Crystal Ball

Everyone had been bugging me about prom. Why hadn’t I asked Vanessa yet? How was I going to ask her? Did I know what color her dress was?

I didn’t answer. Didn’t want to lie. But figured I might as well get it over with. So, I enlisted Emma’s help on the How. She went to school with me early that morning and helped me tape letters that we had decorated the night before—more Emma than me—to Vanessa’s locker, spelling PROM. And there I stood, just before the warning bell for first period, waiting for Vanessa.

The warning bell came and went. And so did the actual bell. That’s when I gave up and headed to class. It wouldn’t be a big deal that I was late. Happened all the time. I couldn’t decide if I was disappointed or relieved that Vanessa hadn’t showed. But didn’t dwell on it as I took my seat in the back of Junior English.



On my way to the Cafeteria, I spotted Emma and Steve outside the double doors, Emma’s back to me. Their voices were raised, like they so often were recently. I slowed my steps as I approached them, waiting for Steve to leave or to see if I needed to interfere. Steve saw me coming and said one last thing to Emma before storming off.

When I reached Emma, I could tell she was flustered. Her cheeks were red and her eyes wide. “You okay?” I questioned.

She looked up quickly. “What? Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Steve just broke up with me.” She didn’t seem too sad about this. Or happy. She stated it matter-of-factly; like it was sunny today or we were having pizza for lunch.

So, I repeated myself. “Are you okay?”

She smiled. “I’m great.” She nudged me with her shoulder as she entered the Cafeteria. “Just sucks that I don’t have a date for prom anymore. Speaking of prom, what did Vanessa think?”

“Vanessa?” I asked, thrown off by the change in conversation. “Uh, she never showed. Haven’t seen her all day actually.”

“That sucks,” she said, frowning. “I’m sorry.”

I have been crazy, but I just blurted out the first thing on my mind. “Do you want to go with me?”

Emma looked around us for a moment as if she were looking for someone. Her eyebrows scrunched as she faced me again. “Go with you where?”

“Prom?”

She tilted her head. “Alex, you have a girlfriend.”

I wrapped an arm around Emma’s shoulder. “And you’re my best friend. I can’t let you go to prom alone, or not at all.”

“I can find another date. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind taking me, he was planning on going stag anyway.”

I gave her a crooked smile. “You sure? I’m sure Vanessa would understand.”

Emma laughed. “Yes she would!”

“Okay, maybe she would. But I wouldn’t care.”

“Thanks Alex, but I’m a big girl. I don’t need my best friend as a pity date for prom.”

I bumped her shoulder. “No, just your second best friend,” I teased.

“Oh, shut up.”

So I did. We got our lunches and I followed Emma to a table at the side of the Cafeteria where Rian and Jack were already scoffing down their schools supplied lunches. I didn’t bring up prom or Steve.

Emma told Jack he was taking her to prom, whether he liked it or not. I couldn’t help but smile at her while Jack said, “As long as we get to the post-prom hotel ritual too!” She smacked his arm, laughing the whole time.

I couldn’t deny that I was happy that Steve was out of the picture. I had never liked him. And I was happy that the breakup didn’t upset Emma. But I could deny that I liked that Emma was single again. I could also deny that I was mad that I had to still find a way to ask Vanessa to prom.