“You make me so mad sometimes,” Mom started out. I could tell she was trying to get her feelings under control. “I have half a mind to tell Haley that you aren’t going with her.”
“Mom, she came from LA to be here. I can’t do that to her.”
She gave me a hard look.
“Have it your way, but I think that girl is trouble,” Mom said, and then got up and left me to my own thoughts.
I WAS DRESSED AND READY when Haley showed up. She looked nice in her dress.
“Do we need to take any pictures before you leave?” she asked.
I looked confused.
“It is Prom,” she told me.
“No, I think we’re okay. Let me tell my parents I’m leaving.”
I said goodbye and walked her to the car.
“Are you going to be like this all night?” she asked.
“Like what?”
She got mad and gave me the cold shoulder. This was going to be a terrible night. At least my other faux dates had been fun. I had never had one mad at me all night. I didn’t plan on spending the night dealing with this.
“I think you need to decide if you’re going to be mad at me all night or not. If you are, let’s cut our losses and call it a night. I’ll walk you into Prom so you can get your picture taken, and then I’ll go home.”
She didn’t answer me. The car pulled up at the restaurant. Ford had done their job: there were several paparazzi waiting for us. I guess it was showtime. I put on a smile and got out first so I could block the up-the-skirt shots. I offered her my hand and she pasted a smile on her face. I allowed her to go first and get her picture taken. She motioned me over and she didn’t pause as we walked in. It was really immature not to allow me to get my picture taken with her.
She had a smirk on her face when we got inside. She had done it deliberately. We didn’t say a single word to each other through dinner. This was turning out to be the worst idea I’d had in a long time. When the check came, I just paid it, glad the meal was over. I went out and there were more paparazzi. I let her go first again, but this time I didn’t have a smile on my face. She looked over at me and her smile faltered for a brief moment. She motioned me over, and I took her arm and almost dragged her to the car.
She got into the car and ripped into me.
“I can’t believe what a jerk you’re being. I put up with your friends all morning and then offer myself to you. This has been a tremendous waste of time. If I’d known what you’re like, I would never have come.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it? You didn’t bother to get to know me. You just wanted some Ken doll you could control.”
She flushed.
“I’ll walk up the carpet for Prom and have a smile on my face. If you pull the crap you did at the restaurant, it’ll be on you.”
“What are you going to do, tough guy? Have your harem protect you?”
I just looked at her. What was up with her? Ford had paid good money for the publicity; I wouldn’t let them down. I just smiled at her. When we pulled up to the Country Club, there were both print and TV people.
“I would advise you not to get out,” I told her.
I got out and closed the door on her. I walked to the center. Haley flung the door open, stormed out, and confronted me. I knew she would never listen to me. I just smiled at her as she made an ass out of herself. When she was done running her mouth, she realized where she was. She froze for a moment, then spun around and rushed back to the limo.
I turned to the cameras and smiled.
“Thank God that’s over. I think I’ll go to Prom stag and have a good time.”
Everyone laughed. I just shrugged like it was no big deal. Doris from About Town stopped me.
“That was some show. Do you have five minutes for me?”
Of course I did. We sat down. The local news and a couple of the tabloid TV guys set up cameras.
“So who was that, and why was she mad at you?” Doris asked.
“I guess I should give you a little background. Adrienne was supposed to be my date tonight, but she had a last-minute conflict. I was planning on going stag, but I was convinced to ask Haley Durham. Earlier in the year, her people reached out, but after learning about her father, I decided to pass.
“Anyways, earlier this week Bill Durham got in touch with me. Let’s just say that he’s earned his reputation, so I canceled the date. Two days ago, Haley called me directly to beg me to let her go with me. I agreed. I should have followed my gut instinct and said no. But you know me, I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress. I just wish I’d gotten to know her before I agreed to go out with her. She’s a very unhappy young lady.”
Our five minutes turned into a half hour. She asked me about the rumors of nude photos from my Miami trip. I laughed and said I would like to see them. Other reporters wanted their five minutes. We talked about Range Sports and my trip to England and my upcoming trip to San Francisco.
I confirmed that Adrienne was secretly carrying my love child. I told the idiot that we’d been abducted by aliens and they had made it happen. I was disappointed they hadn’t allowed us to do it naturally. That had caused the rest of them to laugh, but this nut thought I was serious.
A local wanted to know about my summer plans for football. I told him I planned to go to Kentucky, USC, and the Elite Quarterback camps. That wrapped up the questions, and I got to go to Prom.
Before I went in, I called Kendal and Clare.
“I need to give you an update on Prom. Haley is a raving nutjob. She had a meltdown on the red carpet.”
I filled them in. I was nervous about how she would retaliate.
I ENDED UP HAVING A great time at Prom. Most of the guys were dorks and wouldn’t dance with their dates. I don’t think I sat out more than two or three songs. At one point, I was dancing with Eve, Cindy and Beth. I really couldn’t figure out why their dates wouldn’t dance with them. At least Suzanne’s date had her on the dance floor. I was proud of Alan and Jeff because they were dancing almost as much as I was.
Bill wanted to talk to me about three-quarters of the way through the dance.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know my brother’s fraternity is having a party tonight. The Deltas are coming over and they have the worst or best reputation, depending on your point of view. If you want to go, we’re all going to go after the dance.”
Bill had invited me to his brother’s fraternity before. I didn’t need to go get drunk. If I went, they would try and pressure me into drinking. I don’t mind having a beer, but they drank to get hammered. I didn’t want any part of that.
“Who’s all going?” I asked.
He named off several guys, and it turned out all of my girls’ dates were planning on going.
When I was getting ready to leave, Suzanne slipped me a hotel room key. I called a taxi and went to the hotel. I found the room and opened the door. There was soft music playing and several bottles of champagne were on ice. The room was huge. There were three couches and several other chairs. The bed was also huge. It looked like it was two kings put together. There was a note on the bed.
‘David,
Sorry for being such a bitch tonight. I hope you enjoy the room.
Haley’
I was hot and sweaty, so I hung up my coat and took off my shirt. I got a damp washcloth and wiped myself down. When I came out of the bathroom, I heard voices and the door being unlocked as and people started pouring into the room. Eve led the way and smiled when she saw my shirt off. She came up and kissed me. Cindy, Beth and Suzanne were all there with their dates. Jeff and Alan were there with their dates as well. Jim, Cassidy, Wolf and his date, Diane, came in next. She was from a nearby town and he’d met her when he went to visit his uncle.