Page 37 of The Lookback

“Which guy do you choose?” Tommy asks.

“Why do you care?” I step closer to him, our faces inches apart. “It doesn’t even matter, who wins prom prince.”

“Then just pick someone,” he says. “No big deal.”

“I pick Jed,” I say. “Because at the last dance I didn’t pick him, and it was a disaster.”

Tommy nods slowly, and then he turns. “See? Done.”

Only, that wasn’t the end. When they posted the prom prince and princess on the bulletin board the next morning, it was like some kind of explosion. Everyone was talking, whispering, hissing, laughing, and poking each other.

Everyone but Jed.

He kept ignoring me, and that meant that I hurt Tommy’s feelings for no reason at all. It made me mad. Really mad. So when lunch came around, and Jedediah walked up to the front of the lunch line with a tray, shoving in front of poor little Nicholas Kensey, I took my chance.

“Hey,” I say. “Stop being such a big bully. He was there first.”

Jed spins around, not realizing it was me calling him out, probably, and then he freezes.

“Didn’t know who caught you, huh?” I tilt my head. “Well, it’s me. The ghost who used to be your best friend.”

Jed’s eyes widen, but he still doesn’t speak. He just stares.

“We’re also prom prince and princess.” Tears start to well up in my eyes. I can’t help thinking of all the times we swam in the creek. All the times we scrambled up on our horses’ backs and raced through fields with a halter as our bridle. All the times we sat on the edge of his parents’ lake and fished, leaning back and reading or joking around while we waited for something to bite.

All those years, thrown away because I paid just a little bit of attention to Clyde.

“Are you really never going to talk to me again?” I drop my hand on my hip. “I thought the prom prince and princess ought to go to the dance together at least.” My heart’s hammering in my chest. My throat is so tight that I’m worried it might close off.

And Jed’s just staring.

People are starting to murmur.

Stupid Nicholas Kensey’s snickering, his tray pressed to his chest, his eyes wider than the bottom of the plastic water glasses in front of him.

“You can’t go together,” a voice behind me says. “Because you said you’d be my date.”

I spin around, unsure who in their right mind would poke their nose into the middle of this nightmare.

But it’s Tommy. Of course it is.

“Technically I guess you never said you’d go with me, but I asked anyway.” Tommy lifts his chin. “Or did Jed already ask you?”

He’s knocking the volleyball up in the air and pushing Jed to hit it. If there’s one thing the Brooks boys can do, it’s play ball. IwillJed to see what Tommy’s doing, to comprehend what his little bump is supposed to encourage.

But Jed’s whole face turns bright red, and he throws his brown tray against the wall. It shatters, and hard plastic chunks explode outward all over the cafeteria. I stumble backward, bumping into the person behind me, and then I rush out of the other door, desperate to get away.

I’m not even two steps out the back door when Tommy catches me. “Mandy.” His hand wraps tightly around my wrist. “Wait.”

I can’t bring myself to turn back around. I’m crying. It’s embarrassing enough for him to know, but if I slow down to talk to Tommy, who knows who else might see me? “I know what you were trying to do.” I twist my hand and my fingers wrap around his wrist. I squeeze. “I know you were trying to help. I do appreciate it.”

He tugs, his fingers lightening up, but not releasing me. “I wasn’t trying to help.”

I can’t help spinning around when I realize he’s angry. Tommy’s almost never angry. “What?”

He drops my hand like it’s on fire. “I wasn’t trying tohelphim. I’m sick of helping Jed.” There’s a muscle working in his jaw, and I want to reach out and touch it.

Which is really stupid. Clearly he just wanted to keep me from being embarrassed. It’s one of the things I like the most about him. Above all else, Tommy always protects things. He’ll protect his mother. His pets and animals.

---