Dr. Chester gave me a warm smile of approval.
“How do you know my middle name?” I asked him once we were inside.
“Haven’t I mentioned that I’m psychic?” Jake replied.
We followed the wave of people into the ballroom, which was more lavish than I had imagined. The walls were glass from floor to ceiling, the lush carpet was a deep burgundy, and the parquet dance floor gleamed under the crystal chandeliers, which threw off little crescents of light. Through the glass walls I could see an undulating expanse of ocean and a small pillar of white resembling a salt and pepper shaker. It took me a moment to identify it as the lighthouse. Tables were set up around the room, covered in white linen and set with fine china. The table centerpieces were bunches of pale pink and yellow rosebuds, and silver sequins were scattered across the tablecloths. At the back of the room, the band was tuning their instruments. Waiters bustled around us, carrying trays of nonalcoholic punch.
I spotted Gabriel and Ivy alone on the fringe of the action, looking so unearthly it almost hurt to gaze at them. Gabriel’s expression was unreadable, but I could tell that he wasn’t enjoying the evening. Students stared at Ivy in awed silence as they passed, but no one had the nerve to approach her. I saw Gabriel’s eyes sweep across the room until he found Jake Thorn. His laser gaze watched him with penetrating intensity for a few seconds before he turned away.
“You’re at our table!” Molly cried, hugging me from behind. “Let’s go sit down, my shoes are already killing me.” She caught sight of Gabriel. “On second thought, I’d better go and say hello to your brother first… don’t want to seem rude!”
We left Jake to find our seats and headed over to my brother. Gabriel had his hands clasped behind his back and was wearing a grim expression as he surveyed the scene.
“Hi!” said Molly, tottering up to him in her strappy shoes with pencil-thin heels.
“Good evening, Molly,” replied Gabriel. “You’re looking fetching tonight.”
Molly glanced at me uncertainly.
“He means you look good,” I whispered, and her face brightened.
“Oh… thanks!” she said. “You look very fetching too. Having fun?”
“Fun may not be the most accurate description,” Gabriel said. “I’ve never much liked social events.”
“Oh, I know what you mean,” said Molly. “The ball part is always a bit boring. Things really kick off at the after-party. Are you coming?” Gabriel’s stone face seemed to soften for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched in the beginning of a smile. But in a matter of seconds he recollected himself and the smile was gone.
“As a teacher I’m afraid it’s my duty to pretend I didn’t hear anything about an after-party,” said Gabriel. “Dr. Chester has made his thoughts on the subject very clear.”
“Yeah, well, there’s not much the doc can do about it, is there?” Molly laughed.
“Who’s your partner?” Gabriel changed the subject. “I don’t believe I’ve met him.”
“His name’s Ryan. He’s sitting over there.”
Molly pointed to where Ryan and his friend were arm wrestling on the carefully set table. One of them knocked over a glass and sent it rolling across the floor. Gabriel eyed the two boys censoriously.
Molly’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she looked away. “He’s a bit immature sometimes, but he’s a good guy. Well, I better get back before he destroys something valuable and we get thrown out! I’ll see you later though. I’ve saved you a dance.”
I almost had to steer Molly back to our table, and she kept looking back at Gabriel in unashamed rapture. Ryan seemed not to notice.
I soon realized that despite the magical surroundings, I wasn’t enjoying myself either. My conversations with people were trifling, and several times I caught myself looking around for a clock. I started wondering whether I could legitimately excuse myself long enough to phone Xavier. But even if I borrowed Molly’s cell, there was nowhere private to call from. Teachers were stationed at the front doors to prevent anyone escaping into the gardens, and the bathrooms would be full of girls touching up their makeup.
The night seemed lackluster after all the buildup. It wasn’t Jake’s fault. I could see that he was trying. He was an attentive escort, and when he wasn’t asking me whether I was enjoying myself, he was cracking jokes and exchanging anecdotes with the others at our table. But as I looked around at the girls picking daintily at their food and brushing imaginary lint off their dresses, I couldn’t help thinking that there seemed little purpose to the event apart from sitting there looking pretty. Once everybody had given one another the once-over, there wasn’t much left to do.
Even when he was conversing with the others, Jake’s eyes rarely left my face. He seemed intent on following my every move. Sometimes he tried to draw me into the conversation by asking pointed questions, but I answered mostly in monosyllables and kept looking at my hands. I didn’t want to spoil the night for anyone or appear sulky, but my thoughts kept creeping back to Xavier. I found myself wondering what he was doing, imagining how the night would be if he were here by my side. I was in the right place, wearing the right dress, but with the wrong boy, and I couldn’t help but feel a little melancholy about it.
“What’s the matter, princess?” Jake asked when he caught me staring longingly out at the ocean.
“Nothing,” I answered quickly. “I’m having a lovely time.”
“Filthy lies,” he joked. “Shall we play a game?”
“If you like.”
“All right… how would you describe me in one word?”
“Driven?” I suggested.
“Wrong. Driven is the last thing I am. Fun fact: I never do my homework. What else makes me unique?”
“Your hair gel? Your suave nature? Your six toes?”
“Now that was uncalled for. I had number six removed years ago.” He flashed a smile. “Now describe yourself in one word.”
“Oh…” I hesitated. “I don’t really know… that’s difficult.”
“Good,” he said. “I’d never like a girl who could sum herself up in one word. There’s no complexity in that. And without complexity, there’s no intensity.”
“You like intensity?” I asked. “Molly says all guys want a girl who’s chill.”
“Chill just means easy to get into bed,” Jake replied. “But I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Isn’t that the opposite of intense?” I said. “Make up your mind!”
“A game of chess can be intense.”
“Er… yes, it can. Perhaps the idea of girls and chess pieces is interchangeable for you?”
“Never,” Jake said. “Have you ever broken a heart?”
“No,” I replied. “And I never want to. Have you?”
“Many but never without good reason.”
“What sort of reasons?”
“They weren’t right for me.”
“I hope you ended it in person,” I said. “And not over the phone or anything like that.”
“What do you take me for?” Jake said. “They deserved that much. That little shred of dignity was all they had left in the end.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously.
“Let’s just say that you love and you lose,” he replied.
We sat through a tedious speech by Dr. Chester about how this was our “special night” and how we were all expected to behave responsibly and not do anything to tarnish Bryce Hamilton’s reputation. Dr. Chester said he trusted we were all going to go straight home when the prom ended. There were a few sniggers from the audience at this, which the principal chose to ignore. He reminded us instead that he had sent letters home discouraging after-parties and advising parents to think twice before offering their homes as a venue.