**
After my first day back to school, Elle and I continued to eat under the stairs, but now we did it in silence. Eating there together was once comfortable and cozy, but now it had become tiny and claustrophobic, putting us uncomfortably close.
“So, Nicholas, are you going to the game?” Elle’s question sounded awkward. She was not eating much of a lunch today. Just a cookie and her grape pop.
“Yes, I stand on the—”
She interrupted, “I know, you stand on the sidelines with the team. Sorry, I forgot.”
The team still wanted me to be on the sidelines even though I was injured. They all insisted that they needed me to be there. I was like a rabbit’s foot or a lucky penny.
“Nicholas, I want to know something. Are you going to the dance?”
“I haven’t given it much thought. I don’t have a date,” I said. I looked up, meeting Elle’s penetrating eyes. She took my hand.
“Nicholas, please come to the dance.”
“Okay, I’ll go,” I said like a mindless zombie.
She let go of my hand and I snapped out of it just long enough to realize that I didn’t have anyone to go with or a suit to wear. Why was I going? Better yet, why did she want me to go? I was upset with her, but I decided I would at least try to go anyway. This might be my only chance to go to a dance during high school.
After school, I saw Eric hanging out near my locker. “Hey, Eric,” I shouted.
He spun around like he was in a Western, about to draw his guns. “Hey, Nicholas. How’s my star?”
“Good. I have a question. Who are you going with to Homecoming?”
“Hey, it’s a little late to be asking me to Homecoming,” Eric joked. “Plus, I’m not Ms. Popular Elle, who you are infatuated with.”
“Very funny. Seriously, who are you going with?”
Eric was now batting his eyes at me and making kissy faces. I pushed him up against the lockers. The force of my shove made his long, brown hair fall over his face. He pushed the hair back out of his face.
“Ouch, Keller, I’m just playing around. I’m going with a big group of people. We rented three limos and are going to eat at McDonald’s. Then we are off to the dance. Why? Do you want to come with us?”
I didn’t hesitate. “That would be great, if you have room.”
“But why the change of mind? When I asked you yesterday, you weren’t remotely interested.”
“Well I want to go now, okay?”
“Of course, we always have room for the star of the tenth-grade class.”
“Eric, don’t start that again because next time I won’t be so gentle. I’ll push you through the locker.”
He laughed at me. “See you tonight, star.” He ran by me to avoid getting pushed again. He yelled to me as he ran down the hall, “Don’t run after me. I don’t want you to hurt another vertebra.”
When I got home, Cora was washing the truck. She was on the other side rinsing off the soap when a stream of water came shooting over the truck, drenching me. She looked around the truck, laughing at me. I ran to the front porch just out of reach of getting squirted again.
Cora walked up to the porch. She looked like she had been swimming, not washing a car. She was drenched from her head to her toes. It was warm for October, but not warm enough for getting soaked.
“You know the water goes on the truck, right?”
She smiled. “So are you ready for the big game tonight, Nicholas?”
“Well, I guess, but I don’t know what I should be ready for. I don’t play, remember?”
“Yes, I remember that. I’m talking about before the game and halftime. Homecoming Court? Remember, you ride in the parade before the game. Then at halftime you walk out and wave to the crowd. They will announce the Freshman and Sophomore Prince and Princess, the Junior Duke and Duchess, and the Senior King and Queen. At least, that’s what the paper said that I got from Joy Lemmins.”
She was right. I had totally forgotten about all the Homecoming Court stuff. The different classes had all been working on building floats for the Best Float Contest, and everyone was talking about the parade and the court. This past week, Joy Lemmins was on the announcements each morning, reminding everyone all about it.
“I forgot,” I told Cora.
“I knew you had, especially with all of the stuff with Elle. Nicholas, I knew you were going to ask her, but when you didn’t say you needed a suit or anything, I figured she said no or you decided not to ask.”
“I did ask and she said no.”
“I’m sorry, Nicholas. Who is she going with?”
“She’s going with Oliver Rails.”
Cora’s expression didn’t change when I said his name. She just stared at me. I wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. I couldn’t take it. I had to break the silence.
“So what am I supposed to do tonight for the parade and stuff?”
Cora’s face lit up again. “You are supposed to wear a suit and meet at the school at 5:00 p.m. to ride on the sophomore Homecoming float with the other nominees. Then during halftime, they will announce who was selected for the Homecoming Court.” The more she described it, the more animated she became. “Once the court is selected, they will represent their different classes at the dance.”
“Cora, how do we represent our classes?”
“Oh, you will be announced and walk down a carpet of some kind. Then the winners will dance to a couple of songs.”
“But Cora, I don’t have a suit.”
Her smile got even larger. She grabbed me, dragging me into the house. There, hanging on the coat closet door, was a garment bag with two red griffons on it and the name “Oxford Clothes” in large fancy writing. Cora quickly took out the suit. It was something royalty would wear. It was a navy pinstriped suit with silver buttons. There was a green tie with a white dress shirt inside the suit. It didn’t look like it was made from fabric. It moved like it was made out of water.
“Cora, where and when did you get it?”
“The where is a long story, but the when was when Joy Lemmins told me you were nominated. I was hoping that you would wear it to the actual dance, but the Homecoming festivities during the game will have to do.”
“Cora, I’m going to the Homecoming Dance with Eric and his friends.”
Cora’s eyes lit up even more. She nearly knocked me over hugging me. “Nicholas, that’s great. I’m so happy for you, and it’s for the best that you’re not going with Elle.”
I knew she was right. Going with Elle would have made leaving that much harder. Maybe it was good that she was going with Oliver; it would definitely make things easier. Leaving a friend was something I could do, but leaving a girlfriend would be a new pain I wasn’t eager to discover.
Who was I kidding? I longed to have the chance to feel that.