Prom Date Read Online Free Page A

one ever tells you about until it’s too late.
    The poor idiot, Scott I mean, come on. Anyone could have told him what was going on. Even someone like me on the outside, the extreme outside, could see she was using him to get to heart throb Danny. The way she’d light up, giggling at every lame joke, flirting whenever Scott wasn’t around. It was a farce until it became a tragedy. The Greeks would have been proud.
    It was ten minutes into first period before I knew what was happening. I sat immediately behind Jennifer Hobson and Marla Jackson. Two of my best sources of Intel. I used my tricks to remain invisible. Letting my hair fall across my face. My eyes focused on the front of the room.  As far as they were concerned I didn’t exist. Just the way I liked it. I sneaked a handy wipe packet and opened it under my desk before sanitizing my hands while I listened.
    “He caught her in bed with Danny,” Jennifer said.
    “No way, for reals? Wow, I thought she was the holy of holies,” Marla questioned.
    “Yeah, but it was Danny Carrs, who could blame her.” Both girls laughed. ”Johnny told me. He visited Danny at the hospital.”
    “Marla, Jennifer, please pay attention,” Mr. Lavers said from the front of the room. I could have kicked him.
    Me? I observe. It’s safer out here on the fringes. ‘Don’t get involved’ is the rule I live by. It’s served me well so far. Better to watch other people crash and burn.
    I saw everything from the edge. I could usually tell who was going to break up with whom long before they knew it themselves. Who was on their way out of the in group? I could tell you who cheated on their Spanish test this morning and who worried about taking a pregnancy test this afternoon. The one test you couldn’t cheat.
    I knew which kids were getting abused and which were higher than a kite. I knew who broke into the lockers during last week’s football game and who was going to be next year’s valedictorian. I mean, I saw it all and kept it to myself.
    Knowledge like that left me feeling a little guilty about not warning him. Scott had always been nice. I mean, it’s not like we talked or anything. It’s just that he’d never been mean, never gone out of his way to make fun of the strange new girl.
    I ran into him once in the hall. Literally ran into him. It was like walking into a brick wall at full speed. Totally my fault, I was looking at Jessie Taylor and her brother fight about something and didn’t see the mountain in front of me. My books went flying one way and my glasses the other.
    He never commented about my beet red face. Not a word about my stammering apology. He acted like it was all his fault, apologizing as he helped me retrieve my stuff. Like I said, a nice guy. And you’ve got to admit that’s unusual for a jock.
    He sat at the front of the class in fourth period and stared at the front wall. His shoulders straight and head up like he didn’t have a care in the world. I could tell though, like I said, I observe. The tips of his ears were cherry red and his fist would clinch and his knuckles turned white every time somebody made a snide comment. I don’t know how he made it through the class without exploding. Instead, at the bell he calmly stood up, gathered his books and slowly walked out the door. Everyone jumping to get out of his way. It was strange, as if I was proud of him. Not enough to get involved though.
    .o0o.
    I’ve always thought of the library as mine. The one place that was free of the teenage angst and drama that permeated everything around here. There is this smell, it’s not strong enough to be called an aroma.  It’s a simple smell. Paper, glue and leather binding with a faint taste of copy toner. - Come on, you’ve smelt it. Is there anything calmer, less dramatic than a library? The room enfolds you like a warm blanket that promises to keep the world outside. God I love that place.
    So imagine my surprise to find Scott James parked at a