Red(31)

Now was the moment. She had to get it over with before she chickened out. She looked at Haylie, who was preparing to make her way down the aisle and accept her own rose. Her little freckled face was radiant with anticipation. Gabby, who was sitting two rows behind her, stared at Felicity expectantly.

Do it, her eyes said. Do it now. Or else.

“Felicity? Does the fact that you’re still standing mean you’d like to nominate someone?” asked Madison, the sweetness in her voice edged with annoyance.

Felicity took a deep breath.

“Yes. I, Felicity St. John, nominate Gabrielle Vaughn for prom queen.”

The sound of one person drawing in her breath is almost inaudible. But the sound of three hundred students drawing their collective breath was surprisingly loud. There was a moment of silence following the gasp, and then the whole room broke out in whispers and laughter. Felicity forced herself to look at her friends, then wished she hadn’t. Haylie looked stricken, and she was gripping Ivy’s hand as if she were afraid she might drown. Felicity mouthed, “I’m sorry,” but there was no way Haylie could read her lips at this distance.

Madison banged her clipboard on the lectern, and the noise subsided. “Everyone, please settle down,” she called, sounding more like the sharp-tongued Madison Felicity was used to. “Would anyone like to second Felicity’s nomination for … um … Gabrielle Vaughn?” She seemed to have trouble saying the name out loud.

Marina stood up. “I, Marina Rios, second the nomination for Gabby.”

Gabby stood and looked around the auditorium with a beatific smile. She seemed oblivious to the fact that the entire junior and senior classes were staring at her with shock and horror. “I, Gabrielle Vaughn, accept your nominations. Thanks, Felicity and Marina.” There was a feeble smattering of applause as Gabby approached the stage and pried a rose from the hand of flabbergasted Kendall. She nodded at Felicity before she walked away.

Felicity collapsed into her chair. It was done. Her secret was safe. But she didn’t feel the relief she had expected.

Gabby wasn’t even back in her seat before Ivy jumped up and announced, “I, Ivy Locklear, nominate Haylie Adams for prom queen.” She shot Felicity a cutting look. Vanessa Caldwell, who was in the dance troupe with Haylie, seconded the nomination. When Haylie stood up to accept, she looked composed, but Felicity had known her long enough to recognize the slight catch in her voice. It was obvious how hurt she was.

It wasn’t until Haylie was a few feet from the stage that Felicity realized it was her turn to present a rose. She chose the prettiest flower in the box and offered it to her friend, her eyes full of apologies. But Haylie refused to look at her as she snatched the rose away, raking a thorn across Felicity’s thumb.

The rest of the assembly was a blur. Felicity didn’t even remember to nominate Brent until Gretchen Williams, who had been trying to steal him for the last six months, did it first. She considered leaving school immediately after the assembly, but she doubted she could slip out of the building unnoticed.

She was right. As soon as the assembly ended, a stormy-faced Haylie was on her feet and pushing through the crowd toward the stage. Ivy followed in her wake, also looking grim. Felicity left the rest of the prom committee to clean up and hurried off the stage before Haylie reached her. The last thing she wanted was for their confrontation to turn into a show.

Haylie ripped into her the moment she was within shouting range. “So, there’s nothing going on with you and Gabby, right, Felicity? Is that why you just chose her over me in front of the entire freaking school? What is wrong with you?”

Everyone in the immediate vicinity paused to listen, their eyes fever-bright with curiosity. There was nothing Scarletville High liked better than a good scandal. Felicity grabbed Haylie’s shoulder and tried to steer her toward the exit at the side of the auditorium, but Haylie jerked away. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped.

“Can we please talk about this somewhere else?” Felicity begged. “I don’t want to do this with a hundred people listening.”

“You know what? I don’t care how many people hear what I have to say, because I’m right.” There was a chorus of “Oooooohs” from the eavesdroppers, and Felicity’s ears and cheeks started to burn.

She lowered her voice. “Yes, trust me, I know you’re right. What I did absolutely sucked, and I’m the worst friend ever, and I’m so, so sorry. But seriously, I can’t talk about this in here, okay? Will you please just come out in the hall with me?”

“Fine.” Haylie pushed past Felicity and headed for the side door, and Ivy started after her. Felicity took a few deep breaths, trying to keep from crying. Then she followed her friends into the passage along the side of the auditorium.

The door slammed behind them, and everything went perfectly quiet. Ivy leaned against the wall behind Haylie with her arms folded across her chest. Though she didn’t speak, the steely expression on her face left no doubt about whose side she was on.

“What the hell just happened?” Haylie demanded. “Is there a reason you humiliated me in there, or was that just your way of trying to get ahead?”

“Get ahead? Ahead in what?”

“I don’t know! People’s opinions! The pageant! Whatever it is that’s making you act like a total crazy person! Let me give you some advice, Felicity: shooting down your friends in public is not going to make people like you more!”