What's Your Status? (38 page)

“You
did
have something to do with this,” she snapped. “I knew it!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “Of course, if you wanted to just give us our crown back, I might be able to fix the situation. And maybe your fellow classmates would actually be able to dance at their prom.”

Isabel stared at me, and for a moment it looked like she was considering it. I watched as her hand involuntarily gripped the bottom of her bag. Then she shook her head. “Not a chance,” she said.

“Okay,” I said. “Well, nice to talk to you, Isabel. I’ll see you around.” I turned and headed for the exit. I saw Mark watching me, and I stepped outside the ballroom and checked my phone.

Marcus → the crew
Package not delivered. Bollocks!

KitKat → the crew
Have you found it yet?

Marcus → the crew
Righty-o. Location confirmed. Just a matter of delivery.

promgirl → Marcus
I’m waiting outside the Lily, Earl.

A moment after I stepped outside, Mark stepped out, too. “Well?” I asked.

“I simply can’t stay long, Mad,” Mark said, his accent thicker than ever. “The crown’s in her bag, in a jewelry box. But she’s not letting the bloody thing out of her sight, is she? It’s a right mess.”

“Well, we need to get it away from her somehow,” I said. “Right? Selwidge?”

“Oh, quite, quite,” he said. “It’s just…might be a bit of a sticky wicket, wot?”

“But we need it,” I said. “If we don’t get it, I’m dead, Schuyler’s dead, and if Isabel finds out you’re not a count—”

“Earl, luv,” Mark said, looking offended.

“If Isabel finds out you’re not an
earl,
you’re dead. So we need to get the crown.” I checked my phone, beginning to panic when I saw how much time had passed. “And soon. Okay?”

“Tally-ho!” Mark said a little weakly, heading back to the ballroom. I hurried back down the stairs and started toward the Putnam prom, thinking of all the time I wasn’t spending with my boyfriend. But then I looked down at my outfit and realized I’d have to change first unless I wanted to do a lot of explaining. I went down the back stairs to the conference room. Once I’d slipped inside, I froze, looking around.

The lights were on—and I’d left them off. And I saw what looked like someone standing behind the curtain. “Hello?” I called, heart pounding, hoping that it was
someone who was a part of all this, not someone who had the power to expel me.

Lisa stepped out from it, looking surprised to see me. She had her black prom dress draped over one arm and was wearing black pants and a Putnam Pizza T-shirt. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m changing for our prom,” I said, grabbing my dress off the back of the chair and ducking behind the curtain. “What are you doing?” I heard Lisa sigh as I stepped out of one dress and into another. Ginger had been right about one thing—this dress really was easy to get out of. Maybe because there wasn’t much to it. I pulled the pink dress on, zipped it, and stepped out from behind the curtain.

“Je ne sais pas,”
Lisa said, tucking in her T-shirt. “I guess I realized that it’s just not the prom unless I’m going to spend it with Dave. Even if that does mean that I have to help him with catering.”

“That’s really nice,” I said, realizing how much I wanted to get back to Nate. I looked at her and sighed. “Lisa, can we talk? You’ve barely spoken to me in days.”

“I know,” she said. She gave me a small smile. “I’m sorry, Mad. It wasn’t about you.”

“But what was it about?” I asked. “I’m sorry that I brought up the sex issue with Dave. I didn’t know that it would turn into a whole thing.”

“I know,” she said. “And
je suis désolée.
”

“What’s going on?” I asked. We probably didn’t have time for this, but I needed to make things okay again between the two of us.

“I guess I just got scared,” Lisa muttered, looking down at her hands. “I mean, I’ve wanted to sleep with Dave for a while.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. She’d never mentioned it to Schuyler or me.

“Oh,
oui,
” Lisa breathed. “
Depuis longtemps.
But I started getting afraid that was the only reason that he was still with me. I mean, what if we did it and then he broke up with me right afterward?”

“Lisa, that’s crazy,” I said. “Dave’s in love with you.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s just what I was thinking,” she said. “I know it doesn’t make sense. But I am sorry for taking it out on you.”

“It’s fine,” I said, just relieved that this tension was behind us. “But the next time you’re mad at me, just talk to me. Relationships are about communication, you know.”

Lisa laughed at that. “
D’accord
,” she said, and we hugged quickly.

“I’d better get back,” I said when we stepped apart.

“Me too,” she said, checking her phone. “You can go first.”

“Roger that,” I said, heading for the door. Then something occurred to me and I turned back to Lisa. “You are going to change back, right?” I asked. “For the Mona Lisa diversion?”

“Mais oui,”
Lisa said. “I know the plan. See you out there.”

I walked out the door and up the stairs, toward our ballroom. I smiled and held up my wrist for the employee
at the door, who just stared at me. I looked down and saw that I’d forgotten to change accessories. I was still wearing the gloves, one of which was covering my blue bracelet. I peeled the glove off to show him my bracelet, and then took the other glove off as I passed him. I’d just have to pretend I’d decided to accessorize my dress with some ropes of pearls. Midprom.

I waved my blue bracelet at him. He frowned at my wrist, but nodded, and I stepped inside. The prom was now in full swing, with most of the dance floor covered with my classmates, who were getting down to music that had actual lyrics, just like I’d always hoped. As I watched everyone having fun, I felt a pang, because I was missing so much of it. I headed over to our table, and to my dismay, Melissa and Nate were sitting close to each other and laughing. As I got closer, I saw that she was touching him—her hands were on his lapel. I stopped in my tracks.

“There!” Melissa said, leaning back, and I saw that Nate’s boutonniere, which I’d failed at affixing, finally looked secure.

“Hi,” I said, feeling a little bit like I was interrupting something.

They both looked at me, and Nate smiled, though he also seemed a little exasperated. “Mad, finally,” he said. “Where have you been?”

“Prom business,” I said vaguely. “You know…this and that.”

“I like your necklace,” Melissa said. “Did you have that on before?”

“Um, no,” I said. “It’s…new.”

“It’s cute,” she said with a smile.

“So where’s Brian?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t see him anywhere, but I did see Schuyler and Connor dancing together, both of them looking unhappy.

Melissa gestured toward the doors. “He’s been making phone calls all night,” she said. “Talking to people about an investment, or something.”

“Ah,” I said. I really wasn’t sure what the Young Investors Club hoped to find that they could invest in at this point and see a return from by Monday. But they should really blame whoever had decided to give Brian that much responsibility.

“Can we dance?” Nate asked, standing up and taking my hand. “Finally?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling at him. “Please.” The song slowed down as I said that, which made me very happy. And it was one I’d always liked, too—Hellogoodbye’s “Oh, It Is Love.”

“Nate!” Melissa said, smiling. “Listen!”

“I hear,” he said, nodding but not smiling back.

“It’s our song!” she said with a sigh. She waved us away. “Go dance, you two!” she said. “Have fun!”

Nate led me by the hand to the dance floor and pulled me close and I pressed my lips together and tried not to cry. “This…was your song with Melissa?” I asked when I felt I could speak again.

“Mad, are you okay?” Nate asked, leaning back a little and looking at me with concern.

“I just…” I started. I looked at all the couples around me, girls resting their heads on their dates’ shoulders, people swaying together in time to the music. I just wanted us to be one of those couples, enjoying their time together without complications. The way we had been, until a few days ago. “I just wish we had a song. And Melissa seems nice and all, but I can’t help thinking that you still like her, and it’s hard for me to see you two together.”

“Wait a sec,” Nate said, raising his eyebrow. “Why would you think that I still like Melissa?”

“I don’t know!” I said, more emphatically than I’d meant to. “Maybe because your relationship was significant, but I don’t know anything about it. Sometimes I feel like there’s a whole side to you that you don’t tell me about.” I said that all in a rush, before I lost my nerve. I looked up at him, waiting for his response, my heart hammering.

“I can see that,” Nate said after a moment. “And I can work on it. But I feel like you have to tell me things, too.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Like what’s been going on tonight?” he asked. “What’s been going on this whole week? You need to trust me with this stuff, Mad.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to this, so I just nodded. Air Supply’s “All Out of Love” came on, and I moved a little closer to him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head, and we moved together to the music. I closed my eyes and breathed in the Nate smell
I loved so much—and the woodsy scent of his cologne that he must have worn for the occasion—and wished that we could stay like that forever.

“Madison,” I heard Schuyler whisper in my ear. I turned my head and saw her standing to my side, tapping my shoulder. “We have a problem.”

CHAPTER 24

Song: All Falls Down/Kanye West

Quote: “If you ever catch on fire, try and avoid seeing yourself in a mirror. Because I bet that’s what really throws you into a panic.”

—Jack Handy