An eternity went by. I was dozing off with my neck bent at an impossible angle, my knees tucked under my long dress, when the office door flew open.
“Rose!” An elegant black woman ran over to her. She looked exactly like Rose except shorter, with long, wavy hair that was perfectly styled even in her harried state. Rose clearly got her height from her dad, a tall and ruggedly handsome black man with a little bit of dignified gray in his black hair.
“Are you okay?” Her mother grasped her by the shoulders, then widened her eyes. “Oh myGod, why are you covered in blood?” She looked over at me. “Why arebothof you covered in blood?”
“It’s fake, Mom. I’m fine, it’s not a big deal,” Rose said, with that arrogant self-confidence that usually drove me mad. Right now, however, I actually appreciated it. I hoped that it would get us out of this.
But her mother wasn’t fooled. She raised a thin, arched eyebrow, and her words came out measured and careful. “Not. A. Big. Deal?” For the first time ever, Rose was visibly uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. Her hands stayed clenched.
Before anyone could react, the door opened again, and my dad’s cap-covered head popped in.Yessss,time to bust out of this joint.
“Come in, Mr. Shin,” Principal Sepulveda said, waving at him.
“Call me Adrian,” he said before stepping in reluctantly. My dad had gotten into so much trouble as a kid that he hadn’t graduated high school. So he never felt comfortable having to set foot on a high school campus.
He did a double take when he saw me. “What happened toyou? Are you okay?”
“It’s fake blood,” Mrs. Carver said before I could answer. Bossy genes in full effect.
The adults stood around us awkwardly.
“So…” Rose’s dad started, clearing his throat.
Principal Sepulveda stepped around her desk and leaned against the edge of it, arms crossed and facing all of us. She was a tall woman who used to be an athlete—even in a nightgown she was an imposing presence. “Your daughters caused quite a scene at the prom tonight.”
“Is the cafeteria okay? How bad is the fire damage? Did anyone get injured?” Rose’s mom asked, her voice in professional lawyer mode. Joanne Carver was kind of a big deal around LA because she had been the prosecuting lawyer in a big police-beating case a few years back. She’d also been featured on the cover ofEbonymagazine and was named one ofPeople’s Most Beautiful People. So there was that.
“Well, Mrs. Carver, the fire was contained, and it was only the stage that was damaged. And, thank God, there were no injuries. No thanks to these two.”
My dad glanced over at me. “So what happened, exactly?”
Principal Sepulveda wagged a finger at both of us. “Why don’tyou twolet us know what happened? From Mr. Sinclair’s account, it was very confusing.”
From his corner, Mr. Sinclair began to stand, kind of crouching there and holding up a hand, like he was a student askingfor permission. “Uh, I think it was because Clara won prom queen.”
“Youwon?” My dad whipped around to look at me.
I shrugged.
“Yes, shewon,” Rose interrupted. “And it was a joke. She went up there on a skateboard and gave aspeech.I mean, whodoesthat? Andthen! The best part: one of her lackeys dropped a bucket of blood on her head.”
My dad let out a snort of laughter. Principal Sepulveda shot him a reproachful look, and he turned the laugh into a cough.
Rose’s mom threw her hands into the air. “So what, Rose?” At the same time, Rose’s dad looked over at me. “Oh, likeCarrie?”
Betrayal flashed across Rose’s face for a second as she looked at her mom. “Sowhat? Mom, she made the entire thing ajoke.”
“Well, Rosie, it’s not exactly the most important thing in the world,” her dad said with exasperation.
Rose’s voice shook with emotion. “It’s important tome!”
The room grew silent, and I shifted in my seat. Rose’sfeelingsabout prom were seriously cramping my prank style. In the many years I’d known Rose, I’d never seen her so rattled before.
“Okay, so then what happened?” her mom asked more gently. Rose stubbornly set her jaw.
Pivoting slowly on his sneakered heel, my dad looked at me. Pointedly.
I sighed, clomping my boots down onto the linoleum floor with a loud thud. “This nutjob attacked me.”
