Darcy Tremayne hadn't expected her senior prom to be a
dream evening. But neither had she expected it to be the
beginning of a lifelong nightmare.
It started with Hunter being a total jerk.
She wasn't sure what started their argument, only that it
escalated into him saying that he didn't intend to speak
to
her again until she apologized. She told him he'd better
not plan on speaking to her again ever then, because she
hadn't the least intention of apologizing. She hadn't done
anything, other than suggest that despite the fact that he
had been given an award in drama club, he hadn't needed to
kiss his leading lady quite so long, or so deeply, in the
auditorium, in front of the world. Or their small part of
it anyway - the entire high school. When he left her house
that afternoon, she assumed that he'd call her and be the
one to say that he was sorry.
The call never came. She heard the next morning that he
had invited his leading lady, Cindy Lee, to the prom.
She avoided her friends, and allowed herself to indulge in
some well-earned tears. She argued with herself all
afternoon. Hunter was going to head straight out to
California after graduation and try to make it big in
Hollywood.
She was heading to NYU, and she had been ecstatic about
her acceptance there and the small scholarship that would
allow
her to go. Eventually, living across the country from one
another, she and Hunter would have most probably fallen
apart. She should have accepted the fact long ago that
Hunter had an eye for other girls. He was young. So was
she.
They should spend some time without commitment.
But she didn't really want to split. She had been in love
with Hunter since ninth grade. They had shared the years
since. Very long, good years, or so it had seemed.
In the end, Hunter did call her. He was so sorry. He'd
ruined everything, but he couldn't get out of going to
their
prom with Cindy Lee.
She accepted his apology with a maturity her mother
assured her was beyond her years. And it was her mother
who
suggested that she ask her friend, Josh.
"Josh!" she'd said with surprise.
But it was only momentary. Josh was a loner. He was a
genius with computers, math, and science. He was painfully
shy
himself, but delighted when she wanted to try out a song,
a dance move, or a monologue on him. They had lived down
the
street from one another in their rather rural area for
years, and had long ago become friends. They didn't run in
the
same social circles, but Darcy had steadfastly maintained
her friendship with him, no matter what anyone else
thought.
Over the years, some of her friends had accepted him.
And amazingly, Josh had been able to warn her about many
of the pratfalls she might have encountered in life. Go
with Hunter tonight for ice cream, he had urged her once.
Don't let him go alone. And she had done so, and
Cindy Lee had been there, flirting with Hunter, until she
had realized that Darcy was with him. There were other
things. He'd made her stop her father from driving to the
store one day when it turned out that his brakes were bad.
Both her folks listened to Josh. She had learned to do so,
too.
Other people, she knew, were frightened by some of his
predictions. He had known when Mrs. Shumacher down the
street
was about to die of cancer. He had known when Brad Taylor
was going to break his leg during a football game. A lot
of
the kids called him a freak. But despite her little spat
with Hunter, she had always held her own in school. She
could
bring Josh to the prom, and he'd be accepted, because he'd
be with her. Oh, they'd talk about her - and him - behind
their backs, but what did she care? Hunter had already
hurt her just about as badly as she could be hurt; she was
cut
right to her eighteen-year-old heart.
And besides, the whole high school thing was over. A new
life was about to begin.
Josh hemmed and hawed at first, skeptical. "Darcy, I'll
just look like the geek you dressed up and brought along."
But she'd laughed and assured him, "Josh, honestly, you're
a good-looking guy. Tall, lean, great eyes, and if you
don't
mind, we'll shop together. But if you'd feel
uncomfortable, we won't go. We'll just see a movie or
something that
night. I mean, if you're willing to keep me company."
He'd smiled at that. "I'd rather be in your company than
anyone else's, that's for sure. But you don't have to take
me. Half the school would go with you."
"That's doubtful and it doesn't matter. If you don't want
to go, I don't want to go."
At that, Josh had given her a strange smile. "If you want
to go to the prom with the class nerd, lady, I wouldn't
dream
of stopping you."
To her amazement, the planning was fun. Although he
usually dressed like a couch potato himself, Josh had a
good eye
for clothes. Hand in hand they went shopping together.
They ran into a number of her friends at the mall, and she
was
delighted to see their eyes widen at first, and then seem
to focus more deeply on Josh. He was able to help Cissy
Miller with a math problem she'd been dragging around for
days, and over tacos at the food court, he found a new
friend
in Brenda Greeley, a really beautiful girl, and the head
cheerleader.
When they got back to shopping, he made Darcy try on a
dress she hated on the rack, and loved once she slipped
into it.
It turned out that one of Josh's computer buddies worked
in the store, and he was able to give her his employee
discount, so she could afford the gown. The young man's
name was Riley O'Hare, and he told Darcy he was actually
in her
auditorium class. She apologized sincerely for never
having met him, and when they left the shop, she
thoughtfully
told Josh that she had never known that she could be so
rude or careless herself.
"Darcy, you? Never," he told her devoutly. "Rude and
careless is when you don't acknowledge someone when they
talk to
you, when you can't even lift your hand for a wave. Or
when you push over a thin guy just 'cause he's not on the
football team, or can't really join in on a jam with a
guitar. Darcy, you know that I love you, and it's one hell
of an
overused term, but you're a special kind of girl, you
know?" He looked embarrassed suddenly. "Hey, come on,
we've got
to find something for me. I can't take out a girl like you
looking the way I usually do."
So next came Josh's turn, and when she advised him on a
shirt and suit, somewhat funky and retro, he, too was
delighted, thinking that he looked something like a New
Age Mozart.
There was only one fly in the ointment that day.
Mike Van Dam.
He was friends with Hunter, and dating Brenda. Darcy
realized later that he must have seen them in the food
court, and
seen Brenda talking to Josh. When they were leaving the
mall, the door suddenly swung back on Josh, who was
carrying
the bags filled with their purchases. Mike, broad
shoulders thrusting forward, was suddenly there, standing
over Josh,
who had wound up on the floor. "Hey, there, geek-boy,
having a problem standing?" He reached a hand down, which
was
accepted by Josh, except that as soon as Josh was halfway
up, Mike released him. Josh fell again, hard, on his
tailbone.
"Mike, what the hell is the matter with you?" Darcy
demanded, infuriated, reaching down to give Josh a hand
herself.
Mike caught her by the shoulders, spinning her around.
"What the hell is the matter with you, Darcy? Trying to
make fools of us all by taking up with the riffraff, the
scum
of the school?"
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