Prom Complexity

Chapter Four: Sentimentals and Argumentals

Chapter Four

My eyes moved from Ashely to Ellen to Jackson to Ellen and back to Ashely.

“You’re kidding,” I said looking at Ellen for her to break into laughter that would allow me to hit her for tearing me away from that dance with Dillon.  But Ellen’s face didn’t change, she didn’t smile, she looked dead serious.  I couldn’t help but start laughing.

“Why are you laughing?”  Ellen asked intrigued.

“Because this sucks,” I said.

There was an awkward silence where I held back from laughing.

“We could walk home,” Jackson suggested.

“You do realize,” Ellen said, “We’re in the middle of downtown and it took half an hour by car to get here.  It would take the entire night.”

“It was just a suggestion,” Jackson mumbled.

Ellen and I both exchanged a look.

“How about the light rail?”  Ashely suggested.

“How far is that?”  I asked.

“Probably not that far,” Jackson said.

“Only like,” Ashely said, before mumbling, “like five miles.”

“Five miles,” I asked, a sense of whininess to my voice, “that’s far.”

“It’s not that far,” Jackson said, with his arm already sprawled on Ashely’s shoulders, its new permanent home.

“Jackson,” I said, moving my hands in an explanatory manner, “five miles feels like fifty in heels”

“Well,” Jackson said shrugging his shoulders, “maybe you shouldn’t have worn heels”

“And maybe,” I said, feeling myself losing my temper and my patience, “you should have worn them.”

“Why would I,” Jackson began, his left hand grabbing onto his tie fixing it in a slightly smug manner, “Need to wear heels?”

“Because you’re short,” I mumbled, crossing my arms.

“I’m taller than you.”

“Of course you are,” I said, raising my voice slightly, “If you weren’t you would legally be a midget.”

A few heads were turned from inside the room Prom was being held in.

“Well maybe,” Jackson said, “If you had worn more comfortable shoes you wouldn’t be such a bitch,”

“And maybe,” I said, “you wouldn’t be such an ass if the rest of your neck wasn’t stuck up it.”

Ellen pulled me away from Jackson.  She was holding back a laugh as she redirected me to the room Prom was being held in as Jackson stormed off to the bathrooms.

“Ashely’s gonna be pissed at me,” I said as we grabbed some water from the coolers, and where Ellen let her laugh out.

“That was awesome,” Ellen said in-between laughs, patting my back, “Just that last line.”

Ellen laughed for a full on minute, as I stood there drinking my water from a small plastic cup.  I looked over towards the spot Ashely was standing at, but she had already left.  Probably ran after Jackson.

“His neck up his ass,” Ellen said, almost bent over, “Got him!”

It took about another minute for Ellen to clear her laughter from her system, which gave me time to reflect over what I said and immediately feel a sense of regret.  If this night still had the rest of Prom and five more miles, it wasn’t near over and whether I liked it or not, I would need to at least be on subtle terms with Jackson. 

Ellen eventually catches her breath, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“The grasshopper has become the master,” she said, bowing slightly.  My eyes moved from her to the open door behind her.

“I think I’m going to apologize,” I said moving past Ellen if only for a few steps before her hand grasped around my arm and turned me around.

“Madeline you can’t,” she said her eyes dead serious behind the red blotches from her binge laughing.

“That walk’s going to be hell if we’re at each other’s throats the entire way,” I said.

“I say let it,” Ellen said, “It’ll make it more interesting.  Besides this is the first time in like five years that I’ve seen you stick up for yourself and shit,”

I turned around to follow Ellen’s gaze to Ashely, stomping into the room, her purse flailing and her eyes dead set on us.  She looked pissed, and a little scary.

I muttered a curse word under my breath as I made my way towards Ashely.

“Madeline,” Ashely said, her voice slightly raised.

“I know Ash,” I said, “I’m on it,”

Jackson was in the bathroom, since he didn’t really have a place to storm of too, and since he was in the men’s bathroom and I was in a dress, I assumed the seated position on the cushioned bench outside.  I was literally twirling my thumbs, since I didn’t have anything else to do, other than imagine the rest to Dillon’s line, “I rea-“.

I came to a few conclusions, I really like you dress, I really think you should take some tic tacs, I really am tired, I really hope this song ends soon, I really hope this song never ends, I really like you.

Multiple endings to the word and a half line of “I rea-“.

It was weird; I could hear his voice saying my name as clear as day, “Hey, Madeline,” he had said, “Why are you sitting outside the men’s bathroom?”

I opened my eyes from my daydream and my wide imagination to find Dillon standing there, hands in his pocket and an intrigued look on his face.  I was slightly embarrassed as I moved over on the bench for him to sit down on.

“Waiting to apologize,” I answered.

“For what?”

“For suggesting that Jackson’s an ass because the rest of his neck is stuck up it,” I mumbled.

I looked down, slightly ashamed, and pretty sure Dillon would be mortified only to be surprised when he was practically bent over from laughing.

“That would explain a lot,” he said.

He looked over at me, a smile on his face.

“So,” I began, my heart beating faster from the anticipation, “What were you going to say back there?”

“Oh,” Dillon said, caught off guard, “I was saying that I really am having a fun time with you tonight.”

 

A smile formed on my face, although I was a little disappointed.  It was a compliment, just not the ending I was hoping for.