All We Are

Twenty Three

*****

"Oh, Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Sinnerman where you gonna run to? Where you gonna run to? All in that day... So I run to the river, it was bleeding, I run to the sea, it was bleeding, I run to the seal, it was bleeding, all on that day."- Sinnerman, by Nina Simone

*****

Rose

The next three weeks went by fast, and somehow we were right where we left off. We were all sitting at our lunch table. We had an extra long lunch today, since everyone's fifth period had been cancelled, for some big staff meeting.

The weather was changing, and warming up, and we now had two weeks left until spring break. Everyone was happy about that. We were still taking our trip to Cannon Beach, and we were all excited for that.

Everyone's moods were good except for Reagan's.

"I have literally a month to get prom ready and finished, and I am not even close to that silver lining." She said as she stabbed her lunch repeatedly with her plastic knife.

"Reagan, come on you'll make it the best prom ever." Carter assured her.

"No. You don't get it I have decorations being shipped to me at the moment, but some I have to build myself, because of the theme. I have to pick a venue, since the principal and coach won't let me use the Gym this year. I have to figure out if we should have a band or just a DJ, and then I have to figure out where to get the money for that." She complained.

"Speaking of the theme, what is it?" James asked.

"Only the most used one ever," She continued to stab her food.

"Reagan calm down." Hunter said to her, soothingly.

"It's a freaking Masquerade Ball." She yelled. "I tried to choose it, but that was the one thing the seniors wanted to help out with." She scowled. "So now we have all these feathery, black and white, old fashioned, looking decorations coming in." Stab, stab, stab. Her poor lunch.

"I take it you don't like the theme?" Blake asked amusedly.

Reagan shook her head vigorously.

"Then why don't you just change it?" Cal questioned.

"Because I'd have to cancel the decoration order, then order new ones, then I'd also have to deal with the seniors being bitchy about it." Reagan stabbed her lunch some more.

Nate frowned. "But you're the one planning it, and who cares about the seniors. It should be your right to choose the theme."

Reagan contemplated that. "Hmmm....you're right. I should." But then the sour look washed over her face again. "Except then the stress, the to-do list, my dress, everything would just- ugh!" Stab, stab, stab...

"Reag," Hunter grabbed her hand. "Calm down."

"I can't." She said.

"Yes, you can, just don't worry about it." Hunter assured her. "It'll be great."

"How do you know that?" She asked him.

"Because you're planning it." He told her.

Watching this all play out, I couldn't help but break into a grin when he said that to Reagan. It was precious. Maybe this would give her a hint that this guy is probably the one for her.

She smiled brightly at him. "Thank you."

"No problem, and if you want, me and the guys can help with decorations and setting up, especially if you change the theme." Hunter suggested.