Prom Queen, The (Life at Kingston High Book #3) (7 page)

“In the meantime, don’t make any more decisions. Not before we settle on a slogan and colors. Do you understand?”

Megan promised to put all decision-making on hold until Saturday. Feeling surprisingly encouraged, she hung up the phone and proceeded to email the posters to her sister. Really, with Belinda helping, she should be a shoo-in!

B
y Saturday morning, Megan was ready to make some decisions—and she spent all day just waiting for Belinda to come home and help her. But so far, no big sister. As the day wore on, she left several texts and voice mail messages asking Belinda why she wasn’t home yet. Consequently, when Belinda finally did come into the house, just as Megan was getting ready to go to youth group, it was not a pretty scene.

“Where have you been?” Megan demanded.

“I told you I was coming,” Belinda tossed a bag of clothes into the laundry room.

“I waited all day for you!”

“Sorry, my ride couldn’t leave until this afternoon.” Belinda headed for the fridge. “But I’m here now.”

“Yes, and I’m going to youth group.”

Belinda turned and glared at her. “I came all this way to help you and you’re leaving?”

“I spent all day just waiting for—”

“Girls!” Mom came into the kitchen waving her hands. “Can you keep it down? I’m working on a report and—” She noticed Belinda now, pausing to hug her. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks. Now Megan tells me she’s leaving.” Belinda made a pouting face. “After I make all the effort to come and—”

“You could’ve told me when you’d get—”

“I have to rely on others for my rides these days.” Belinda popped open a can of soda. “Unless you’d like to let me have my car back.”

“We’ve been over that,” Mom told her. “Now, really, can you keep it down so I can get some work done?”

“Fine, but now I think I wasted my time in coming.”

“Can’t we work on it tomorrow?” Megan asked.

“Celeste wants to head back to campus in the morning.” Belinda set the can down with a loud clunk.

“Fine. I won’t go to youth group tonight.” Megan started to take off her jacket.

“Don’t let me stop you.”

Megan took a deep breath, reminding herself of how a prom queen should act. Too bad her sister wasn’t setting a better example for her. “I’m sorry, Belinda,” she said stiffly. “I’m glad you could come. And I do appreciate it. If tonight is all we have, we might as well get started.”

“Speaking of getting started.” Belinda nodded to the laundry room. “How about if you start a load for me while I go use the bathroom? It’ll save time.”

Controlling herself from complaining, Megan just nodded. Soon she was sorting Belinda’s whites from colors, putting in a load, and realizing that running for prom queen came with all kinds of hidden costs.

“Come on into my room,” Belinda called down the hallway. “And bring your laptop.”

Soon they were both plunked in Belinda’s pretty room, which was decorated in shabby chic pastels. Megan had always admired this space and had even asked about trading up after Belinda went off to college. Naturally, Belinda wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted she needed a soft place to land during weekends at home.

“I think I’ve figured it out.” Belinda was pulling up a formal dress website on Megan’s computer. “We start with your dress and work backwards. I actually picked out my campaign colors first—pale pink and black—but that was okay since I wanted to go with a pink dress anyway. Fortunately, I look good in pale pink.”

Megan sat down on Belinda’s bed and just nodded as if she totally understood this.

“But with your coloring, I think you need a deeper color. No pastels for you.” Belinda pointed to a hot pink dress. “What do you think of that?”

Megan shrugged. “It seems kind of bright.”

“Yeah, maybe so.”

“And I’ve never really been that into pink, you know?”

She nodded. “And the theme is Oscars Night, right?”

“The theme?”

“For prom.” Belinda’s brow creased. “Didn’t you know that?”

“No.” Megan frowned.

“Aren’t you on the prom committee?”

Megan just shook her head.

Belinda looked truly stunned. “Then are you on a subcommittee?”

Again she shook her head.

“And you
are
running for prom queen?”

“Well, not officially. Nominations aren’t until next week.”

“You need to be on the committee, Megan.” Belinda grabbed a pad of paper and began writing. “This is your new to-do list. First of all, get yourself on that prom committee. ASAP. You got that?”

“Okay.”

“It’s probably too late to get on the theme or set-up committee. One of the easiest committees is cleanup. It’s easy because it doesn’t require anything of you
before
prom—and that’s when you’re busiest. In the meantime, you can easily line up some friends to handle cleanup.” She giggled. “You find some guy who’s not exactly A-list, if you know what I mean. Make sure he likes you, and then very sweetly ask him to do you a big favor.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “If he really likes you, he’ll say yes. Then you explain what you need and ask him if he has some buddies who can help out.” She grinned. “Easy breezy.”

“Maybe for you.” Megan bit her lip.

“Are you or are you not running for prom queen?”

“I am.”

“Then start
thinking
like a prom queen.”

Megan sat up straighter. “I’ve been trying to, Belinda. But you can be a little intimidating.”

She simply smiled. “Get used to it, sweetheart. The girls running against you will be intimidating too. If you want to succeed, you can’t let them get to you.” She turned back to the laptop screen. “Now let’s focus on colors. Since the theme is the Oscars, you want a sleek Hollywood sort of look. And
I assume you want a full-length dress. And even though there will probably be a red carpet, I don’t think we should rule out red for your dress.” She turned and peered at Megan. “You used to look pretty good in red.”

“Used to?”

Belinda came over to look more closely, carefully examining Megan’s hair. “You really should do something to perk up your color.”

“Perk up my color?”

Belinda laughed. “I could swear there’s an echo in this room.”

“Excuse me for not understanding everything you say,” Megan said defensively. “Maybe you could communicate a little more clearly.”

“Okay, you need to see someone about intensifying your hair color. Right now it’s kind of a drab brown. But you could get it highlighted or maybe even a red tone.”

“But how? I don’t know anything about hair coloring.”

Belinda went back to her notepad. “I’ll write down the name of my hairdresser for you. She’s a pro at color.”

“But I’m not a blonde.”

Belinda rolled her eyes. “No one is asking you to be a blonde. I’m just saying do something with that dull brown hair. It should be shiny and vibrant. Anyway, back to dress colors. There are a lot of shades of red. But I think this one would be perfect for you.” She pointed to a purplish shade of red. “Raspberry.”

“Raspberry?”

“There’s that echo again,” Belinda teased. “And the only thing you can put with raspberries is chocolate.”

Megan resisted the urge to echo that. Instead she just nodded. “That sounds tasty, but will it look okay?”

“If you do it right.” Now Belinda pulled up one of the posters, pointing to where Chelsea had made borders of various colors. “Run the raspberry here, the chocolate there, and if you need a third color, I’d suggest a soft pink. But you’d probably be smart to keep it all to just the raspberry and chocolate.” Now she asked Megan to show her where she’d ordered the chocolate bars. “So we can see if it’s too late to change the wrapper.”

Megan got back into the site, and then Belinda took over. “We’ll see if your wrappers can be chocolate brown on the outside, like a Hershey’s bar, and the lettering will be raspberry red and all caps. The words will say, ‘Make It Megan!’—with an exclamation mark.”

“Make It Megan!” She nodded eagerly. “I like that.”

“So do I. Simple, but strong.” Belinda finished up the message she was writing to the company, politely pleading for a change, then hit Send. Next she began focusing directly on Megan. “First you need to practice your posture,” Belinda said. “Sitting, walking, standing. You realize you’re a slumper, don’t you?”

Megan shrugged.

“A slumper and a shrugger. Neither are particularly queenly traits.” Now Belinda had Megan walk, stand, and sit with a book on her head. “You probably think this is silly, but if you could see how much prettier you look right now, you’d never slump again. Trust me.”

As Megan practiced with the book on her head, she listened to Belinda espousing the benefits of good posture. She
wanted to trust her sister. And really, why would Belinda lie to her about this sort of thing? Even so, she was glad her friends couldn’t see her right now. She was also relieved that Arianna was at a sleepover tonight.

“Now let’s work on your makeup and beauty routines.” Belinda chuckled as she led Megan to the bathroom. “This is something I’ve wanted to do to you for years.”

Megan knew that Belinda had always spent much longer getting ready for school than Megan. But because the three girls shared the bathroom, the time that Belinda used had always cut into Megan and Arianna’s turns. As a result, Megan had learned to be very quick in getting ready. In fact, until recently, she’d taken pride in being such a low-maintenance sort of girl. Of course, those days were gone now.

As Belinda explained some of the basics of skin care and makeup, retrieving some of her own left-behind beauty products from a drawer in the vanity, Megan told her about the makeover and photo shoot they’d done last weekend.

“I thought you looked extra good on those posters,” Belinda said as she showed Megan how to apply eyeliner. “The thing is, you need to look like that
every
day.”

“Every day?”

“Every day that you’re running for prom queen.” Now Belinda showed her the proper use of concealer. “There really is an art form to hiding zits,” she explained as she first applied a tiny dot of concealer, then patted some powder on over it, then lightly brushed it off with a big fluffy brush from Belinda’s own cosmetic bag. “I’ll help you to find the tools and products you need online,” she promised. “There’s a really good site where I get all my stuff.” Next she showed
Megan how to use lip liner, lipstick, and finally lip gloss to make her lips appear fuller.

“Wow.” Megan peered at her own image. “You really do know what you’re doing.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years. You just wouldn’t listen.”

“I’m listening now.”

Belinda went over some more things, including going through Megan’s closet and tossing out what looked like nearly half of Megan’s clothes. “And don’t you dare give those things to Arianna either,” Belinda warned.

Megan laughed. “Don’t worry. Arianna wouldn’t want them.”

“Now let’s go back to my closet. Even my castoff clothes are better than most of the things you’ve been wearing.”

Megan tried not to be offended. “You know, Belinda,” she said calmly as Belinda began handing her items of clothing. “I think I’ve spent more time on my inner self than I have on my outer self. I used to think that was good.”

“It’s good if you want to become a nun.” Belinda laughed.

With an armload of clothes and a whole lot more of Belinda’s wardrobe advice, Megan suddenly found herself feeling overwhelmed. More than ever, she wished she were at youth group tonight. At youth group, she usually ended up feeling better about herself. Right now she felt blurry and buried—and not just in clothes either.

“Maybe I’m in over my head,” she confessed as they were sorting and hanging the clothes in Megan’s reorganized closet. “You told me before that I wasn’t the prom queen type. Maybe I really am delusional.”

Belinda firmly shook her head. “No, after spending time with you tonight, I honestly think you can do this, Megan.”

“Really?”

Belinda put a hand on her shoulder. “I do. You’re changing. I think if you keep working at this, if you really set your heart on achieving it and keep thinking positively, you can do this.”

“It’s a lot of work.”

“I know.”

They spent the rest of the evening looking at dresses, shoes, and hairstyles online. Belinda was slowly getting the choices narrowed down, and her plan was for the two of them to go shopping next weekend.

“But what about my weight?” Megan asked. “I wanted to lose at least five pounds by prom.”

“If we find a dress, and that’s a big if, we’ll make sure it’s a little on the snug side. If you lose more than five pounds, which would be great, you can always have it taken in.”

“
More
than five pounds?” Megan knew she’d be lucky to lose five.

Belinda pulled up a website with the latest diet plan. “If you follow this, you could easily lose ten pounds by prom,” she assured her.

“I’ll print it out,” Megan told her. “Thanks.”

It was late by the time Megan went to bed, but she knew that it had been time well spent. She hadn’t been very close to Belinda. Not since they were little girls, playing with Barbies. And never in her life had Megan felt so truly thankful for her older sister’s help. Tonight she realized that Belinda really was one in a million, and not only did Megan feel blessed to have such a sister—she did not want to let her down!

M
egan had heard it said that it took two weeks to change a habit, but two weeks after her decision to run for prom queen, she felt like a totally new person. And she wasn’t the only one to notice the change.

“Something about you is different.”

Megan was surprised to see Jack Speers in the lunch line behind her. She had known Jack for several years. Like her, he was in choir, but unlike her, he was known as a singing sensation. He had a baritone voice that landed him the best solos in choral concerts. But right now, Jack was staring at her—almost as if seeing her for the first time.

“Did you say something to me?” Megan asked him.

He twisted his mouth to one side. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ve noticed it lately. Something about you is different.”

“Different good? Or different bad?” She removed a straw from the dispenser.

He grinned. “Different
good
.”

“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment.”

“Are you trying out for the spring musical?” she asked as she moved forward in the line. It was the only small talk she could think of, but she wanted to keep this conversation going.

“I wasn’t really planning on it, but everyone’s been nagging me. And this is my last year, so I suppose I should.” He set a napkin on his tray. “How about you?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Megan hadn’t been in a musical since her sophomore year.

“Oh, come on,” he urged her. “You’d look great in a babushka.”

She laughed. “So it’s decided then? They’re really doing
Fiddler on the Roof
?”

He rubbed his chin. “Yeah, already I’m starting to itch.”

“Huh?”

“You know, the glue for sticking on the beards. I’ll bet it’s itchy.”

“Does that mean you’d play the father? I can’t remember the name.”

“Tevye,” he offered. “Yeah, that’s probably the role I’d go for. He gets some great songs. But I think most of the guys will have to wear beards.”

It was almost her turn at the register. “Well, I’m sure you’d be a good Tevye,” she said over her shoulder.

“Hey, why don’t you try out for Golde?” He leaned forward and spoke quietly in her ear as she dug out her cash.
“That’s Tevye’s wife.”

She felt a warm rush of delight as she looked into his dark
brown eyes. “Is that a come-on line?” she asked in a slightly teasing tone.

He chuckled. “Maybe so.”

She giggled as she handed the cashier a five.

“So you’ll think about it?”

She looked back at him and smiled. “Golde, eh?”

His eyes twinkled. “Tryouts start after school on Thursday.”

She moved away from the register so he could pay for his lunch but lingered nearby to finish the conversation.

“So, whaddya think?” he asked as he joined her.

“I think I might do it,” she said shyly. “But only if you promise to try out with me.”

He nodded eagerly. “Okay then, it’s a deal.”

He walked with her to the table where her friends were already seated, and she asked him if he wanted to join them. To her surprise, he actually seemed to consider it, but then he nodded over to where some of his music friends were waiting. “Not this time, but I’m serious about tryouts. Let’s do it together—like a package deal. It’ll be fun.”

She felt herself being swept away by his charm as she agreed.

“Great! I’ll catch you after lunch and we can put together a plan,” he told her.

“Sounds good.” She sat down with her friends, trying not to giggle.

“What is going on between you and Jack Speers?” Lishia asked with wide-eyed interest.

“I’m not totally sure,” Megan quietly confessed, “but I think he’s coming on to me.” She told them about Jack’s suggestion that they try out for the musical together. “I told him I’d do it!” Now she did break out into giggles. “Can
you believe that? Jack and me playing husband and wife in
Fiddler
?”

“You don’t have time to be in a musical this year,” Janelle told her. “You’ve already got the fundraiser and your book club, not to mention your campaign—that is, unless you plan to give up running for prom queen.”

“She can’t give that up,” Chelsea said quickly. “She’s already ordered her posters and flyers and candy and stuff.”

“Don’t worry,” Megan assured them. “I’m not giving anything up. I’ll just humor Jack and see where it goes. Besides, if I can get Jack’s support, that could mean a lot of votes from his friends too.”

“And everyone knows Jack Speers has lots of friends.” Lishia nodded over to the table where Jack was surrounded by a small crowd of girls and fellow music kids.

“Hey, does Jack have a girlfriend?” Chelsea asked. “If not, maybe he could be Megan’s date for the prom.”

Janelle and Lishia found this highly amusing. Megan knew this was because despite being constantly surrounded by admiring girls, Jack Speers never seemed to have a girlfriend.

“Rumor has it that Jack isn’t into girls,” Janelle told Chelsea. “I mean, as far as dating, if you know what I mean.” She chuckled like this was really funny.

“You shouldn’t repeat things you don’t know for sure,” Megan sternly told her. “That’s like gossiping. And you know that’s wrong, Janelle.”

Janelle held up her hands. “Just saying.”

“Well, don’t!” Megan glared at her.

“Sorry.” Janelle rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to go ballistic.”

After lunch, Megan joined Jack in the courtyard, where they made a quick plan to meet after school, get some scripts, and practice a scene together. Megan knew she might be putting too much on her plate, but she didn’t care. If anyone had told her just a few weeks ago that she would be trying out for the spring musical with the delectable Jack Speers, she would not have believed it. It was like her life and high school experience were finally turning into what she’d always dreamed they should be, and she had to think it was all due to Pastor Robbie’s
Shower of Power
sermon about positive thinking. Maybe she should write him a thank-you letter.

Another interesting development in Megan’s amazing new life was that Dayton Moore (star quarterback and Kingston hottie) seemed to be growing increasingly interested in her. At first she’d assumed he only wanted her academic assistance. But after she helped him with his essay, he continued trailing her, and Megan realized that for the first time in her life, she was actually flirting. And it felt great!

“Want to go grab something to eat with me?” he asked her after school.

“You mean right now?” She closed her locker and studied him.

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

She laughed. “Thanks, but I have to meet someone.”

He frowned. “What about later?”

She explained her plan to try out with Jack for the musical.

Dayton made a crooked smile. “Well, I guess I don’t need to be too worried then.”

“Huh?”

“I mean ’cause it’s just Jack. It’s not like he’s real competition.”

Megan’s smile faded.

Dayton patted her on the cheek. “You’re sweet,” he said in a patronizing way. “Catch ya later.”

She just nodded as she called Arianna’s number, explaining that she was going to be running late again.

“More prom queen stuff?” Arianna asked.

Megan told her about the musical.

“Really, you’re going to be in
Fiddler on the Roof
?” Arianna actually sounded impressed. “That’s so cool.”

“Nothing is for sure yet,” Megan explained. “Tryouts aren’t until Thursday. But I promised to practice with a friend today. Probably tomorrow too.”

“I’ll just plan to ride home with Olivia this week,” Arianna offered.

Megan thanked her and headed off toward the music department, but on her way, she noticed Zoë again. Determined not to make the same overly friendly mistake as before, Megan considered taking a different route, except that she was already running late. Zoë was with a guy today, so Megan decided to give them plenty of space. Keeping her eyes off them, she cut a wide berth, attempting to hurry past.

“Ouch!” Zoë shrieked. “Knock it off, Trevor!”

Megan heard the guy curse, followed by what sounded like a loud smack. Despite wanting to ignore whatever was going on, Megan stopped and turned to see. Zoë’s hand was on her face, and she had a hurt look in her eyes. Had he hit her?

“I said knock it off,” Zoë told Trevor. But instead of
backing off, he grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her, made a fist, and looked like he was about to punch her in the face.

“Hey!” Megan yelled. “Zoë said to knock it off.”

“Butt out, you—”

“Go away!” Zoë warned Megan.

“No.” Megan reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and held it up like a weapon. “If you don’t leave Zoë alone, I’m calling 911. Right now.”

Now he swore at her.

“I mean it,” she yelled loudly, hoping that someone would hear her and come over to help, or at least witness what was escalating into a frightening scene. “Leave her alone!”

Trevor released Zoë’s arm, but now he came directly toward Megan.

“Back off!” Megan yelled as she focused on her phone, punching the nine with a shaky finger.

“Don’t touch her!” Zoë yelled.

Just then Megan’s phone was whacked from her hand. She looked up in time to see Trevor about to smack her, but in that same instant Zoë swung her backpack like a club, landing it solidly across the side of his head. He reeled off to one side, and Megan dove to get her phone, which had snapped in two.

“This time I mean it,” she yelled as she held her broken phone as if it was still working. “I’m calling 911 right now!”

Trevor glared at her, then swore at Zoë, but to Megan’s relief he took off running.

“Are you okay?” she asked Zoë.

“Are you really calling 911?” Zoë came over to see.

Megan held up her ruined phone.

“Sorry about that,” Zoë said.

“What was that all about?” Megan studied the bright red mark on Zoë’s cheek. “Why was he hitting you?”

“Trevor’s a jerk.”

“A nasty, mean, bully sort of a jerk.” Megan dropped the remains of her phone into her bag. “But seriously, why was he hitting you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Are you guys a couple?”

“Not anymore.” Zoë let out a weary sigh. “That’s why he was so mad. I just broke up with him.”

“Good for you.”

Zoë shrugged.

“Seriously, Zoë.” Megan peered into her eyes. “You could do a lot better than someone like that.”

“Trevor wasn’t always that way. He was nice when we first got together.”

“I don’t recall seeing him before. Does he actually go to school here?”

Zoë shook her head.

“Then he shouldn’t even be on campus.”

“It’s no big deal.”

Megan put her hand on Zoë’s shoulder. “It is a big deal. That guy is a brute. He hit you, and it looked like he wasn’t finished either.” Megan frowned. “Are you even safe now?”

Zoë looked like she was about to cry.

“Look, I’ve got to meet somebody, but you could come with me. Then I can give you a ride home afterwards. Okay?”

Zoë seemed uncertain.

“Come on,” Megan urged her. “I’m already running late.” Then to Megan’s relief, Zoë walked with her. As they headed
for the music building, Megan explained who she was meeting and why. Zoë didn’t say anything, but at least she came along.

Zoë sat in the back of the room while Jack and Megan practiced some lines and then sang “Sunrise, Sunset” a couple of times. Megan was having such a good time that she almost forgot about Zoë and the earlier altercation, but when they finally finished up, Zoë was still waiting, reading a paperback book. She didn’t even seem very perturbed that it had taken nearly two hours.

“That was awesome,” Jack told her. “You’ll make a great Golde.”

“Your voice is perfect for Tevye,” she said.

“You guys sounded pretty good together.” Zoë shoved the book in her pack. Megan had briefly explained to Jack about the episode with Trevor. Thankfully, he wasn’t asking too many questions.

“Same time, same place tomorrow?” Jack asked.

“Sure.” Megan nodded as she picked up her bag.

As Megan and Zoë walked to the parking lot, Megan kept glancing around, trying to make sure that Trevor wasn’t lurking somewhere, ready to jump them. Finally they were safe in her car and she started to relax. “How are you doing?” she asked Zoë as she pulled out onto the street.

“I’m fine.”

“Do you think Trevor will leave you alone now?”

Zoë just shrugged.

“Do you still live in Tuscan Heights?”

She nodded. “Why are you being nice to me, Megan?”

Megan wasn’t sure how to answer. “We used to be friends, remember?”

“Yeah, but then you ditched me in middle school.”

Megan glanced at her. “I ditched you?”

Zoë nodded, slumping down into the seat in a dejected way.

“I didn’t ditch you, Zoë. You started getting wild and running around with kids who were trouble—kids like Trevor.”

“That’s because you ditched me.”

Megan felt confused. “No,” she insisted. “You ditched me.”

“Seriously?” Zoë frowned. “You honestly think I ditched you?”

Megan firmly nodded. “I know you did. I remember when I told you that I couldn’t be friends with Devin Gartolli. I knew she was into drugs and alcohol and I just didn’t want to go there. But you insisted on hanging with her. It was like you chose her over me. Don’t you remember that?”

“Maybe it was a mutual ditching,” she conceded.

“Can I ask you something?” Megan turned into Zoë’s subdivision.

“I guess.”

“Are you glad you made the choices you did?”

Zoë laughed, but there was a lot of sadness in it.

“I mean, if you could do it over, would you do it all the same way?”

“Obviously I’d do some things differently.” Zoë pulled her backpack onto her lap and removed a package of cigarettes, shaking one out.

Megan didn’t want her to smoke in the car, but Zoë’s house was only a few blocks away, so she didn’t say anything as Zoë lit up, although she did put her window down. “Well, maybe we can be friends now,” Megan said as she pulled in front of Zoë’s house. It looked a lot more run down than it used to.