Caleb was still pretty sober when we left, so he drove me back home. I'd finished most of my homework during study hall, and the homework I had left was for period five, after study hall, so I decided I would do it tomorrow.
I settled on the couch with a homemade, fat-free frappuccino and Lily in my lap and turned on the TV, watching the Kardashians from the corner of my eye as I painted my nails. I thought about what I would say to Mrs. Paige tomorrow, how I would convince her to let me be on the prom committee. She was generally pretty lenient, but when it came to interfering with other teacher's rules, she usually backed off, so I might be out of luck. I turned off the TV and stood up, walking over to the kitchen and starting dinner for my parents. I'd make them omelettes and French toast: breakfast for dinner. I wouldn't eat, though. I'd had a cupcake at the party.
I hung my outfit for the next day on my closet door and climbed into bed, laying on my back so my acne mask wouldn't rub off on my pillow. "Night baby" Caleb texted me, and I smiled, replied, and closed my eyes, willing my mind to drift and my body to rest.
"That party sucked," Penny said as she walked up to Cona and I during the passing period before third. I hadn't even seen her last night. "I don't know," I contradicted, "I thought it was fine. Emma's cupcakes were really good," I offered, because nothing else about the party stood out from any others. "You had one?" Penny asked, her eyebrows high on her forehead. I bit my lip and noddd, then added, "But I didn't eat dinner."
"Neither did I," Penny immediately replied, and I blushed. Cona rolled her eyes and, as if to make a point, reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of M&Ms. She ate a few and then tipped the bag toward me; I smiled but shook my head. She popped five into her mouth at once and then held out the bag toward penny and asked, "You want some, Pen?" Penny, who hated when people shortened her already-abbreviated name, narrowed her eyes and said, "No, thanks."
Cona brought the bag up to her mouth and poured the remaining contents in, and my eyes widened, despite myself. When the bag was empty, Cona crushed it in her hand and licked her lips. There was another beat of silence, and then Penny said, "Thanks for offering, though." Cona smirked, "Any time."
"Hi, Mrs. Paige," I said, in as friendly a tone as I was capable of, as I walked into her room after schol. She glanced up at me from the papers she was grading and said, "Hello, Vera, dear." Paige had a tendency to add "dear" to the end of every sentence she uttered. I walked closer to her desk and rested my hand on the edge, my thumb finding a hole in the top. "I wanted to talk to you about something," I stated, rocking back slightly on mu platforms and tightening my grip on the desk for support. "What's up?" she asked, adjusting her glasses and focusing on something on the wall behind me. I cleared my throat and said, "I want to be on prom committee." She cocked an eyebrow and said, "Well, of course, dear. I assumed you would." I cleared my throat, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "I have a C+, though. In Pre-Calc."
"Ah," she said with understanding as she put down the paper she was peering at. "Well, I'm sorry, Vera, but I'm afraid you need to have at least all Bs to be on prom committee. You know that."
"I know," I said, sighing, "But I was hoping you might make an exception." Mrs. Paige sighed, too, and I quickly presented my argument. "Mr. Lowood isn't strict, Mrs. Paige."
"Vera–"
"I've already bought some decorations." Paige took off her glasses and wiped them with the edge of her shirt. "Please, Mrs. Paige. I've been dreaming of being on prom committee since sixth grade." Mrs. Paige shook her head and looked up at me, putting her glasses back on. "I'm sorry, Vera," she said again, "It's not going to happen. There's always next year, though, if you get those grades up." A wave of fury went through me, an emotion I had never before felt toward Mrs. Paige, and I turned on my heel and walked briskly out of her room, my mind so full of angry thoughts that I didn't start worrying about what I would tell the girls.
© 2012
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