April turning into May signified the final weeks of school. Only a few more weeks of enduing the bullying, then the summer would mean freedom. However, Sean had another thought on his mind. As was the tradition in the first week of May, posters for the Junior High Prpm adorned the walls throughout the school. Sean desperately wanted to take Chloe but he feared the bullies would ruin the night for both of them.
Chloe had been sent to Mr. Akers three times in the past few weeks over outbursts in the classroom. Her so-called classmates would tease her to the point where she would lash out. Then, they would all stand back and watch the ensuing fireworks. Naturally, Mr. Akers and the other teachers were more concerned about Chloe's reactions as opposed to the actions which caused them. These points made Sean a little reluctant to ask Chloe to the prom.
His desire to be with Chloe eventually overrode his reluctance, so one day, when he, Chloe and the rest of the group were in their sanctuary in a remote corner of the playground, Sean boldly asked Chloe, “Will you go to the prom with me?”
She reached up and kissed Sean on the cheek before responding, “I'll ask my mom.”
For the next twenty-four hours, Sean waited in anticipation for Chloe's response. While sitting together at lunch, she finally gave her answer. “My mom and dad don't want me going because of all the mean kids.”
Seeing his face drop, Chloe quickly added, “Mom wants to do something special for us.” This response cheered him up a little but he wondered what the special thing would be.
His curiosity was quelled a few days later when one day, after school his mother spoke to him. “I heard you asked Chloe to the prom, her mother thinks that's very sweet of you.” Seeing Sean's affirmative nod, she continued, “Chloe's mom has been in touch with me and while she doesn't want her going to the prom at the school, she does have an alternative. There is a girl from Vincent who wants to have her own prom because she says she's being bullied in school and is organizing a prom of her own and has invited online, anyone who is being bullied to come to hers. It's going to be at Thudmuker's, where you had your birthday party. You can take Chloe there and I'm sure you'll have a great time.”
Mother's suggestion was music to Sean's ears. He immediately agreed without further thought. Just like their first date, the two mothers agreed to liaise and iron out the details for that evening. Sean was glad that he could go to the prom without the worry of anyone spoiling it for him.
Both Sean and Chloe couldn't contain their joy at lunch the next day. “We're going to a prom where they had Sean's birthday party.” Chloe declared.
“What, Thudmuker's? How could they have a prom there?” Scott inquired.
Sean explained it all. “Some girl from Vincent, who's going through the same shit as we are is organizing it and people like us are welcome to go.”
“That sounds ace, I only wish I had someone to go with,” Scott commiserated.
“Why don't you two go together?” Sean suggested, inidicating Scott and Estelle. Chloe giggled at the suggestion.
“We could go as friends,” Estelle suddenly suggested. “At least we could have a good time without any hassle.”
“The idea has merit,” Scott pondered aloud. “You say we can go as friends.”
“That's right, as friends, that's all,” Estelle answered.
Being the computer nerd his bullies called him, Scott researched the prom at Thudmuker's and reported back the next day. “It all seems fine to me. The girl who's putting it all together is named Trish Partridge and she lives in Vincent and is getting bullied like us. That doesn't really surprise me because it has been said that the bullying there is a bad as here. But kids from other towns like Winter's Reach and Lincoln are going as well. It all looks like it's going to be really good.”
The only response came from Estelle who remarked, “I guess that means you're taking me to the prom.”
Looking forward to the big event made the daily grind, including all the bullying, a little more bearable, at least for Sean, Chloe, Scott and Estelle. Tara and Mrs. Levin communicated back and forth to make sure every detail was accounted for. For instance, for some unknown reason, parents could only purchase the online tickets. The web page claimed it was the way they obtained parental consent. Travelling arrangements were such that the Vandeventers would take the couple to the prom and the Levins would bring them home. As a result, Sean felt very excited when the big day came.
For Sean and probably his friends, the end of the school day couldn't come fast enough. Not only was it the big day of the prom, it was also Memorial Day weekend, which meant no school on Monday. He remembered Scott's quip, “We'll have an extra day to recover,” and smiled inwardly. It propelled him to get home that much faster.
Arriving home, he had plenty of time to put on the finishing touches. He examined the dark blue suit with a white shirt and silver bow tie, which he would be wearing that night, hanging on the door of his wardrobe. It looked ready and although he had been practicing dancing with his mother all week and she said he was ready for the dance floor, Sean insisted on one last run through. They danced to a fast song, his mother reminding him to keep it tame and not go too wild.
“It's not 'Dance-a-Thon,” she reminded him, quoting the name of a TV dance show. Then while practicing the slow dance, she joked, “Chloe won't have a bump in her middle,” now that Tara was five months along.
Neither computer games nor a light snack did anything to speed up time. It seemed like hours before his mom called up the stairs, “Sean, it's time to get ready.” Needing no further encouragement, Sean practically jumped into his suit. After the final checks, especially with getting the bow tie on straight, he went downstairs for the final inspection.
“My, don't you look handsome!” Mother exclaimed as she gave him the once over.
“You look like a real man now,” Dad complimented. Then in a lower voice remarked, “Too bad you're not going with a real woman.”
Sean was about to come back with, “She is a real woman,” but Mom's dagger glare at his father did that for him. As they were leaving Dad added in a more sarcastic tone, “Maybe you should marry her. This way, she won't go to some home and live the easy life paid for by my taxes.”
Father's ignorant utterance rapidly evaporated from Sean's mind as they drove to pick up Chloe. Tara accompanied Sean to Chloe's front door, their knock was answered by a very excited looking Mrs. Levin. Sean couldn't see Chloe when they first went inside. Instinctively, he looked to the staris, thinking she would make a similar descent like on their first date. His concentration was interrupted by the sound of a door. Looking that way, there was Chloe walking arm in arm with her father. She looked even more beautiful with her full length yellow gown with light blue embroidery across the front. Her hair had been cut but still almost hung down to her shoulders.
“I give her to you,” her father jovially said.
Chloe let go of her father's arm and rushed over to Sean, and the couple shared a kiss. Sean then pinned the lightly coloured corsage onto her gown.
“Now, let's take some picutres,” Mrs. Levin cheerfully commanded.
For the next two minutes, the prom couple stood for their photo shoot. The posed with arms around eachother's waists, then Sean holding Chloe from behind and then the pair in a loving embrace.
“Time to go,” Mrs. Vandeventer stated ending the photo shoot. The happy couple followed Sean's mother to the car and off they went. Sean and Chloe held hands in the back seat as mother drove to Thudmuker's. Mrs. Vandeventer pulled the car up outside the venue where Sean got out and raced around the back of the car to let Chloe out.
“Remember, Mrs. Levin will be picking you up at 11,” Sean's mother reminded before heading off.
Hand in hand, the couple entered Thudmuker's. Immediately, they were greeted by a girl their own age. She gave a welcoming smile behind her long, straight brown hair which took emphasis off her seemingly long nose. Standing behind her was a tall, dark-skinned boy, obviously her date.
“I'm Trish and this is my boyfriend, Felix,” she introduced. “And you too are?”
Sean responded, “Sean Vandeventer and with me is Chloe Levin. Chloe tightly grabbed his arm and attempted to hide behind him. He had been forewarned that Chloe could become very shy in social situations.
“Ah, here are both of your names,” Trish informed as she wrote tick marks in pen by their names on the sheet of paper. Then rising to her feet, which revealed a long, red gown, she offered a hand which Sean shook. Sensing Chloe's shyness, as she offered her hand, she assured, “We're all friends here and we all want to have a good time.” Those words were enough to lure Chloe out from behind Sean and the two ladies shook hands. At the same time, Felix offered an ebony hand which Sean shook.
With the same cheerful disposition, Trish continued the conversation. “You too are from Ramsgate. I know the bullying there is as bad as Vincent.”
“Maybe, but no one has ever shot up your school,” Sean half joked.
“No, but I know of a few kids who would have loved to have done exactly that,”Trish respended in the same light-hearted manner. “When that happened, our school got metal detectors and took all sorts of steps to make sure it didn't happen there. That is, except for doing anything about the bullying that goes on there. That's why I can't go to their prom. Oh yes, they'd be nice to Felix but all the while they would continue to call me an 'N-word lovin' whore' behind my back. This way, I can have my own prom and invite people who are experiencing the same without any hassle from ignorant kids.”
“We get similar grief off kids in Ramsgate becaue we're a couple,” Sean admitted.
Feeling relieved of having got it off her mind, Trish returned, “We're here tonight to forget about things like that. Go get yourselves some drinks and have a wonderful time.”
Sean needed no futher prompting, he gave a gracious, 'thank you,' as did Chloe and headed for the drinks counter. While he knew the décor would be different to that from his birthday party, he was still quite amazed at the effort put in.. The lighting in the large room had a purple tinge to it which highlighted the large silver globe which hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Reflective stickers resembling stars were strewn all about the ceiling giving a nighttime feel. The decorations definitely set the mood for the evening and Sean know for certain that Thudmuker's claim to be able to cater for any event was valid.
While Sean got cokes for Chloe and himself, he overheard the next couple to arrive. Looking to see if it was Scott and Estelle, he was startled at first to see two boys,obviously his own age, talking to Trish. The way they looked at eachother and the fact they held hands at one point made it clear they came as a couple. Not one to judge, Sean concluded, “I'm not surprised they would want to come to this prom.”
Each taking their drink, Sean and Chloe walked across the large, open floor, obviously set up for the dancing which would come later, to the two long tables. Six kids were sitting at one of them, taking amongst themselves. As the new couple was about to sit at the other table, one of the six invited, “Come sit with us.”
Putting a ressuring arm around Chloe, Sean guided them both to two of the four remaining chairs and sat down. Once they were seated, the speaker introduced herself and everyone else. “I'm Marla and this is my boyfriend Zach. Then pointing to each of the others, continued, “This is Darlene and Kent and here is Kevin and Christine.”
“I'm Sean and this is my girlfriend Chloe,” he returned.
Conversation began with where everyone came from. When Sean imparted that he and Chloe were from Ramsgate, the boy identified as Kevin informed, “My mother is a volunteer ambulance driver and she still remembers the day she had to go there when that kid shot up your school. She said the horrible things she saw that day, all the dead and wounded kids, will live in her memory for the rest of her life.”
Sean inwardly tuttted, “After all these years, that is all his town was still known for.”
By this time, the newest arrivals came to the table with drinks in hand. Eagerly, Marla acknowledged them from behind her large round lensed glasses and revealing her braces with her smile. Dave and Tom introduced themselves and sat down. More conversation ensued but nothing was said in regards to the male-male couple. The non-judgement made Sean feel more at ease.
Shortly after, Scott and Estelle arrived. Scott looked manly in his dark grey suit, black shirt and silver tie. However, Sean and Chloe were shocked at the Estelle they'd never seen before. Her light blue gown highlighted her slender body and her blonde hair was styled and tied up in a bouffant. Sean had to look at Chloe to remind himself that he was still with the most beautiful girl in the room.
“I know what kids in school will say about the dress,” Estelle light-heartedly conveyed as she sat down. “They'll all say that I'll throw it up to the ceiling and if it sticks, I'll wash it but if not, I'll wear it for another week.”
Her comments brought a smile to Sean's face because he knew that's what a lot of kids as school said about her. She was often criticized for sometimes wearing the same outfit for more than one day but he also knew that criticism was blown way out of proportion.
Nine couples in all attended Trish's special prom. All four attendees from Ramsgate were glad they were the only ones from that town. Everyone seemed friendly, that was because they too all wanted to have a good time.
The first item on the agenda was photographs. The couples lined up and waited while a professional looking photographer took pictures of each couple in front of a background produced by a large computer screen. With all couples, first, it was the girl's solo photo, then the guy's and finally, the couple together. Sean and Chloe cheerfully posed for their photos, Scott and Estelle looked less enthusiastic. The only threat to the photograph session was the photographer's initial reaction when Dave and Tom posed for their photographs.
Sean and Chloe sat at the other table so they could be with Scott and Estelle, two other couples sat at the table as well. One couple introduced themselves as Jim and Fern from Stargell. Jim was a freshman in high school but he wished that someone had organized a prom like this when he was in eighth grade, he would have gone to it. Fern was rather shy and Jim revealed they were neighbours and their families were friends. It was they who suggested that Jim take Fern to this prom.
Dinner came next, Menu choices were made available when the tickets were purchased, so everyone knew what they wanted before hand. It meant less waiting and again, Thudmuker's proved their versatility in catering for any occasion. While it wasn't gourmet cooking, there weren't any burgers and fries either. Sean had steak and baked potato while Chloe had fried chicken and mash.
More small talk happened while everyone let their dinners and desserts go down. Both Scott and Sean noticed that Estelle was fully engaged in conversation with the second couple, at least the girl whose name was Ruth and also from Vincent. Ruth revealed she was too a Leversee Lady and her date, Carl, came from a town in the next county. They met on the website and have been together since. Like Ruth, Carl was also a victim of bullying and for them, going to the altenative prom was a Godsend.
Suddenly, bright lights nearly blinded everyone, likewise the thumping sound of a stong bassline nearly deafened. Standing underneath the large globe which was now illuminating the reflective stickers on the ceiling was Trish. Gasps echoed from the tables as she appeared to be reaching down and taking off her gown. However, in reality, she only removed the top layer whose removal revealed another red dress which went down a few inches below her knees. Still standing under the globe, she enthusiastically announced, “It's time to dance!” As if by command, “Felix appeared at her side and the couple began to boogie.
Dave and Tom wasted no time getting up onto the dance floor. The other couples steadily followed. While waiting for the first song to finish, Sean turned to Chloe and asked, “Would you like to dance?”
Chloe nodded and Sean led the way out to the dancefloor. Remembering his mother's advice, he started by just trying to move back and forth to the music. However, Chloe simply stomped about the floor, out of tune to the music but with no care in the world. As a result, Sean let his inhibitions go and the couple jumped around the floor, simply having a good time.
Before long, every couple, including Scott and Estelle, was cutting footloose on the dancefloor. Not that Sean cared, he was too busy jumping about with Chloe. Maybe the deejay took notice because one of the songs he played was “Jump Around” and that's exactly what they did. They danced for several songs before they took a break. They sat out one song before Estelle got Chloe, Fern and Ruth back out onto the floor, while the boys simply watched their dates dancing together.
Suddenly, the music chantged to a slow song and Sean wasted no time in getting back out onto the floor to Chloe. He siezed her up, putting his arms around her waist and she accepted his embrace, putting her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. His mother was right about Chloe not having a bump as they began to slowly twirl to the soft music. When the song ended, the two, like every other couple on the dancefloor, shared a kiss.
That was how the evening went, fast dancing with a slow dancing in between. At one point, when Scott and Sean were sitting together, while their dates were out dancing with eachother, Scott shared, “I never realized that Estelle was so pretty.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Sean admitted. “Are you going to ask her out?”
“I'd like to, but the way she keeps going on about that guy she met on the website, I don't know if she'll say yes.”
“Like my mom says, the only way you're going to find out is to ask,” Sean advised. “You could point out the fact that she's talking to words on a computer screen while you're there in the flesh.”
“That's a good point,” Scott observed. Sean's suggestion filled him with confidence but they said no more about it.
As the evening waned, more slow dancing took place and Sean made sure he had every dance with Chloe. With each song, their kisses grew longer as did those of the couples around them. Even Scott and Estelle had a couple of slow dances and shared a kiss. By the final song of the evening, Sean and Chloe did little dancing, they stood in the middle of the dancefloor with their litps entwined. They weren't the only couple doing this but they took no notice, beng so engrossed with eachother.
The turning on of the main lights brought all back to reality. As the couples broke, Trish, dragging Felix behind her, rushed to the door so she could thank everyone for coming and making it a great night. A couple of parents came shuffling in, Mrs. Levin not long after.
Chloe and Sean went to meet her mother and as they passed Trish and Felix, Sean graciously said, “Thank you for putting this on, it was great.”
“Thank you for coming, I'm glad you both enjoyed,” Trish returned, looking more directly at Chloe.
Chloe smiled shyly, “I had a good time.”
They met Mrs. Levin and follwed her to the car. The drive home went too fast because Sean didn't want the night to end. Pulling up to Sean's house, as both got out of the car, Mrs. Lewin ordered, “You have five minutes to say goodbye and then I'm honking the horn.”
Chloe walked Scott to his front door. They turned and had one last long kiss, which Sean didn't want to end, even if it meant alerting the neighbourhood. Fortunately, it was only a light tap on the horn which signified it was time for him to go in and Chloe to go back to the car. They had one last peck and Sean reminded, “I'll see you tomorrow, about noon.” With that, he went inside.
It was no surprise to Sean to see his mother waiting for him when he walked in. “Did you have a nice time?” she immediately asked.
“Yes, it was fun,” Sean replied in an attempt to downplay the event.
She must have been sensing this because Mother's last words were, “I want to know all about it in the morning.”
