Meet Me After Class

Chapter 44: Say Yes to Prom

"Belle had to go at the worst possible moment—right when I was enjoying my shower. So there I was, subjected to the lovely soundtrack and aroma of her poop," I said that Monday morning, grimacing at the unpleasant memory.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Penny exclaimed, her nose wrinkling. "But wait until you hear this—Mom and Dad thought everyone was asleep, and I walked in on them making out again."

I glanced at her, looking grossed out. "Why do you always walk in on your parents making out? Can't you hear them? Or do your ears have a selective hearing mode or something?"

Penny shrugged nonchalantly, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "It's the way of life, I guess."

"What's the mechanics of this game again?" Melissa asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

We were at lunch, and Penny and I were at it again, playing our ancient game to save on lunch money. But it wasn't really the same without Adam. The way he would look both disgusted listening to our silly mishaps over the weekend and excited to see who would out-disgust the other. With Melissa here instead of him, judging whose story was the cringiest and most disgusting just felt different.

"Whose story is the cringiest and most disgusting wins," Penny answered, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, okay. Hmmmm..." Melissa looked like she was solving a complex math problem as she weighed the choices. Adam would have immediately declared Penny the winner because it was obvious that walking in on your parents was just traumatic. It was a no-contest situation.

"I think Penny wins," I said, not even bothering to build up the suspense. "I'll buy her lunch next time."

"Oh, wait," Melissa interjected, looking like she was about to argue. "Having to listen to your sister shit and smell it too is pretty hard."

"But it isn't really traumatic," I explained, shooting her a pointed look.

"Yes, but—"

"Okay, I won! Yay!" I applauded myself, cutting her off so we could just end the debate.

It wasn't just the same without Adam. Nothing was, really. Lunchtime was never the same without him sitting opposite me and engaging in banter with Penny. An empty feeling settled in my stomach as I realized how much I missed him.

Then prom week soon arrived, offering a temporary distraction from the Adam-sized hole in our group.

Prom. The word sparked a frenzy among my classmates but left me feeling blah. School dances weren't really my scene. Still, Penny and Melissa wouldn't stop buzzing about prom now that they were a couple.

"Oh my gosh, you have to come to prom with us!" Penny exclaimed as we walked down the hallway.

My eyebrows raised in bewilderment. "Did you just say 'oh my gosh'?" I was surprised by her choice of expression. "Who are you?"

Ever since she confided in me about her relationship with Melissa, my best friend seemed different.

"Yeah, it's our senior year - this is our last chance!" Melissa chimed in. "We already have dresses and everything."

I let out a sigh, thinking that Penny was long gone. She's probably too deep in love with Melissa, turning herself into this sunny teenage girl who loves prom and saying, 'Oh my gosh.'

I shrugged. "I don't know..."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Penny insisted. "We can all go together."

Soon, their excitement rubbed off on me, and since I had no other plans that Saturday, I considered going.