His smile was triumphant as he slid the corsage on my wrist. They really were rather attractive, for the most part. Tiny, delicate roses in every color imaginable were interspersed with babyʼs breath. I couldnʼt understand, however, why someone had stuck a clump of oddly shaped yellow flowers in the middle. “What kind of flower is this?”
“Iʼm supposed to be a botanist now?”
“Are you going to be snippy all night?”
“Does that mean weʼll be together all night?”
Like there was ever any doubt. “I guess it wonʼt kill me to help you relive your high school glory days for one night.”
“Thatʼs what I thought,” he said slinging an arm over my shoulder.
Dinner was a painfully awkward affair. Valero's, one of only two formal dining establishments within a forty-five minute drive of the school, had overbooked. The four of us crammed ourselves around a table meant for two. We kept bumping elbows and grabbing the wrong water glass. Charlie attempted to engage James in conversation, but that went over about as well as a Joan Crawford parenting manual.
The dance was held in our high school gym. Iʼve heard rumor that some schools have prom in swanky hotels. That sounds nice. Unfortunately, there are no swanky hotels near Timber. The only place with a ball room is the state park lodge and no one wanted to fight the roaches for the dance floor.
At Lake County High the Juniors host the prom for the Seniors. They pick the theme, hire the entertainment, provide refreshments, and decorate. My first thought upon entering the gym was that the Juniors hated us. The room looked like Barnum and Baileyʼs had exploded. Red and white awning hung from the middle of the ceiling and cascaded down the walls. Balloon bouquets served as centerpieces for the tables along the edge of the dance floor. I noticed in horror that people were expected to have their pictures taken with a giant cement elephant.
“Youʼve got to be kidding me.”
Charlie was shaking with laughter. “Jase is going to freak.” He pointed towards the center of the floor where the DJ was dressed as a clown.
“Stop it,” Talley said. “Lots of people are genuinely afraid of clowns. Poor Jase. This is going to ruin his prom.”
Charlie and I only laughed harder.
“I guess it could be worse,” Charlie said. “They could have--” I never figured out exactly how it could have been worse because at that moment he recognized the couple sitting at the table Talley was walking towards. My stomach dropped to my knees.
“Joi, you look great!” I said a little too enthusiastically. “That looks just like the dress Megan Fox wore to the MTV awards last year.”
“Oh my God! I totally thought so too!” My compliment caused Joi to literally vibrate with excitement. “Wow! Who is your date? Heʼs super-cute!”
“You remember Charlie, donʼt you?”
“Oh, youʼre Jaseʼs cousin, right?” Joi turned to Alex, who was the very picture of dapper aloofness in his black suit and tie. “Alex, this is Charlie. Heʼs Jaseʼs cousin, but, you know, heʼs not really related to Scout, so them being here together isnʼt nearly as icky as it sounds.” I would have to remember to thank Joi for that later. “Charlie, this is Alex.” Charlie did the guy nod thing and Alex offered a “hey” in response. It wasnʼt the warmest of greetings, but no one was throwing punches. That was a good start. There were only two empty seats, which left me with the option of sitting between Charlie and Alex or allowing the two of them to sit next to each other. As I slid into my chair, I pressed my foot against Alexʼs ankle.
“Nice flowers,” he said, casually glancing where my hand rested on the table. I wondered if he noticed how I kept inching it towards his.
“They are pretty, arenʼt they? I didnʼt know roses came in quite so many colors.” I could do casual conversation, right?
Alex met Charlieʼs eyes with a look of wry amusement. “The yellow flower is an interesting choice.”
“Iʼve never seen one like it before,” I admitted. That sounded better than, Itʼs ugly and looks awkward in the middle of all the pretty roses.
“Itʼs wolfsbane,” James offered timidly from across the table.
Wolfsbane? Seriously? Leave it to Charlie.
“Doesnʼt that like kill werewolves or something?” Joi asked.
“Depends on which mythology youʼre going with,” James said. His voice was more confident as he discussed one of his favorite topics - weird stuff. “Some stories say that it helps identify a wolf, others that it can suppress the change. In one of the Dracula movies it was used to ward off vampires.”
“In Gingersnaps it was used to make a cure for lycanthropy,” Talley chimed in.
James beamed at her. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile. It could have been the first time that he had smiled in his life, period. It vastly improved his looks. “Youʼre a Gingersnaps fan?”
“My mom would die if she knew, but Iʼve watched it at least ten times.” Jamesʼ enthusiasm was bordering on adorable as he and Talley slipped into movie geek mode.
The smart thing for me to have done would have been to let the wolfsbane subject drop. I considered it before turning to Charlie and saying, “That was so thoughtful of you, but the full moon isnʼt until tomorrow night.”
He didnʼt even flinch. “Wolfsbane, huh? I told them to stick some bergamot blossoms in there.” He reached across the table to gather my wrist in his warm hands. “My flaky ecology professor said that it would put the wearer under the control of the person who gave it to them.
I was going to use it to make you dance with me tonight.” His mouth turned up into a wicked half-smile as one finger traced from my inner wrist to the fold of my elbow. I knew it was all just a show for Alex, but my heart sputtered and goosebumps broke out over my skin just the same. “I guess Iʼll have to find some other way to persuade you.” Joi did her awkward fake laugh thing. “Of course sheʼs going to dance with you. Youʼre her prom date.”
“I donʼt dance.”
More awkward fake laughter, which was quickly getting on my nerves. “Donʼt be such a Debbie Downer. Itʼs prom. You have to dance.”
Why couldnʼt my parents have raised me church of Christ where dancing was considered the eighth deadly sin? “I donʼt have to do anything,” I snapped. Joi flinched, making me feel instantaneous guilt. My shoulders drooped under the weight of it. “You know I canʼt dance. Iʼm rhythmically challenged.”