The Time Traveler's Wife - The Other Side

The Prom

June 2009

Carmilla's advice wound up being sound.

After months of biting her tongue, Laura exploded and called Danny out for being controlling.

It was over something silly-- Laura had wanted to get hot dogs for dinner, but Danny wanted pizza. And instead of any kind of discussion, Danny just started chanting, "PIZZA OR DEATH. PIZZA OR DEATH!"

And the next thing Laura knew, she was telling Danny that she only wants Laura to behave how she wants her to behave, and that she doesn't actually let Laura be who she is.

Danny didn't even want to discuss Laura's reason for being upset, and instead broke up with her.

Leaving Laura without a date to prom with only days to go.

At first, this didn't bother Laura beyond crying at the fact that a three year relationship with the best friend she'd known for almost three-fourths of her life was ended over a "pizza or death" chant.

But then the night before, she was ready to say she wasn't going to go, only to realize how much money her hard-working father put into making sure she had a great prom experience.

And that's when she promptly burst into tears, scaring the poor man.

"Oh, sweetie," he says soothingly, "if you don't want to go, please don't make yourself."

Laura is sobbing so hard she's hiccuping. "Dad, the prom tickets were so much money. I can't just waste them!"

A floorboard creaks from upstairs and she and her father share a look.

They both carefully walk towards the stairs, with her holding a stapler behind her back and him eyeballing a can of bear spray. As they reach the foot of the stairs, they realize it's Carmilla, awkwardly hovering at the top.

"Hi, Carm," Laura says with a sniffle. "How, uh... long have you been up there?"

"Not long," Carmilla replies.

Sherman looks over at Laura as if asking if she's okay to see Carmilla. Laura nods, and he gestures for her to come downstairs.

"If I-I'm interrupting, I can just go kill time outside til I travel back to the future," Carmilla comments.

Laura shakes her head, grabbing a tissue. "No, no," she mumbles. "It's fine."

"What's going on?" Carmilla asks carefully.

Laura takes a shaky breath. "Danny broke up with me a few days ago," she says, her voice cracking. "I should've listened to you the last time I saw you."

Carmilla frowns and racks her brain. "That was January 2008, right?"

Laura pouts. Yeah. When I told you that I felt like Danny and I were dating for the sake of being together, or coz it's what we were expected to do after being friends for so long. And that I didn't think it felt like what a relationship should feel like."

Carmilla chuckles as Sherman gets up and goes to the kitchen. "Not like how it is in the TV shows, huh?"

Laura laughs. "Nope. And, I mean, I appreciate the advice you gave me, but... Wish you had given me more deets."

"You know only a dork says 'deets,' right?" Carmilla teases.

Laura grins, and Carmilla smiles at seeing that she's cheered up a bit.

Sherman returns with two mugs of hot cocoa.

"Anyway, a few days ago, I called Danny out on being controlling," Laura says after she's taken a sip and thanked her father. "And it turned into a huge fight. And she broke up with me. And now she won't return my calls and prom is tomorrow."