Masquerade

Moving On

When high school starts it's a big deal. You move from being the biggest baddest kids around to being little fish in a sea of sharks.  As Juniors, it felt like we were dolphins, we knew we were bigger than the little fish but if it came down to it we just weren't sharks yet. It's hard to be in that place it's awkward to be in that middle place. But about two months after THE fight Simon and I weren't just at that place in school we were at that place in our friendship. We could talk...but not about what happened. We could hang out...but someone else was always there. We were friends...but not even close to the way we used to be. 

It was Homecoming season and we were starting to make our plans. Lu, Sammy and I would watch Simon and Louis play in the game and we would all go have a bonfire at Simon's house. Then Lu and I would go home lay out all our supplies for the next morning wake up at noon and be ready to leave for pictures at three. Louis and Julia would be dropped off after taking their own pictures with Louis' mom, who works a night shift as a nurse at the local hospital so she can't come to the pictures with everyone. Then at three thirty Lu's date, Maria will be dropped off and finally, Simon will come over with Sammy and Violet. We will all take pictures in my backyard then have some snacks and be at the dance when it starts at seven. 

The plan had worked for the past two years and we were all super excited but just like everything else it started to fall apart at the seams. 

"So you're telling me that you are having the entire team over after the game!?" Lu asked Simon in the voice that you hear from your mama when she is giving you a chance to fix what you said before she tells you just how wrong your sorry butt is. 

"Yes, Ma'ma" Simon replied with a snarky tone that made the rest of us scoot back in our seat waiting for Lu's reaction. 

"So instead of our friendly intimate gathering that I have become so accustomed to, there will be lots of people?" Lu asked in a way that was as close to tentative as she gets. 

"Yes..." Simon replied confused not know why Lu had moved from scolding to... well anything else.

"Okay" Lu replied as if to end the whole conversation.

"That's it!?" Sammy interjected from next to me, "I got told that I was a mad man when I tried to change the order of the games on game night but he's changing our homecoming plans the week of and that's just fine!?" Sammy huffed in fake outrage. "This is just ridiculous I should have learned to play football!" 

"Maria's parents don't know that she has a girlfriend they think we are just good friends...if it's a party then it makes sense if it's just us then it's more suspicious. They are already confused about why she is coming to my homecoming why she goes to school across town." After Lu confessed her motive everyone quieted down. I knew what was happening but the boys were just finding out. We all knew that Lu had a hard time dating someone who's parents don't know. She wanted everyone to be accepted right away but she understood that it took some people longer than others to come out to the people around them. It's not fair to expect someone to open up about things they are not ready to. We all knew how much it hurt her last time one of her girlfriends had come out to her family while they were dating...

"So good we're having a party then!" I exclaimed trying to remove the stale air. "Is it okay if I bring Caleb?"

Caleb was a boy that I had been talking to for about a month everything was great except that the boys never wanted to meet him. I knew it was weird for them that I was going on dates instead of hosting movie nights on Saturdays but Lu and I both agreed that it was good and healthy to date someone outside of the core five.

"Sure Dory, we'd love to meet him," Louis said with half a smile as the other two made eye contact and exchanged a look and grimaced.