A Night to Remember

It was supposed to be my Cinderella moment (listen, guys don't get fairytale princesses so we have to make do). My mom had helped me dress in my bext tuxedo, and my dad had given me a haircut that didn't come out of one of Nana's pressed Vogue magazines from the early 1900s. The corsage that I had for Emily was tightly on my wrist, and it matched my tie. I just knew it would match her eyes since I spent more time staring at them than paying attention to Mr. McCullough. My dad had dropped me off in their station wagon, rather than just using the taxi he drove. He wished me good luck and I stepped out into the sea of other kids trying to get into prom.

The theme was Night Under the Sea, despite Maya and Henry's pleas to have something that the school hasn't been doing since the 1980s. I found them quickly, kissing under the bleachers. Henry saw me and gave me a thumbs-up as he quickly rounded first base and headed to second. I walked past the bleachers to see the whole senior class mingling. For once, they actually enforced the "upperclassmen only" rule (though it was spurred by some asshole basketball player preying on the underclassmen), so I at least knew everyone there. I set my jacket down and circled the room.

Rhiannon saw me first before I had seen her. I was looking for Emily when she came over and tapped me, effectively scaring the shit out of me.

"Hey, you came!" she said, making my soul leave my body. "Jesus, don't have a cow, man."

"Sorry, you look... the same as always?"

"Yeah, why get dressed up when I could be comfortable. But hey, have a good night. I think I saw Em over there with her friends."

Rhiannon joined some of her friends and walked away. Though I normally dreaded when chemistry class was over since she was one of my only friends at school, I was happy she left so I could regain my color and catch my breath before finding Emily. The DJ was playing something fun now, so I still had time before the slow songs came on everyone went from relaxing to playing Musical Chairs with the people around them. I wandered towards the south basketball hoop where a bunch of colorful prom dresses were huddled. I could see her blonde curly hair and soft hazel eyes from the sideline, though she was standing right underneath the retracted hoop.

I walked towards them when I smelled it. It smelled like rotten eggs and a migraine. I stopped around the three-point line and looked around. Everyone in the room was swaying lethargically despite Janet Jackson playing. People's grips on each other were slipping, and a few people closest to the door of the north wing were laughing maniacally. I noticed that I was breathing less and less and looked around for a solution. The windows were closed despite the April heat and only one door was open, making the gym a sweltering, ventless hotbox. But something was in the air and it was bad. I looked around frantically, saw the fire alarm, and pulled it. Ink spouted on me and the sprinklers and alarms went off simultaneously.

The dance stopped though the music was still playing, and everyone made beelines for the exits. I kicked open the south door and people followed me down the hall and out of the building. A million soaked teenagers flooded outside. I was the first though, though I saw Rhiannon staring at the school. She must've left before I did, though I could tell something was wrong with her. I pulled her aside as people came barreling out of the building, screaming at the unknown.

"Are you okay, Rhi?" I asked her.

"I hate them," she said softly. Her hands were shaking.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"They were going to Carrie me," she said, looking down. "They said we were king and queen. It's bullshit."

"What are you talking about?"

Rhiannon didn't speak, just pulled away from me, and walked towards her car, crying. I started after her, but the principal had grabbed me since I was the only kid covered in stupid blue dye. For once, I was not going to be expelled. There was methane in the gym, and a few more minutes and everyone would have been dead. They found tubes from the science room leading into the gym. All the gas was turned on. Had this been the sixties, some jackass would've lit a cigarette and the whole room would be a fireball. A few people were hurt, including Henry and Maya who were under the bleachers near the gas. They went to the hospital.

My dad came in the taxi, terrified that something had happened, and thankful that I was okay (though he was pissed about my stained clothes). As we drove away, I wondered what Rhiannon had meant and whether she had done this. It didn't seem like her, but when she didn't come to school that Monday, or the days that followed until graduation, I couldn't help but wonder if she did and why. I didn't realize it until my sister and her boyfriend invited me to watch a movie and we watched Carrie. As soon as the pail of blood fell on Carrie, my throat seized up and I began to sputter and gag. My sister's boyfriend called it a panic attack and they tried to calm me down but I just thought of Rhiannon and her shaking and began to cry, and shake, and hyperventilate.