One Last Game?

•Homecoming•

"Come on Tobi, it's your last homecoming. I want to take as many pictures as I can." My mom says as she takes the 20th picture of the night. "Mom, they're going to have Homecomings at college too." I roll my eyes as she takes the 21st. "I know honey but you're going to be all the way in New Hampshire. I am not going all the way to Hanover from Racine just for Homecoming," She pauses. "Or maybe I will!" Her eyes light up. As she takes the 22nd picture, the doorbell rings. 

"Hon, can you get that? I think its Tobi's friends." Mom says directing Ethan to the door. Ethan gets up from the couch reluctantly and opens it. In walks Lailani in a lilac flowy dress and Max in an iris suit. We all decided we'd go in shades of purple. I was in an amethyst suit. "Oh, don't you guys look cute!" My mom squeals. She gestures Max and Lani towards me to take more pictures. 

"How many has she taken already?" Max whispers to me. "I lost count." We laugh. "Hey, where's Asher?" Lani asks us. Me and Max look at each other to see if the other knew and we didn't. She pulls out her phone from a matching hand purse and calls him. "We said we were gonna meet at your house at 7:45!" Lani yells towards me. "I know, and I'm here so don't yell at me." 

She takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry, its just that I wan--," She looks at her phone. "That bastard sent me to voice mail. I'm gonna kill him!" She plops on the couch. "Just chill Lan, he's late like he always is." Max says trying to calm her down. "I just want to get there before all the cotton candy and ice cones run out so it can be like it was freshman year." 

"I know Lan, but he'll be here." Max says joining her on the couch and putting his arm around her trying to reassure her. "Let me try him." I say and pull out my phone. I haven't talked to him since he ditched our ride home to take Paisley on a date. Apparently she said yes. 

I go to dial his number but I realized that I really don't want to talk to him so I just put the phone to my ear and waited for a second. "Voicemail." I lie. Lailani starts crying. "I can't believe him!" She cries on Max's shoulder and hugs them.

I feel bad for lying but I didn't want to talk to Ash. But I also didn't want to see Lani cry. "Screw him. It's 7:57, the dance starts at 8:20. If he doesn't want to be on time and not answer our phone calls then we'll go without him." I say to them. "But it's not going to be like freshman year." Lani sobs. "Why do you want it to be like freshman year so bad Lan?" Max asks her. "Because I'm dying!" Lani blurts. We all look at her. She pauses wide eyed at what she just said. "Dying to get to our last homecoming of High School." She corrects herself and stands to walk to the mirror in the hallway.

She pulls out a compact from her purse and starts fixing her makeup. "Let's go, we'll see him there." She walks back towards the door and looks at my mom, "Mrs. Fishel, if he comes by, can you tell him we left." She smiles and walks out. Me, my mom, Ethan, and Max all look at each other trying to understand what just happened. 

Lailani beeps the horn of the car and I jump. "Let's go Max, bye mom." I give her a kiss and walk out, Max following behind me.

• • • • • • • • • •

We all get out of the car in front of the school. The car ride was quiet and awkward since Lailani's scene at my house. 

As we're walking, Max stops us and points near the door where they collect your tickets. "That jerk!" Lani scoffs as she looks in the direction. I look and I'm immediately infuriated too. Asher and Paisley together, arm in arm, in yellow. "I can't believe him. He knew how important this night was for me, us, and instead he ditches us for her?" I can tell Lani is about to blow a fuse so I try to talk her down.

"Let me see what the deal is, OK? No need for you to get more upset if you go over there." I walk away from my friends and go over to Asher and Paisley. "What the hell man, you don't talk to me for 2 days and now you're ditching your best friends for some bitch that rejected you for 3 years straight?" I shove him. "Hey dude, don't call her a bitch." He shoves me back. "Why not call her by what she is? A bitch!" I yell. I understand that I probably shouldn't have called her a bitch and that my problem isn't with her, it's him, but I was still angry and she was just in the way.

A crowd starts forming as more people come to the dance. I can see the anger in his eyes. He walks all the way to me, so close our noses can almost touch. "Don't you ever disrespect my girl again! Do you understand me?" "Oh now she's your girl?" I back up from him. "Just this summer, a couple months ago, you saw her at Starbucks and tried to hit on her, what did she say to you Ash?" I say smirking. 

I snap my fingers as if I was trying to remember. "Oh right, she said if you and her were the last 2 people on the earth and the only chance of reproduction of the human race was at stake, she would literally fuck a monkey before she would go on a date with you." The crowd starts roaring at my comment. "Now tell me if that doesn't sound like a bitch  to you?" As I put the emphasis on 'bitch', he punches me in the jaw and I stumble to the ground.

"Tobi!" Max and Lani yell running towards me. "You're such an ass." Lani says looking up at him. "He's your best friend! How can you do that to him?" "He started it. He should've never called Paisley a bitch." She stands up and walks over to him. "You ditched us for her. You haven't talked to any of us since you've started 'dating' her. So sorry if he's just a little upset that you neglected your friendship and for a girl that used to wouldn't even give you the time of day." 

Her and Max pick me up and we head into the auditorium.  We walk past Asher and Paisley, as soon as they are out of sight, I start crying. "Why are you crying babes?" Lailani rubs me on the back. "It's going to be ok, I'm sure he'll apologize and you'll be friends aga-," I interrupt her. "I don't want to be friends with him." I sob. "That's the point." And I walk away towards the bathroom but she runs after me.

"What do you mean that's the point?" She looks at me puzzled. "You don't want to be friends with him at all because of what happened just now?" I shake my head. "Then what's wrong babes? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." "He came here with Paisley. He was supposed to come with me.. Us." I try to correct myself but she noticed.

"Wait, are you jealous?" I turn my head to distract myself. "Omg, you're jealous!" She pauses. "But that would only mean that.." She gasps. "You like Asher!" I shush her as other people start walk pass us. "You like Asher!" It's a little quieter but not really. "OK, yes, I do. I like Asher.." "This is amazing! I knew there was something going on with the two of you." "There was nothing going on between the two of us. And now that this happened, there never will." Lani looks at me with a certain concern in her face. 

"I'm going home. I can't deal with this right now. I think I need to be alone." As I walk off while tears stroll down my face, she yells my name behind me. But I keep walking.

This is not how I thought my Senior Homecoming would be.