Caught

Chapter 12: Great Gatsby

"Honey," Mom sighed. "Girls don't wear sneakers to the prom!" "I think she looks nice," Luke smiled. I rolled my eyes as I walked towards him.

He wore a black clean suit and wore hair gel. "You look dashing," I complimented. "James Bond got nothing on you." "Cole," Mom groaned. "Come over here so I can take a picture with Luke."

Luke and I poised for a couple of pictures then left the house. "Make sure you make it home before curfew!" Mom cried. "We will!" We cried in unison. "Never realized Mom was a prom lover," I grumbled.

"Come on Cole," Luke said. "At least she didn't give us an embarrassing ride to school and besides, we can focus our efforts into finding Kimberly and bring her home."

I slipped my hand into Luke's then walked until we have reached the library-like building. For an instant, I stopped abruptly. Luke looked at me curiously. "Why did you stop?" he asked. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Even though this is a school night," I sighed. "My heart feels like it has been filled with adrenaline. Do girls...always feel this way?" Luke rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me," he groaned. "I'm not a girl."

When Luke saw me biting my lip, he smiled. "Don't worry," he reassured. "You are in a stunning dress with a stunning guy." I smiled a little bit then squeezed his arm tightly. "You're right," I agreed. "It's just a stupid dance, and besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

But as soon as we entered into the school and strolled into the gymnasium, my heart literally dropped. Holy Moly, I thought to myself.

The gymnasium was amazing. Huge golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, gold paint splashed on the walls, and to my right,  classmates and teachers were dressed like they were born in the 1920s.

Girls wore golden sparkly dresses, while guys wore brimmed black hats, suits, and clean loafers. A buffet table was secured to my left. There was a huge fountain full of bubbly chocolate, pastries, and foods.

The dance floor was heavily occupied, the DJ was playing a soundtrack from the Great Gatsby along with some other old songs, and the craziest part was, waiters were passing to and fro, with plates full of beverages.

"Well," Luke said. "This is...big." "Lovely, isn't it?" asked someone from behind us. It was the principal, carrying a chocolate beverage. "Yes sir," I agreed. "It does look..spectacular."

"Good," he beamed. "It's magnificent that Madison volunteered for the extra funding." Luke and I looked at each other without a hint of shock. "Anyway, you two need to be out in the field," the principal insisted. "And after all, you are The Expedition, who deserve a break."

The principal walked back to the table, trying to pick a pastry from a plate. I instantly  noticed that the walls was filled with old photos: from actors and actresses to the mastermind of the Great Gatsby.

If Scots Fitzgerald was here, he would be amazed. Luke tapped my shoulder to capture my attention. He pointed to the group of girls laughing. "I'll make my move," I whispered to him. "You make yours."

He kissed me on the nose then nodded. "Don't do anything stupid," Luke warned. "That's my line," I answered. We took different directions, I headed North while Luke headed West.

As soon as the girls spotted me, they stopped smiling. "It's her," the brunette groaned. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, wears a golden dress and matching heels.

"Hey Cole," Madison greeted wearily. Unlike most of the girls, she wore a peach colored dress with bright pink wedges.  Her hair was in curls. "You look great."

It was hard not to insult them. "You too," I snorted. "Is that Luke?" baby doll asked, staring at him. The girls turned to see Luke, talking to the jocks.

"He's so dreamy," the brunette swooned. "I wish he was my boyfriend." "Excuse me," I snapped. "This is a school dance, not The Bachelor." The brunette gave me an annoyed look until Madison changed the subject.

"Do you like it so far?" she asked. "Yes," I said, nodding my head. Madison's friends looked at the floor covered in glitter. "We're going to get some drinks," Baby doll said. Madison and I nodded then allowed the girls to leave.

Now was my chance."Does Kimberly go to these school dances?" I asked. Madison stared at me for a moment. "Yes," she sniffed. "We always go to the mall after school to pick what we would wear."

"She sounds like a good friend," I said. "It's too bad that you two had it out for each other." She gave me a questionable look. "What do you-" "Cut the sweetness, Madison." I interrupted. "You and your sorority clowns have used your best friend's  idea to create some sort of ritual."

Madison stared at me for a moment then swallowed a gulp. "Listen Nikki," she began "Don't 'Nikki me', " I snapped. "You tricked me into becoming your friend. No wonder Kimberly hated you. Hated you so much that she-"

"Alright fine," Madison sighed. "Yes, the girls and I were going to prank you and yes, I stole Kimberly's ideas." "What is this ritual you and your minions keep talking about?" I asked.

"It isn't a ritual, Geez." Madison moaned. "It's a code, that my friends and I made." "What code?" I asked. "Pranking," she cried. "Seriously, you are no fun." "Did you guys kill Kimberly-" I demanded. She shook her head furiously.

"We didn't kill Kimberly did anything stupid," she huffed. I looked at her face then sneered. "Consider yourself out of the cheerleadering team," she grumbled as she stormed past me.

Great, I thought. I guess Madison and her friends are innocent for now, but what about the voodoo doll that Madison kept in her locker? Something tells me that she isn't telling me anything.

The way that Madison gets annoyed easily, makes me wonder if- "Hey Cole," a distinctive voice said. I turned around and saw Jason, wearing a black tuxedo. "You look nice." I complimented.

"You too," he said. "So, what brings you here?" I asked. "Same as you two," Jason explained. "Trying to find her friends and ask them questions about where they were last week around 5:30."

"What did you find out?" I asked. Suddenly, the music broke into a Louis Armstrong song. Everyone paired each other and began slowly dancing. I cranned my neck for Luke, but he was nowhere to be found. Jason grabbed my hand then took me to the dance floor. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Please, just trust me." Jason said, wrapping his hands around my waist. I reluctantly wrapped my arms around his neck then swayed to the music.

"Louis is my favorite," he admitted. "What's yours?" "Nat King Cole," I answered, feeling uncomfortable. "That's nice," Jason responded. "Why did you come here?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment then leaned forward.

I immediately broke away from his grasp then took a step back. Jason looked confused, almost hurt."What's wrong?" he asked. "Luke is my boyfriend," I explained. "I can't do this to him, it will break his heart." Jason bit his lip then nodded. "I hope you would understand," I sighed. He didn't say anything or looked at me. Without a warning, he took off.

Suddenly, I felt guilty. I maneuvered through the crowd, trying to find him until I saw something lingering through the door. As I walked to the entrance, I stared hard at the floor. It was a trail of green sparkles, but the only thing that was suspicious was a plastic bottle. When I picked it up, I turned to see Kimberly's name, scribbled on the green cap.