Prologue: Part One

The day began as most do for me: reluctantly.

I was particularly dreading this school day. SCHS (Stary Community High School) had announced the date for Prom at the end of the previous day. That meant that today would be a madhouse of everyone rushing to find a date. I knew no one would ask me, but I didn't care. I was only a freshman, so there wasn't as much pressure for me to go (I had no plans to at any rate), but since we were a small community, most of the high school ended up going to these things regardless of if they were upperclassmen or not. Ashley, a junior, was beside herself with anticipation.

Of course, she didn't have to worry about not getting asked. She'd already had 5 calls yesterday. She was holding out for Ethan Waters though. He was that annoyingly perfect guy. Blond hair, blue eyes...very WASP. Naturally, he was the quarterback of the football team. You know. That guy. Kind of an idiot though.

Yes, it was going to be one of those days. I can't pretend that I completely didn't want to go. I may act cool and blase about the whole thing, but I was a high school girl longing for acceptance. Of course I wanted someone to ask me. I just didn't want anyone to know that. Cause I was cool. Yeah.

Regardless of my hesitancy to get within 10 miles of the school, I forced myself onto the bus and went on my way. Ashley talked the entire way there. Even the perfect girls can be annoying as hell. She didn't get the hint until we were pulling up to school.

The day went as expected. Girly squeals of delight echoed throughout the hallways, awkward kids cried in the bathrooms, conversations about dresses and colors filled the classrooms, etc etc blahblahblah. I didn't get asked.

I decided to go to the Art Gallery after school. It's kind of my happy place. I go there when I have bad days or just need a pick-me-up. It's usually pretty peaceful, and I never have to worry about seeing anyone I don't want to see.

I passed by the local tattoo parlor. There was a guy sitting by the building smoking a cigarette. I recognized him, but I couldn't place his name. It was something weird and kind of stupid...Shark! That was it. He lived down the street from us. He used to be a jock (he went by "Steven" back then), but when his dad went to prison a couple years ago, he took up with a new crowd. He flicked his cigarette, nearly hitting me with it.

"Hey! Watch it!" I yelled.

"My bad," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away. "Hey!" he called after me, "come here a minute."

I slowly made my way over to him, uncertain about what this guy could possibly want to say to me. We'd never spoken before. Ever. This is awkward.

"You're that Ashley-girl's sister, right?"

Of course. He probably wants to ask me if she has a date yet. "Yeah..." I replied.

He gave me a knowing look, "I bet she's a real chore, huh? A real priss? My sister's like that too."

This is weird... "Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. I just hate girls like that. You seem pretty cool though," he said. Then, he smiled.

My heart started racing and my palms started sweating. I had never really had a guy talk to me like this before, and I had definitely never had one give me that look before. He was a little rough around the edges, sure, but I am too, right? I mean, I'd never actually done anything bad before (other than prefer art over sports and have a sense of humor), but I had an edge to me. I guess. I smiled back.

We kept talking for a couple hours. I told him about my art, and he told me about all the pranks he'd pulled at the school. He held the record for number of suspensions without getting expelled. Apparently, some higher-ups at the school were a little too afraid of his grandmother to completely kick him out.

Before I knew it, it was nearing 6pm. I had to be home in time for dinner or my mom would put me in time out (I'm being totally serious). I started to leave, but Shark grabbed my arm.

"Hey, I know this is lame, but are you going to prom?" he asked.

I chuckled. "You want to go to prom?"

"Well, someone's gotta spike the punch, don't they?" We laughed.

"Come on, go with me," he said.

"I wasn't really planning on going, but I guess I could," I finally replied.

"Cool. Wear something sexy." He winked, and I blushed. "See ya around, kid."

I stood there for a moment. Did that really just happen? I felt adrenaline rushing through me, giving me a kind of shaky high. For the first time in my life, I wasn't going to be sitting on the sidelines watching my sister. I was in the game. I almost skipped home.

*****

Let me know if the pictures seem too big or take too long to load. I love the big pictures, but I know they can be a pain for some. Thanks for reading! ~Nickels