A Night we'll Never Forget

This was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. Prom. When did it all go wrong, you ask? Personally, I think it all started when Clementine asked if I had a date for prom yet.

It happened last week. I was at the mall, helping her pick out a dress. She modeled a bright yellow gown in the mirror as I looked wistfully at the dresses around me.

“Hey Kayla, do you have a date to Prom yet?”

I glanced back at her, surprised. Of all things I expected to talk about on this trip, that hadn’t crossed my mind. I had assumed Clementine would fill the time talking about David, as she always did.

“No,” I responded. There was a pause, then I inquired, “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, I heard from Nikki that Victoria’s cousin, you know, Landon Wright?” She pulled out a silvery blue dress with a very low back from the stack she had laid out on the bench beside the dressing room.

“Anyway, she said Victoria was talking to him, to see who he was taking to the dance.” She paused and turned to me. “What do you think? Too much?” I shrugged and tried to get her back on track.

“So what about Landon?”

“Oh! He wouldn’t tell Victoria who he was taking, except that he hasn’t actually asked her yet, and Victoria knows her.” she grinned at me.

I tilted my head, confused. “And you think he means me?”

“Yes!” she squealed. “You’re the only one in the group who doesn’t have a date yet!”

I grimaced. “But how would he know that? I don’t really know Landon.”

Landon was one of those quiet boys that sat in the back of the class and didn't really talk to anyone. He was kind of cute, I guess, but not who I really wanted to ask me to Prom. The boy who I wanted to ask me… Well, I was sure he didn’t know I existed, not next to Clementine and Nikki.

By the end of our trip, Clementine had convinced me to get a dress. We walked out the store, Clementine chattering on about what shoes she was going to wear with her dress, a sleek, hot pink thing that hugged her figure and then exploded out at the knees. I was satisfied with what I had picked, a more diminutive, light green dress with a puffy tulle skirt. I just hoped I’d have a chance to wear it.

The next day after school, Clementine called me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Oh, Kayla, I’m so sorry. I was wrong!”

“What’s the matter?”

“He didn’t want to ask you, he wanted to ask me!”

“Okay. Slow down. Breathe…” I heard her breathing deeply, gradually calming down.

“Now what's this about?"

“It’s Landon. He asked me today in fourth period if I would go to the dance with him. I had to tell him I was already going with David, and -- Oh Kayla, he looked so sad! And now you don’t have a date, and I got you to buy a dress and-”

“Clementine, calm down. I can still come to the dance. So what if I don’t have a date?”

“You sure?”

“Positive. It’ll be great,” I said, as much to myself as to her.

“But what about Landon?” she asked. I could almost hear her tugging at her hair, a sure sign she was feeling anxious.

“He’ll get over it. Don’t worry.” Trying to distract her, I quickly looked around for something to discuss. My eyes landed on the bags from the mall. “So, do you want to get together to get together Friday? I’ve got some new nail polish that’ll really compliment your dress.”

“Okay. I guess that would be fun.”

She hung up, and I started doing my homework. I tried to not look at my dress, spread out over a chair. 

Friday after school, I drove over to Clementine’s house. We spent the next hour doing our hair in different crazy ways, choosing jewelry, and putting on makeup.

David came to pick us up at eight. I stood awkwardly by the door as they took pictures. I mean, can you imagine? Clementine with her kids, looking at an old scrapbook, saying, “Oh yes, that was my Prom night. What, that girl? Oh, she didn’t have a date, so she was just riding with us.” Total third wheel.

The night was stormy, odd for Navada. The rain was coming down in sheets of water, pounding the earth into a wet, muddy marsh. We rushed to the door, David holding his tux over Clementine’s head. I winced, thinking about Tuesday, when he was talking about how expensive it had been to rent it. We walked into the gym, and all thoughts of tuxes and Man I wish a boy would do that for me flew from my head.

The gym had been transformed into an under-water wonderland. Blue and green streamers hung from the ceiling above our heads. A hidden fan blew, making the paper kelp forest dance and wave. Soft blue light filtered down, casting a glow like sun through water on the dancing couples.

Clementine squeezed my hand and left to dance with David. I awkwardly walked over to the food bar. The student council had really gone all out on this. A shimmery blue tablecloth was draped over the table, with actual food delivered by caterers placed on top. I took a cup of punch from one end and went to stand by the wall.

As I sipped my drink, I heard a voice from behind me ask, "Is the punch any good?"

I jumped, splashing the sticky liquid onto the floor. I quickly held my hand away from my body to keep it from dripping on my dress. I turned to glare at whomever had made me start.

“Oh! Sorry,” the boy said, running to the table to grab some napkins. He turned, and my eyes widened. He didn’t seem to notice, just bent down to wipe up the punch. He looked up at me, his brown eyes questioning. “Is your dress okay?”

I just stared at him, speechless. He tilted his head, confused, and I shook my head to remove the cobwebs. Just because Trevor Jenkins was talking to me didn’t mean I had to act all starstruck. “Yeah, sorry. I’m fine.”

“Oh good,” he said, sounding relieved.

We stood in awkward silence for a moment, and then I asked, “Are you here with anyone?”

“No. I wasn’t even going to come, but Dallan convinced me. Said something about there being actual food, instead of just the cafeteria gunk they usually feed us.”

“Oh. I would have thought you, of all people…” I trailed off as he glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. I coughed. “Ahem. Same here. Clementine convinced me to go.”

The current song ended, and the DJ came on the announcer. “Okay, folks! Now that most everyone is here, we’re gonna to do one more slow dance and then announce the king and queen for tonight!” A cheer went up from the students as the next song started playing.

“Want to dance?” asked Trevor, holding out his hand to me. “I mean, since we both don’t have dates.” 

I couldn’t believe my luck. “S-sure.”

We stepped out into the middle of the dance floor. I put my hand on his shoulder, and his found my waist.

“Just warning you, I’m a terrible dancer,” he said.

“Come now. It’s just swaying back and forth. How hard can it be?”

He laughed, and I smiled shyly.

As we spun around the room, I happened to glance over at the double doors. I saw Landon, standing with a scowl on his face as he watched the dancers. I followed his line of vision and saw Clementine, standing in the corner with David. They were kissing. I felt a pang for Landon.

I heard a noise like a firecracker, and then screaming. I broke away from Trevor, looking back at Clementine. She was still screaming, kneeling beside David’s body. I looked closer. A pool of red was spreading from his back and the place where his head had cracked on the floor.

I turned towards Landon. He was holding a gun, a look of utter hatred on his face.

The music stopped. Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment, and then the screaming began in earnest. Kids ran this way and that, pouring towards the exits. There were only two, one in the front, one in the back. Landon was standing in the front, so everyone ran to the back. I watched as the first kids reached it, desperately trying to push it open. It was locked. Of course.

Some of the chaperones began moving towards Landon, trying to reason with him. With the graceful deadliness of a sharpshooter, he rapidly fired, knocking them down. Like bowling pins, said a strange, detached part of my brain as the screams went up an octave.

I felt someone grab my hand and shrieked. It was Trevor, tugging me towards the table. “Come on!” he yelled over the cacophony.

He dragged me under the table, where a couple other kids were hiding. One was mumbling a prayer as she rocked back and forth, while the other seemed to be trying to call someone.

    I glanced over at Trevor. He was on his phone as well.

“There's a gun, a kid with a gun, at the high school, help-” He paused. “What? Which high school? Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek High.” He stopped and took a breath. “Thank you. Just get here as soon as you can.” He hung up and looked at me. “The police will be here in ten minutes, tops.”

From outside the table, I could hear the gym hush. I peeked out from under the tablecloth. Victoria was slowly approaching her cousin, like you would a frightened animal.

“Landon, what’s going on?” she asked carefully.

“They think they’re so much better than everyone else. Why should they get to hurt us, and we can’t hurt them?”

At his words, a sudden memory rushed over me. It was in our freshman year, when we were all still trying to find our place in the social web of high school. David parents had gotten divorced, and he didn’t seem to have a coping mechanism besides being a jerk to the less popular crowd. One who felt the brunt of his emotions was Landon.

One day in mid-October, right before the end of lunch, Clementine and I were trying to get to her locker. There was a large group of kids blocking the way, crowding around some spectitcal we couldn't see. When we finally got through, Clementine gasped and I stared. David had Landon shoved up against a locker, yelling at him. Landon’s left eye was beginning to bruise, and he was cradling his right arm, whimpering.

As the bell ring, the kids scattered and David dropped Landon to the floor, stalking off. For a moment, Landon just sat there. He looked at us pitifully, and we stared back. The moment was broken as the assistant principal rushed into the hall, Victoria running behind her. She led Landon to the nurse’s office, asking him what happened. During the rest of the school day, I couldn’t stop thinking about his face, how I had just stood there. By the next week, however, I had forgotten all about it.

I was brought back to the present as Victoria responded to Landon's shouted accusation. “Landon.” Her voice dropped so we couldn’t hear her. Landon had no such reservations.

“She thinks she’s above us all!” He gestured to Clementine. Clementine looked up at him, shocked.

    “All I wanted was to have someone like me.” He sounded close to tears. “But she’s just like the others. All she cares about is herself!” Outside, the distant sound of sirens wailing began to be heard.

    “That’s not true!” Clementine seemed to have gotten over her speechlessness. “I wanted to say yes!”

    For a moment Landon looked unsure. He lowered his gun. Then from behind him came a pounding at the doors. Landon looked around, panicked, then raised the gun to his head. The front doors burst open as one last gunshot echoed through the hall. Victoria rushed forwards, reaching for him, but her hands grabbed nothing but empty air.

    The police swarming the gym, gathering around the wounded.

I've heard the teachers are making a good recovery, and though David might never walk again, at least he's alive. But for Landon? When they finally got him to the hospital, well, by then it was too late.