Red(46)

When she finally tore her eyes away and looked around at the rest of her classmates, she saw her worst fears realized. Everyone was staring straight at her with pity, confusion, or suppressed delight on their faces. No one could have anticipated a prom scandal this delicious.

Cassie Brynne was suddenly by her side, digging her shellacked nails into Felicity’s arm. “Oh my God, what is he doing with her?”

Felicity’s first instinct was to pull away and tell Cassie to mind her own business. But then she realized she might be able to use Cassie, who had the biggest mouth in the school, to make the rumor mill work in her favor. “I know it looks dramatic, but it’s really not,” she said, rolling her eyes and trying to look nonchalant. “Brent’s just with her because of this community service project. It’s for an athletic scholarship.”

“Taking brunettes to prom counts for community service?”

Felicity looked around, then leaned in as if she were confiding something nobody was supposed to know. That pretty much ensured the information would be all over the gym within minutes. “When the situation is this pathetic? Absolutely. I mean, Gabby somehow made it onto the court, but then nobody even asked her to prom. Can you imagine doing the prom court dance alone? How embarrassing would that be?”

Cassie nodded solemnly, her eyes wide. “Wow. Your boyfriend is really nice. But you must be so bummed that he’s not with you!”

“I am. But he asked me for permission, and I said it was okay. Sometimes you have to give back to the community, you know? Help people less fortunate than you.”

“You’re right. Way to go, Felicity. You’re totally an inspiration.” Cassie beamed at her, then trotted off to join Savannah and Kendall. Felicity was pleased to see her gesturing at Brent and Gabby and talking a mile a minute. In the end, people wouldn’t remember her as the pathetic one.

The DJ put on the first slow song of the evening, and the dance floor flooded with starry-eyed couples. On the other side of the gym, Felicity watched Gabby wrap herself around Brent like an evil little tourniquet, and the few bites of dinner she’d managed to swallow churned in her stomach. “I need to get out of here for a minute. I’m going outside,” she told Ivy.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to come with you?”

Felicity would have liked the company. But Darren was tugging at Ivy, and she looked as if she wanted to give in to some long-dormant female instinct and slow-dance with him. Haylie was already entwined with Ryan, who was experimentally squeezing her butt. “No, I’ll be fine,” she said. “Go dance. I just need a minute alone.”

The front lawn and the parking lot were full of people, so Felicity circled around to the empty soccer field at the back of the building. Her high heels sank into the soft ground the moment she left the path, so she kicked them off and abandoned them where they fell. She dug her toes into the cool damp field, closed her eyes, and breathed in the quiet night air, perfumed with the scent of newly cut grass. It was a relief to let the painful forced smile fade from her lips. The thump of the bass echoed from the gym, but otherwise, the only sounds were those of the occasional car and her own rustling petticoats. She started walking out across the dark field, glad to be free of her classmates’ prying eyes.

By the time she’d reached the center of the field, far from the lights of the path, her petticoats were full of static and were bunching up around her hips. She glanced around to make sure she was alone, then reached up under her skirt and wrestled the frothy red fabric back into place. Just as she was adjusting the ruffles over her butt, she heard a noise and whipped around.

A guy stood on the path at the other end of the soccer field, staring out into the darkness.

Felicity quickly finished tugging her skirt back into place. How much had he seen? Was it someone from her class, or was it a teacher who could get her into trouble for being out here alone? She stood very still, hoping he hadn’t noticed her.

The guy walked to the edge of the grass, then stooped to pick up her shoes, and she silently cursed herself for leaving them by the path. “Hello?” he called. “Is someone out there?”

The voice sounded familiar. She couldn’t place it exactly, but it was definitely just a student. “I’m over here,” she called back. “Those are mine.”

He moved back and forth along the edge of the field, shielding his eyes and trying to see her better. Finally, he called, “Felicity? Is that you?”

It was no use hiding now. Felicity started trudging back toward the path with a sigh. “Yeah, it’s me,” she called back. She put her pageant smile in place and prepared to face yet another pitying look.

But when she got close enough to see the guy’s face, she stopped, surprised. “Jonathan?”

He looked different in a tux. Most of the guys she had seen tonight looked younger than usual in their formal wear, like kids playing dress-up. But the tux had the opposite effect on Jonathan, lending him an unexpected air of maturity and sophistication. Felicity had never seen him look so comfortable in his skin. Her candy-apple-red shoes dangled from his fingertips.

“Hi,” he said. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and Felicity noted with surprise how long his eyelashes were. Then he smiled, and it suddenly occurred to her that Jonathan Lyons was very attractive. How had she never seen that before?

She stepped into the light and reached out to take her shoes. As Jonathan’s gaze swept over her, his face changed, as if someone had lit a match behind his eyes. “You look beautiful,” he said. “I mean, I love your dress.”