Prom Ghosts (A Perry Moxley & Harry Singer Story)

Perry in Denial

I looked up as I rubbed my shin that she just low kicked and caught glimpse of a dude making his way through the cafeteria bustle.

Judging from his lean body built, he was probably an athlete. He had large dark eyes, a thick mop of dark hair and chiseled jaws –just the kind of guys that makes Lobby swoon.

I glanced at my dear old friend who, to no surprise, now had a dreamy look struck on her face.

The guy walks past our table, generously flashing Lobby a killer smile. Angie braced her arms out in case Lobby would suddenly faint.

The moment he walks past the aisle beside our table I met his eye and he nods at me. I think I recognize him. His name's Matthew – the senior head boy. Another one of those campus visuals everyone's been drooling after. He's actually good friends with the twins, which is a surprise because I never thought my brothers would actually acquaint with normal, real live people.

We watched as he made his way through the cafeteria to join his friends by the senior's tables, where the evil overlord and his goons were coincidentally perched. I groaned out of impulse. I think I've just lost my appetite.

"Look at that, he's one of Harry Singer's minions," Daryl says.

Harry must've noticed my friends ogling at him and glances at our direction. He smirks evilly the moment he met my eyes. A few students, who must've been bird watching Harry as well, glanced at our table.

I slowly and casually slithered down my seat to hide myself.

Angie slowly turns to me to give me a suspicious look. "What was that?"

"What?" I asked, sliding down lower. "That was nothing."

From behind her, I could still see Harry with his fixated grin on his face. He winks at me before turning back to his goons.

"Remind me again, since when have you and Harry Singer become close?"

"No, we're not," I objected.

Daryl crosses his arms and leans back on his seat while trying to do the best Sherlock Holmes impression he could muster. "You know we're not that stupid, Perry," he says.

"I know you are," I muttered under my breath.

"Why were you talking to Harry Singer yesterday?" he asked.

And so the interrogation begins.

"I just happened to be standing in the same radius as he was, we weren't talking," I reasoned.

"You can't fool a fool, Perry Moxley," he says without batting a lid. "Your lips were moving."

"I just talk to some random person and suddenly we're close?" I sighed.

"You're Perry Moxley," Angie scoffs. "You don't just talk to random people. Especially people of Harry Singer's caliber."

"Anyway, you looked like you two were having a heated conversation yesterday," he says. "What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing," I shrugged. "He was just asking about the weather."

Daryl's face looked dubious than ever.

"And what was that all about with Dawn Dempsey?" he mused. "She's never even spoken to you before."

I groaned. Oh God, Dawn Dempsey. I totally forgot about her.

As usual, she was flocked around by her cult of followers on their usual cafeteria table as they listened to her preaching about the latest nail trend of this generation. She catches me staring and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me. Was I truly on her hit list now? I shuddered and turned back around.

Daryl was staring with his big round eyes, studying me.

"Alright, I think I'm piecing it all together now," he slowly says. "Dawn Dempsey wants your head. Harry Singer following you around like some stray puppy dog, all these weird looks, these unspoken body languages..."

His face broke into a manic grin. "You and Harry got the hots for each other?"

"NO!" I yelled.

My hand flew to my mouth when I realized that I've abruptly stood from my chair. Half the students in the cafeteria paused to look at me, probably waiting to see if I'd something stupid just like the last time.

The gang sat quietly on their seats pretending to not know me while trying to hold back their laughter.

I slowly sat back down.

"She's acting so weird," Daryl says, shaking his head disapprovingly at Angie.

"I am not so please shut up!" I stuffed a mouthful of yoghurt into my mouth to calm myself.

Angie gave him a knowing look. "Give her a break. She's still very much in the denial stage. That's stage one, for you."

"Stage one of what? I am not denying anything," I growled. "I don't even like him!"

"Sure," Daryl snorts. "You know, it only happens once in a blue moon when some hot dude notices you and you don't like him? Geez, Pear, don't be so picky."