Missed Me, Missed Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me

A Starry Night

  My dad laughed as he poured his coffee. “It has a face, dear! Piper can’t eat anything with a face!”

  “That’s not true!” I defended. “I hate birds!”

  “And do you hate shrimp and lobster, too?” Dad questioned. He always questioned my picky meat methods.

  I grinned. “No. I love shrimp and lobster. Yummy in my tummy!”

  Dad rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, honey, don’t talk about lobster!” my mom said, holding her hand in front of her mouth. Her stomach rumbled and I heard a distinct gag. “Oh, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  “Not on me!” I cried, jumping up and hiding behind my dad.

  Mom ran over to the sink and threw up. “Ohhh,” she moaned. “And I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow….”

  “You’ll be fine by then,” I assured her, dumping her eggs in the trash.

  “What’re you still doing here, kiddo?” my dad asked, quircking a dark, fuzzy brow. “Don’t you have school?”

  I groaned. “Daddy, do I have to go to school today?” I whined, wrapping my arms around him in an attempt to get my own way.

  “Yes, you do!” he laughed.

  I growled in frustration. “I hate school.”

  “Go, already!” he ordered.

  I started laughing as I ran up the stairs to grab my backpack. Even though I was still in ratty clothes with no makeup on, I felt pretty confident in going to school like this. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, after all. Besides, this was the south; everyone looked like this!

 

   A Starry Night……

  Was it a band?

  A song?

  A book?

  A drag queen?

  No!

  It was the theme for our prom!

  I had no idea that you could make a starry night a theme, but whatever. I didn’t plan on attending prom, anyway. I mean, prom was so stupid unless you had a boyfriend; which I didn’t. Why live that experience single? It was stupid! Why humiliate myself with trying to dance for no reason?

  I was firmly set on my beliefs in anti prom…..until Lulu got to me.

  “’A Starry Night’….” she read on the flyers all around school. Apparently our school loved to have prom the weekend before school was let out; which was actually pretty crafty, I’ve gotta admit. “Well, I don’t know what that means, but prom! We are so going dress shopping together!”

  I made a face. “I don’t think I’m going….”

  “What? Why not?!”

  “I dunno, just…bad timing. I mean, I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

  “So what! You can go with—”

  “Don’t say it,” I interrupted. “I may not wanna go, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ruin my junior prom going with your sleazy brother.”

  “Why not?” Lulu grinned micheviously. “It’ll give you something to tell your kids!”

  “Yeah, as a ‘What Not to Do in Your Life’ example.” I sighed. “I dunno, Lulu. I just don’t wanna go….” And see Tanya grinding with Liam…..