This Prom Queen is winning out of spite.
Since the dawn of internet video, the AV Club of Van Buren High has hosted a reality show for twenty lucky seniors to compete for the coveted titles of Prom King and Queen. Self-imposed social outcast, Aspen...
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"I think I know the answer, but I've gotta ask: which one of us is taking this?" Asher asked me the minute I opened the front door. He held his phone out to me, showing the secret invite for the next Senior Standoff event. A drinking contest.
"Do I look like I can hold my liquor?" I asked, gesturing to myself with both of my hands. His eyes trailed up and down my body, lingering for longer than normal.
"No, but I figured I'd offer you the chance to pound back some shots in front of everyone."
"I'd probably die."
Asher flashed a grin. "Natural selection doing its work."
"You want me to die? That hurts."
"I want everyone to die. I want me to die."
"Well, you'll have your chance on Friday night against the rest of the teams."
We strolled into my living room, taking a seat on the couch. Asher looked at me, almost with pity. "It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me. I can out-drink anyone in our class, no problem."
"I have no doubt about that."
Plenty of the stories that swirled about Asher were tales of his drunken adventures. I remembered an apparently notorious day when he came to school so hungover he could barely stand, and then proceeded to puke all over the gym. Rumor had it the previous night had been even more noteworthy.
"Did you really take a piss on a cop car when you were trashed?" I asked him.
"I like to think I did, but I can't remember that night at all."
I chuckled. "So the stories are true. No wonder Ky hates me hanging out with you; he thinks you're going to be a bad influence on me."
"Only if I'm lucky." Asher casually slung his arm over the back of the couch around me. "But, really, if I was going to talk you into anything, it would've happened already. You're great at curving my advances."
"What can I say? I don't do things I don't want to do."
"And you think you're not brave."
"Not in most senses."
We settled into the cushions, flipping on one of Asher's favorite action movies. I knew it wasn't my thing, which only became more clear as the show continued, the plot loosely created as an excuse to have the main character slay a variety of enemies. But, in exchange, he would watch one of my favorites with me. I could sit this out for him.
The laughable combat choreography had my sides splitting.
"I didn't expect you to find a bloodbath so funny," Asher commented, side-eying me.
"It's the fighting. You can tell they have no idea what they're doing, and just throwing fancy kicks in to make it look good."
