A Prom to Remember(44)

“I really can’t wait to see Landon’s face when I show up on prom night. I’m going to need all the information, like where you all are taking pictures and things like that. What kind of dress do you have? I guess I’ll wear the dress I wore to my prom.”

Jacinta was 99.9 percent sure that she was supposed to ask about Emma’s dress and offer details about her own, but she couldn’t handle this conversation even one more second.

“Well, that’s good,” Jacinta said. “I really should go, though. I still have homework to do for tomorrow.”

“That’s so weird! Graduation is on Tuesday for me.”

“That’s great,” Jacinta said. “Bye.”

She hung up without waiting for Emma’s goodbye.

She lay back down on her bed and decided to scream a little more. It felt so good the first time around. Might as well keep it up.

She wasn’t sure how she got involved in stuff like this, but it solidified the fact that she would never be anything but a background character in her own life. She needed to learn to take a stand. And she thought she had. She thought she was getting better.

But how do you tell someone else’s girlfriend not to go to the prom with them? Jacinta didn’t have that kind of moxie, and it really was not her place to say things like that.

At least now she wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of whether or not to slow dance with Landon. And if she was being absolutely honest with herself, she hadn’t been really that excited about going with him anyway.

She sucked in a deep breath and went back to her desk.

Might as well keep working on her reaction paper. Though being exempt from the English exam didn’t even feel like a big deal anymore.

Cora

Cora was just closing up shop in the student government office on Friday during lunch. She didn’t want to have to stop back here after school, considering it was a long weekend and all. But she needed to make sure all the prom money was safe and sound. She gave a quick count and locked the safe.

When she turned around, Jacinta was standing at the door.

“Hey, what’s up?” Cora asked.

“Well, I was wondering if we could still buy prom tickets.”

Cora’s eyes narrowed. “I mean, I guess. I think today is the last day to make changes. It’s going to take some rearranging of tables, I think. And don’t you already have a ticket?”

Jacinta nodded and then dove into the story of how Landon’s long-distance girlfriend conveniently decided that she wanted to go to the prom with Landon after Jacinta had already made all the plans to go with him as friends.

No matter how stressed out Cora was, and at this point in the school year she was pretty stressed out, she couldn’t make Jacinta feel worse, no matter how much she wanted to guilt her.

Between wanting to break up with Jamie, the prom coming up, and finals looming, Cora had had it with high school. But Jacinta was obviously really sad about this turn of events, so Cora put on her cheerful-acquaintance hat and did her best to deflect.

“Well, that bites. Are you sure you want me to get her a ticket?” she asked, hoping maybe Jacinta would say no.

Jacinta rolled her eyes. “It does bite, right? I’m not making this up or being sensitive? Like this is all so sudden. She seemed totally normal about the idea. She lives out of state. I live here. Landon and I are friends. Why would she change her mind at the last second? It’s just so convenient that her parents bought her a surprise ticket.”

“It does seem really convenient,” Cora agreed.

Jacinta nodded sadly.

“Are you okay?” Cora asked.

And that was it, that was all it took for Jacinta to start crying. Not big, dramatic sobs, but her eyes filled with tears and then spilled over. Cora understood.

“I feel like I hold everything back, like all my opinions, so that I never hurt anyone’s feelings and yet I still get shit on?”

Cora nodded. That wasn’t exactly what her life was like, but it felt like a shade of her own issues if not her exact issues.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have laid this all on you. I’m so sad and everything feels so weird lately? For months now.” Jacinta sniffled.

Cora nodded again. “I think a lot of us have been feeling that. It must be a senior year thing.”

“And I didn’t even want to go with Landon, but I can’t exactly explain that to anyone, you know? Like I don’t want to hurt his feelings, and I don’t even feel like I can say it to Kelsey because she dated him, and I’m sure she thinks he would make a great prom date. So I’m left with all these thoughts and nowhere to put them. And now I’m here, telling you. I am so sorry.” Jacinta wiped her eyes and sniffled a few more times before Cora could locate the box of tissues and hand them to her.

Cora made comforting noises, unsure about what to say.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?” Jacinta asked. “Misery loves company.”

“Honestly?”

“Of course, you just listened to me.”

For some reason, Jacinta’s earnest inquiry felt like a dam breaking somewhere inside Cora, like she couldn’t hold back for even one more minute.

She shook her head, because if she spoke, she would definitely start to cry.

“Well, just know that the offer stands.”