Beacon High and what changed me

Chapter XII

Amelia stares at me maliciously. Somebody hasn't taken too kindly to losing. Turns out that boiling rage does not cool down in a few weeks. It's this year's last week of school, and tonight there's the Christmas Ball. I can't wait. Too bad the school year isn't over yet. I sit in the cafeteria with my friends and watch as the snow falls down to the ground, where a white carpet awaits it. I really love winter. There's just something about it. Brendan walks past and looks at me quickly before turning his head quickly. We haven't talked much since that one day. It's kinda sad, really. Lyle pulls out his phone and types away. Skyler sips his smoothie and Chloe writes in her exercise book, some homework that she hadn't finished. Amelia has taken to staring me down at every opportunity. Maybe she's trying to shame me or something, I don't know. At least she isn't sticking daggers into my back. I stare across the hall. Dib Vasquez has been very quiet recently. No Author stuff or anything. Maybe the meds are finally kicking in. "So Chloe, what do we play tonight?" She looks up from her book. "I don't know, to be honest. More importantly, how do we dress?" Skyler answers. "I was thinking of you girls wearing wedding dresses, and we guys wearing tuxedos, and we all have a red velvet or silk or something tied around our upper arms with the end sticking out a little. How does that sound?" Lyle nods. "Sounds great, Skyler." Skyler looks at me and Chloe. "So what do you think?" We both nod. "Sounds nice." We stare across the hall. The american school system has reduced all of us into tired semi-alive beings that only live to survive standardised tests, which are preposterous ideas anyway. Who thought that it was a fantastic idea to put billions of students into one single, solitary category? Students learn all sorts of stuff which they might even never need ever again in their life, just so they can stay in school. We're tired, just waiting for the sweet release of the holidays. Just one last class, one last one. Then we get home and go back to the school for the Christmas Ball. It's all snowy outside. I can't believe it's already christmas time. Gifts, the songs, the feeling, the snow. I just love everything about it. I just love rescuing yourself into the nearest Starbucks from the cold. And the Christmas shopping. All of it. The bell rings and me and Chloe head over to Mr. Garcet's class. He shows us a film and offers us donuts. A gift, he says, an early christmas gift, an hour for us to loosen up a little. I lean back in my chair and watch. I really, really, really appreciate Mr. Garcet for this. Kind of unexpected, he's usually so uptight and focused on his students working and all that. Odd, but you can't say it's unappreciated. I take a bite out of my donut and start thinking of tonight. What will happen? Who do I dance with? What do we play? Ugh. So much to think about. So little time. I take it there will be a massive skype group call this evening.

~~~~

Wedding dress and high heels on, I leave my mom's car and walk up to the school, a bottle of wine for the teachers and a bottle of Coca-Cola for the rest. I put down the bottles and greet my friends. And, as Lyle had previously promised in the skype call, he has our red velvet thingies ready. "My, Chloe, you look simply dashing, darling!" She puts the back of her hand against her forehead and dramatically sighs. "Thank you, dear, it took me aaaages to find the right chaffeur and designer and tailor and shoemaker. Seriously, you simply cannot get the staff these days!" Lyle and Skyler laugh. "Indeed you cannot, Miss Anderson. Your phone, madam." Skyler hands her her phone in an overly butler-like manner. "Where and when did you get that?" Lyle flips his hand downward. "He put his bag in the wardrobe and raided your handbag. Just for this joke." I stare at Skyler. "Skyler, you seriously need to get a life." He nods, with a wide-as-a-Cheshire-cat smile across his face. "Yes, yes I do. I have even applied for a life recieving course. Nothing the dignified gentleman can't afford." He pretends to take off his imaginary top hat. I see Brendan walk past, looking rather classy with his suit on. Behind him, Chester Meffield, looking like he desperately is trying to get away from the skinny black dress-wearing Amelia by his side. Let's just say he isn't doing a good job on the escaping part and move swiftly along. "Transcendence, y'all are needed behind the stage curtain right now." We go through the secret entrance and stand on the stage, with the curtains closed. I remember with what song we were going to start. A cover, but nevermind. Lyle, Chloe and Skyler start playing and the curtains pull past and I grab the microphone. "Hell is gone and heaven's here, there's nothing left for you to fear. Shake your ass, come over here, now scream!" Chloe riffs the guitar and I pull the microphone out of the stand. "I'm a burning effigy of everything I used to be.
You're my rock of empathy, my dear!" Lyle, Skyler and Chloe grab their microphones. "So come on let us entertain you!" The crowd of students dances as confetti explodes halfway across the hall. The curtains close and we put our instruments down. "So, like, are they going to give us a break now?" Skyler smiles. "This just in, Lyle finally gets a clue." Lyle shoots him an unhappy look. "Well sorry, nobody told me." Lyle quickly disappears and Skyler flops onto the behind-the-stage couch. Chloe and I walk to the buffet that the school very kindly set up for us and get a cup of some of that delicious secret recipe brown gloop, more commonly known as Coca-Cola. Mr. Forlan thanks us for playing and we sit down on some chairs in the hall. "Miss P, how's your throat? You were singing quite loudly there." I put down my cup. "Nah, it's okay. Tell you what, standing on the stage and having people cheer for you is really great. Hell, the Battle Of The Bands was really awesome. Thanks for everything." Chloe shakes her head. "No need, Miss P. Say, what brought you here?" I sigh. "Well, Mom being a lawyer and stuff, she had to move here. We had moved a few times before, but this time, we're going to be staying here. And I hope we do!" Chloe smiles. "That's great. What's with your dad?" I take a sip of Coca-Cola. "He's dead." I stare at Chloe. "I'm sorry for your loss..." I shake my head. "He died in a car crash, and he kind of always was a piece of, excuse my french, crap, to me and mom. So, as I said to mom when he was buried, good riddance to some horrible rubbish!" Chloe smiled a somewhat weak smile. "So it's sorta bittersweet, huh?" I nod. "Yup." I take a mini cheesecake that Lyle made and brought here. "You see, what was really kinda my driving force in life was to spite him and to better him. He wanted me to be just like him. So I got a boyfriend, who treated me like shit and dumped me like a heartless little snitch, but that's behind the point. Seriously, he sometimes called me poison, as if I was poison ivy or something. So dad hated the fact that me and mom were individuals, he wanted us to be like he wanted. Mom even pretended to join a feminist guild because he made a joke about women having no rights. She taped a complete list of women's rights onto the TV and dad quickly regretted it." Chloe nods. "So you were basically annoying him?" I smirk. "Precisely, Chloe!" We sit back and watch the crowd dance. Brendan walks up to me. "Penelope... can we... talk?" I nod and get up. "Ugh, boys..." I wink at Chloe. I grab a coat and Brendan takes me outside to the steps in front of the main entrance. "Uh... Penelope... I've been wanting to ask you something for a long time..." I nod. "Shoot." He looks at his shoes. "Uh... Penelope... Just give me another chance to get to know you, to show you that I really care. I kinda... got you some flowers and a flower... bracelet... thing." I nod. "A corsage?" He nods. He pulls out the flowers and the corsage. "I... I'm sorry I scared so much. I was under a lot of pressure of the time." I stare into nothingness. "I understand." He sighs. "So... does that mean...?" I nod. "Yes. Let's give it another shot." I stand up and he hugs me. "Thanks Penelope..." He quickly stops and coughs. "Sorry, didn't mean to-" I raise my hand. "It's okay, Brendan. It's okay." We walk back in and Brendan tells he's quickly going to the other footballers and that he'll be right back. I sit back down next to Chloe. "What was with him?" I take a sip from my cup. "He felt guilty for what happened between us. Got me a corsage and flowers to say sorry, too. So I gave him another chance." Chloe nods. "Oh. Well I wish you the best!" I nod and take a sip from my cup. "Thanks, I hope that the new year and Christmas bring some good tidings. God, this dress is huge! it's like I'm sitting on twenty bloody pillows!" Chloe laughs. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Maybe because I put two more cushions on your chair." I get up and, as she said, there were two more pillows on my chair. "Damn you, Miss Anderso- wait, is that Lyle dancing with Chester?" I throw the cushions onto the floor and sit back down on my chair, looking at the two. "They must have reconciled, that's my guess at least." I smirk. "How pissed do you think Amelia will be?" Chloe grins. "Extremely pissed. I'd even guess that she would throw a chair or something across the room." I roll my eyes. "Anger management classes definitely paid off. I mean, not only does she freak out when we win, but then she gives me the evil eye for the rest of the year. Like seriously, what is up with her?" Chloe laughs sarcastically. "Penelope, I have tried faaaaaar too long to figure it out, dear, it has driven me crazy!" I laugh. "Please, aren't the best of us all a little bit crazy?" She shakes her head. "No, only the weirdest of us are." I take another sip from my cup and take another one of Lyle's cheesecake things. "I seriously have to steal this recipe from Lyle, I swear, these are so damn delicious, they make my mom's cooking look like absolute shit!" Chloe laughs. "Yeah, Lyle's a pretty damn good cook. Only problem is he doesn't often cook. So humanity is not always spoilt by the deliciousness of his pastries and cakes." I take a sip from my coke. "You know, last time I walked past a bakery, it looked like a little shop of baked horrors!"

~~~~

One Ball later, I say goodbye to my friends. "So, see you in a few weeks! Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!" They wave at me as I get into mom's car. I wave as we drive home. In a few weeks, I'll see them again, probably even earlier, and maybe I'll see Brendan again. Who can tell. For now, I'm just happy to get home and fall asleep. I'm tired, super tired. And in a few days, it's christmas. I can't wait. But now, I have to go to sleep, so I can be exceedingly alive tomorrow.