Tommy

October 18th, 2023

I was dressed completely in yellow for today. On Monday, it was Pajama Day, so I wore a plain T-shirt and checkered pants— basically Mom’s nightmare. Tuesday it was Tie Dye day, and I tried to make a shirt… didn’t really work out, since Harry and I started shooting paint at each other and they made us leave.

It was Wednesday now, and Spirit Day was pretty big at Summit. Underclassmen wore blue and the rest of us wore gold or yellow. The cheerleaders and dance team were in uniform the whole day. There were tables and rooms reserved for games, like water balloon fights in the gym, bounce houses outside, and the big Homecoming Parade. The Homecoming Court was announced just yesterday.

It was fun during freshman year, but after all 4 years, it got pretty tiring. Same stuff, nothing new. All I anticipated was the game.

My foot bounced and I continuously glanced at the clock, waiting for Pre-Calc to finish. After this, I was to head to the locker room and change for football practice, then appear in the parade. The rest of my class also seemed anxious, filling the room with tension.

The bell rang and many of us flinched, but our professor believed in ‘The bell doesn’t dismiss you, I dismiss you’. What was the point of having a school bell, then?

He erased the board slowly, obviously teasing us. I impatiently tapped my pencil on my desk. Everyone cursed under their breath and desperately looked at the door.

The professor then chuckled. “Alright, alright, you can go.”

We all burst into action, hurriedly packing our things and heading out. The men’s locker room was pretty far, so I walked at a fast pace. My phone buzzed urgently in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a call screen, but instead saw a series of messages from Shirley.

TommyFieldsBaby: Tommy bearrr what r u doing??

Babe r u ok?

Why arent u answering?

U better not b w those s—y cheerleaders!

Tommy this is why i hate homecoming

Pls answer

Baby!!

Geez, it was only a few seconds!

“Hey, babe,” I recorded. “Don’t worry, I was in Pre-Calc. I just got out. And no, I’m not with any cheerleaders- I don’t even know any of them. Relax. I’m going to the locker room, I have practice, okay? Love you.”

I didn’t really blame her distrust after what I did. Prank or not, the truth came to light when Diana shared those things. I’d been avoiding them, but sometimes, I couldn’t help but look at them when I was stressed. It was like they gave me energy to get through the day. I didn’t know what else to do.

Harry was already changing when I entered the locker room. Most of the other guys were there, too. To my relief, our star quarterback wasn’t here just yet.

“What happened?” Harry asked me.

“What?”

“You looked upset.”

I did? “Uh… nothing.”

“Shirley?”

My shoulders tensed. “She just texted me, that’s all. We weren’t fighting.”

“Okay,” he said doubtfully.

“Could you mind your own business, pringle?” I felt bad for snapping at him, but he had the same problem as all my brothers. They were always so nosy when it came to Shirley. They wanted to frame her as the reason for all my problems. And that wasn’t true.

“Sorry.” Harry turned away, putting on his shoulder pads.

Guilty, I was about to apologize, but got startled by someone shouting, “I’M GETTING SOME TONIGHT!”

Great. The quarterback was here.

I turned. Lucas waved at a group of girls out in the hall and came into the locker room with a confident stride. That smirk was ever-present on his face. Some of the guys cheered for him, others wolf-whistling after the girls left.

“Hey, Tommy.” He approached me. I put on my best fake smile. “I heard your other sister isn’t here anymore,” he followed.

My jaw clenched. “She’s my foster sister, and yes, she left.”

“Why is that?” His brows frowned in fake concern.

“She… just didn’t want to be here.”

“I heard she was doing some messed up stuff.”

I glared at him. “Like what?”

“Your girlfriend told me she was being all suicidal.”

She talked to Lucas?

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” said Harry.

“Not talking to you, shrimp.”

“Don’t talk to him like that,” I defended him.

Lucas chuckled. “I was just asking. What’s got you two so angry, huh? If that’s true about her being like the girl from The Tapes, shouldn’t she be with someone? She’s not alone at your house, right?”

We ignored him.

“I can always keep her company if you want,” he followed.

A furious, enraged fire ignited within me. It took me a lot of strength to not turn and punch him after that tone in his voice. I contented myself with, “Jump off a cliff.”

He held up his hands, chuckling. “Whoa, there. I was just asking as a concerned friend of yours. We are friends, right? It’s all water under the bridge?” He patted my shoulder. “I mean, you guys are great team players. I know I’d miss you if you ever left.”

Harry only shook his head, putting on his socks. I sighed. “Yeah, we’re friends, Lucas,” I forced out. “Sorry. We’re both just really tense and stressed.”

I promised Amy I’d never speak to him again… I’m so sorry, baby. He was a trash person, but he and Coach were pretty close, and he was the captain of the team this year. Football was what Harry needed for college, and with both his and my success— and scholarship, hopefully— he could make it.

Harry and I endured football practice, concentrating on the excitement of the festivities instead of Lucas. Diana also plagued my mind. I texted her a few times during breaks, and while she had a positive tone, I still worried. With that woman around, she was bound to get more and more upset.

I wiped my sweaty forehead with a towel. The Homecoming parade was starting soon, so I had just enough time to shower and put on my official football uniform. My phone buzzed again. Sighing, I prepared for another rant from Shirley, but instead found a messaging request.

t_lowe450 (Tony Lowe) wants to chat with you.

Tony… Diana’s friend? Hesitantly, I accepted. Hi Tommy this is Tony, Dianas friend

tomarthurfield: Hey Tony whats up?

I wanted to ask you something, he said. diana just told me she transfered to online school?

Yea she did, I replied.

How is she?

Why dont u ask her yourself?

I did but she doesnt say much. im worryed

Worried how?

Ik shes been thru a lot, he said. The typing indicator toggled a few times. I felt bad that shes not going to the dance this weekend. i was hoping ill go w her. A few more pauses. I feel bad that shes all alone now, so i thought we could surprise her? me and her other friends?

My brows were knitted as I asked, surprise her how?

My sister gave me an idea that I should go over and dance w her. like privately. Without the rest of the school there.

Privately? I didn’t like the sound of that.

Not privately like all alone, but not at school is what i mean

Oh.

Idk when but i can see when all of us can go over, maybe on a weekend

That was… pretty cool of him. I hadn’t really gotten to meet him directly, but he seemed like a nice person overall. This would give me the chance to evaluate him, though— obviously, he liked Diana.

Her friends want to get her a dress and stuff, he continued. So we thought they could do her hair and stuff, and after, i can show up and dance w her

Is this a date? I asked.

The typing indicator flashed a few times before he answered. im not trying to get anything from her, i just felt bad about her being alone, and we wanted to do something special for her. we know shes been thru a lot

My heart softened a bit. It felt good knowing Diana had found great friends like these. But even so, I wanted to be cautious. Thats really cool of u tony. Yea sure, u can do that. Ill talk to my other bros about it

Cool, he said. if u want, I can meet up w u and ur brother after the parade today?

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Yea that sounds good. in the parking lot?

He sent a thumbs-up.

Okay, now we could really meet him. Maybe this way, Diana could really be… happy. This could remind her that she had people who cared about her.

And hopefully, that woman could leave soon.

~~~

Diana

October 28th, 2023

Saturday. A day of freedom for most. For me, it was a day of staring at the ceiling.

Improvement was an illusion. That was what I discovered the past week. No matter what I did, what I tried to do, nothing would ever get better. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

I could block everyone out of my life, let them into my life… none of that would make a difference. It would never change anything or make anything better. This feeling would remain.

I turned my head, eyeing my prescribed antidepressants on my side table. I scoffed. What useless things.

They would come of use soon… very soon. But not just yet.

I didn’t know what was keeping me here. There was something… maybe I still had that ridiculous, naïve hope of everything getting brighter and happier. I still held on to that unattainable dream. And yes, there would be moments when I felt happy and comfortable, feeling like maybe life was worth it… only for something else to slam into me and prove me wrong.

I was so… tired. I wanted to sleep… and never wake up.

Briefly, I checked FamiliarFaces. All my friends’ pages were filled with pictures of Homecoming— except for Tony’s, strangely. Thelma, Kate, and Mildred were posing together in a selfie, looking gorgeous in their dresses. I sighed, putting the phone down.

“Aren’t you going to do something?” Ms. Howells asked, looking at her phone.

Her voice alone irritated me. I didn’t know why she was here on a weekend. It was like she couldn’t stand not having complete control of my life.

“Like what?” I said.

“Anything of interest to you. Or your homework.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“You’re just going to lie there?”

“Yeah. That’s what I want to do. Lie here and not think. So let me be.”

“Your defiance is getting out of hand,” she warned.

“Oh, what are you going to do? Put me in a hospital?” I looked at her challengingly. “I don’t care. Do what you want. Not like I can fight back.”

A knock sounded, thankfully. “Diana?” I lifted my head, seeing Davis staring back at me. “Your friends are here.”

“My friends?”

“I don’t remember their names.” He chuckled sheepishly. “But they want to see you.”

Hesitantly, I rose from the bed. What were they doing here? Ms. Howells followed close behind as we went downstairs.

Mildred, Thelma, Kate, Blanche, and Alma all stood in the foyer, talking to Susan, Kyle, and Jack. Alma had a backpack on. Thelma smiled when she saw me, nudging the others. They seemed a bit curious at Ms. Howells’ presence, but didn’t ask any questions.

What were Blanche and Alma doing here? And why were they dressed so fancy? And Mildred, Thelma, Kate… they were wearing their dresses? From Homecoming?

“Hey, guys…” I patted my hair down self-consciously. They all looked so gorgeous, and here I was in dirty sweats and an oversized hoodie— oversized because I stole it from Jack. My hair was probably like a bird’s nest and my face was as unattractive as usual.

“Hey,” Thelma drew out, hugging me.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Hey, that’s my shirt. Why are you wearing my shirt?” Jack pointed at me.

“Jack, shh.” Susan patted his arm.

“But she has my shirt-”

“You don’t even like that shirt,” Kyle pointed out. He then looked at the girls, narrowing his eyes. “Are you going to tell her why you’re here?”

The girls seemed a bit intimidated by his glare, remaining silent.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” said Susan, leading Davis and the boys away. They seemed to want to protest, but remained silent, reluctantly following her out. Jack looked back at us suspiciously.

Those two were so weird…

“So… what’s up? What’s with the dresses?” I asked. “They’re really pretty, by the way.”

“Thanks,” said Blanche.

I cast a quick glance at her, still a bit off-put at her presence. “Um, so… what are y’all doing here? It’s Saturday… and late.”

Tommy and Harry came downstairs. They were a lot more pleasant towards the girls than the older two. “Hey, guys,” said Harry. His face instantly turned red and he shifted. “You look great.”

“Thank you,” they all said.

“Are you planning on taking Diana out tonight? If you are, she’s your responsibility,” Ms. Howells suddenly said. “I’d prefer to accompany you.”

The girls looked at each other, stammering. I could feel my cheeks burning. “Sorry. Um… she’s just here to watch me. She’s kind of in charge right now,” I explained.

“Oh. Uh, th-that’s fine. W-we’re not t-taking her out o-or anything,” Kate said.

“So what’s the occasion? You seem pretty nervous.”

“She has a stutter.” I glared at her, even more embarrassed. “Sorry, Kate.”

“Y-you’re good. W-we wanted to ask you…” Kate went into the living room, coming back with a bag. She lifted it, revealing a yellow dress. It was vintage-style, like the 50’s.

I approached it, my hand reaching out. My fingertips took in the feeling of the smooth fabric. “What’s… this for?”

“For you,” Thelma said simply. She also went into the living room and came back with a pair of golden heels.

“Wha- guys… I don’t get it. Where are we going?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Alma.

“Then?”

“D-do you like the dress?” Kate asked.

“I mean… I love it. It’s beautiful. But-”

“Great.” Kate took my hand, leading me upstairs. The other girls followed, Thelma with the shoes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ms. Howells stopped us.

“Ms. Howells, they have our permission.” Susan approached. “They wanted to do something nice for her.”

“Why didn’t you inform me of this little… whatever it is?”

“It was a surprise.”

“You guys knew?” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, we knew,” Davis laughed. “They’ll keep an eye on her.”

The girls pulled me further upstairs. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“We’re going to do your hair and makeup,” Thelma said.

“But what-”

“Just trust us.”

Trust them? Doubt filled me as they dragged me to my door. “No- guys, you need to tell me what you’re doing.” I pulled my hand away from Kate, stopping them. “Please?”

They glanced at each other. Thelma took my hands comfortingly. “We felt bad about you being here all alone for so long, so we decided to do a little… Homecoming of our own, in your backyard.”

It took me a minute to process her words. “Wait, what? As in… here? How?”

“All we needed was music and your outfit.”

“Did you pay for this?” I pointed at the dress.

“Let’s go.” She pushed me into my room.

“Whoa- wait- how- slow down!” I was confused as they sat me down in my office chair and Alma took off her backpack. She brought out a bunch of makeup bags and hair tools.

“Relax, Di, it’s just a fix-up,” said Kate.

“But- ow.” My head jerked back as a comb got caught in my knots.

“Sorry,” said Alma.

“She needs to put on the dress.”

“True. Di, go to the bathroom and put this on.” Thelma handed me the dress and shoes. “Also wash your face, then come back here.” She ushered me out of my chair and towards the bathroom.

“But, wait-”

“Hurry up!” She pushed me through the door.

Confused, I just followed along and put on the dress. Looking in the mirror, I scrunched up my nose. It was beautiful, but I didn’t do it justice. I turned on the sink and scrubbed my face clean.

What was all this? They got this… for me? It just… they couldn’t have. They were crazy. There had to be some kind of joke involved. Blanche and Alma had something up their sleeve. What if they were all teaming up with Ivy? Or Shirley?

Did Susan and Davis know? They said they did. The way Jack looked at us, did he know something? Susan seemed okay with it. But they could’ve lied to her. In any case, they were here if anything happened.

But if anything happened… in front of Ms. Howells… they weren’t that stupid. They would’ve backed out of their plan, right?

I wanted to trust the girls, but this was too much.

A knock startled me. “Diana! Come on, w-we have to do your hair!” Kate called.

I dried my face and opened the door, my guard steadily rising. She sighed at the sight of me. “That dress really suits you,” she said.

“Thanks…”

Her smile suddenly disappeared. I froze, gulping. What was it? I looked ugly, didn’t I? She was regretting it. The whole thing was canceled.

“I-I guess you forgot the j-jacket,” she pointed out.

I looked back at the hanger, and sure enough, the jacket was still there. My arms were bare, showing my bandages. My mouth dried. I slowly put the jacket on, my heart rate sky-high.

“There. You look perfect,” Kate said. “L-let’s get your hair done.” She smiled, as if nothing had happened. She led me back to my room.

Notwithstanding my confusion and paranoia, I sat in my chair and let the girls fuss over me.

My head jerked back a few times, accompanied by painful stings in my scalp, and followed by ‘sorry’ every time. Kate and Thelma were the ones brushing while Blanche and Alma did my makeup. One second, I was being dabbed with foundation, the next, a blush brush tickled my cheeks.

The confusion was nearly overwhelming, but while I felt anxious, I wasn’t panicking. They were noticeably excited, which scared me a bit. I just had to hope I was right about trusting them.

“It’s just you guys, right?” I asked. “You didn’t bring anyone else?”

“Shh, don’t talk.” Alma carefully lined my eyelids. “Yeah, it’s just us… and someone else.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see.”

There it was. That was the big prank, wasn’t it? They’d bring Shirley or someone else to taunt me.

“You’re gonna love it, trust me.” I could feel Thelma tying my hair up.

Blanche positioned a paper towel under my eyes, holding the mascara brush up. “Blink slow.”

I did so. “Can you give me any hints?”

“It’s k-kind of obvious if you think about it,” said Kate.

Obvious? How was it obvious? It was exactly what I thought, wasn’t it? I was tempted to break away and tear off whatever Thelma had put in my hair. I didn’t want to let them hurt me. I didn’t want to be betrayed again.

“You’ll spoil the surprise,” Alma whined. “We’ve been planning this all week.”

“Sorry. She keeps asking.” Kate patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, Di. We promise y-you’ll like this.”

She sounded genuine, but…

“Okay, all done.” Thelma took my hands and steered me to the bathroom again. “Voila!”

Looking in the mirror, I saw a stranger’s face staring back. She was… pretty. Very pretty. The eyeliner made her eyes brighter, her cheeks weren’t sullen and pale, and her lips popped in red. Her blond waves cascaded down, with large braids surrounding her head like a crown.

This wasn’t me. This… couldn’t be me.

This could be Amy, though. Maybe this was really how she looked. In the pictures, she was like me, but so much prettier.

“How did you do this?” I approached the mirror, still doubting what I saw.

“You look so beautiful!” Alma squealed.

“H-how did you… change my face?” I touched my cheeks, unsure.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m… pretty.”

“Of course you’re pretty!” Thelma leaned her chin on my shoulder.

I could feel the genuineness, a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I still didn’t want to completely fall. This wouldn’t be the first time sweet words like this were used as bait.

The doorbell rang downstairs. “Hi! Come on in!” Susan said. “Girls, he’s here!” she then called.

“Who’s here?” I started panicking.

“Let’s go!” The girls pulled me down the stairs.

“W-wait, but who’s here? Who is it? Guys?”

I got my answer when I reached the landing. For a moment, the world stopped as I took in the sight of him in a blue blazer and black pants, a sunflower boutonniere in his pocket. His normally messy curls were brushed, still playful, but not reckless. His cheeks glowed more than ever with a blinding smile.

“Hey,” Tony said, waving shyly. I noticed the box in his hand, which contained a sunflower. “Happy belated Homecoming,” he added.

I smiled a bit, still unsure if this was a dream. Maybe I fell asleep after lying in bed for so long. Maybe this was some crazy fantasy.

“This is for you.” He stepped forward, opening the box. The sunflower inside was actually a bracelet… no, it was a corsage.

I glanced at Susan, who excitedly recorded everything on her phone. “I’m not here.” She jerked her head at Tony so I could pay attention. I only stared as he put the corsage on my wrist.

“Mom, I was thinking-” Kyle stopped. His jaw flapped as the atmosphere grew awkward. “Um… sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He noticed Tony and smiled, approaching us. “You must be Tony.”

Yeah, this definitely wasn’t a dream.

Kyle shook his hand firmly. “Nice to meet you. You’re Diana’s friend, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You guys close?”

We glanced at each other. “Kinda,” said Tony, smiling at me. My knees weakened.

“Hey, Dad, did you meet Tony yet?” Kyle called into the kitchen.

“Kyle!” Susan scolded.

“What? He should meet everyone, shouldn’t he?”

Davis and Jack came into the foyer. Davis was a bit less domineering as he shook Tony’s hand in greeting, smiling nicely. Jack, on the other hand, didn’t even smile as he also shook his hand and scrutinized him silently from head to toe.

Tony wasn’t intimidated in the least, at least not outwardly. He kept an easygoing smile and was very polite to all three of them.

“So Diana’s your date, right?” Kyle crossed his arms.

“Yeah, she’s my Homecoming date.” He shrugged modestly. “I just didn’t like the idea of Diana being here all alone. She needs to see more people that care about her.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks.

“Where’d you get the dress?” Jack asked bluntly, still glaring at him. Susan went up to him and nudged him scoldingly.

“That was me.” Thelma raised her hand. “Well, all of us. I remembered what Diana’s favorite color was, and Tommy gave us some tips, too.”

“You paid for that?”

“Obviously not,” said Susan. “I did.”

My head spun a bit. This was unbelievable. They did all of this for me? There had to be something behind it… some catch for their benefit.

“Diana, are you okay?” Alma approached me with concern.

Realizing I was frowning, I relaxed my facial muscles. “I’m sorry…” I began. “I… don’t really understand.”

“Understand what?”

“You guys got a dress­… and shoes… for me. You fixed my hair and gave me a total makeover. What is all this for?” Ms. Howells narrowed her eyes at the girls after my question.

“For your missed Homecoming,” Blanche said obviously, laughing. “We wanted to show you a good time.”

“But why…” Why do you care? I wanted to ask it, but I didn’t want to sound rude. Susan would scold me, too.

“Diana, you’re our friend,” Thelma said. “We care about you. You went through a lot of stuff at school, and it probably gets lonely here taking online— I mean, we all went through 2020.” The others murmured, some nodding in agreement. “You said you’re only staying here a few months. So, why not make the most out of it?”

I couldn’t say anything. They… really meant this. They wanted to make me happy. They… liked me.

“Di, it’s okay! Don’t cry.” The girls surrounded me in a warm embrace. Blinking, I realized tears were running down my cheeks.