Washed out Rock Song

“You’re going to do it tonight, right?” Kira asked.

I nodded. I had agreed to break up with John before things got even more complicated. It would hurt him, but it would be better than him knowing the truth about all of this.

The doorbell rang and I took one last glance at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a long black dress that I had decided on after trying on dozens of gaudy awful dresses. I followed Kira out of my room. She was wearing a purple dress with silver beading along the top. She looked gorgeous, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in that.

We answered the door to John and Kennedy standing there. Before John could compliment me I took his hand and rushed out of the house. I wanted to avoid my parents and their picture taking at all costs. We stood at Kennedy’s car waiting for the two of them and it wasn’t long before they came out. We got in and Kennedy started towards the school. I was quiet the whole ride there.

When we got to the school, John started to suspect that something was up. My stomach was in knots and I didn’t know what I was going to say to him when this night was over.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me, while we made our way towards the music.

“Nothing,” I smiled at him.

John handed our tickets to a school administrator at a table before we entered the school gym. Prom wasn’t fancy here or anything, just another dance in the gym.

People were already dancing and I felt like I was going to puke due to my nerves.

“Come on,” John said as a slow song started. He pulled me into the crowd of people dancing and put his arms around my waist. I put my arms around his neck and swayed with him to the music, but I couldn’t look at him.

“Leah,” he said, “If you didn’t want to be here this bad, you just could’ve said that. I didn’t want to force you to come.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head and finally making eye contact. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s wrong?” He asked.

I shrugged, “Nothing.”

He stopped moving and dropped his hands from my waist. “Look Leah,” he said, “This might not be the best time, but I need to tell you something.”

“What?” I questioned.

He grabbed my hand and led me away from the crowd to a slightly quieter brick wall.

“I know there’s something wrong,” he said, “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on if you don’t want to, but I need to get something off of my chest.” He took a deep breath. “I slept with Kira.”

“What?” I asked. Why was he doing this? Just all of a sudden?

“It was a while ago, before you and I started hanging out. I didn’t even know she was your sister.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” I asked.

John shrugged. “It’s been eating away at me. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out she was your sister but Kira didn’t want me to say anything, and I know how important she is to you. I just didn’t want to hurt the relationship you had with your sister. I’m sorry, Leah.”

John didn’t tell me so that things between Kira and I would be okay. He was doing it to protect my feelings, but not my feelings for him.

“Leah, I love you,” he said, “I just had to tell you. And if this is over, if we’re done because of this. I understand. I get it.”

He was giving me an excuse to break up with him right here. But the only reason why I was breaking up with him is because I knew he was withholding the truth, and he wasn’t anymore. He told me slept with Kira. He loved me.

“John, I know,” I said.

“You know what?” He asked.

I sighed. “I know you slept with Kira, and I need to find her.” I turned away from him, peering through the dancing couples for Kira and Kennedy.

“Leah, What do you mean you knew?” He said behind me.

I spotted Kira and quickly made my way to her, leaving John behind me.

“Kira,” I pulled her away from Kennedy.

“What?” She asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not doing it,” I said. “He just told me the truth. I’m not doing it.”

The music stopped and someone went on stage to announce the King and Queen.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kira asked. “Leah, this isn’t going to end well for you. He’s just going to hurt you.”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I heard John say behind me.

I looked back at John and his confused expression. Kennedy had no idea what was going on either.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Kira said.

I turned back to her. “Kira, don’t,” I begged.

“You hurt me,” she said to John. “And I told Leah. So she decided to get even. She created a plan to make you fall in love with her. And once you did, she would break your heart. Leah wanted to hurt you the same way you hurt me.”

He was silent. I turned around to face him but he didn’t look at me. I felt tears beginning to form in my eyes. This was it, this was the end.

“Prom King is John O’Callaghan and Prom Queen is Leah Dunn,” we heard announced from the stage.

Now everyone’s eyes were on us, waiting for us to go up on stage and accept our rightful crowns. For a second I wanted everything to be fine and I wanted to go on stage with John and accept being Prom Queen. Because even though the idea of a Queen and King of a stupid high school dance repulsed me, even though I would hate to go on stage in front of the entire school and have to dance with everyones eyes on me, even that would be better than what was happening right now.

“Kira,” Kennedy said, breaking the silence between the four of us. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He turned away and pushed through the crowd of people that had circled around us now.

“Ken,” she called after him, following him out of the crowd.

“John,” I managed to get out, “Let me explain.”

He finally looked at me. “Explain what? Are you saying Kira’s lying? You didn’t date me with the intentions of just hurting me in the end? You didn’t want to get even for your sisters sake?”

“I did, but-“

“Stop, Leah,” he said. “I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want anything to do with you.” I watched him turn away and push his way through the people around us.

I felt tears fall down my face as everyone stood around me watching.