Surfacing (Spark Saga) (16 page)

             
Tess

At 5:00 on Saturday evening, I am lugging my duffle bag, my dress on a hanger, and two cups of Starbucks up to Cricket’s house.  On the way, I get a text from Alex confirming when and where we are going to meet.  Cricket meets me at the door.

              “Are you ready to get gorgeous?”

             
I hold up one of the coffees and hand it to her.  “Merry Homecoming.”

             
“Ooooh.  Thanks,” she says, taking it gratefully.  “Come on up to my room.  Ignore my annoying little brother.  You might get pummeled with Nerf bullets on the way up.”

             
As predicted, a bullet smacks me in the forehead as I’m climbing the stairs.

             
“Hey you little twirp!”  Cricket yells.  “Go find something else to do!  Sorry—”

             
“Hey, I was warned,” I say with a grin.

             
The dresser in Cricket’s room is covered with makeup, perfume, hair accessories, and a curling iron.  She shuts the door.  “Ok, I’m gonna give you a makeover,” she says, and grabs a brush and a pencil eyeliner.

             
“Do I need one that bad?”

             
“Ha!  No, but this is all about having fun, right?  How do you feel about blue glitter?”

             
She busies herself with my face, while my mind wanders to Dani, who, not surprisingly, was crowned Homecoming Queen last night.  I am still mad at her for what she said about Cricket the other day, but she’s still my friend, and I’m actually glad she won.  She deserves it.  Besides, I didn’t really like the competition.  She and Zach make the perfect Homecoming couple.  I’m still a bit puzzled by the conversation Zach and I had yesterday, but I am learning to accept things that puzzle me.  Cricket, on the other hand, is determined to get to the bottom of anything and everything.  Now that I think about it, I hope she doesn’t bring up the subject of Zach at all.

             
“You have really great eyes.”  Cricket is furiously rubbing a brush on my eyelids.

             
“Hey, just don’t make me look like a clown, ok?”

             
“So, I ran into Alex earlier today—after school.  He was totally game for the treasure hunt, slash, midnight adventure.”

             
It suddenly occurs to me that Cricket might have a crush on Alex.  I mean, it makes sense.  He really is cute.  Not handsome, but cute, in an all-American kind of way, freckles and a buzz cut.  With Cricket’s bubbly personality, they would actually make a cute couple.

             
“You like Alex, don’t you?”  I blurt out.

             
Cricket pauses, eyeliner in the air, making a swirly motion with it.  “What?”

             
“Alex.  He’s cute, eh?” I take a gulp of my coffee.  “And a sweetheart.  A perfect combination, don’t you think?”

             
Cricket picks up some mascara and goes back to work.  “Oh yeah.”  She comes at me with the wand and I flinch.  I don’t normally wear mascara, so it’s a shock to have something that close to my eye.  “But he doesn’t know I’m alive.”

             
“How do you know?”

             
“Please.  Everyone knows he has the hots for you.”

             
“Well, we’re just friends, remember?”  Cricket starts yanking on my hair, piling it on top of my head.  She sticks some bobby pins in it and douses it with hair spray.

             
“So you really don’t like him?  I mean, as more than a friend?”

             
“He’s not my type.”

             
“What’s not to like?  He’s super nice and adorable.  Plus, popular—but in the good kind of way.”

             
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

             
“I mean, he doesn’t buy into all the Beautiful People stuff.  He’s real.”

             
“True,” I admit.  “He’s a good guy.”

             
“Lucky you…” Cricket sighs.  “Anyway, you look amazing.  For real.  Look.”  She holds up a mirror.  “Dang it.  He’s gonna be even more in love with you.”

             
“We’re just going to have fun, remember?  Now, let’s make you beautiful.  You never know what tonight will hold.”  I grab some eye pencils and shuffle them awkwardly in my fingers.  “There’s only one problem,” I say.  “I have no idea what to do with this stuff.”

             
Cricket grabs them out of my hand.  “Leave this to the expert, sweetheart.”

              My parents and Alex are standing on the front porch when Cricket and I arrive.  Alex has brought corsages for both of us—a pink rose for me and a white one for Cricket.  Cricket blushes as Alex fumbles around trying to pin the corsage on her and my mom takes over.  All in all, my parents seem pleased and take about nine hundred pictures. 

My dad shakes Alex’s hand and says, “You got
two
dates to prom.  Lucky guy!”

“Dad!”  I moan.  “It’s a friend date.”

My mom smiles.  “You both look stunning.”  I give both my parents a quick hug and we are off.  “Have fun!” she calls.

             
“So whose awesome vehicle is this?”  Cricket asks, as Alex opens the doors to a shiny black Hummer.  “Way cool.”  Cricket gets in the back and I get in the passenger seat.

             
“My uncle Rob’s.  He let me borrow it for the night.”

             
“Nice,” I say. 

             
Alex cranks up the music and the heater as we pull away from the curb.  I’m feeling a bit nervous, but Alex grins at me and I calm down.  “Are you a good dancer?”  He asks.

             
“No, I’m terrible.”

             
“We’ll see.  How about you Cricket?”

             
“I’m awesome, of course!”  She is putting on more lip gloss.

             
“So what’s this mystery all about, for later?”

             
She briefs him on the message we found earlier in the week, concluding with the trip to the cemetery and the strange message left there.  “What do you think?”             

             
“Sounds like some nutjob.”

             
I say, “We’re pretty sure it’s just some prank.”

             
Alex asks, “And whose idea was it to go on this adventure to begin with?”

“Me,” Cricket says.  “It was for an English paper.”

“And how did the paper end?”

“I dunno, like it really happened.  I left it up in the air, I guess.  I had a lot of questions in it.  Anyway, it will be a fun adventure, right?  The graveyard on Homecoming night?”  Cricket adds.

              “Sounds like the makings of a bad horror movie,” Alex chuckles.

“Cool!”  Cricket hoots. 

              I squirm in the seat.  “Not cool!  This is my first real dance.  I’d like to have good memories, not bad ones.  Ok, Cricket?”

             
“No worries,” she replies.  “All good memories in the making, right Alex?”

             
“Right,” he replies.  He looks over at me and gives me a reassuring smile, something in his eyes that is warm and slightly longing, as if he wants to tell me something.  I smile back. 

              Alex pulls up to the entrance and lets us out while he parks the car.  “I’ll be right back,” he says.  “Wait inside for me.”

             
We are barely into the lobby when Dani and Zach walk in.  “Cute dress,” Dani coos, touching the edge of my skirt.  “Hey Cricket.”

             
“Thanks.  I like yours too.  Congrats, Miss Queen.”  She is dressed in a strapless hot pink dress and her hair is pulled up gracefully, tiny ringlets hanging down. 
Thanks!”  She replies. 

Zach eyes my dress and nods.  “Hey guys.”  His jaw tenses up when Dani leans closer to him. 

              “Great game last night, Zach,” Cricket says.

             
“Thanks,” he shrugs.  “The team did it.”

             
“Well good job.  It was fun.”

             
“So are you two here by yourselves?”  Dani asks. 

             
“Actually, we’re waiting on Alex,” I say.  “He’s parking the car.”

             
“Cool.  Well, we’d ask you to sit at our table, but they have us up at a table in the front with the Homecoming candidates.”

             
“No biggie.  We’ll catch you later.”  Just then, Alex comes trotting in, shakes Zach’s hand.  “Good job buddy.  Dani, you’re looking beautiful.  Congrats to both of you!”

             
Some other people come in, chatting away, and Dani and Zach sort of merge away from us.  “Let’s go tear it up!”  Alex casually takes Cricket on one arm and me on the other, and we are off to the dance.

              The gymnasium is dimly lit, with enormous lighted silver and red Chinese lanterns strung across the ceiling.  A disco ball hangs in the center of the dance floor, reflecting dizzily throughout the room.  At the edge of the dance floor is a long table with a white table cloth and candles lined up all the way across—the Homecoming candidates’ table, I’m guessing. A large banner hangs behind the head table: 
The Time of Our Lives. 
A loud, techno beat is playing on the speakers, and people are shouting and laughing above the noise.  The three of us quickly find a table and Alex goes to get us some snacks and soda.

             
“Wow, this is really cool,” Cricket says excitedly.  “Love the lanterns.”

             
“It will be the time of our lives, or so says the banner,” I add.  I don’t know if it’s the overwhelming noise, or the way Alex looked at me, or the dark, glittery atmosphere, but all of a sudden, I feel more relaxed than I have in weeks.  I notice the head table is starting to fill up, and that Dani and Zach have taken their seats.  In the candlelight, Dani looks so pretty and happy.  I have to admit, she and Zach look good together.

             
“Hey, guys,” Alex swoops up to the table, deposits our drinks and adds, “I have to give a short speech.  Be right back.”  He takes off toward the head table and grabs the microphone.  I feel a twinge of pride, being there with the student body president.  Cricket must agree, because she is grinning non-stop.

             
“On behalf of Jefferson High, I’d like to welcome all of you to the 2012 Homecoming Dance!  If disco lights and the best D.J. in town weren’t enough, we have something else to celebrate tonight, and that’s our own varsity football team, who brought the Tigers to victory last night!  Let’s hear it for our Tigers!”  Everyone cheers.  “In addition, we’d like to congratulate our Homecoming Queen and King, Dani Chase and Zach Webb.  Let’s hear it for the lucky couple!”  More cheers.  “I’d like to open up this bash with Dani and Zach, who will get the first dance.  Everybody, let’s have the time of our lives!”

             
As Dani and Zach go to the floor, a Snow Patrol song starts on the stereo.

             
We’ll do it all, everything.  On our own. 

             
We don’t need anything or anyone… if I lay here.  If I just lay here.  Would you lie with me and just forget the world?  I don’t quite know how to say how I feel.  Those three words are said too much, then not enough.

             
If I lay here.  If I just lay here.  Would you lie with and just forget the world?  Forget what we’re told, before we get too old, show me a garden that’s bursting into life.

             
Let’s waste time chasing cars…. Around our heads.  I need your grace to remind me to find my own.

             
Cricket nudges me.  “I love this song.”

All that I am, all that I ever was...is here in your perfect eyes.  They’re all I can see…

I don’t know where, confused about how as well.  Just know that these things will never change for us at all.

             
I’m not a sappy romantic kind of person, but I have to admit, it’s a perfect moment.  A perfect song.  It almost makes me sad to see the way Dani and Zach are looking at each other, the lights sparkling, the intensity of the song.  It seems real.  I wonder what it feels like to be so in love.

             
The music changes to an upbeat One Direction song, and Alex grabs my hand.  “Let’s dance, girls!”

             
And before I know it, we are on the dance floor.  Seriously I think everyone else decided to go out at once, because it is so crowded, I can barely move.  Cricket starts moving her hips, arms in the air, waving wildly.  After a few moments, she sort of gravitates away from us, lost in her own groove.  And suddenly, I am dancing.  I am looking at Alex and his arm is around my waist, and we are moving in time to the music.  He spins me around and I can’t stop smiling, feeling the music, the beat, the excitement of the crowd.