The Worst Prom Date Ever

27 • The Worst Day Ever

BEAU • [4:56 p.m.]

"This is your last chance, Huntley." Pascal opened the door a little more for me. "She's out back."

I took a breath before I entered the Griffin's residence one more time, and another drag of breath for the fact that Pascal actually invited me in. Pascal recently called me, telling me that Piper already knew the things we've been doing behind her back, even though it was for her own sake. To be honest, it was for no one's sake. The whole plan backfired, and here are Pascal and I picking up the pieces.

As you can see, Pascal and I are somewhat in good terms now. The phone call changed everything. He told me how about their one-on-one talk and how guilty he felt. Pascal couldn't help it—his little sister was his weakness.

Because of that, he swallowed his pride and began to apologize to me. It may not be as sincere as I hope it would be, but it'll do. It was the first time I heard Pascal owning up to his mistake, and it triggered me to do the same to Piper—which is why I was here at their home in the first place.

Passing through their living room, I heard the sound of an acoustic guitar being strummed from the outside of the house. I took a huge step towards the back window slightly parted the curtain. There was Piper, sitting cross-legged on a bench at their patio. I opened the back door which creaked, making Piper shot her head up. She immediately stopped strumming and looked at me with widened eyes.

"Beau?"

"Your brother let me in before he left," I said, drawing nearer to her.

"Oh."

I was about to ask if I could sit beside her when she laid her guitar on the bench, eating up the space. I took a step back and casually leaned on the wooden post at the patio across her, pretending that wasn't really awkward. Although, I really felt like she wanted to distance herself from me.

After a few seconds of mindless staring, Piper cleared her throat. "So, what brought you here?"

"I came here to apologize, Piper," I said. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"What about?" She calmly asked. She acted like she didn't know what I was talking about, but when she started fiddling with her fingers, I knew for a fact she was just fretfully waiting for me to go and admit my faults right in her face.

I rolled my eyes sheepishly. "C'mon, you know what."

"Well, enlighten me."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. It's about the deal with your brother. It was pretty messed up."

Piper bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She lightly scratched her head and told me that Pascal had already apologized, which I already knew beforehand. I nodded my head as she stood up from the bench and carefully placed her hand on my shoulder, which made my heart beat unusually faster.

"Beau, I'm sorry that he dragged you into this, and I'm sorry for meddling with your plans," Piper said, removing her hand on my shoulder.

"But was it true?" She added, and now it was my turn to be confused. I asked her what she meant by that.

"T-that, uh, you actually planned on taking me to prom?" She said, her voice getting softer and softer as she finished her question.

"Yes."

Piper shook her head. "Why? What would you get out of it?"

"...You." Undeniably, it's true.

"Callista must've been really mad about it," she said, crossing her arms as she gave me a very worried look.

"We're not together anymore."

Piper covered her mouth out of shocked, which was kind of an overreaction for me. Callista and I haven't been in really good terms for a long time now, way before Piper was even thrown into the picture. Callista and I were just not acknowledging it, and decided to let things be for the sake of our reputation. If we kept on doing that, then that would meant we were basically lying to each other, to ourselves.

I gingerly pulled her hands away from her mouth. "Piper, Gigi told me everything. About what happened to you at Diane's party—that was her."

I didn't even give Piper the time to react as I carried on. "Also the time when you almost drowned at the pool...that was her as well."

A tear rolled down her cheek. I bet she wasn't expecting that I would eventually get that information, and I didn't know if I should feel sorry or angry at her. The terrible memory went back to my mind again. It was a traumatic experience for the both of us.

"I-I was afraid that this will happen, Beau...and it did. You guys broke up because of me." She gripped her sweater and wiped her tears on it. "I'm sorry. I know Callista meant a lot to you."

I simply nodded in agreement. I tried to salvage our relationship, but I really needed to let her go. Callista deserved someone who will try to understand her whole being. I just happened not to, because based on my experiences, it was close to being unbearable.

"She did, Piper. But you mean a lot to me, too." Piper tried to crack open a smile.

"I couldn't accept what Callista did to you," I said with apologetic eyes, "and I couldn't accept what I've done to you for the past months, either."

That was the gospel truth. Piper was special to me, and I was just too blinded about what had been transpiring these past few months that I completely failed to value one of the people who have actually made an impact on my childhood all the way to my high school life.

Damn it, Beau. I thought to myself. What have you done?

"It's okay, Beau. I did get something out of this...fiasco, anyway," she replied.

Piper walked back to the bench and sat down. She looked up as I waited for whatever she was about to say.

And what she told me made me feel the most discouraged guy on earth.

"Beau, we really do exist in two different worlds. You and I—we're poles apart."

I didn't want her to continue what she just said. Was I about to lose Piper as well? This couldn't be happening. My heartbeat was going all erratic again, but this time it was nowhere near good.

"Past is past, right? Let's just leave it there. We're better off as civil people to each other, you know?" Wait, what? Civil people? That was like another way of saying if we could just be strangers again. The term acquaintances could've sufficed.

I couldn't even look at Piper straight in the eyes. It was game over for the two of us, and we were not even playing anymore. This was the reality of things, and I was fucking hurting right now. 

"Beau?" Piper was about to get up but then I immediately turned around and went to backyard, jogging out to the front of their house. 

"I got it. I'll see you in graduation practice then," I hollered, and may god forbid that she didn't hear me choke on my words. She was calling out my name but I pretended that I didn't hear and quickened my pace towards their front yard.

I walked to my car with a heavy heart. I thought that the weight would finally be lifted from my shoulders, I thought that everything will be better, and I thought that everything will fall into place—but no. The end did not justify the means. Callista and I may be over, but I didn't expect that my friendship with Piper will be, too.

Fuck high school.