The Bayview Four Go To Prom

Cooper

Nobody wanted a limo—especially not one that Mikhail Powers was paying for—but I'm having second thoughts about Luis's dad's minivan as a backup plan.

​"Does this thing have shocks?" I ask when a pothole on Clarendon Street nearly sends my head through the roof.

​"Yeah, but they don't work," Luis calls cheerfully over the rattling engine. "You might want to hold on to something."

​Kris, who got knocked sideways with the bump, grabs my hand. "If you say so."

​Thing is, the six of us can't be flashy about prom. People already pay too much attention to whatever we do, and while I've gotten better at tuning it out, I've also learned not to invite it in for stuff that doesn't matter. Driving two miles from Bronwyn's house to Bayview High, even in formal wear, definitely falls into that category.

​It would be nice to arrive without a full-body bruise, though.

​Luis slows down to take a corner, and Kris and I move closer together. We're in the middle of the van, with Nate and Bronwyn behind us and Addy in the passenger seat, fiddling with the radio. "All the presets are sports talk," she complains to Luis.

​"Yeah, and the Padres game just started," he says hopefully. "Could you—"

​"No," Addy says, snapping it off.

​Kris squeezes my hand as Luis pulls into Bayview High parking lot. "Ready?" he asks.

​"Very," I assure him.

​Luis pulls into a parking spot that's as close to the front door as he can manage, considering it's primetime for arrival. "Let me get the doors for everyone," he says, shutting off the ignition. "They're temperamental." I watch students stream for the entrance as Luis exits the driver's seat and circles to the opposite side of the van. He pulls open the sliding back door first, then wrenches open the passenger side door with a loud pop and the creak of hinges. "May I assist you from this chariot, princess?" he asks Addy with exaggerated politeness, extending his hand.

​She accepts it with a regal nod. "You mean this death trap? You may."

​The sky is a soft, dark blue, and the air has just a hint of coolness. I straighten my cuffs and smooth my tuxedo jacket, stealing a glance at Kris beside me. He actually owns a tux, so it fits him perfectly, and looking at him sends my heart racing. When he meets my eyes, I cup his face in my hands and pull his lips toward mine.

​And people can pay as much attention as they want, because this? This matters.

​"Move it, lovebirds," Addy calls over her shoulder, shimmying her hips as she and Luis head for the entrance. "Some of us came to dance."

​Kris smiles as we break apart. "That includes me, by the way. I happen to be an excellent dancer."

​"I'm excellent at ... swaying in place," I tell him.

​He pats my shoulder. "We'll work on it."

​We make our way inside to Bayview's state-of-the-art gymnasium. A girl in a slinky blue dress is handing something out at the door, and my steps slow when I realize who it is. "Vote for your king and queen," Vanessa Merriman tells Addy coolly, shoving a small white card at her.

​Addy ducks around it. "Maybe later," she says, dragging Luis toward the dance floor. Bronwyn and Nate join them, acting as though they don't even see Vanessa, but I pause and take the card she's still holding out.

​"Thought they got rid of this?" I say. Last I heard, prom court was gone—yet another casualty of Principal Gupta's determination to create a kinder, gentler version of Bayview High. I'm not sure she's been successful, but points for trying. The card doesn't have any names on it, just the words King and Queen and two blank lines.

​Vanessa rolls her eyes. "King and queen only. And Gupta gets to approve the results before they get read, so ... she'll probably make sure it's somebody boring." Then she looks me up and down in a way that clearly says, Like you.

​Kris just blinks, unable to process the nightmare that is Vanessa. It's hard to believe, now, that she and I were ever even the loosest definition of friend. There are a lot of things I regret about last fall, but our toxic group imploding isn't one of them. "Enjoy your night," I say, reaching past her to take two of the little pencils that are on the table. Then I pull Kris through the door.

​"Who is that?" he asks once we're inside the gym.

​I don't want to ruin the night by telling him. Kris had to pick up the pieces after last fall's cafeteria disaster, when Vanessa led the charge on all my friends except Luis turning against me. Kris is the most even-tempered person I know, but he's been dying to tell her off ever since. "Somebody who karma's gonna get eventually," I say instead.

I lean the card against a nearby pillar so I can write on it, and Kris places his next to mine. "Who are we voting for?" he asks.

"Addy, obviously," I say, writing her name in the blank space after Queen. If anyone deserves a crown, it's her. "And for king ..." I'm about to write Luis Santos, but just then, my eyes stray toward the table nearest us. The girl sitting there is scrolling through her phone, oblivious to the boy beside her. Who's gazing longingly toward the middle of the room, where Bronwyn is slow dancing with Nate.

​What the hell. "Evan Neiman," I say, because that kid could use a win. Kris dutifully writes the name and gives me his card. There are ballot boxes attached to all the walls, and I drop ours into the nearest one, and the pencils on the table beside it. Then I turn back to Kris and hold out my hand.​

"So like I said, I'm mostly a swayer, but ... can I have the first dance?"

"You can have all of them," Kris says.

AN: Aaaand thats where it ends! Really wanna continue it for her cause I love it.