Page 101 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“Thank you,” I said.
She nodded. “Good. Now, I think I hear a car outside. If you’ll let me, I would like to take a picture of the two of you.”
“You want a picture of me?” I don’t know why it struck me as odd. I was dressed up for a special dance. Pictures were part of the package. It was just…they’d never taken a picture of me before. In the two years I’d been living with them, not once had it even occurred to them, I was pretty sure.
“Of course. So we’ll always remember this night.”
“Right.” A picture of me. Of me and Locke together. So I would always remember this night. I bit my glossed lip to stop myself from tearing up. If my mascara ran, I would never forgive myself.
I heard the doorbell, and immediately, my heart started pounding in my chest. I walked down the steps of the split-level house as carefully as I could, and found Locke waiting for me in the foyer just inside the door.
Mr. Sumner was partially blocking him, so he couldn’t see me yet, but then Mr. Sumner stepped aside, and I got to watch Locke’s face as he took in everything. Me, the dress, my hair.
Me.
He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed. In his hand, he held a beautiful bouquet of white orchids.
“Hi,” I said first.
“Hullo,” he said after a beat. Then he seemed to take another breath. “These are for you.”
I beamed and took the flowers.
“Okay, now, you two stand together so I can get a picture,” Mrs. Sumner directed us.
It felt so real. Like I was this girl who got to go to the dance with her amazing boyfriend while my parents stood around and annoyed us by taking too many pictures.
I knew I didn’t have parents. I knew I probably shouldn’t even be invited to this dance. But for a moment, I was going to allow myself to pretend.
Mrs. Sumner took a few pictures on her phone then showed them to Locke and me.
“What do you think?”
“I think I’m the luckiest person in the world,” Locke whispered in my ear. “And you’re far too stunning to be with someone like me.”
“But you’re the guy I like,” I whispered back.
“Okay, well, off you go,” Mr. Sumner said, opening the door for us. “And remember midnight. Cinderella turns back into a pumpkin at midnight.”
“I’m not sure that’s right, but okay,” Locke said, with a hint of a smile. “You ready for tonight?”
I nodded. I was pretty certain this was going to be the best night of my life.
* * *
Ed
I was waitingfor her on her porch step. I figured she would want to be with Reen while Reen got ready, but the dance was starting soon, so, eventually, she would come home. Reen was probably really nervous about the whole thing since she never thought she would be invited to something like the Cotillion.
I had to admit I was as surprised as everyone else was. Which was stupid and gross. Why didn’t people from the West End get invited to shit like that? It was classist bullshit, and there were times I hated that my family was on the wrong side of all of that.
Well, I hated it right up until I got my allowance every month, then I didn’t complain too much after that.
I was an asshole. A white, rich, privileged asshole who believed I could do anything. Become anything, even though I wasn’t very special. I didn’t have Fitz’s ambition or Heath’s cunning. I didn’t have Beth’s leadership abilities or Reen’s cleverness.
Worse, I didn’t have a tenth of Janie’s kindness. She wanted to make the world a better place. She did make it a better place just by being in it. Maybe that’s why I liked to be around her so much. Maybe I thought something, anything of her, might rub off on me.
So far it hadn’t. Because I hadn’t been able to do a single thing right by her so far this year.
