"She had Carl tell Tuck toget me to ask her, and had Tina push Andy about it, too.I nevergave her a reason to think I wanted all that."
"Well—"
"Fucking crazy, I'mtelling you."
"So your plan is what?Tohide for a few weeks until she forgets about you?Out of sight, outof mind?"I tease.
Dave blinks at me."Um,yeah.Kind of, actually," he deadpans, and I burst into another fitof laughter.
Dave smiles.
"You could just give inand ask her.You know, go as friends.People do that, don't they?If they're not in a relationship?"I ask.That was standard backhome.No one stayed home from prom.You either went with the guyyou were dating or went with a guy friend.Only a few ever wentstag.
"Icould, but she'd take it the wrongway.Anyway, that'd probably get in the way of my plan to get inSara's pants," he admits, and my laughter returns."You going withCap?"he asks, and my brow furrows.
I shake my head."I don'treally do school dances… not that he asked me."
Dave looks confused."Youhave to come to senior prom.I mean, it's senior fucking prom," hesays matter-of-factly, but I just shrug.The truth is, I'm prettysure a school dance, even prom, could be a real dangerous triggerfor me.
But I've only been at thisschool since February, so it doesn't really feel likemysenior promanyway.
"Well I'd say you and Ishould go as friends, it'd probably get Lily off my back, but itwould also get Cap to knock me the fuck out, so you're out of luck,Pine," Dave teases.
"Ha.ha."I replyhumorlessly."I told you, Sam didn't ask me.We're just friends.Hewouldn't care if I went with someone else, especially as a friend.But like I said, I don't do school dances."
Dave eyes me dubiously andI wonder what he's not saying.
"Shit," he loud-whisperswhen we see Chelsea's car zoom past our hiding place and out of thestudent lot just as my phone buzzes with a text from Carl askingwhere I am."Do you think they saw us?"
I shake my head."You'reridiculous," I tell him, as I stand and begin to make my way to myfriends.I glance back as Dave climbs cautiously from his spot,looking around to make sure the coast is clear, and I shake my headagain.He is too funny.
We decide on frozen yogurtfor lunch, so it's just Carl, Tina, and me.The boys are presumablyat the diner, and I don't know if I'm more relieved to not have tofakejust friendswith Sam, or disappointed not to be near him.
I never knew you couldmiss someone while you're right next to them.But that's thephenomenon my situation with Sam has created.And it freakinghurts.
But not as bad as losinghim would hurt.
Tina starts talking aboutsome dress she saw in Bergdorf Goodman last weekend when she wasshopping with her mom in Manhattan.It's ridiculously priced for aprom dress—or any dress in my opinion—but Tina is hell bent onconvincing her parents to agree to let her buy it.Carl had alreadypurchased a dress, but now that she and Tuck are a real couple, shewants to get something more special.I supply my cursory smiles andignore their pushes to get me to agree to attend the stupid dance.It seems like its the only thing anyone can talk about thesedays.
"So, did Tuck give you hisvarsity shirt yet?"Tina asks teasingly.
Carl—completely out ofcharacter for her—actually blushes as she nods.
"I bet you never thoughtyou'd be wearing a guy's varsity shirt on Senior Monday, huh, Ms.Independent?"Tina is enjoying this, whatever it is she's referringto.I can only assume Carl wasn't exactly the relationship typepre-Tuck.I only really know her as being in love with Tuck.Evenbefore she would admit it.Of course, the last time I'd seen herbefore I moved back here this past February, we were bothtwelve.
"What… and what?"I remindthem that I'm still fairly new here and have no idea what the hellthey're talking about.
"Oh.Yeah.It's tradition.Senior Monday is the last Monday of school.There's an assembly andwhatever, and it's like a proclamation.For couples.If a girlwears her guy's varsity shirt it's like saying they're not just ahigh school relationship—that they're staying together.Obviouslyit's only for varsity athlete's girlfriends.Back in the day girlsused to wear their boyfriends' class ring.But no one gets thoseanymore," Tina explains.The tradition surprises me.It's the kindof thing that would be normal back home, but here… I'd expectpeople to be more progressive.
"So you wear yourboyfriend's varsity tee shirt and it's some grand proclamation ofcommitment?"I ask.
"Pretty much," Carlreplies, and we all three giggle at the ridiculousness ofit.
"So if your guy doesn'tgive you his shirt, or if he does and you don't wear it thatMonday, it's what?Just a bigfuckyou?" I ask.
"Pretty much," Carl saysagain."Kind of a way to say 'you were good enough to date in highschool, but I'm keeping my options open'."
"Well that's fair, isn'tit?I mean, how often is it that people find their future husbandsor wives in high school these days?"I ask casually, but Tina andCarl just blink at me.
