Prom Night in Purgatory(60)

Maggie smiled at that, a hint of pleasure tinging her cheeks at his frank confession, but her smile faded quickly as she struggled to suspend his disbelief. “You and I met in Purgatory, Johnny. That’s all I know. For you and me, Purgatory came first....1958 came after. I can’t explain it. But maybe there’s someone who can.”





~18~

A Time to Heal





They arrived at the school when classes were dismissing for the day. Maggie hoped she wouldn’t run into any of her teachers and have to explain where she’d been during class. Mr. Marshall, her chemistry teacher, had become more bold and more brutal since Johnny had tried to teach him a lesson. It had scared him off for a while, but he’d slid back into his old ways before too long. She would have to tell Johnny about that day he’d put the nasty old man in his place; she thought he would probably enjoy the story. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to deal with Mr. Marshall today.

She and Johnny walked through the front doors and veered down a long flight of stairs in search of Gus. Maggie had folded her arms only to have Johnny reach down and snag her hand as they walked by a group of guys who seemed more than a little interested in the way Maggie looked in her snug jeans. He quirked one eyebrow as he looked down at her.

“I think I prefer girls in skirts,” Johnny said dryly, and tightened his hand around hers. He tossed a black look over his shoulder at the group of boys, and Maggie’s heart sang a hopeful tune. A possessive Johnny was a very good sign.

Johnny received his fair share of interested looks as well as they navigated the crowded halls to the gymnasium where the janitor’s closet was located. Jillian had kept the explanation of his presence in the small town very vague, and Johnny had kept an extremely low profile. But it was a small town after all, and he was a very good looking guy. Word spread and people, especially teen-aged girls, were curious, to say the least. This was the second time he had been seen in a very public place, and both times in Maggie’s company. There would be talk.

Shad was at the janitor’s closet with his grandfather when they arrived, and Maggie tried not to groan out loud when Shad folded his arms and stuck out his chest like a peacock. His lower lip jutted out too, and his eyebrows lowered in displeasure. He opened his mouth to say something, most likely something that would make Maggie groan even louder, but his grandpa shoved him lightly in the middle of his back and gently told him to “Get a move on, Shadrach. You know what needs to be done.”

When Shad walked away, after looking back and glowering several times, Maggie entreated Gus for a private place where they could talk. Gus led them into the gymnasium and, using the rickety railing, eased himself down onto the lowest bench of the old bleachers. Maggie and Johnny climbed up a few rows and sat above him. Johnny had kept her hand clasped in his, and Maggie was pretty sure Gus had not missed the significance of his grip. He released her when they were seated, moving away slightly and shifting so he could look at both her and Gus as they talked.

“How are you, boy?” Gus said gently, looking at Johnny with something very akin to affection in his chocolate brown eyes.

Johnny rested with his elbows propped on his knees, his hands loosely clasped, looking down at Gus from two rows up. “I’m okay, sir,” he answered quietly.

“Ah, call me Gus.” Gus waved a hand in the air, shooing away the deferential “sir.”

Johnny nodded his head, but didn’t comment further. Gus looked at Maggie questioningly, and Maggie dove in.

“Remember what you told me about your grandmother, Gus?”

Gus nodded, his gaze sharpening immediately.

“It happened, Gus. I fell asleep in Irene’s room last night. Irene had been digging through some of her old things and I was wearing her prom dress when I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was still in Irene’s room, wearing the same dress, but it was 1958. We’d been talking about the prom when we’d fallen asleep, about....Johnny and....regrets.” Maggie didn’t want to air Irene’s personal sorrow so she tiptoed through her explanation, still wanting to give Gus enough information to understand what might have triggered the time travel. “Irene’s room has all of her old things from when she was a girl. Her bed, her furniture, almost all of it is the same, and she has arranged it to look like it used to look too.”

“Last night?” Johnny interrupted, his expression one of shock. “This happened last night?”

Maggie nodded her head, entreating him with her eyes. He just stared at her, trying to make the details fit. “Is that why I woke up this morning and suddenly remembered everything? Because it just happened?”

“What happened, Miss Margaret?” Gus chimed in, clearly a little lost. “When you realized you were somewhere else, what happened?”

“My grandmother, Lizzie, she remembered me, Gus! She remembered me from the time before. She helped me. She’s just a little girl, but she’s funny and smart, and she reminds me a little of ...well, me! I was there for a day and a half, and I saw so many things. I saw Billy Kinross, and I saw Johnny’s mother,” Maggie shot a look at Johnny’s face, gauging his ability to hear what she had to say. His hand shot out and grabbed hers.

“You saw them?” he cried.

“Yes...and I saw Roger and Irene, and so much more!”

“What else, Margaret? How did you get back home?” Gus laid his hand on her leg, pulling her attention back to him.