Katy's Homecoming (2 page)

Marlys waved a stack of papers. “Take these, and pass them on up. Mr. Case is waiting.”

Humiliation heated Katy’s ears. She grabbed the pages, added her own completed assignment to the stack, and passed them to the person in front of her. She needed to pay attention before she got in trouble with the teacher. But it was very hard to think about rationals and polynomials when she might be asked to a homecoming game and dance in less than three hours.

After algebra, Shelby and Katy walked out of class together. “They told you, didn’t they?”

Katy knew who and what. She nodded.

Shelby sighed. “I thought so. I saw how distracted you were in algebra. Katy, listen …” She caught Katy’s arm and drew her to the edge of the hallway but kept walking so they wouldn’t be late to their next class. “He might not say anything. He and I talked a couple days ago —”

Bryce and Shelby had talked about her? The uncomfortable thought put a funny taste in Katy’s mouth. She swallowed hard.

“— and I told him I didn’t think Mennonites were allowed to dance. So he might not ask. I know you like him.” Shelby dropped her voice to a whisper and glanced around. Katy looked around too. She hoped no one was listening to their conversation. She would die if someone overheard them and then ran to tell Bryce she liked him! “But don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t ask you. ‘Cause if he doesn’t ask, it’s only to keep you from getting into trouble with your dad, okay?”

Katy nodded, but she knew she would be disappointed if he didn’t ask. People — especially people like Marlys and Jewel — looked at her and saw only her Mennonite dress and cap. They saw her as different. Even weird. But if Bryce asked her to the dance, it would mean he saw
Katy,
a girl like any other girl in the school. Of all the students in Salina High North, she wanted Bryce to see her the same as anybody else.

She followed Shelby into art appreciation, determined to pay better attention than she had in algebra. But she couldn’t stay focused. She glanced at the clock again and again, amazed at how slowly it moved. When would she be able to go to forensics and see Bryce? Would he ask her in front of everyone, or would he take her aside, maybe into the hallway? Would everyone else guess what he was doing? How would he react when she told him she wasn’t allowed to dance? Would he then think she was weird, like so many other students thought? An afternoon had never stretched as long as this one.

A few minutes before the closing bell rang, the intercom system clicked. Everyone looked up at the square box mounted above the teacher’s desk and waited for the announcement. The principal’s scratchy voice came through.

“Students, as you know, our homecoming game against Salina High West will be the last Friday of the month, right here at Salina High North.” He paused, and the class erupted into cheers. Katy’s heart skipped a beat — the last Friday of the month, February 26. The day after Dad and Mrs. Graber’s wedding. After a few seconds, the principal’s voice sounded again. “The faculty has approved our senior royalty. The following students will serve as king and queen candidates …”

The room fell silent while the principal called the names of four senior girls and four boys. Katy only recognized one name: Tony Adkins. Sympathy teased her; Jewel would certainly be disappointed. Why would a senior king candidate ask a sophomore girl to the homecoming dance?

Another pause allowed the students to applaud for the candidates. Then the teacher held up his hands to bring order. The intercom clicked, and once more their principal’s voice came through. “The seniors have also chosen their court. Our kings and queens will be attended by juniors Jayden O’Connor” — Shelby let out a shrill squeal — “and Adrianna Tolle; sophomores Michael Evans and Kathleen Lambright; and …”

Katy didn’t hear the rest of the principal’s announcement. Her ears began to ring, and the room seemed to spin. The seniors had chosen her as the sophomore representative for the homecoming court. Jewel had said only popular kids were chosen — and they had chosen
her.
She broke out in a cold sweat, hardly aware of the open-mouthed gawks of her classmates.

How could she possibly miss homecoming now?

Katy had a hard time sitting still as the bus carried her toward the intersection where Dad would pick her up. Usually the noisy voices of the younger kids irritated her, but today she ignored them. Her thoughts were all turned inward.

Bryce hadn’t shown up at forensics. She’d overheard Marlys complaining about his mom making a dentist appointment during forensics time — didn’t the woman know they needed to practice for the upcoming meet? Although Katy had hoped to see him, a part of her was almost relieved. She wasn’t sure she could handle finding out she was the sophomore attendant
and
get asked to homecoming by a boy she really liked without melting into a puddle on the floor. By tomorrow, she would be used to the idea of being the attendant, then she could deal with Bryce’s invitation. Assuming he really did ask her.

And why had the seniors chosen her? Even Trisha and Cora — although they acted happy for her — expressed their amazement that Katy had been given such an incredible honor. Katy didn’t really care why she’d been chosen. She was just thrilled to have the chance. Finally — even if it was for only one day — she would be noticed. Accepted. A part of the popular crowd. Goosebumps broke out across her arms, and she hugged herself in delight.

She looked out the window as the bus approached the intersection. Instead of Dad’s blue pickup, Mrs. Graber’s black, old four-door Buick waited. The sight didn’t surprise
Katy. Since Mrs. Graber and Dad would soon be husband and wife, Mrs. Graber had begun taking some responsibility for Katy, including picking her up at the bus stop if Dad was really busy with the dairy herd. But today Katy wished Dad were there. She wanted him to be the first to know about her being chosen as homecoming attendant. Even though she was starting to like Mrs. Graber and had given Dad her blessing on getting remarried, Dad would always be first as far as Katy was concerned.

The bus creaked to a stop, and Katy hopped out. She dashed to the car and realized Gramma Ruthie was sitting in the front passenger seat. So she climbed in behind Gramma and gave her an awkward hug over the seat’s high back. Then she acknowledged Mrs. Graber. “Hi. Thanks for picking me up.”

Mrs. Graber turned the car around and headed down the dirt road that led to Katy’s farm. “Hi, Kathleen. Did you have a good day?”

Mrs. Graber always asked the same question when she picked up Katy from the bus stop. Katy wondered if she was still a little uncomfortable or just unimaginative. Either way, Katy answered politely,“I did, thank you.” But she didn’t explain how good the day had been. Resting her arms on the front seat, she leaned close to Gramma Ruthie. “Are we going to your house, Gramma?”

Gramma shook her head, the black ribbons from her cap swaying next to her wrinkly cheeks. “No, Katy-girl, I’m coming to your house. Rosemary and I are making mints for the wedding. You have that big deep freeze in the basement to keep them in, so it makes more sense to make them at your place.”

Katy nodded. Usually the bride’s family prepared the food for a wedding celebration, but since Mrs. Graber moved to Schellberg from Meschke, Kansas, and didn’t have any family close by, Gramma Ruthie had promised to help. Katy had offered to help too, but most of the time, the women shooed her out of the kitchen. In a way, she didn’t mind — she usually had homework to do. But in a way, it bothered her. It felt strange to have another woman working in the kitchen that had been Katy’s ever since she was old enough to cook for Dad.

“Are you making the same kind of mints Ron and Taryn Knepp had at their wedding?” Katy had enjoyed attending the wedding for Annika’s older sister in mid-January. She hoped she would end up having fun at Dad and Mrs. Graber’s wedding.

“The very same recipe,” Gramma confirmed.

“Awesome! Those were epic.”

Gramma Ruthie tipped her head and gave Katy a look that was a cross between amusement and disapproval. “Really, Katy-girl, the things you say.”

Katy slid back in the seat. She tried not to bring school words home to Schellberg, but sometimes they flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. As Annika and Katy’s cousins Lola and Lori often pointed out, Katy needed to be careful, or the deacons would worry she was picking up too many worldly habits. Then she’d have to stop attending the high school in Salina. “I just meant the mints were very good. They were creamier than ones we’ve had at other weddings.”

Gramma smiled. “We liked them too. That’s why we’re making them for Samuel and Rosemary.”

“I hope we bought enough candy forms,” Mrs. Graber said. “They’re reusable, of course, but I don’t know how long it takes for the candy to set up so they can be removed from the forms.” The two women began discussing mint making, leaving Katy out of the conversation.

Katy leaned into the corner of the seat and let her mind wander to the moment when the principal announced her name as the sophomore attendant for homecoming. The other students in the room had looked at her in surprise, probably mirroring the stunned expression on her own face. No one congratulated her the way they had the boy attendant, Michael, but she didn’t care. Just being chosen was so much more than she had ever expected.
Now if only Bryce would—

She frowned, forcing herself to face the truth. Even though Dad would be happy for her, he would never let her buy a dress and put on makeup and leave her hair uncovered in public. And how could she possibly stand with all the other royalty in her Mennonite caped dress and mesh cap with its ribbons hanging alongside her cheeks? She would look ridiculous, and people would laugh. No, she wouldn’t be able to actually be the attendant, so she should stop thinking about it.

Sadness struck so hard her eyes burned. She blinked several times to keep tears from forming. Maybe she wouldn’t tell Dad at all, just to keep from hearing him say,“No, that’s not something you can do, Katy-girl.”

Mrs. Graber pulled her car beside the barn and turned off the engine. Katy reached for the door handle to let herself out, so she could escape to her bedroom and write
all her frustration in her journal. But Mrs. Graber’s voice stopped her.

“Oh! Kathleen, I nearly forgot. Your dad asked me to tell you we’ve decided to take a little trip — just a weekend one — after our wedding. Caleb Penner has agreed to take care of the cows for us, so you won’t be needed here at the farm. Your dad thought you might like a little vacation of sorts too.” She laughed lightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “So he plans to ask Shelby’s father if you could spend the weekend with them. That is, if you want to stay in Salina with the Nusses. Would that be all right with you?”

Katy’s sadness zipped away so quickly it almost made her dizzy. The wedding was the day before homecoming. If she stayed with Shelby, Katy could go to the same places Shelby went. And Katy knew where Shelby would be going. She answered quickly. “Sure. That would be fine with me if it’s okay with Shelby’s parents.”

“Good. Your dad will go into the grocer and give them a call later this week then.”

Katy bounced out of the car and headed for the house with Mrs. Graber and Gramma Ruthie trailing behind her. Guilt tried to pinch her conscience, but she pushed the feeling away. She wasn’t going to get into any trouble. She’d be with Shelby. And Bryce. And for one night, she would get to find out how it felt to be a normal, popular girl.

Katy hesitated before entering the forensics room the last hour on Thursday. She smoothed her hands over the skirt of her best dress, the purple dress Mrs. Graber had sewn for her Christmas present. She’d chosen it that morning because purple was a happy color but mostly because Annika had told Katy the purple made her eyes seem violet instead of blue. When Bryce asked her to homecoming, he’d probably lean close, and she wanted him to notice her violet eyes.

“Kathleen, out of the way.” The bossy voice came from behind Katy. Katy skittered through the door so Marlys and a couple other forensics girls could go in too. Marlys flounced past Katy with her nose in the air. The other girls did the same.

Several of the sophomore girls had been snotty to Katy over the course of the day. Although she didn’t like being ignored by the popular girls — usually they acted as if she didn’t exist — being the target for snippy comments and condescending looks was even worse. Shelby had told her not to let it bother her—they were jealous because the
seniors had chosen Katy as an attendant. “It’s not you, Katy, really. It would be anybody who got picked. They’ll get over it,” Shelby had assured her. Katy hoped they’d get over it soon. Being constantly dissed was not fun.

Katy glanced around the room, but she didn’t spot Bryce. She knew he was at school today because she’d seen him in earlier classes, the cafeteria, and the hallway. He’d smiled at her twice, but he hadn’t tried to talk to her. Her hopes had risen and fallen so many times she felt like she’d been stuck on a roller coaster. Sighing, she slipped into a desk and opened her backpack. She removed her oration about relying on faith for strength to overcome hardship. She’d memorized the six-minute speech, but if she read it, she might be able to think about something besides Bryce. Bending over the page, she forced her eyes to focus on the first line:
Into every life, a little rain must fall —