The Cat That Went to Homecoming Read online

  With a big smile on my face, I pulled the hairy yellow dress over my head and zipped up the back. Hershey would go to Homecoming with me one way or another!

  Brandon picked me up and had a wrist corsage for me. My mom tried to get me to use the lint roller to get all the hairs off my dress, but I refused.

  “It looks terrible Ellen! A couple of swipes with the roller and you’ll look fabulous,” she said.

  “No Mom, this way Hershey is coming with me,” I said. I doubted she understood. I didn’t care. My reasons were my own.

  “I think she looks beautiful,” Brandon said with pride in his eyes.

  “Thank you, Brandon,” I said, and then kissed him in front of my mom. I saw a flash of light, so I knew she caught that kiss on camera!

  “Okay, fine. Let’s get some pictures of you two,” she said, and had us pose.

  “WAIT!” I said and ran off to my room. I carried Hershey back with me and took my place back next to Brandon.

  “Okay,” I said as Brandon wrapped an arm around my waist, “We’re ready.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Dinner was awesome. The guys ate steak and lobster while Cindy and I went for the shrimp. Brandon and John were getting along very well during our meal. I was thankful for that because Brandon needed to know that my lifelong crush on John was over.

  We arrived at the school and walked in a happy foursome. I was on the arm of a very handsome Brandon who was wearing black slacks, a black suit coat, white shirt, and a bright yellow tie. He was also wearing his gym shoes. I was proud to be seen with my gym-shoe-wearing boyfriend! If he could deal with my hairy dress, I could deal with the shoes.

  Cindy and John, being royalty and all, did not show off their individuality in their clothes; John was wearing an expensive looking pair of dress shoes with his suit while Cindy had on a long aqua, Grecian-styled gown. We were an odd foursome at best.

  We entered the spectacularly decorated gymnasium and were immediately led to where the photographer was set up. We had a picture of the four of us taken together, and individual couple photos.

  “Honey, do you know your dress is covered in animal hair?” the photographer whispered to me, and the look on her face was priceless when she found out it was intentional.

  We found a table for the four of us and Cindy and I waited together at the table while the guys went to get us sodas.

  “I think it’s great how John and Brandon are getting along,” Cindy said, “that means we can double-date more often.”

  “I’m happy, too. I was worried about it for a while because Brandon knows about the crush I had on John,” I said.

  “Isn’t it strange how things turn out in life?” Cindy said, “I mean, look at how John changed from a jerk to a prince.”

  “He’s literally a prince!” I added.

  “And look at you and Brandon. I thought Brandon wouldn’t date until college because he let Jason’s bullying take over his life. You did the same thing. Then the two of you found each other, all because of little ol’ ME. How romantic is that?” she said, fluttering her eyes.

  “I’m curious, Cindy. Why didn’t you ever go out with Brandon?” I asked.

  “I’ve known Brandon since preschool. We went through Sunday school together, catechism classes, and confirmation. Brandon is like a brother to me and a relationship like ours would only be ruined if we became romantically involved,” she replied. “I’m also curious, Ellen; when John asked you to meet and he apologized to you, why didn’t you consider dating him? I know that was his intention. He told me so.”

  “To be perfectly honest with you, I realized that he wasn’t really all that attractive to me. I mean, he eats with all the social graces of an ape!” Cindy laughed until she had to hold her ribs.

  “I know what you mean, gross, hey?” And she laughed some more.

  “What’s going on here?” John asked as he handed Cindy her soda. She looked up at him and tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laugh.

  “We’re just talking about old times,” she lied.

  Brandon handed me a soda and sat next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. John did the same to Cindy and the conversation shifted to the game we lost the night before. It was a sore spot for John, being our quarterback. Brandon liked rubbing it in, for some reason. The two of them kept the bantering light and it never escalated to fists.

  The cloying scent of heavy perfume suddenly surrounded us, to the point that Cindy started coughing.

  “Well, well, looks like the Prince and Princess found Beauty and the Beast,” Darcel said. Then she pulled a chair over from the table next to us made herself at home at our table. “I hope you guys don’t mind, but I’m just waiting for my date. He went outside to have a cigarette.”

  “Go find another table to haunt,” Brandon said to Darcel.

  “No, Brandon, this table is perfect. I think you and my date will get along great,” she said sarcastically. I was hit with the sudden realization that her silence over the past few weeks wasn’t because she was avoiding me. She was plotting something, and tonight her plot would unfold.

  “Ellen, this is the first dance you’ve ever gone to, isn’t it? You are going to have a great time. In fact, I’m so happy I could be here to see it,” Darcel said as she stood from her chair. “And as your reigning queen, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help make your night more enjoyable. Toodles.” She waved good-bye and walked off, leaving me trembling in her wake. What fresh hell did she have planned for me?

  “Brandon, I think we should leave.” I whispered to him.

  “I don’t. I think you need to stop giving her power over you. There is nothing she can do to you tonight that won’t get her expelled from school. Even worse for her, she could lose her crown.” he said.

  “He’s right, you know,” John chimed in, “and you have the three of us here to stand with you.”

  Whether my decision was to stay or to leave didn’t matter because it was too late. I saw Darcel approaching the table again with her date on her arm, and I froze.

  “Hi, guys, I’m back. This is my date, Jason,” she announced, and I saw the look on Brandon’s face. His face turned stark white, but he kept his composure.

  “S’up?” Jason greeted us like a Neanderthal.

  “What’s up is the fact that we’d like you and your lady friend here to find another table to sit at,” John stood and faced Jason from across the table, “and I use the term lady loosely.”

  “I’m actually here with the Homecoming Queen, dude, and you’re here with who? Oh right, the Princess. If I’m not mistaken, the Queen and the Princess should probably sit together and the peasants here should find another table.” Then Jason looked at me and smiled a dirty grin, “Although I sure would like the chance to get to know you.”

  Brandon held his hands under the table and I just knew he was hiding clenched fists. Jason was just trying to push Brandon’s buttons.

  “Darcel, you’re sad and pathetic,” I said as I stood to face her. “Our student body voted for you to be their Homecoming Queen, which should be a great honor to you, but instead you degrade that honor by bringing this thug as your date.”

  “Oh, really, you want to talk about dates? You brought your gay friend for your date! That’s just as bad as bringing your own cousin or brother. Who is pathetic now?” she retaliated.

  Brandon shifted in his seat and I just put my hand on his shoulder, hoping that would let him know that I was handling this. He stilled and just took a swig of his soda.

  “My date is someone I truly care about and I chose to spend my evening with the people I love the most. You, on the other hand, chose to bring someone who means nothing to you. You chose to use your only night as Homecoming Queen to torment someone who really doesn’t care what you think of her. In other words, you have wasted your big night.”

  “Boy, Watermelon, you grew some balls over the summer!” Darcel said. “Maybe that’s why gay-boy here hangs arou
nd you.”

  “It’s time for you to leave, Darcel,” Cindy said. “You should leave before I get up and smack your ugly face. Once that happens, you and I will be evicted. We’ll lose our crowns. I personally don’t give a rat’s ass about this tiara, but I know YOU do.”

  Darcel grabbed Jason’s arm and led him away from the table.

  “Good one, Babe,” John said to Cindy, “Hit her where it hurts the most.”

  Brandon put an arm around my shoulders and kissed my neck. We didn’t need to say anything. We both knew we were proud of each other.

  The musical choices the DJ made were not always to my liking, I preferred pop music to rap. Brandon loved rap so he loved the music. John and Cindy did a lot of dancing but I’d only drag Brandon out for pop songs. How the heck do you dance to rap?

  The time came for Cindy and John to leave and prepare for the ceremony. The crowd formed a semi-circle around the stage when the principal announced it was time for the coronation ceremony. Brandon and I stood as close to the front as possible so I could get pictures of Cindy and John. It may just be a popularity contest, but I was still so proud of Cindy. She was a well-liked person because of who she was inside. She stood up for what she thought was right without a care about what others thought of her. John’s popularity stemmed from the fact that he was our star jock. Others didn’t really know what kind of person he had become. His votes for Prince were based on his athletic status, all the votes but mine. He got my vote because of Haley.

  The court was announced. John and Cindy walked down the aisle first. Cindy was beaming, and people were cheering for her and John. The yearbook photographer was snapping pictures simultaneously with me. After they were crowned, John grabbed Cindy, dipped her down and kissed her long and hot. The cheers were rattling the ceiling! They were the power couple of the school!

  They took their seats on stage and then the King and Queen were announced. Darcel and our King, Bob Jenkins, walked out into the aisle. Darcel looked beautiful. She was wearing a long, strapless, pink gown. She also looked like she was high or drunk. Her eyes were glazed over and she stumbled a lot while she tried to walk in her silver heels. There were people laughing and whispering in the crowd. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed her intoxicated state. Bob looked extremely annoyed. He had to hold her up as they made their way to the stage.

  Brandon was standing behind me with his chin on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist. When Bob and Darcel passed us, Darcel looked at me for a mere second and in that flash I detected regret in her eyes.

  Darcel tripped on her way up the stairs to the stage. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. The crowd burst into laughter and Bob was so irritated that he let her fall. He walked away from her as she lie on the steps and stood in his place at the front of the stage. Cindy stood up and went over to Darcel to help her stand. Cindy led Darcel to her spot on the stage and then went back to her seat. John took her hand and held it.

  The principal looked stunned, but he carried on with the ceremony as if nothing was wrong. He placed the crown on Darcel’s head, while Mrs. Johnson placed Bob’s crown on. He then announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, your Homecoming King and Queen, Bob Jenkins and Darcel Simmons.”

  The microphone was handed to Bob. He wasn’t popular because he was a star jock. Bob was a nerd, if you will. He was a brilliant, straight-A student, on the debate and chess teams, and our only male cheerleader. He gave a great speech, thanking the student body for recognizing his accomplishments and for recognizing his involvement in bettering our school. Then he said, “I’d like to thank my true Queen, Marybeth, for putting up with all of this pomp and ceremony for the night.” Marybeth was in the crowd, not far from where Brandon and I stood. She blew him a kiss and he blew one back at her.

  Bob handed the microphone over to Darcel. She weakly accepted the microphone and a hush fell over the crowd. She cleared her throat and looked up into the gymnasium.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she said in an almost inaudible voice. She tried to walk away, but Bob grabbed her hand and pulled her back in place.

  “I think what Darcel means is that she’s speechless right now. She needs a moment to absorb all of this attention,” Bob said.

  She snatched the microphone out of his hands and turned again to face the crowd. “No, that’s not it. I’m used to the attention because I’ve been receiving it for years. What I’m struggling with is why? Why am I standing here? Yes, I campaigned hard to get your votes. I made threats and I made promises I never intended to keep. I don’t deserve to be standing here.” She dropped the microphone onto the stage and staggered to the stairs.

  I don’t know what came over me, but I felt so bad for her that I broke free of Brandon’s hold, ran to the stairs, and caught Darcel before she fell again. I stood her up and straightened her crown.

  “Darcel,” I said to her, “Don’t give up.”

  “What is wrong with you?” she shouted, pulling away from me. “Don’t you realize I meant to ruin your night, tonight? I worked my ass off to get the votes so I could shove it in your face, Ellen.” Then she stumbled back to the front of the stage and picked up the microphone.

  “Take a look at Ellen Jones. She is here in a dress covered in animal hair. I would be embarrassed and wouldn’t be caught dead like that. My outward appearance means everything to me, but Ellen doesn’t care about things like that.” she said to the crowd. “She has tolerated so much bullshit from me and people like me, but has stayed true to herself. Tonight she came to help me, and I don’t understand why she would do that. I wouldn’t help someone who treats me like shit. I don’t deserve to be your Homecoming Queen. I know that it is traditional for a senior to be the Homecoming Queen, but I am handing my crown over to Ellen.” She yanked her crown off and shoved it at me, and then she staggered to the stairs and toppled down them, falling in heap of pink on the floor. The principal and Mrs. Johnson rushed to assess her. Mrs. Johnson shouted, “Someone call 911!”

  There was a flurry of activity going on. Brandon had made his way onto the stage and was at my side along with Cindy and John. Jason was nowhere to be found, and I suspected there was a reason for his departure. Whatever he had given Darcel had her inebriated and completely vulnerable.

  The paramedics arrived and hauled Darcel out, unconscious, on a gurney and the dance was called off. There were groans of disappointment and protests as we were herded out of the gymnasium. I overheard someone say, “I hope the photographer got a picture of her on the gurney! That would be awesome in the yearbook.” I didn’t agree.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  I walked through the doors of the hospital with Hershey in his carrier, stopped at the information desk, and found out which room Darcel was occupying. I took the elevator to her floor, walked with confidence through the hallway until I found room 318. I knocked on the open door and announced myself.

  “Hello, Darcel, may we come in?” I asked.

  “Who is we?” she asked, irritated. I stepped into the room.

  “I’m Ellen, and this is Hershey. Would it be okay if we visited with you for a few minutes?”

  Darcel had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. From what I heard through the grapevine, she was lucky to be alive. She had taken a pretty lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol. The authorities didn’t know who had supplied her with the pills, but I was sure I knew who it was.

  “Come in,” she said.

  I let Hershey out of his carrier, and asked her if I could place him on the bed next to her. She agreed. Hershey had once arched his back and hissed at her. I had once hated her. Now, Hershey snuggled his face into the crook of her elbow and started to purr. We had forgiven her.

  THE END

  About the Author

  My name is Julie Otzelberger and I am no stranger to bullying. I grew up in a small suburb in Wisconsin and was overweight for most of my life. The comments made by classmates still haunt me after over thirty years. I
admit I’ve had self esteem issues all of my life because of the bullying I underwent, and in an effort to overcome it, in January 2010 I underwent gastric bypass surgery.

  Anyone with pets will tell you how special the bond between a pet and owner is because of the unconditional love pets offer. I’ve had many cats during my life, all of them special and dear to me. I currently have four cats, one of whom I am a registered animal handler of through Pet Partners. My cat Bear and I currently volunteer for Heartland Hospice and Health Heelers, and I find this to be the most rewarding experience of my life. Gastric Bypass surgery may have changed my appearance and the way some people treat me, but my work with Bear has changed how I feel about myself and has given me the self esteem I’ve been lacking.

  Hershey is a combination of each cat God has blessed me with over the years. My life was similar to Ellen’s, but I did not find anything like Pet Partners until very recently. I hope I help a young girl finds her way to Pet Partners and follow her altruistic path with her best friend.

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