“I heard you’d tried to kill yourself.”
I turned around and found Jim Ball and Kim Sun were standing behind me. They were last year’s King and Queen. I was surprised Jim had come home from the University of Alabama for this. I pushed myself up and gave them both hugs.
“It’s good to see you both. I had no idea you’d both be here.”
“They decided to redshirt me, so I got permission to come back for tonight. I was instructed to make sure you knew that you were attending Alabama to play football,” Jim said.
“We’re going there next week. Are you going to be around?”
“I’m your chaperone for the weekend. They’re rolling out the red carpet for you three,” Jim shared.
Word must have gotten around about the two of them because Jim and Kim were suddenly dragged off to see their friends. Not long after, the band took a break. When they came back, it was time to announce the Homecoming King and Queen. Everyone gave me a funny look when I made my way onto the stage.
“The Homecoming Committee asked me to announce this year’s King and Queen. Before I do, I want to introduce last year’s winners, Jim Ball and Kim Sun.”
They both came out on stage with me. I smiled benignly when I saw that Kim had her crown firmly on her head. There might be a catfight to get it from her before it was over. Jim grabbed the mic from me.
“I just wanted to say a few words before David does his duty. Coming back tonight reminds me how much I miss you all. Some of my best memories are of playing ball here. I’m sure you’ll repeat and win state again,” he said.
That got a positive reaction. Jim gave the mic back to me. It was now time for the big announcement.
“Drum roll, please,” I said, and the band responded with the sound of the drum. “Lincoln High’s Homecoming Queen is … Brook Davis!”
I shook my head when Brook acted like she was surprised. It was fortuitous that Kim decided to give her crown up. Brook took center stage, and someone on the committee ran out and handed her a dozen roses.
“Okay, everyone. The moment we have been waiting for,” I said, and made a show of crossing my fingers and having trouble opening the envelope. “Our Homecoming King is …”
I debated whether I should play it straight, but the actor in me couldn’t pass up my moment. I blinked and looked around, then mouthed ‘Is this right?’ One of the Homecoming Committee members ran out and read it and nodded their head ‘yes.’ I let my shoulders droop, causing everyone to laugh. Then I put my best smile on.
“It couldn’t go to a better guy. Darius Rossetti!”
I’d made sure that Wolf and Tim were behind him so Dare couldn’t bolt. They ‘escorted’ him to the stage, where Jim shook his hand and put his crown on him. Brook whispered something in Dare’s ear, and he blushed. I was happy to see him smile and actually look up for the pictures.
Then it was time for the dance. Everyone chuckled when Brook had to all but drag Dare to the dance floor. Brook had to show him where to put his hands, and they began the high school sway as the band played Coming Home by Leon Bridges.
I made my way back to our table and found everyone was on the dance floor by the end of the song. They played three slow songs in a row for the lovebirds in the audience. I smiled when Kim came and sat next to me.
“Hello, Stranger, how have you been?” I asked.
“Good. I’m loving college, but I miss this too. We had some good times here.”
“We did. I’m trying to make the most of it before I leave,” I admitted.
“Once you graduate, I bet you never come back. I bet we’ll all be able to say we knew you when.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on me,” I said and frowned. “Do you see any of the old gang?”
“Not really. It’s like we all took off and started new lives. I mean, college does give you a chance to reinvent yourself.”
“Who have you become?” I asked.
Kim laughed.
“I wish I knew. It’s like I know what I want to be when I grow up and then find a whole different path. I guess that’s what freshman year of college is all about. They make us take basic classes in the hopes that by our sophomore year, we can start working towards something.”
“What do you want to be this week?” I asked.
She shook her head and laughed again.
“How are you liking having just one girlfriend?” Kim asked.
“It feels … I don’t know … normal, I guess. It feels like what I should be doing.”
“But …?”
“No buts. I’m happy with how this is working out. It’s easy with Brook. I’m lucky to have her,” I admitted.
“I’m happy for you,” Kim said, and then Jim walked up and asked her to dance.
As the two of them walked away, I sat back and took the night in. I was happy. I was surrounded by friends and a woman who loved me. What more could I ask for?
◊◊◊
Since no one was throwing an after-party, everyone decided to meet at the lake. I had mixed feelings because it was where the best and worst days of my life had occurred. My best friend drowned there, and my son was conceived there. I would prefer to have called it a night because my side was hurting me, but Brook wanted to go. What does a guy do when he wants one thing, and his girlfriend wants another? Need I spell it out?
The party was BYOB, and since I had a security guy who was over 21, we went to the liquor store. The girls wanted wine coolers. Dare told Brook he wanted to try beer, so I had Chuck get him a 40-ouncer. To my mind, that was better than getting the boy a six-pack and me wanting to have a beer later. I bought a couple of cases of soda, two Styrofoam coolers, and a bag of ice.
On the way to the park, Dare rode shotgun while Brook and I claimed the middle row. His date with my girlfriend was over once the dance ended. When we pulled in, we found we were the first ones there. Dare and I claimed a picnic table while the girls left to change their clothes. This might be an example of how they were smarter than the boys.
“Did you have a good time?” I asked.
“Yes, but you should have been Homecoming King.”
OMG! Dare was talking to me. Of course, that didn’t mean there was anything near eye contact.
“Sorry about that. You were the one who wanted to take the Homecoming Queen. It comes with the job.”
I doubt he believed me, but that was all I was getting out of him. Brook was the first one back, and she sat next to me and gave me a kiss.
“Dare said he had a good time,” I shared.
Brook’s eyes got big, and she looked around me to see Dare.
“I thought that was our secret,” she said to tease him.
Yep. Dare was done talking. The poor boy turned about five shades of red before we both laughed. The other girls came back about the time everyone else began to arrive. Someone had an old-style boom box. Soon we had a real party going.
It seemed the girls weren’t done dancing. I smiled when Tim asked Brook to dance, and Tami came and sat with me. I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her at Homecoming.
“Tim tells me you had some trouble in LA.”
I caught her up on everything that was going on. I realized that I hadn’t shared this with her, and the realization caused me to pause for a moment. It hadn’t struck me how much everything had changed between us until just then. Tami had always been the first person I wanted to talk to about the significant happenings in my life. In three short years, she had gone from my everything/best friend to … what?
I looked out to where everyone was dancing, saw Brook doing a sexy shimmy, and smiled. Had I really moved on? The simple answer was yes, for now. I didn’t want to admit that Brook and I might not be forever, but I’d come to realize that so much would change once we graduated high school. What had brought that home to me was my talk with Kim earlier tonight. She missed high school but was now focused on her future.