"I'm here! Where's my crown? Where's my fucking crown?!" Cathy shrieked, running upstage. If you can't imagine a small demonic girl going through a typical high school crowd, then think again. Everyone made way so fast that she was onstage in no time. She reached out for her crown while Principal Wilbur moved away as quickly as he could. Diego gaped at her, moving away as well. Cathy placed the crown on her head and smiled geekily.
"Hello, hi. It's a great honor to stand here as your..." Just then, the recording came up, and everyone gasped. Cathy looked back, surprised. At first, it was nothing but a scratching sound, and then Cathy's mean voice came on later—blah, blah, blah—you know that part. When the recording ended, everyone stared at Cathy, shocked. Principal Wilbur looked like he'd swallowed a frog. Cathy was desperate.
"That wasn't me! She just made it all up!" She lunged forward, and everyone moved away, whispering. She looked at Principal Wilbur, and he shook his head. Diego was appalled. He just shook his head at her and stepped off the stage.
"Diego! You can't believe this. They set me up! Believe me, they set me up!! That evil, terrible Summer!! She did this!"
"I can't believe this, Miss Walker. You've always been a good student, so why this?" He crooned. I scoffed. Good, indeed. "I'm so disappointed in you, Miss Cathy. Very disappointed."
"She made it up..."
"My office, Miss Walker."
"But, Princi—"
"Now!" he screamed. She followed, head down in shame. She reached out for Diego, and he slunk away.
"Don't believe them, Diego! Don't believe her! I love you. I really love you. I love you, Diego!"
"Fuck off," he mumbled, looking away. Suddenly, Cathy went mad and grabbed his hand.
"Believe me, Diego, I didn't do it! I love you!! I love you so much. Please stay with me. Let's run away together, just me and you!" Okay, say what now?
"Cathy, let go!" Diego hollered, but that only made her hold on even tighter. She went hysterical, and some of the boys had to pull her away from him. She screamed her way out of the hall, and I rolled my eyes. Drama queen.
As expected, everyone was still too shell-shocked to move. I caught some girls catching their breath from the shocking truth. Cathy's always been good, or rather, acted good. She's the role model, the perfect student, the principal's favorite, the cheerleader, the coolest CCP of the century, and a leading example. But only my friends and I know what a witch she is. All she needs is a broom.
Someone crooned into the microphone, and everyone turned to stare at Shayna, who'd climbed onstage with some DJ she'd gotten from God-knows-where, and shrieked.
"What the fuck? Are we here to party or what?"
"No!" we shrieked.
"Non-fun zombies?"
"No!"
"Cathy-licious?"
"No!"
"Then who's ready to par-tey!" We cheered, and Shayna sent crazy hell music booming off. Everyone was dancing, partnerless. It was a free-for-all dance,
The hall was instantly filled with boys and girls, wriggling and nodding in half-crazed fun. We danced as a group—June, Shayna, Dawn, Carlizza, and I—until we spread out when Max came over to talk to June. We made love signs and kissy noises behind their backs while June shook her head and called us immature idiots. Dawn and Carlizza blushed their way out when Elan and Carlos whisked them away to the dance floor. Shayna joined in but left ten minutes later with Harry at my insistence. For a while, I danced alone before moving off to get some drinks.
A slow dance came on, and I watched everyone emoting. As much as I hated to admit it, I didn't like being alone, the dateless one out. Dawn was drooling over Elan, Harry and Shayna kissed passionately, Carlos and Carlizza were dancing around in slow circles with glazed expressions, while June and Max were totally hitting second base. And I was lost in the world of datelessness and boyfriendlessness. And no, it didn't feel good—not even a little bit.
"Having a pity party all alone?" A deep, perfect, raspy voice boomed, cutting into my sad thoughts. You wouldn't believe who was standing right behind me when I turned around.
DIEGO SANCHEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, that's right—Diego Sanchez was standing right next to me, so close that I knew he had minty, smoky breath with a hint of cinnamon. We were breathing the very same air! Literally!! I moved back a little, shocked. He stared down at my flushed face, giving me a million-dollar smile. I smiled back.
"What's up, Mr. Heartbroken?" I said in my flirtiest voice ever, twirling my soda can and thinking how much more mature it would look with a glass of wine. He laughed and reached out for a soda can behind me, brushing his hand on the small of my back. Believe me, I went more frozen than Anna IN Frozen! He leaned on the table behind me and chugged his soda in a way that made me want to kiss him until tomorrow. How could anyone be so sexy with soot on his lips and a small dribble of soda on them? How?
"Why aren't you dancing?" he asked suddenly, making me stare at him. He kept staring at me, and I looked away, folding my arms and rubbing my bare shoulders.
"I don't have a date. Isn't it obvious?"
"Who wouldn't want to go out with you?"
"Apparently, every single NORMAL boy in school. No one wants to go out with a dork."
"Dork? What makes you think that?"
"Well, for starters, I kissed a nerd, and he ran away like I was the bubonic plague." He laughed, and I went on. "And believe me, I don't even know what that means—bubonic plague, I mean."
"Maybe he didn't deserve you."
"Or maybe that just goes to show what a social no-go I am."
"How?!" he half-hollered, amused.
"Hello? Ninety percent of girls would rather have a large zit on school picture day than be rejected by a nerd. Do you know who a NERD is?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said, laughing convulsively. He gulped half the bottle and set it down, reaching for another.
"What's with all the drinking, Diego? Of soda."
"Do I paint the perfect picture of a sad, heartbroken guy?" he asked, slurring a bit. I tried hard not to stare at him. His ruffled hair, unbuttoned shirt, and loose tie made him look like a mess. A real hot mess. He laughed, and I looked back up at his charming face. He was watching me too closely. He was standing way too close.
"What do you think? Impressive?"
"Would have been if you were actually drinking—alcohol, not soda."
"Cathy's not worth it. I just feel so stupid. She used me, and all the while, I kept thinking she was good, and you were bad." He shook his head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Very stupid."
"Diego, stop. Really. That's just how Cathy is. I mean, she fooled my friends too. She made us split up, but everything's all right now. Okay?" I patted his arm, and he smiled at me.
"Thanks. Really."
"You're welcome."
"Wanna dance?" he asked, leaning close. His light blue eyes sparkled in the dim disco lights. He held out his hand, and I took it.
"Would love to." We walked back to the dance floor, and a few couples actually made way for us. Dawn grinned at me, Carlizza winked at us, June gave me a thumbs-up, and Shayna, immature as always, made kissy faces behind his back. Diego slipped his hands around my waist while I draped my right arm over his back and my left on his shoulder. It felt so natural. My arms fit perfectly into the curve of his neck and his around my waist. We moved around in slow, awkward circles, still getting into the moment. Then he drew me even closer—so close that all I could breathe was his breath. I placed my head on his chest, listening to the soft thrum of his heart with my eyes closed. At that moment, nothing in the world mattered—not the fact that everyone was probably staring at us or the scary thought that Cathy was truly a witch and was probably watching us through a witch spyglass with a cauldron of mouse-maker potion boiling nearby, or the fact that the most popular boy in school might actually like me! (Tough luck.) Or the fact that I'd purposely nestled my head into his bare chest and could literally feel the fit muscles on my face, with a small voice in my head saying, "Bad girl, bad girl," over and over again. Believe me, you only get that kind of opportunity once in a lifetime because basically ALL the boys in my school are flat-chested and lanky—even the JOCKS! And yeah, you don't see that ANYWHERE.
ANYWHERE!