7 Chapter 6
It was a few hours before the prom.
Haylee was getting ready when her phone rang. «Mom, can you answer the phone?»
Rachel didn't answer her and the phone kept ringing, so Haylee reached the stairs and just as she was about to go downstairs her mother picked up the phone.
«Hello. What do you mean you won't come?! When did the plans change? It's not him you should be concerned with! Alright… »
«What's happening?»
«Nothing honey. Your father called. He has to look after a patient in the hospital, so he's not coming back tonight.»
«Ok… » the girl said and went back to getting ready.
As soon as she was ready she went down the stairs. Her mother complimented her, but she seemed quite nervous. Maybe just a little angry with her husband, because for the umpteenth time he wouldn't have returned home to have dinner with her.
Haylee barely spent time with him, in fact she hardly remembered his face anymore. As far as she remembered it was always her and her mother in that house.
But this wasn't the time to think about this.
Homecoming was the first big event of the school year for the students.
Haylee took her jacket, and stood on the steps of the front door waiting for Percy.
She started pacing the driveway to warm up. Maybe Percy was late for the match he was having that night. But she kept waiting...
«Haylee… »
She turned but found Byron standing there.
«Why are you here?»
«I need to talk with you. There's something important I need to tell you.»
«Not now, ok?»
«He won't come. But I guess you have already get it.»
«He's late because of the match.»
«He's not. I heard him talking in the bathroom.»
Haylee looked angry, but not sorry at all. «It doesn't make sense… » she whispered.
Byron reached out his hand to her. She looked at him for a moment that seemed endless. He held her gaze without ever looking away.
«Come to the prom with me.»
They looked at each other even more intensely.
Even though things, when they were together, always tended to end up in a fight, the glances between her and Byron were something she didn't have with Percy.
What she felt when her eyes met Byron's was almost magical.
«You know I'm the one with a car, right? Technically, you're going to the prom with me, not the other way around.»
Byron laughed. «Right.»
«Alright. Let's go have fun then.»
Haylee took the keys from her purse.
«You already knew it, right?»
«That he was deceiving me? Yes, from the first day he spoke to me. But I enjoyed participating in his staging.»
They got into the car and headed to school.
All the way, Byron thought of the right words. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful and then he still had to tell her the most important thing. But maybe he could have waited for the prom to end. Maybe he could take advantage of the moment and enjoy the evening with her.
Amy, Josh and Selene were already inside the gym. When they saw Percy arriving without Haylee, they weren't surprised. Josh had warned them as soon as he found out, a few hours before.
They tried to call Haylee but she wasn't answering her cell phone.
«She won't still be waiting for him, right?» Amy asked, worried for her friend.
«By this time she will already be crying desperately in her room.» Mark said behind them.
«Haylee is a pretty strong girl you know, she doesn't feel bad for such a stupid thing.»
«Get lost Mark.» said Josh.
Selene looked at him with an expression of disgust mixed with anger. «How can a person be so despicable? Get out of my sight, I hate people like you.» she walked away.
Mark tried to reach her but Luna, Josh's sister, stopped him. «Where do you think you're going? The prom is on the other way. Let's go. »
As Luna dragged him away, he kept looking behind him.
Selene was now leaving the school. But she found herself standing in front of Byron. Hylee was right next to him. «Selene!»
«Haylee… you're here?»
«Shouldn't I?»
«We thought… who cares! Come, Josh and Amy are over there.»
Byron and Haylee followed the girl, with her long black hair, to the happy couple.
Seeing Haylee, Amy felt so relieved.
«I'm sorry, as soon as I found out I tried to warn you.» Josh apologized.
«It doesn't matter. Deep down I knew that it would end up like this. Guys this is Byron Miller, my neighbor. I've never had the chance to introduce him to you.»
«Hello everybody.»
«You've been gone a few weeks with a head injury, right?» Amy asked.
«Yes, I slipped along the path in the woods. But now everything is ok.»
«Weren't you taking art class with us?» Amy continued with the interrogation.
«Yes, but now I take music.»
«Amy, we're at the prom, not in a police station.» Josh told her. «Now that you've made sure Haylee is okay, can we finally dance?»
Amy nodded and they hurried to the dance floor.
Selene, on the other hand, hurried to the buffet.
Byron stood next to Haylee.
How come he was so clumsy? How hard was it to ask her to dance?
Be a man, Byron!, he told himself.
Haylee laughed.
«Why are you laughing?»
«Nothing. I just thought that the moment the two of us will reach the dance floor, some slow dance would definitely start.»
«Right… so... what do we do?»
«It depends on how much you care about your feet. I can't dance.» Haylee said without looking at him.
«I'll take the risk.»
They looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes and smiled.
Byron took her hand. This time he didn't need any act of courage. It came naturally to him, caught up in the moment. Completely absorbed in Haylee's eyes.
When he was with her there was something in the atmosphere, something around them that obliterated everything else. He didn't know how to explain it, he just felt so happy.
Just as they predicted, the music got slower and slower.
They both laughed. «See?!»
They approached. He put his arm around her hips and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Haylee could hear the racing beats of her heart and Byron's heart.
It was just then that Percy saw them. «Oh no, no, no. Not good at all.»
He left Luna and the other boys and headed for Byron and Haylee.
When he was close enough he called her.
Haylee and Byron stopped dancing.
«Hey I've been looking for you everywhere! I'm so sorry. I am mortified, but I couldn't pick you up because the match ended late. Can you please forgive me?», he took her hand. «Just give me one dance.»
Byron pushed him away. «Hey! Don't you dare touch her.»
No, not this time, Byron thought.
Percy punched him, and Byron fell to the ground.
He couldn't look bad in front of her. Byron stood up but, before he could give him a good hook, Haylee took his hand. She took him away and resumed slow dancing. «It's not worth it» she whispered.
«Attention please! The time has come! Let's crown the king and queen!»
In a moment everyone forgot the brief fight that had just taken place and the embarrassment of the poor quarterback completely snubbed by that girl.
Predictably, Mark was crowned king of the prom. But unfortunately the queen beside him wasn't who he expected.
«Luna Heaney!» shouted the announcer of the evening into the microphone.
She was bursting with joy from every pore. She ran to the stage and clung to Mark. He seemed pretty thoughtful, as if his mind was elsewhere. And it was so. He was rethinking how he had behaved. Selene sure hated him to death.
Why am I such an idiot around her…, Mark thought jumping off the stage, while Luna kept calling him desperately.
Percy glared at her and she let go of the crown and walked back to his side in silence.
«You can't even do such a simple thing.» he told her.
Mark instead approached Byron. «What you told me... will it work?»
«There is a good chance it will work.» Byron replied.
Without saying anything else, Mark walked towards the exit of the gym. From the stage he had seen Selene heading out.
Haylee looked puzzled at Byron. «What was he talking about?»
«That's what I was trying to tell you earlier in the driveway.», he took her hand. «Come on, let's go. So you will see it with your own eyes.»
They ran out of the gym but Mark was already gone. «If he's following Selene, he's probably gone that way. His house is over there.» said Haylee.
«Ok.»
They started running again and then a strong flash of light dazzled them. The wind became more and more violent and they were forced to cover their faces with their arms. Byron wrapped Haylee in his arms. Then the wind stopped blowing and in the center of that beam of light they saw Selene and Mark.
«Are they… kissing… ?», Haylee was still trying to focus them, still dazzled by the bright light.
The light beam went out for good. Byron and Haylee took a few steps forward.
Mark let go of Selene and looked in the direction of Byron. «You were right! I remember everything!»
Now it's our turn, Byron thought. If it worked for them, it will work for us too. I know it's you.
«You can punch me later if you want.» Byron said.
«What? Why should I– ?»
Byron kissed Haylee but she didn't seem to reciprocate, on the contrary she tried in every way to push him away.
«Something's wrong, Mark…» Selene said. «It's not working.»
«Byron!» Mark shouted.
The boy got distracted and Haylee managed to push him away. «What's wrong with you?! What did– », she broke off. Byron was sitting on the asphalt surrounded by a frighteningly gloomy air.
«It's not you… » he whispered but Haylee and the others could hear him.
