The Weight of Blood (76)

Wendy made this night happen, Jules thought, seething. Their picture-perfect prom was all her doing. As Jackie prattled on, Brady pulled out his mini drone and remote control. With one click, it powered up and whirled to life. He nodded at Jules. They were ready.

“Okay, let’s get down to business! The moment you’ve all been waiting for. I got the king and queen names right here.”

Jules double-checked her phone for the thumbs-up from Kayleigh. Up above, the bucket sat in place on the steel beam.

“Are you ready?”

Everyone clapped and whistled. Jules licked her lips, eagerly searching the crowd for Maddy. She wanted to see the look on her face during the fleeting moment of happiness before it was ripped away.

“And the winners are . . . oh my God. Maddy Washington and Kenny Scott!”

The place erupted, the crowd roaring. Music blasted out of speakers, and sparklers popped a silver blizzard in the air.

A spotlight sliced through the room, landing on Maddy and Kenny, their white teeth gleaming. Jules gripped the curtain, a thrill pulsing through her as she nodded at Brady.

He let the drone fly. It buzzed up to the ceiling, then hovered directly behind the bucket, like a hummingbird to a petunia.

“Maddy Washington and Kenny Scott!”

Maddy heard her name and froze, the cheers stunning her to silence. Above them, the moon spun faster. Her breath hitched.

“Yooo! We won!” Kenny screamed, holding her face between both of his hands.

“What?” she coughed, cold air wheezing in.

He searched her face, and then, without hesitation, crashed his lips on hers. Body jolted by the sensation, her pulse spiked. The passionate kiss she’d seen in so many movies was finally happening to her. Instincts took over. She closed her eyes and leaned in, deepening their kiss. A moan escaped him, and he gripped her tighter, hands fisting into her hair. Currents bounced off him like waves of heat.

He loved her. He loved her. He loved her . . .

The room shook with applause. Cheers growing louder, deafening.

Kenny pulled away, letting their foreheads touch. He laughed, and it was the happiest sound she’d ever heard. Tears sprang into the corners of her eyes.

Silver confetti rained down around them, the sudden spotlight stinging her retinas. She winced away. The colors were too bright, the sounds too loud. Should she feel everything so intensely?

Kenny stood up and turned to her.

“Wait,” she mumbled. But he already had her by the hand and out of her seat. She struggled to regain her equilibrium, torn between running away and running toward.

Heart racing, Maddy kept her head down, focusing on Kenny’s shiny shoes.

“Look at me. Just me.”

They walked through the crowd, her name shouted from every direction, people patting her shoulders and back. She could feel their happiness pulsing through her, catching snatches of conversation as they passed.

“Congrats, Maddy!”

“Kenny and Maddy!”

“I can’t believe they won!”

“Go, Maddy! You deserve it!”

She raised her eyes just as they reached the stage and stared at the gilded thrones, mouth hanging open, stunned by the opulence.

Kenny helped her up the stairs, the spotlights bouncing off her diamond brooch.

He raised his arms, victorious, and the crowd cheered louder. Her legs felt as if they might falter. He wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing her close.

“Congrats, Maddy,” Jackie said, holding the crown, sparkling in the bright light. In awe, Maddy bowed slightly. Jackie pinned it in her hair, as another person fitted a white Prom Queen sash over her shoulders and another person placed a bouquet of red roses in her arms, the fragrance potent and intoxicating.

Maddy tried to catch her breath and steady her nerves, finally allowing herself to look up at the crowd, into a sea of smiling faces.

They were actually happy for her, of all people.

“Places! I need to take the photo!” someone shouted.

“Smile, Maddy,” someone said. “You look like a deer in headlights.”

“What? Huh?” she mumbled, lead-footed, turning every way possible. Flashes blinded her, and she reeled backward.

Kenny was there again, gently taking her arm, and he looked so lovely in his crown, like a prince. No, more like a king. He led her to the thrones, pointing to a marking on the floor. As they stood side by side, their eyes never left each other’s. An overwhelming need, an indescribable hunger to kiss him again boiled up. So she stood up on her tiptoes, grabbed his satin lapels and pulled him down to her lips. Cheers erupted and a joyous thunder shook the room.

Kenny laughed into their kiss, his face beaming, and in that moment, she wanted to be alone, staring at the stars, just the two of them.

Kenny waved at the crowd. She watched and mimicked his movements, waving like a real princess, like Grace Kelly in The Swan, her heart swelling, a smile settling into place.

But then her ears perked, the tips burning. Something buzzed nearby. She felt it more than heard it. The furious fluttering of wings as the flock crept closer. A splinter of panic ripped through her.

The birds!

Kenny continued to wave, grinning at her, love in his eyes. Does he not hear it? It eclipsed the roaring applause in Maddy’s ears, the room going all but mute. She glanced over both shoulders, searching.

What is that?