Monochrome beat (boyxboy)✔

Beat 30

I didn't talk to my mother the next day. She was sulking as if I'd been the one who insulted her. I just didn't want to talk to her. I'd always known my mom pretended. I'd always thought it was limited to the outside world. She tried hard to dispel the stereotypes surrounding us, but in turn she'd become plastic. Everything had to be perfect; if not, it had to appear perfect. It turned out that didn't leave room for discussion, even in her home.

Even though we weren't talking, mom drove me to school. I sent a text to one more person who wasn't talking to me while in the car.

Hey. You said you were going to text, but since you didn't I just thought I'd go ahead and text you. I missed you last night. I hope you slept well. Text me. Whenever.

He didn't text me; instead someone else texted me. Jasmine wanted to know where I was. I told her I was close to school so she said she'd wait for me. I hadn't entertained her message since I'd received it. I knew she wanted to talk. Odds were my mom had put her up to it. Maybe she thought Jasmine could speak some sense into me, or turn me straight.

When I got out of the car I spotted Jasmine by the building entrance. I walked over to her.

"Hi," she said with a wide smile.

"Hi," I said nonchalantly. I didn't want to come off as rude, but I didn't want to encourage her either.

Her confidence deserted her. "So um...have you...umm...have you heard about prom?"

I raised a brow. "What about prom?"

"It's this Saturday and um...tickets are still available if you want to go. What I'm trying to say is, will you go with me?"

"I...I don't know. Dances are not my thing," I said.

"We could...it could...we have like..." she stammered.

"Thanks for considering me, but I'd rather skip prom," I said, more firm than before.

"Oh um...okay. I guess I'll go alone," she said and walked away before I could say anything.

I wasn't sure I wanted to say anything. What was the protocol for these things? I'd just turned her down; I doubted she wanted me to continue talking.

But I didn't just turn her down. I turned down prom night altogether. I'd at some point in my schooling career fantasized about prom night with the guy of my dreams...a guy named Cole at that time. After moving and changing school, prom had never come up...until Jasmine brought it up. Now she was gone and I was thinking about it.

What if I could go to prom with the guy of my dreams? The goofy clothes, the high school spirit, the loud teenagers, the bad tasting punch, slow music and him next to me in the quiet corner, discussing the cheesiness of high school romances. I could see it all in my head. Maybe he'd dance after telling me the songs there were wacky. But after a while he'd prefer the quiet corner where our voices were the perfect solace from the cringe-worthy scenes unfolding before us.

Maybe I could have that one night.

"Hey uh...Jazz, I was wondering, does the school allow dates from other schools on prom night?"

I had gone crazy. I was asking the girl I had turned down about the possibility of bringing someone else as a date, just an hour after I had turned her down. Not only that, I hadn't even talked to the person I wanted to invite about prom.

Jasmine and I were in class. She was sitting next to me, and looked uncomfortable doing so.

"Yeah," she said curtly.