“Nice to meet you,” he said, but there was a hard edge to his voice.
“Likewise,” Jake replied. “This introduction has been a long time coming.”
Unlike Xavier, Phantom made no effort to be sociable. He sank down on his haunches and gave a guttural growl.
“Hello, boy,” said Jake bending, and proffering his hand.
Phantom sprang up, barking furiously and snapping his teeth. Jake withdrew his hand, and Ivy hauled a reluctant Phantom out of the room by his collar.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Jake. “He’s not usually like this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, and withdrew a small box from his jacket. “This is for you. I think corsages are a little passé.”
Xavier scowled but refrained from comment.
“Oh, thank you, but you shouldn’t have,” I said, taking the box.
Inside was a pair of fine white-gold hoop earrings. I was a little embarrassed by how expensive they looked.
“It’s nothing,” said Jake, “just a thought.”
Xavier chose this moment to intervene. “Thanks for taking care of Beth tonight,” he cut in with a pleasant voice. “As you can see, I’m a little indisposed.”
“It’s my pleasure to help Bethany out,” Jake replied. As usual, his voice came out sounding affected and a little pretentious. “Sorry to hear about your accident. What a shame for it to happen just before the night of the prom. But don’t worry; I’ll make sure Bethany has a good time. It’s the least a friend can do.”
“Well, as her boyfriend, I would have liked to be there,” Xavier said. “But I’ll make it up to her somehow.”
Now it was Jake’s turn to scowl. Xavier turned his back on him and took my face in his hands, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before wrapping my silver shawl around me.
“Are you all set?” he asked.
In truth, all I wanted to do was stay home and curl up on the sofa with Xavier and completely forget about the prom. I wanted to take off my dress, put on sweatpants, and snuggle up to him where I felt safe. I didn’t want to leave the house, and I certainly didn’t want to leave on the arm of another boy. But I didn’t tell him any of that; I just forced a smile and nodded.
“Take care of her,” Xavier said to Jake. His face was friendly, but there was a note of warning in his voice.
“I won’t let her out of my sight.”
Jake offered me his arm, and we stepped out into the street where a limousine was waiting for us. I saw from Gabriel’s expression that he thought it was excessive. Before I left, Ivy leaned down to fiddle with the strap of my dress. “We’ll be close by all night if you need us,” she whispered. I thought she was being a touch overdramatic. What could possibly go wrong in a ballroom filled with hundreds of guests? Still, her words were comforting.
The limousine looked like an alien spaceship with its sleek, elongated body and tinted windows. I found it vulgar rather than glamorous.
Inside, it was even more spacious than I’d imagined. A modular couch in white leather stretched around its walls. The lighting was purple and blue and came from halogen lights that studded the ceiling. To the right was a bar built into the wall, and blue lava lamps illuminated the rows of glasses and the bottles of liquor that had been brought along by the underage partygoers. A television screen formed part of one wall with speakers in the roof. A song about girls just wanting to have fun was blaring, and it made the whole interior vibrate. The limo was almost full when we climbed in as we were the last to be picked up. Molly’s face split into a huge smile when she saw me, and she blew me kisses from the opposite end of the car in lieu of an embrace. A few of the other girls looked me up and down, and their smiles froze on their lips.
“Terrible affliction, jealousy,” Jake whispered in my ear. “You’re the most stunning by a mile. I’d say prom queen is in the bag.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to me. Besides, you haven’t seen the rest of the competition.”
“I don’t need to,” Jake replied. “I’m putting all my money on you.”
26
Prom
The prom was being held at the Pavilion Tennis Club. With its sweeping grounds and various function rooms overlooking the bay, it was indisputably the finest reception center in the area.
The limousine glided past its high bluestone fence and through the cast-iron gates onto a winding gravel driveway lined by manicured lawns and hedges. Stone fountains dotted the garden; one of them was in the shape of a majestic lion with one paw raised as if in attack, an arc of water cascading from each of its claws. There was even a small lake with a bridge and a gazebo, which looked better suited to an ancient castle somewhere in Europe rather than in a town as casual as Venus Cove. I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the lavishness. Jake, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed. He maintained his perpetually bored expression, his mouth twisting into a smirk whenever our eyes met.
As the limousine continued up the sweeping driveway we passed tennis courts that glowed like green pools under the lights and headed toward the pavilion itself: a large, circular glass building with a pitched roof and wide white balconies stretching around it. There was a steady stream of couples heading inside, the boys standing erect and the girls clutching their purses and constantly adjusting their straps. Although the boys looked dashing in their tuxedoes, they were only really there as escorts; the night clearly belonged to the girls, every face I saw wore the same expression of anticipation.
Some groups had arrived in limos and chauffeur-driven cars, while others had opted for the double-decker party bus, which now pulled in carrying its jubilant passengers. I noticed that the bus’s interior had been redecorated to look like a nightclub, complete with strobe lights and booming music.
For this evening at least, feminist philosophy had been abandoned, and the girls, like fairy-tale princesses, allowed themselves to be led up the flight of steps and into the foyer. On my right, Molly was too engrossed in her surroundings to bother making conversation with Ryan Robertson, who admittedly, did look handsome in a suit. On my left, Taylah was taking hundreds of photographs, eager to make sure she recorded even the most minor details. She kept sneaking glances at Jake when she thought I wasn’t looking. He caught her eye and rewarded her with a wink. Taylah’s cheeks flamed so red I thought it was a wonder her makeup didn’t melt right off.
Dr. Chester, Bryce Hamilton’s principal, stood just inside the foyer, wearing a pale gray suit, surrounded by flower arrangements on pedestals. Other members of the staff had positioned themselves strategically in order to see the young couples as they made their entrance. I noticed a few beads of perspiration gathering on Dr. Chester’s domed forehead, the only indication of stress. His smile might be wide, but his eyes said that he wanted to be at home in his favorite armchair rather than supervising a group of indulged seniors determined to make this the most memorable night of their lives.
Jake and I joined the line of glamorous couples waiting to make their entrance. Molly and Ryan were ahead of us, and I watched them closely to determine the protocol so I didn’t slip up.
“Dr. Chester, my partner, Molly Amelia Harrison,” said Ryan in a formal voice. It sounded odd coming from a boy who usually amused himself and his friends by drawing giant genitals on the asphalt outside the school entrance. I knew Molly had instructed him to be on his best behavior for the night.
Dr. Chester smiled benevolently, shook his hand, and ushered the couple inside.
We were next. Jake laced my arm through his. “Dr. Chester, my partner, Bethany Rose Church,” he said gallantly, as though presenting me at an imperial court.