The Arts

22 - We Interrupt This Song to Present to You a Few More Homecoming Proposals

TYLER

         "Can I ask you something?" Gianna spoke up, breaking the silence between her and Tyler as they sat criss-cross-applesauce on his dorm floor, hard at work on the poster for their silent auction table.

"What's up?" Tyler looked up at her when he noticed the sadness in her voice. She seemed...empty, somehow.

"Do you have any idea what's going on with Ivan?" Gianna asked. "He and I have hung out alone a couple of times, and we kissed, and I thought he liked me, but..." she trailed off.

"But what?" Tyler was admittedly confused. Ivan was crazy for Gianna, and it was so obvious! At least, to Tyler, it was. How was Gianna not seeing it?

"He totally ghosted me! I really thought he was gonna ask me to homecoming today, but I didn't see him after classes at all. He hasn't really answered any of my texts...did I come on too strong?"

Tyler stopped taping letters to the poster board and turned back to Gianna. "Come on too strong? No, Gianna, you're like, the chillest person. You know, when you're not giving a classist the ole' smackdown. I know for a fact Ivan likes you, because he was going to ask you to the dance, and I helped plan it."

          This fact seemed to shock Gianna. "He...what?"

          "Yes! He went all out. He was so excited. He wore a wolf costume and everything. And he had this bouquet of carnations to give you. Seriously. I've never seen him put so much care into something," Tyler assured her.

          "I saw the costume earlier. That was him?"

          Tyler nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what happened that he didn't ask you. I tried to catch up to him to capture the proposal but he was talking to Jack. And he left so quickly. Then I saw him throw one of the flowers in the trash. So I went up to the garbage and the whole bouquet was in there. Oh." As Tyler talked, the pieces started to fit together in his head. Jack wasn't a good guy, and knowing him he probably told Ivan that he could do better. That manipulative jerk probably convinced Ivan to skip out on his dream girl. And even worse, Ivan fell for it. He had to have. After all, Tyler had tried to contact Ivan after the fact and had gotten left on read before Ivan's read receipts were suspiciously turned off.

          "Oh, what? It sounds pretty obviously like he doesn't like me. Like his cool senior friend had to save him from the weird, poor cheerleader!" Gianna dropped the marker in her hand and pushed her palms up against her face, trying to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears.

          "The what?" Tyler asked, bewildered.

          "Nothing. It's nothing. Oh my God. I cannot believe I fell for that crap. I'm such an idiot." Gianna sobbed, unable to contain her embarrassment and sadness.

          Tyler didn't know what to do other than shove the poster to the side and put his arm around Gianna. He felt horrible for her, and in a way, he was betrayed by Ivan too. Ivan was supposed to be his friend. But his quest for popularity had pushed him further under the sadistic wing of Jack.

          "Hey. It's okay. You know what? Ivan's a dumbass." As soon as the words left Tyler's mouth they didn't quite feel right. "I mean, he's acting like one. Maybe he'll come around later, but we're not gonna let this get in the way of having fun at homecoming. Or your charity."