Homecoming (1)

"Yeah, uh, gimme a second." I say, fumbling to pull my wallet out of my back pocket before embarrassingly dropping it to the ground in my haste.

"Ah, shit." I say out loud, bending over to pick up the cards and dollar bills that spilled onto the concrete below me.

"No need to get so impatient kid. Homecoming isn't going anywhere without you!" The round-bellied security officer laughed as he looked around at the other students waiting in the line behind me that didn't seem to answer his enthusiasm with any of their own.

"Yeah, just chill man. We're all waiting for you right here." Michael Poot-face added on from just behind the oversized valet in front of me while still snickering at my blunder himself.

To explain what was going on, I was now at the front of the line to enter the gym building where homecoming was being held. I was never much of a clumsy person on my own time, but in front of others, where it mattered, I turned into quite the klutz. Messing up every little thing that I could in my intense desire to not ever do such a thing.

I understood the logic behind it, of course. Trying not to do something led to overthinking about not doing it which just replays the scenario of you doing it in your mind, and since thoughts lead directly to action... well, you can infer the rest.

Anyways, I picked up my spilled financial tools off the ground and stuffed most of them back into my wallet before grabbing a spare 20$ bill and stuffing it into the security officer's hand before dashing past him, not wanting to attract any more ire from the rows of people behind me still waiting to get into the building.

'Twenty Dollars?' I hear you asking. 'I thought you said it was Twenty-Five Dollars! You liar! Wretch! Enemy of justice!' Alright, alright, calm down now, I don't think I went that far...

I had no idea, too. You know? It was only after I had first arrived in the parking lot to meet Michael Pillow-cheeks and his other friends with facial features reeking of future diabetes that I was informed of the 'special promotion' where groups of over 5 were allowed to pay only 20$ per ticket instead of 25$.

Lower the price of tickets to give more incentive for students to gather more people to pay the still ludicrous prices. It was a sly trick by the school, really. I was in awe of the genius who came up with the idea, to be completely honest. Surely, they'd be getting a raise. But as far as a teacher's salary went, the most it would amount to would be an extra cup of coffee a week in the elusive 'teacher's lounge' which I was quite sure was no better than the hospital cafeteria I would often visit on weekends for their marginally better food quality.

"You coming?" Michael asked as I very clearly was already making my way towards him.

'I don't know, are you awake?" I asked a question that was just as intrinsically senseless in my mind while following quietly behind him in reality.

The other guys that we had come with were already quite a ways ahead of us, Michael being the only one who stayed behind to wait on me after the little scene I made. Although, I couldn't tell if it was pity or pure kindness that moved him to do so.

Making our way into the main building, the darkness of the gymnasium loomed over in stark contrast to the bright lights of hallway just outside of it.

Different colored lights blinked and moved throughout the room in a mind-numbingly predictable fashion along with blaringly loud ghetto music that sounded over the strict protests of the few teachers present that weren't so appreciative of the 'liberty' the song took with its lyrics.

Looking over at the DJ, he seemed to be quite out of place in a school. With sparkling rings, chains, and other trinkets adorning his body, he was a little too into his job as he bopped his head violently, flailing around his braided hair while fiddling with the buttons and dials on the mixer below.

"Ohhhhhh shiiiit." Michael exclaimed and began to mime a limbo as he walked towards the crowd of students who were performing the very creative action of jumping in place to the beat. I cringed physically at his actions, pulling back ever so slightly from the crowd in front of me. I was both intimidated and disgusted by the environment that I found myself suddenly surrounded by.

A lone disco ball hung from the center of the ceiling along with various other shining ornaments that hung from above around it. Guys and girls dressed in suits, dresses, and a variety of other casual clothes danced on the floor in front of me, some spilling their drinks as they bobbed up and down. The entire room shook not only with the beat of the speakers but the rhythmic stomping of the dozens of students that were jumping repeatedly. And I wondered optimistically if the floor would cave in under their combined weight.

Looking down, I saw strange red markings spread throughout almost the entire floor that I couldn't help but feel were very familiar to me. The markings were quite crude however, and as they failed to span the length of even half the room I figured they must have been some half-assed attempt at a floor design that someone had quickly given up on.

Looking up from the ground, I eyed the front door from which I came along with the windows on the walls to identify my possible escape routes when a hand grabbed my arm and I nearly jumped in shock at the sudden sensation.

"YOU REALLY CAME!" A loud, uneven voice sounded from beside me and I turned around to face the red-faced girl that was now holding on to my arm with both hands in an iron grip.

"V-Valerie?" I asked in surprise at her unusual, uncouth behavior. Her cheeks were blushed pink while her crimson lips curved up in an exaggerated smile as she looked me straight in the face with a stare that I had to avert my eyes from.

"Y-yeah..." I spoke again quietly with embarrassment in response to her previous question. She didn't strike me as the type to get drunk in public. Or really even drink at all, 'Valerie the valedictorian' was the image I had of her in my mind. Though, to be fair, I'd never seen her outside of school personally.

As I cast my gaze away from her, I saw the figures of a few guys who stared daggers at me while Valerie grabbed squeezed tighter around my arm before they walked off, merging back into the crowd.

Her grip immediately loosened as they left. I turned back to look at a completely different person. Her unkempt and raunchy appearance from before disappeared completely, now replaced by a much calmer and smug face that looked out at the crowd the no-doubt, ill-meaning guys had vanished into.

"Phew." She sighed in a quieter, sober voice that shook me greatly.

'Uwah. How scary.' I was frightened by her ability to switch gears so fast.

"So, I take it you're not actually drunk...?" I asked sheepishly.

"Drunk!?" Valerie exclaimed, turning back to me. "As if I would be. They don't allow alcohol at this thing." She answered.

"And even if they did, did you really think I would be the type to get drunk?" She pouted, returning to her usual fake tone she spoke to me with.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, I've outlived my use as your scarecrow. So, what's your big plan now?" I asked her, the usual awkwardness replaced by the confidence I got being able to do such a thing for her.

--How ugly-- The shallow confidence I was just filled with was immediately disspelled.

"Well, I could just stay by my scarecrow for the rest of the night." She said slyly as she looked back up at me. I felt a faint tug at my heartstrings before reminding myself of who this was, I was dealing with.

"Uhuh..." I spoke succinctly, the awkwardness returning to my voice.

"Huh?" Valerie asked, confused.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue at my inability to behave naturally once again.

--She's just joking, as if she'd really mean that--

"Whatever." I pushed her aside gently, ignoring her confused stare and walking into the crowd mindlessly looking for the kid who invited me to this damn thing in the first place. Spotting him jumping up and down in the center of a crowd, I joined him in his actions, not wanting to think about what I was doing at all.

"Hey Michael." I said, while jumping beside him and the guys we came with, as if part of his little group.

--You look like a loser--

"Ah... yo... dude. Whatsup...?" He turned to me and spoke as if surprised. Beside him I could see a few girls in his group along with the rest of the guys that he came with.

I cringed inwardly, his reluctant words bringing me to the truth of the situation.

--He was just being nice. Saved some money doing it too, heh.--

"Oh, uh nothing. Nevermind. I spoke another awkward flat line before walking back out of the crowd. The people around me all staring in distaste and pity as I walked through them.

I knew it wasn't real. There wasn't anyone who'd concern themselves with me so much that they'd have any feeling beyond indifference.

I continued to block out my thoughts as I walked with the single goal of reaching the back wall of the gym.

Finding myself at the wall I hurriedly turned around and pushed my back against the wall, looking back out at the crowd of people that could now only be ahead of me.

'Nobody's looking.'

I sighed in relief as well as distaste for my own exaggerated preconceptions as I leaned up against the wall in a more relaxed position.

--What were you thinking?--

I thought back to what my old self was feeling at the time that I made that stupid decision. It was obviously just for the discount.

'Well, I didn't know about it.' I reminded myself.

"Michael Pullen." I chuckled as I said his name. " 'You don't know my name!?' He said. Does he even know mine?" I wondered aloud before I froze.

'cshhhhhh' Static surfaced in my head.

"M-my name... he never did say my name, did he? And Valerie... she... did she ever?"

'Oh, sorry dude...' -- 'Don't worry dude...' -- 'Hey, you~...' --'YOU REALLY CAME' -- 'yo... dude.' Their voices flashed through my mind as I realized that they never actually did.

'CSHHHHH' The sound grew stronger.

"What... what was my name?"

'CSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH' The sound tore upwards through my brain, and I grabbed my head, pulling it down to my chest in an attempt to hide from the pain.

"cairo...?" a distant voice sounded from within the static as I continued to hold my head down in agony.

"Cairo!" The voice overshadowed the noise in my mind as I felt cold hands on my cheeks and opened my eyes to see the dark figure of the girl that hovered over me.