Nine
You Can Count on Me
March 2013
“DO YOU THINK WE SHOULDgo to prom?”
“What?” I grabbed Cole by the elbow and pulled him into a side corridor, out of the flow of students rummaging through lockers. We were on our way to history class, but it could wait.
“What do you mean? We can’t go —” My eyes darted back and forth to make sure that no one was watching before I mouthed the wordtogether.
“I know.” Cole shrugged. “But I was just thinking — it’s senior year, and it’s a thing you’re supposed to do when you’re our age, and I just feel likewe should. You know, to say we did.”
I frowned. “I didn’t go last year.”
“Yeah, but things were different last year, right? And everybody likes you now. And after the storm and the way the town has bounced back — Jersey Strong, right? Think of it as a celebration.”
I looked up, studying Cole’s face. “Why are you pushing this now? Did something change?”
Cole blushed to the roots of his golden hair. “Okay, look — I have art class with Courtney, right? And I was sort of lost in thought working on a drawing and she came up and asked me if I wanted to go with her, and I was so surprised that I couldn’t think of a reason to get out of it so I said yes.”
“Fuck.”
Cole laid a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, I should have talked to you first, I —”
Suddenly, the whole thing struck me very funny. “You know, she’s going to stuff you in the trunk of her car and then tie you up in the basement. We’ll never see you again.”
“I know, right?” Cole was laughing too, a little hysterically. “And see — that’s why I need you as a bodyguard! So what do you think — will you come to the prom with me, but you know — notwithme exactly?”
“I’ll think about it,” I sighed. “But come on, we better go or we’ll be late.”
Later that afternoon, I arrived at my AP biology lab a few minutes early. I pulled out my things as the other students filed in, lining up my notebook and my textbook and my mechanical pencil precisely on the table. Then I sat down and pulled out a book to read.
“Hey, Ezra, what are you reading?” Hannah was my lab partner, and today she had all of her dark hair piled up in a knot on her head. She was wearing a tight black T-shirt with a skull on it and she was smiling at me.
I showed her the cover, where a willowy elf prince was fighting a dragon. “It’s pretty good, actually.”
“Oh, I’ve read that one, and I loved it!” She sat down and began to pull her books out of her bag. “I didn’t know you read books like that. Every time I see you, you have some dusty history book that my dad would read.”
“Cole lent it to me, actually.” I hoped Hannah didn’t notice the way my face heated when I said his name. Even though the whole school knew we were friends, I still felt weird mentioning him out loud.
“I’m glad he’s broadening your horizons.” She sighed. “I lost a lot of my library at home — you know, when the flooding happened? But so many people donated books afterward, and Courtney and Melissa saved all the best ones for me.”
“That was really nice of them,” I said, tucking my bookmark between the pages. “But that sucks about your books, though. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay. So many things have changed, and some of them were actually for the better.” She reached out and touched my arm. “You, for one thing. I’m so glad you came out of your shell and started hanging out with us.”
There was a beat of silence, and then the words were tumbling out of my mouth before I even had a chance to think about them. “Hannah, do you want to go to the prom with me?”
Her eyes widened with shock. “Oh, Ezra —”
“I mean, no pressure. And if you’re already going with someone else, I’m not gonna be hurt. And I’m not — I mean, just as friends. Because you’re nice and I dunno, it would be fun. Maybe.”
She paused, studying my face as she chewed on her lip. Then, her face broke into a smile. “Yes, I would love to go with you — You know, as friends.”
I couldn’t wait to tell Cole at the end of the day. I found him out by the bike rack, unlocking his bike under a clear blue sky. It was one of those bright days just before the start of spring, when the air wasn’t quite warm enough yet, but the sun was doing its best and the first daffodils were starting to bloom. When he saw me, he waved, beaming as I walked across the lawn.
“Yes, I will go to prom with you — I mean,notwith you,” I announced as soon as I was close enough to speak without shouting.
