A Prom to Remember(57)

Luke and Otis headed toward the dance floor, but Madison hung back.

“Don’t you want to mingle or something?” Madison asked. “The DJ is starting up; why don’t we dance?”

“I am going to sit here and wait for Mystery Boy to come in.”

“Suit yourself,” Madison said. “I think it would be more fun to occupy your mind until eight fifteen, but good luck.”

Lizzie was practically bouncing out of her skin with excitement, but she knew that if she went to dance, she’d miss the moment he arrived. And she wanted to see him, whoever he was. Even if they’d promised to meet at eight fifteen, she had a feeling she would know who he was right away. She watched couple after couple come through the balloon arch at the door. To her relief, she did see several groups of singles that had all come in together, so she didn’t feel like she stuck out too much.

But there were two things working against Lizzie.

1.??Lime green was very popular. Boys were coming in with ties, boutonnieres, even sneakers that were lime green.

2.??All those lime green–wearing boys had a date.

She believed in Mystery Boy, but she had some nagging worries.

Why wasn’t he early? She was early because she was excited to meet him. What if he wasn’t as excited? She stared at the banner above the balloon arch.

A PROM TO REMEMBER! it declared in glittery letters. She hoped it would be a prom to remember for good reasons and not bad reasons.

Her friends came and checked on her a few times, trying to coax her onto the dance floor. She would join them for a song or two, but then always went back to her post, her eyes glued to the door.

As it edged toward eight, Lizzie swallowed down her anxiety. She wasn’t usually the type of person to get her hopes up like this.

She spent a lot of time feeling proud, almost smug, about her ability to remain realistic in the face of even the best news, or the biggest hopes and dreams. It all started when Lizzie was eight and her mom told her that she was going to win a family trip to Disney World.

Lizzie dreamed about that vacation every night for a week. She started cutting out everything Disney related she found in old magazines and made a collage. She told her friends about it.

It never happened. Lizzie’s mom didn’t win. And Lizzie learned from that moment on not to get her hopes up.

But this time, this dance, this boy, had gotten into her head. She had started to allow herself to believe that this might happen. That her big night might be a reality.

To be fair, she did have a little bit of fun even while she waited. Her group of Madison, Luke, and Otis were fun people in general. It wasn’t like she was alone, sulking in a corner. They made sure to keep her mind off Mystery Boy.

And she told herself that even if Mystery Boy didn’t show up, she might not have the best night of her life, but dammit, she was going to stay and make the most of it. She was too practical to not stay and have dinner and dessert. To not dance in the dress that her mom bought for her by saving a dollar here and a dollar there.

So she danced with Otis. And then she danced with Madison. Then she danced with Luke. And they all danced in a group.

Around eight, Madison snuck her away from the ballroom and gave her the last swig of coconut rum that she had somehow smuggled in.

“A little liquid courage,” Madison said as Lizzie downed the last bit and coughed. “Just be cool.”

“I’m cool, I’m cool,” Lizzie promised. “But how did you get this in here?”

Madison took the empty bottle and shoved it in a faraway trash can.

“I might have stuck it in my underwear.”

“Lovely. No wonder it was so warm. And”—Lizzie paused, searching for another word to describe the rum but failing—“and warm.”

Madison giggled. They turned and went back into the ballroom, and Lizzie felt a little better. And a lot less bitter.

Along with wondering about Mystery Boy, she was also starting to really wonder where Jacinta was. She marched across the dance floor to Kelsey to ask her, still counting down the minutes and seconds to eight fifteen. It was getting close.

“Is Jacinta okay?” she asked.

“Well, hello there,” Kelsey said. “Jacinta is fine.”

“Where is she? Wasn’t she supposed to be here?”

“What are you, her mom?” Landon asked.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “No, I was just wondering where she was.”

“Ignore him,” Kelsey said. “He got stoned on the way here. He can’t help being an asshole.” Landon’s girlfriend giggled next to him.

“Is she stoned, too?”

“No, she’s honestly just annoying,” Kelsey said, whispering in Lizzie’s ear.

“Makes sense.”

“Anyway, Jacinta sent me a text, letting me know that she wasn’t going to make it to the dance or something, but she never really gave me a reason. She just didn’t show up. At least we know she’s not dead somewhere.”

Lizzie must have looked as horrified as she felt.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t joke like that,” Kelsey said.

Lizzie nodded. “But you’re right, I’m relieved to know she chose not to come and that she’s not stuck somewhere.”

At eight fifteen on the dot, she went to their agreed-upon meeting spot. Maybe she’d missed him coming in, maybe she hadn’t noticed some subtle lime green on one of the guys that came in alone. Maybe he was there and she just didn’t know it. She stood by the dance floor for five minutes, even timing it on her phone so she would know when to give up.