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Josh didn’t storm away like he had planned. He found that he had used up the last of his strength on his tirade. Instead, he leaned against a set of lockers and closed his eyes. The flashing red lights were starting to fade, but the pain wasn’t. His head was pounding. He was sure everyone could hear the incessant thumping as loudly as an amplified drum beat. The blood pulsed against his temples. He felt dizzy, nauseous, and weak. He certainly didn’t feel like the popular, all-star wrestler he had been just a few weeks ago.

“Jesus, Josh, are you all right?” Elena asked with real concern in her voice.

“Josh?” Bryan took a tentative step forward. “Josh, you really have to calm down, man. Look at what you’re doing to yourself.”

Josh snapped his eyes open before Bryan could reach him. “I’m fine,” he told them. “No need for any concern. Not that any of you really give a crap anyway. I’m sure everyone wishes that rat poison had finished me off.”

“Josh, come on. I—”

“Shut up, Bryan,” Josh interrupted, though he didn’t have the strength to yell anymore. “I don’t want to hear it. You said yourself that the only reason you asked me to help you was because you didn’t have any other choice. So don’t pretend like you suddenly give a damn about me or that we’re really friends.”

He was going to walk away, but the pain in his head was making it hard to function.  Without realizing it, he let out an involuntary groan and pressed his fingers against his eyes to still the infernal thumping.

“Josh, maybe you should go to the nurse,” Elena suggested. “You look like you’re ready to pass out. I’m really sorry about what I said. I never meant to get you this upset. ”

“I said I’m fine.” He rubbed his temples and finally pulled himself together enough to grab his books away from Elena. “And I’ll be even better once you two get the hell away from me.”

“But Josh,” Bryan pleaded. “What about the girls?”

“I don’t give a crap anymore!”

*************************

Josh and Andrea sat in a secluded corner of the cafeteria watching throngs of kids chatting amongst themselves. Josh had picked up a cheeseburger and fries from the lunch line, but instead of eating them, he absently stirred the ketchup on his burger with a French fry. He used his other hand to support his head, which was still throbbing despite the hours that had passed since the disastrous morning. He asked Andrea to meet him so they could talk, but so far he hadn’t said two words.

“You’re a really great conversationalist,” Andrea said sarcastically. “Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“I’m sorry, Andy. I guess I don’t know where to start. It’s just been a really crappy day.”

Andrea placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

“Rosa hates me. Bryan hates me. Elena hates me. Kevin hates me. The whole damn world hates me. Oh right, and I’m also a murder suspect.” He told her about what had transpired that morning. With each sentence, Josh impaled his hamburger roll with a French fry. “On top of all that, I have a killer migraine.”

“I think you’re being a little melodramatic, Josh. I’m sure they don’t hate you. Well, except Kevin, but who cares about him. He’s a nut job anyway.” Andrea waved her hand in dismissal. “And I should have known the new and improved Elena wouldn’t last long. You really shouldn’t listen to anything she says. Bryan doesn’t blame you for Lily’s death. How many times do we have to go through this?”

“You’re the only one who still cares about me. But you know what, I don’t deserve it. After all, I put you in danger. I think the reason I got so pissed at Elena is because what she said was true.”

Andrea shook her head. “You didn’t put any of us in danger. And I know you’re going to figure this out and put a stop to it. I believe in you.”

“That makes two of us.”

Josh was surprised when he turned to see Rosa behind him. She fiddling with the ends of her braid and he noticed she’d been crying. Josh felt so terrible thinking that he had somehow made her cry. He didn’t know what to say. Rosa seemed at a loss for words, so the two of them just stared at each other without saying anything. Finally, Andrea cleared her throat and broke their trance.

“You know,” Andrea said. “I just remembered that I was supposed to meet with Mr. Graves to discuss the homecoming decorations. Something about not going over the budget. I should really get going. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tonight,” Josh replied.

Rosa gave Andrea a small smile and a wave as she gathered up her books. Once she was gone, Rosa took the empty seat beside him.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey.” Josh finally dropped his French fry spear. “What are you doing here? You don’t even have lunch this period.”

“I cut my last class,” she explained.

“You cut class? Future valedictorian, Rosa McBride? The only senior with perfect attendance? Why would you do something like that?”

“Surprised you, eh?”  She gave a little laugh that didn’t really touch her eyes. “I had to see you. Elena told me what happened this morning. I was worried about you.”

Josh shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m okay. Just a migraine.”

“You know, I’m getting kind of tired of being your personal nurse,” she teased, but then turned more serious. “Elena and Bryan are worried about you too. They said you were going to give up on the investigation.”

“So? What difference does it make?” Josh asked. He felt annoyed all over again. “It isn’t like I’m actually helping anyone. It’s all a big waste of time.”

“Josh, Elena is really sorry about what she said,” Rosa told him. “Couldn’t you forgive her?”

Josh snorted. “Why should I?”

“Why shouldn’t you?” Rosa pressed. “She forgave you and she’s trying to move on.”

“It’s not the same.”

Rosa grunted in frustration, and brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “Okay, this isn’t going so well. Maybe before I press you about Elena, I should explain what I said this morning.”

“You don’t need to explain,” Josh said moodily. “I wouldn’t want to go to the dance with a murder suspect either.”

Rosa shook her head. “It isn’t that at all.”

“Then what? You don’t trust me because of Elena and the other girls?”

“Please, Josh, just shut up for a minute!” Rosa exclaimed. “I’m trying to tell you, but you keep interrupting me and its making me nervous. What I have to say is really hard for me to admit. I never told anyone before, until today when I was talking to Elena.”

“I’m sorry,” Josh told her, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Rosa refused to look him in the eye. “This wasn’t about you at all. It’s about me and my dysfunctional family. I didn’t want you to know about it. I mean, your parents are these amazing doctors, and my father is . . . well, let’s just as say he’s not going to win any father of the year awards anytime soon. I thought you would lose respect for me if you knew this, but he’s . . . he’s an alcoholic.”

“Never,” Josh assured her. “If anyone knows that people aren’t clones of their parents, it’s me.”

“I know, but this is different than an overbearing dad,” Rosa went on. “He can be really awful, you know. He’s between jobs right now and he’s running out of money. I wouldn’t even think about asking him for anything. I had saved up about a hundred dollars from babysitting jobs that I was going to use to get a dress for the dance. When I got home yesterday, the money was gone, but my father’s liquor cabinet was freshly stocked.” She paused to wipe away a tear. “I don’t have anything nice to wear to a semi-formal dance, and I didn’t want you to know what really happened. That’s why I told you I couldn’t go to the dance with you.”

“Rosa, I had no idea you had so much to deal with,” Josh whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “I was ashamed. I probably wouldn’t have told you at all if it wasn’t for Elena. She tracked me down and forced the truth out of me. Then she told me it wasn’t a problem. She has dozens of dresses, and since we’re about the same size, I can borrow one. So you see,” Rosa told him. “Elena’s not so bad after all. So couldn’t you forgive her? For me?”

“For you I’d do just about anything.” He relented. “Even forgive Elena.”

“And you’ll still help Bryan with the investigation? You know he needs you.”

Josh nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t have really ditched him. I want to find this guy just as much as Bryan does.”

Rosa grinned and gave him a hug. That seemed to be the queue for Bryan and Elena to join them. Within seconds, Josh saw the new couple sauntering across the cafeteria.

“Are we a team again?” Bryan asked.

Josh reached out to shake his head. “We never stopped being a team.”

The gymnasium of Clearview High seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis. The bleachers had been folded up into the corners, basketball nets were covered with streamers, and the flashing strobe lights cast the room in an almost eerie glow. The court had been freshly polished and droves of teenagers were stomping their feet to the beat of the techno music blaring from the speakers.

In one corner of the large gym, the homecoming planning committee had set up an elaborate stage, complete with five thrones. The smaller thrones were just everyday wooden chairs with blue cushions and cardboard backings decorated to make them look like they were from a little girl’s play castle. The center seat, reserved for the future queen, was much more elaborate. It was left over from the stage props of the drama department’s production of The King and I, and it looked pretty authentic. It was decorated with delicate engravings of elephants and flowers. The cushioned seat was a royal red that matched the robe which would be placed upon the shoulders of the queen. It was an annual ritual—one that Josh had already seen and photographed several times before.

The thrones had been arranged in the shape of an isosceles triangle, with the largest at the tip of the stage. Behind the seats, the disc jockey had his equipment set up, and what seemed like hundreds of wires snaked out across the stage, leading to everything from spotlights to mixing tables. Above the stage, three silver crystalline balls sent circles of light cascading down around the dance floor, bathing the room in a dazzling, romantic glow.

Josh, Bryan, Elena, and Rosa stood amongst a large crowd of enthusiastic dance goers. Their football team had crushed the opposition in a 4-0 victory, and the high level of school spirit had not yet diminished. The two couples seemed to be the only people there who were unconcerned with the whole affair. Elena was especially apprehensive, since she was one of the people on the killer’s hit list. Nevertheless, she wasn’t nervous enough to stay home. Josh could see that a part of her was still looking forward to the possibility of being crowned queen. After all, she had been waiting four years for this moment.

Josh was studying Elena curiously as she chatted with Rosa. She definitely looked sexy in her chic fringe dress, with her long blonde hair lying straight on her shoulders. The sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps showed just enough skin without being inappropriate, and her long tanned legs seemed to go on forever.

Even when Josh had picked the girls up at Elena’s house, he had the feeling something was out of place. He was sure he had seen Elena’s dress somewhere before. It wasn’t until they were standing under the glow of the flashing disco lights that he finally realized why it was so familiar. If he didn’t have the trained eye of a photographer, he probably wouldn’t have noticed. It was hard for him to forget small details after hours of editing pictures for the yearbook. The dress Elena was wearing was the exact same dress she had worn the year before. Josh had only to look at Rosa to realize why.

Rosa had never looked more enchanting. She might have stepped from the pages of a storybook, with her exotic hair hanging in delicate curls so long they very nearly touched the floor. The dress she wore was white with sparkling silver embroidery along the hemline and a silver sash that came together in an empire waistline. She looked divine, like an angel on earth and it was all thanks to Elena.

“It’s a really nice thing you did for Rosa,” Josh whispered when Rosa had excused herself to freshen up.

Elena shrugged nonchalantly. “I just lent her an old dress. It was just sitting in my closet gathering dust.”

“It isn’t an old dress,” Josh told her, and her mouth fell open. “I know, you didn’t think anyone would notice, least of all a self-involved jerk like me…”

“I never said that,” Elena argued.

“You don’t have to say it. It’s okay. I know I was jerk. But I’m working on getting better, and obviously you are too. I really appreciate what you did tonight. It means a lot to Rosa. I just have to tell you that in my eyes, you’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”

Even as he spoke, Josh took his hand out of the pocket of his khakis, lifted his camera, and snapped a photo of her. Elena flashed her brightest smile, but it wasn’t entirely genuine. She was still feeling self-conscious about the bruises that marred her skin. While they had faded somewhat, it was obvious someone had hit her. Most of the people staring at her were looking at that just as much as they were admiring her dress.