A Prom to Remember(63)

“But I wanted to thank you for even asking me to the prom.”

“You’re welcome.”

He and Amelia headed back out to the dance floor, but before they got there Amelia started laughing again. “Ms. Huang’s face when she saw us.”

And then neither of them could stop giggling.

“Oh god, I know we shouldn’t tell anyone, but I have to tell someone,” Amelia said.

“Maybe we should wait until after graduation at least,” Henry said.

“They didn’t say we couldn’t tell anyone.”

“I feel like it’s implied when you walk in on the English teacher and the algebra teacher making out.”

“Guess I better get back to Drew now,” Amelia said with a shrug. “Thanks for the dance, Henry Lai.”

“You’re welcome, Amelia Vaughn.”

Henry practically jogged back to Paisley’s side

“Well, that was … something,” Paisley said.

“It was,” Henry agreed. “Maybe not even an entirely bad something.” Henry looked around the room, taking in his classmates. A lot of them were slow dancing, but there was a group of girls in the corner belting out the last few lines of the song.

Henry grinned.

“You ready to go, buckaroo?” Paisley asked.

She slipped her arm through his and they moseyed out.





Chapter 30

Cora

On the dance floor, Cora was going through a checklist in her head.

The food had been good. People seemed to enjoy their dinners; no one was complaining.

The DJ was excellent, taking everyone’s requests but not talking too much over the music or anything annoying like that.

The coronation drama had people buzzing. Henry Lai never made a scene, so it made the prom just that much more interesting to find that he’d fled elsewhere rather than be crowned prom king. When he came back ten minutes later with his head held high everyone was shocked. They cheered and applauded as he walked up to get his crown. There was just something about an underdog story.

Cora did another scan of the room. The box of keepsake champagne flutes still needed to be unpacked and put out for people to take. That meant that Henry and Paisley didn’t get theirs, so she’d have to be sure to give them to them on Monday.

She nodded to herself, feeling like things were pretty good.

A slow song started, and Jamie came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Hey, there. You got time for a dance?”

His mouth brushed against her ear. Not long ago that would have sent shivers down her spine, in a good way. But now. Now it did nothing for her.

She did in fact have time for a dance, though, so she took his hand and they made their way to the center of the floor.

Cora had put her class court crown jauntily on her head.

“It’s a good look for you,” Jamie said, gesturing with his chin toward the gaudy bejeweled plastic crown.

“Thanks,” she said distractedly. She was watching Madison dance in her sparkly jumpsuit on the other side of the room.

“For the record, I didn’t really think I’d win king. And good for Henry for winning. He deserved it.”

“I agree,” she said, moving her hand from one place to another on Jamie’s chest. He pulled her in closer.

“You did such an awesome job on prom. Imagine how amazing our wedding is going to be someday.”

Cora stopped dancing. “No.”

She shook her head and sighed, walking toward the bright lights of the hallway, in need of somewhere to hide. If she didn’t get away from him there was no telling what she might do.

Ms. Huang and Ms. Bishop were out there, whispering. For some reason that was a last straw for Cora.

“Who’s in the prom chaperoning?” she asked the adults.

They both turned to her, shocked.

“Um, Mr. Muehler?” Ms. Bishop said.

“No one!” Cora said. “No one is in there.”

The two women scurried back into the ballroom, and Cora honestly couldn’t believe they’d listened to her or that she’d just yelled at her two favorite teachers. This night was something else.

When she turned, Jamie was there. Of course.

“What is it, Cora?” he asked, grabbing her hand as he stepped toward her.

“I love you, Jamie,” she said, squeezing his fingers.

He looked so relieved that she almost couldn’t finish. “I love you, too.”

“But I just…” She paused, shaking her head and dropping his hand. “I’m not in love with you. And I want to break up with you.”

Her relief was immediate, like all the worry and anxiety she’d been carrying around with her was swept away by saying it out loud to Jamie.

Jamie was shocked; it was etched in the lines of his face. He moved away from her so fast he almost fell over backward.

“You’re breaking up with me?” he asked, his eyes flashing with an emotion Cora couldn’t quite identify.

“Yes.”

“But we’re going to the same college. We’re going to get married and have kids and open up a little general store in New England.”

“We’re not getting married, Jamie. I’m so sorry to do this to you here. But I want to break up with you, and I have for a while, and the idea of standing there and agreeing with you about wedding plans felt too much like lying.”