The Cat That Went to Homecoming Read online

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  “Why would I be afraid of you, Brandon? I’m not saying violence is right, but Jason did have it coming to him,” I said, putting my hand on his knee. He looked at me and half-smiled.

  “Ellen, I’m in anger management counseling right now. The court ordered it at my hearing last week. Jason’s parents filed charges against me. I have to pay his doctor bills and undergo counseling, which I’m okay with. I’m not happy with my temper and I don’t know how to control it. Hopefully this will help.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that,” I said. “I will help you in any way I can.”

  “Do you mean that?” he asked.

  “Of course I do! Brandon, I care about you very much. I was devastated when you wouldn’t talk to me.”

  “Trust me, I was also devastated. I finally found the girl of my dreams and I lost her,” he said.

  “You found the girl of your dreams?” I repeated.

  “Yes,” he said leaning in towards me as if to kiss me. “I finally found a girl who is kind, gentle, and compassionate. A girl who is low maintenance and whose eyes seem to look right into your soul,” he whispered across my neck.

  My phone went off and abruptly broke the moment. I stood up and said, “Brandon, THIS girl has to get back to the park and meet up with her friends and her mom. Would you like to join her?” I asked holding my hand out to help him up.

  “Do you think her friends and her mom would accept me?” he asked.

  “Without a doubt,” I said. I put the pink dog down on the steps of the library and Brandon and I took off for the park, leaving the dog behind.

  I spent the rest of the afternoon with Cindy and Brandon, just like old times. We went on rides, ate roasted corn, and played games. Brandon played the balloon/dart game insisting on replacing my giant pink dog. It only cost Brandon four dollars to win me the dog!

  We all sat with Mom and watched the fireworks, and I shared my turkey sub with Brandon. Brandon and I held hands at times. We joked and laughed with Sarah, Margaret, and Cindy, and danced with Mom to the radio she brought along. We celebrated the end of the summer with the friends we could be certain of.

  Chapter Twenty

  On the first day of my junior year I woke up earlier than I normally would. Never before in my life had I been this excited to go to school. Today was different. I was going to fix my hair and put on makeup. My jeans fit well, my t-shirt was cool, and I had actual Nike shoes to put on. I felt terrific.

  “I’m sorry, Hershey, but I have to get ready for school. What’s that, Hershey? You never thought you’d see me actually want to go to school? Me, either!” I said giddily to my cat that had lain across my vanity in an attempt to distract me, up until he saw me pick up the blow dryer. In his mind, the blow dryer was the cousin of the vacuum cleaner, and they came from a family that cats greatly feared.

  Once ready, I filled my backpack with my school supplies and bid Hershey farewell. I waited at the end of the driveway for my bus, hoping to see Janet behind the wheel. When the doors opened, I was disappointed to see she wasn’t at the wheel. I stepped on and went to sit in my usual seat behind the driver. I stopped and looked towards the back of the bus. I saw John Peck sitting in the back seat, and was pleasantly surprised when he waved at me. He motioned for me to sit in the back with him, so I boldly went where I had never gone before, back by the beautiful people.

  “Hi, John,” I greeted him. “I’m surprised to see you taking the bus now that you have your own car.”

  “The parking spaces for students are very limited and I didn’t get my application in on time. They told me that in a few weeks, there will probably be spots available. Usually some students give up their parking spots because gas and the parking fees are too expensive.”

  “Cool,” I replied. I was getting a little anxious as the bus made its way to Darcel’s side of the subdivision. It must have shown on my face.

  “Darcel has a parking spot,” he said, “I heard it through the grapevine.”

  I just nodded and watched for Cindy’s stop. When she climbed on, she was excited to see me in the back of the bus. She sat with John and I and we became bus buddies for the next month and a half.

  In mid-October, John finally got his parking spot. He offered to drive Cindy and me to school from then on. We said no because of his football schedule. Brandon was not fond of my friendship with John, despite the fact that John and Cindy were now dating. Riding to school every morning with John could cause problems in our relationship. Also, Janet was back to work driving us to and from school and I looked forward to seeing her every day.

  Three weeks before Homecoming weekend I discovered why John received a parking spot. Our bus stopped in front of Darcel’s house and the Queen of Mean walked on. That familiar lump of fear filled my chest as I saw her approach the back of the bus, looking sullen and sour. She didn’t notice me until she was right in front of me.

  “What the hell is this?” she said, “Watermelon, you’re sitting in the wrong spot. MOVE.”

  I ignored her, trying hard to hide the fact that my heart rate had raced to about one-fifty! I was too afraid to respond, so I went back to my old habit of acting deaf.

  Cindy spoke for me, “It’s no one’s fault but your own that you lost your driving privileges. Find yourself a seat and shut up,” she said to Darcel who didn’t take it well. She leaned in toward us and said, “Well, isn’t this cute? It seems the old childhood friends have reunited. Cindy, are you gay now like your friend Brandon?”

  “Oh, for crying out loud, Darcel, you’re pathetic! Can’t you find a better insult than that? You’re losing your touch,” Cindy said.

  “Sit down, please!” Janet yelled to Darcel.

  “Bitch,” Darcel muttered to Janet under her breath and took a seat.

  Cindy and I talked about shopping for our Homecoming dresses. She was John’s date and I was bringing Brandon. I tried to get Cindy to talk quieter, but she ignored my suggestion. She didn’t care if Darcel heard any of it, but I needed Darcel to hear this like I needed a hole in the head.

  On the bus ride home, I discovered that Darcel had indeed heard our conversation and she was all too eager to use what she had learned against me. She was sitting where I had sat that morning and was pretending to be deep in conversation with the kid next to her when I boarded.

  “Oh, look everyone; it’s the girl who thinks she can turn a gay guy straight,” Darcel said loudly. People turned to stare at me and then began to whisper.

  I no longer had the confidence to sit in the back of the bus. Cindy was riding home with John so I was on my own and it seemed Darcel was intent on making it a long ride home. I took my old seat in back of Janet and tried to ignore all of Darcel’s insults, but she was pissing me off.

  “Hey, maybe Ellen and her date will both show up in a dress!” she said, and peals of laughter filled the bus. I’d finally had enough.

  I stood up while the bus was still moving. This was a big no-no and would normally make Janet raise her voice to tell the perpetrator to sit down. This time, however, Janet didn’t say a word. She pulled over to the side of the road while I walked down the aisle towards Darcel.

  I heard Janet’s voice in my head, ‘Never stoop to a bully’s level,’ so I tried to choose my words wisely.

  “What did I ever do to you, Darcel?” I asked her in front of the entire bus. She looked surprised. Her lack of a reply gave me more strength. “Just because I weigh twenty pounds more than you doesn’t make me a bad person. These twenty pounds give me a shape. Is that what the issue is? Or is it because my hair is soft and touchable because it isn’t over processed?” Darcel flushed angrily, but would not look at me. “Should I apologize for the fact that my skin is clear? Does that bother you, too?” I turned and pointed to the front of the bus. “Janet has a big mirror up there to watch us. I think you should go stand in front of it and look at yourself. You have flaws, too, Darcel. I dare you to go look at yourself. Since I’m not a bully, I won’t point them out.
You’re the best bully around. Go show us your bullying skills and point out all the flaws you see. ”

  Not knowing how to respond, Darcel started up with the gay thing again.

  “At least my boyfriend isn’t gay,” she shouted at me. “Apparently you have a penis.”

  “First of all, Darcel, you should stop making judgments about people you don’t know or you’re going to be a very lonely person. You certainly don’t want me to be able to say ‘I told you so’ someday, do you?”

  “Fuck you,” she said.

  “Oh, and another thing. I don’t have a penis, Darcel,” I said laughing, “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said. You’re usually pretty clever, but I think Cindy was right. You’ve lost your touch!”

  Darcel stood up and rushed at me, pushing me to the floor. Her attempts to kick me were stopped by Roy Wilson. He pushed her back until she too was on the floor.

  “That’s enough!” Janet yelled. “Darcel, get off my bus NOW.”

  Darcel stood to grab her book bag and purse. She stepped over me as she headed for the head of the bus, but turned back and said, “This isn’t over, Watermelon.”

  She stopped next to Janet and began shouting at her.

  “After my father hears about this, you will be standing in line at the unemployment office. That’s a promise!”

  When she exited, people clapped. I sat in her vacant seat and looked around at the people on my bus, people I had known of all my life but had never gotten to know. When we reached my stop, Janet said, “You did well, Ellen. I’m proud of you.”

  “Did I get you into trouble?” I whispered to her.

  “Oh, please! I’m not worried at all.” She said. She leaned toward me and whispered, “There’s a camera on this bus. Besides, who does she think her father is, the Mayor?”

  Chapter Twenty One

  The weeks after the bus episode flew by without incident. Darcel stopped taking the bus, and avoided me in the hallways. I was fine with that.

  The week of Homecoming was Spirit Week and for the first time ever, I participated in the themed costume days. It was a blast dressing up for eighties day. I chose to dress up as Madonna. Unfortunately, so did Darcel. We passed each other once in the hallway, and she smirked, but didn’t say anything. Cindy dressed like Boy George, which tells you how much confidence she had! I’m sure I would have gotten a lot of gay harassment over that one, but Cindy was the confident one and she could do anything.

  In the middle of the week, we cast our ballots for the Homecoming Court. At our school, the Homecoming Queen and King were always seniors, and juniors would be elected Prince and Princess. John and Cindy were both nominees for Prince and Princess since they were now the “Brangelina” of the school. As expected, Darcel was nominated for Homecoming Queen. It shouldn’t be a secret who did and did not get my vote!

  During the pep rally on the afternoon of the game, our Homecoming court was announced. Cindy and John were the Prince and Princess. Darcel was Queen. There was to be a parade that evening before the game. John and Cindy would have to be on the Homecoming Court float with Darcel and the Homecoming King.

  Their royal duties wouldn’t allow Brandon and me to spend any time with them during the game, but that didn’t bother us. I was not a fan of football or the cool weather, and Brandon really didn’t want to go. We chose to stay in at my house and watch a movie with Hershey.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with staying in tonight?” Brandon asked one last time during the previews.

  “I’m positive,” I said throwing a piece of popcorn at his face. “I told you, Cindy didn’t even want to be nominated because she thinks the same way I do. It’s an achievement only the shallow-minded would be proud of.”

  “That’s why you’re my girl,” he said as he snuggled closer to me on the couch.

  It was Saturday, the day of the big dance. Cindy insisted that I get my nails done with her. I was perfectly content just painting my own nails, but Cindy would not allow it.

  “If I have to wear a stupid crown, then you can certainly deal with a perfectly manicured set of nails!” she said.

  “It’s not my fault you’re a princess,” I joked back at her.

  “You can’t lie to me, Ellen; I know you voted for me,” she said, and she was right, “so you are partly to blame for this. Now you have to pay the consequences of your actions, and get your nails done with me. Princess Cindy insists.”

  “Oh, great, this whole princess thing is giving you a big head. What’s next? Are you going to demand that I get my hair done at a salon, too?” I did an exaggerated eye roll. We did, in fact, have an appointment to get our hair styled!

  The nail salon Cindy took me to was interesting, to say the least. All the manicurists were pretty, petite Asian women. The entire time we were there being worked on, they were conversing amongst themselves in their language. At first, I was paranoid that they were talking about Cindy and me. After a while, I didn’t care anymore what they were talking about. Hell, I was going to my first dance tonight and no one was going to ruin my good mood. I figured I’d let my tip reflect how rude I thought they were.

  The next stop was the hair salon Cindy frequented. The stylists were all busy hustling and bustling around the heads of teenage girls, all getting ready for the dance that night. It was packed in there! Most of the girls were getting fancy ‘up-do’ hairstyles. I was a bit disappointed because I thought my idea of an up-do was original, but it seemed to be the most popular look for the night. I wanted my hair like Disney’s Belle with the bun and long ponytail. Even though half the girls there were getting the same basic look, I went through with it and loved the result.

  Princess Cindy went with an ultra-curly look, her hair up around the face so her crown could sit in a nest of curls. We looked damned good!

  Cindy’s mom dropped me off at home after our afternoon of pampering. Cindy and John were meeting Brandon and me at the seafood restaurant my dad had taken me to, but I had three hours to kill until then. I was worried that I’d mess up my hair, so I was very careful. I checked my emails. Pet Partners sent out monthly newsletters and I enjoyed reading the stories from other animal handlers around the country.

  Then I decided to create a Facebook account. I had mentally debated on this for several weeks. Brandon and Cindy kept trying to get me on Facebook, but I was leery of the idea of putting myself out there so publicly. I was no longer being teased at school. I actually had made a few friends, but I still had the victim mentality. The only reason I decided to go through with it was because Brandon had told me I could block certain people from seeing me anywhere on Facebook. If that were true, then I would feel much safer.

  I followed all the instructions and finally had an account, but no picture to put on my page. No biggie, I’d work on that later. The most rewarding part was my relationship status, in a relationship with Brandon Bolt.

  I found Paws that Heal’s page and added them to my likes, along with Pet Partners. I joined several animal enthusiast groups. I looked up Darcel and figured out how to block her from my page. Then I looked up certain people and requested them to be friends; Brandon of course, Cindy, Margaret, Sarah, and even Roy Wilson. Immediately Roy accepted my request and I had my first Facebook friend!

  A chat box popped out at me and I didn’t know what was going on. It was Roy. He greeted me and asked me if I was going to the dance. When I finally figured out how to respond, we had a half-hour long conversation. In the end, I asked him to save a dance for me. He agreed, saying “as long as your boyfriend is okay with that.”

  I looked at the time on my computer and realized I had wasted over two hours! Facebook could really suck you in.

  I shut my computer off and headed to my room to get ready. I pulled my dress out of the closet and took it out of the plastic bag it was stored in. My dad had given me the money for the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was a yellow strapless sweetheart dress and the hemline reached just above my knees. It was a
daring dress to say the least, but I had decided to throw caution to the wind and go with it. I wanted to shower and shave my legs but was worried I’d get my hair wet. I figured the best way to do this was to put a shower cap on.

  I draped the yellow Belle-like dress across my bed and headed for the bathroom.

  I came back into my room wearing only my underwear and a bathrobe, singing to myself. Hershey was laying on my dress, but it didn’t register at that moment.

  “Hi, Hersh,” I greeted him, “I’m going to my first dance tonight! What do you think about that?” He watched me sit at my vanity to apply makeup, and then leapt from the bed to the vanity table, trying to get my attention.

  “Come on, Hershey, I’m busy right now,” I said in mild annoyance as I pushed him off the table. He rubbed against my legs, his tail wrapping around an ankle, and then lay across my feet. I reached down to give his chin a scratch and went back to my eye makeup.

  I surveyed my face in the mirror. The abrasion was no longer visible and I was thankful it didn’t leave a scar. I was pleased with the subtle smoky-eyed makeup I applied. I was getting better and better at this whole makeup thing!

  Then I stood to get the dress, stopped at the foot of my bed and stared in shock. Black Hershey hairs covered the entire front of my dress.

  “Hershey!” I sternly scolded him. “What did you do?” He jumped back onto my bed and rolled around on my dress, right there in front of me. “Hershey, stop it!” I had to pick him up and toss him on the floor.

  I looked down at the dress. At first I was a little upset, but then it hit me: Hershey wanted to go to the dance. If it weren’t for him, I doubted I’d even be in the position I was in. It was Hershey and our work together that had given me self-esteem. He was my best friend in the entire world and he would always love me no matter what I did.