhaled. "- miss Zoe."

He thought long and hard before he responded. "I know you do."

She clenched her jaw. "No you don't. You didn't even know her."

He looked helplessly at her but she interrupted. "Look, Bill, I appreciate your concern. Honestly, I feel as if someone reached into my chest and took out a chunk of my heart. And I feel the beating of my heart but it's like half of it is gone. I actually could have saved her. She talked to me fifteen minutes before she shot herself."

He stood there, dumbfounded. She felt big and warm arms cover her in a genuine embrace and felt Bill's warm breath on her neck.

"I've never really been good at making people feel better but I know hugs always make me feel better."

Kendall felt her heart swell despite the empty feeling that still lingered.
~
Later that day, the students were called down to the gymnasium for an assembly. Mr. Hayes, the principle, nervously coughed into the microphone.

"Can I have your attention please?"

The gym was filled with filled with silence. Mr. Hayes smiled sadly before going on with his speech. "I am very sorry to have to announce this, but due to Miss Zoe Benson's death, I have made the decision to cancel the prom of two thousand and fourteen this year."

The gym erupted into protests and one kid even yelled. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everyone laughed but Kendall scolded Rob Downley from her social studies class. A hand went up from the crowd of students. Mr. Hayes sighed. "Yes, sir?"

Sam stood up with a smirk. "Sir, I think your decision should be revoked because--well," he cleared his throat. "-Prom is traditional. By retrospect, more than half of the students have dreamed of prom for most of their lives. Lets all go to prom in memory of Zoe.

I know that if I were to be Zoe, I wouldn't want to be the cause of people's ruined dreams." He gestured to the seniors in the front of the gymnasium. "Look, this is their last year of high school before they start the end of the beginning of their lives. They can't miss the last prom of their lives."

Mr. Hayes looked speechless. "Well, son, I see your point. How many of you would be okay with going to a prom this year?" The gym erupted into raised hands and shouts that echoed off of the old walls that were painted with the blue and white colors of the mascot. "Okay. For Miss Zoe Benson's sake, the prom is back on."

The gym erupted into happy shouts. But, Kendall was left with an empty feeling in her heart.
~
Later that night when Kendall was stuck in her room, writing a list of things for prom she realized that she didn't have a dress yet. Like an answer to her prayers, Amanda texted her:

Ken-doll what are you wearing to prom??

She smirked:

No clue, Mandy.

Just then, Amanda called Kendall. She rolled her eyes as she answered, bracing herself for Amanda's outburst to come. "What do you mean that you don't know?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Well I don't have a dress, yet."

Ananda exhaled. "You know that I got my dress a month ago... Of course, I'll have to take you dress shopping on Wednesday night."

She laughed. "Where would we go shopping?"

She could hear the excitement in Amanda's voice when she said. "Effie's Boutique."

Her eyes went wide. "Effie's Boutique as in Brooklyn, New York?"Amanda was practically beaming on the other end of the phone. "Amanda... That's got to be at least one hundred and sixty miles away.

Not to mention, it would take three hours to get to Brooklyn and we'd be there for at least two hours. Then, we would have to drive three hours back."

She sighed on the other end. "You're right... It would take at least eight hours. So, we'll just skip school Wednesday."

Amanda was so excited but Kendall wasn't so into it. "I don't know if I should skip school..."

"I'll be at your house six a.m. Wednesday morning."

She hung up before Kendall could even respond. She rolled her eyes. Classic Amanda. She realized that the day had been perfect in it's imperfect ways. Not to mention, no one was bothered Angel at all that day. She sighed happily as she drifted into a deep sleep.