Page 7

‘Of course we know it wasn’t you!’

Bec says, pulling him into a hug.

‘I’m gonna fucking kill her.

Actually murder her.

I’ll do the time.’

‘I need some air,’ Chase says, breaking away from the hug and heading for the double doors at the back of the room.

Bec weaves through the crowd after him.

I try to follow, but a squeal of feedback stops me in my tracks.

I look up to see Kellen has picked up the mic.

He’s taken off his mask and is standing centre stage.

For a moment, I think he’s going to decry Tiffany’s slander, but of course he’d never do that.

‘Sorry to interrupt your evening … again,’ he says.

‘And congrats to Ethan and Tiffany.’

He’s fidgety and stumbles over the words, like he’s really, really nervous.

I want to go after Bec and Chase, but I also want to know what he’s about to say.

‘Tonight is the last time we’re all going to be together,’ he continues.

‘So, if you’ll indulge me, I wanted to take this opportunity to say something to someone special …’

Oh God. Enough with the mushy-gushy.

The whole crowd instinctively turns to find Rhys.

From the expression on his face, he had no idea this was coming either.

‘I know we’re going off to study in different cities,’ Kellen says, looking him in the eye now.

‘We’re gonna be on opposite sides of the country, and people keep saying that there’s no way we can make it work long distance.

So that’s why I want to make this promise, right here, right now, in front of everyone.

I promise to find a way.’

People clap at that.

It’s a little much for my liking, but I clap too.

And I do it loudly. I doubt they’ll even make it through the summer.

Fuck you, Tiffany.

But then I realize that’s not the end of it.

He’s reaching into his jacket pocket as he bends forward, as if he’s taking a knee …

Oh my God, Kellen, what are you doing?

‘Rhys Kingsland …’

Make it stop.

‘Would you do me the honour …’

Please, for the love of God.

Make. It. Stop.

‘… of being my husband?’

The voice in my head is screaming with second-hand embarrassment.

It feels like everything goes in slow motion after that.

The entire room is looking at Rhys – students, staff, even the waiters – but he just stands there like a deer in headlights.

I see Madzikanda take a large gulp of wine.

‘Husband?’ he croaks finally.

‘Yeah,’ Kellen says softly, his eyes filling up with hope.

Please say yes , I think.

This whole thing is completely preposterous, but I can’t bear to see Kellen humiliated so publicly.

What on earth possessed him to do this?

‘Um …’ Rhys licks his lips anxiously, eyes darting from face to staring face.

He drags the silence out for far longer than is comfortable.

‘I guess?’

So romantic.

The crowd parts as Kellen rushes down from the stage and dives into his arms. Rhys catches him and the two of them fumble an awkward kiss.

It’s like watching a car crash, but people weirdly seem to be enjoying it.

The clapping is thunderous, the whoops and cheers close to deafening.

Has everyone lost their mind?

Surely they know this is ridiculous?

‘Love is love!’ I hear Josh yell from somewhere in the crowd.

Surely not him too? Josh has more sense than to think this is what love is.

I take it as my cue to leave.

I go towards the door again, but this time someone grabs my hand.

I seriously can’t catch a break.

But then I realize I’m wrong.

Because it’s Cameron.

‘Can we talk?’

‘Huh?’ I say, turning to face him.

He’s still holding my hand.

His skin is a lot softer than I imagined.

I always thought his hands would be rough from playing rugby.

‘That proposal,’ he says.

‘It kinda got me thinking …’

‘It did?’ I swallow hard.

Maybe Kellen has done me a favour here …

‘Yeah. Carpe diem and all that.’ He glances over his shoulder.

‘There’s something I want to tell you, but I don’t wanna do it here.

Maybe we could go somewhere quieter?’

And I want to. I really want to.

But I can’t stop thinking about what just happened to Chase.

As much as I wanna ‘talk’ with Cameron, I know my best friend needs me right now.

I won’t be like Kellen.

I’m not going to abandon my friends for some boy.

‘I want to,’ I say, ‘but I’m kinda in the middle of something.’

‘Oh.’ He sounds deflated.

‘I really want to. Just maybe a bit later?’

‘OK,’ Cameron says, looking at his watch.

‘How about midnight then?’

‘Midnight’s perfect,’ I say.

Maybe I really am Cinderella.

‘By the lake?’

‘Sure,’ I say, giving him a smile before heading for the door.

I expect to hear yelling or crying – or both – but when I get outside I just find Chase and Bec sitting quietly at the edge of the lake.

Bec has her arm round Chase, and they’re not saying anything, just looking out over the water.

‘Chase?’ I say delicately.

He turns and smiles softly when he sees me.

‘What’s going on in there?’

I think about telling him about Kellen’s proposal.

About Cameron asking me to ‘talk’.

But right now none of that seems important.

‘Nothing much,’ I say, sitting beside him.

‘I’m so sorry about Tiffany.’

‘I should never have changed those results,’ he says.

‘I don’t know what I was thinking.

I should have just left her alone.

Let her have her victory lap.’

‘That’s my fault.

I encouraged you. If I’d known this was gonna happen …’

‘How could you have, Zach? It’s not your fault.’

‘Yeah,’ Bec says.

‘The only person we should be blaming right now is whoever leaked those pictures … That’s what started this.’

‘It could have been anyone,’ I say.

‘We need to find out who,’ Bec says.

‘Tiffany said it herself: somebody’s bound to have left a paper trail …’

‘I know who it was,’ a voice says from behind us.

We all spin round to see the last person I’d have expected.

‘Ethan?’ Bec says, standing up defensively.

‘Don’t you fucking start …’

‘I wasn’t going to.’

He holds his hands up defensively.

‘I come in peace.’

Bec narrows her eyes, chewing her lip.

I don’t trust him either.

‘Let him speak,’ Chase says, getting up now too.

‘I know who leaked the pictures,’ he repeats.

‘I know it wasn’t you, Chase.

If you come with me, I’ll show you.’

‘Show us right here,’ Bec retorts.

‘I can’t,’ he says. ‘And I can only show this to Chase. It’s kinda …

personal.’

‘What do you mean by personal?’ Bec snaps.

‘There’s no fucking way.’

‘Fine, suit yourself.’ He goes to walk off.

‘Wait,’ Chase says. ‘Why can’t you just tell us?’

‘Because I can’t,’ he says, annoyed.

I don’t understand why he’s getting so defensive about it.

‘I’ll show you,’ he says again.

‘You just have to trust me.’

‘Trust you?’ Bec refuses to stand down.

‘Why the fuck should we trust you?’

‘Bec,’ Chase says.

‘It’s fine …’

‘It’s not fine!’

she snarls.

‘You know what? Fuck this,’ Ethan says, actually walking away now.

‘Ethan, wait,’ Chase says, going after him.

‘It’s chill, Bec. What’s he gonna do?

I’m a big boy. I can handle this.’

Bec looks unconvinced.

‘I’ll be right back, OK?’

‘Fine.’ She clearly isn’t happy.

‘I don’t like this, Zach.’

‘Me neither,’ I reply as we watch them walk away.

‘But if Ethan knows who really did this, isn’t that worth pursuing?

That’ll clear Chase’s name.

Squash the rumours before they get out of hand.

You’ve seen what they’re saying online.

We need to show he’s innocent.’

‘Yeah, but why can’t Ethan just tell all of us?

What could he possibly have that he can only show to Chase?

It doesn’t make any sense.

And why is he going behind Tiffany’s back?’

‘Maybe he’s been sending pictures to other girls and doesn’t want her to find out?’

‘But Chase will just tell us anyway. He knows that.’ She watches as the two boys disappear inside the building.

‘I don’t like him being on his own.

They could do anything …’

‘What are they gonna do? Seriously?’

Bec turns pale.

‘Oh my God,’ she says, breaking into a run.

‘How could we be so stupid?’

‘Huh?’ I say, hurrying after her as she races into the hall.

‘What’s happening?’

‘We have to stop them!’

‘Stop them from doing what?’ I say, already breathless.

Music pumps. Everyone is on the dance floor.

Everyone except for Ethan and Chase.

I scan the room and see that the punchbowl has been knocked over, its contents spilled across the floor.

For a moment, I imagine Ethan dumping it over Chase in some cruel prank, but then I realize it’s a false alarm.

The two of them are just standing at the top of the stairs, and Ethan is showing him something on his phone.

‘See, it’s fine,’ I say.

‘They’re just talking.’

But Bec has seen something I’m missing.

‘Chase!’ she yells, staring up towards the ceiling.

I follow her gaze, but can’t see what she’s looking at.

‘Chase!’ she yells louder now, and that’s when I finally spot it.

A glint of silver hanging way up in the rafters above them.

We’re too late.

Ethan steps neatly aside, leaving Chase alone.

He looks up for a moment, confused, just as a metal bucket swings down, drenching him from head to toe in thick red liquid.

Pig’s blood. His pristine outfit is ruined.

The room erupts with screams – shock and laughter mingling as the crowd of students realize the leaver’s prank wasn’t cancelled after all.

Chase is frantically trying to wipe the mixture from his eyes.

Bec looks like she’s seeing red too.

‘What the fuck are you laughing at?’ she screams at a Hawthorn boy as she pushes past him, throwing her arms round Chase, ruining her outfit as well.

Everyone is staring, watching my best friend’s humiliation.

Phones are appearing everywhere, catching it in 4K from every conceivable angle.

So much for allyship.

They’ll turn on anyone for content.

The music drops out suddenly: even the DJ must be in shock.

The room falls deathly silent and just one voice cuts through the quiet.

‘Oh dear,’ Tiffany says, stepping out of the shadows at the top of the stairs, Ethan at her side.

‘I guess karma works fast.’

The rage is bubbling inside me now.

‘Shame you got caught in the crossfire,’ she says to Bec, looking up and down at her bloodstained outfit.

‘Ah, well. Hope it doesn’t stain the ASOS.’

And that’s when I snap.

I grab the half-empty bucket from where it lies at the foot of the stairs, and run after Tiffany.

I can smell the beetroot now – at least they kept it vegan again this year.

‘How’s this for karma, you bitch?’

I yell, throwing the contents towards her.

But Tiffany is too quick and dodges at the very last second, leaving Josh and Owen in the firing line.

They take most of what’s left over to the face, but not all of it.

Something else is hit too.

The yearbook.

Still out on its table, the antique volume now sits in a huge puddle of red liquid, sodden and dripping.

It’s ruined.

‘ Fuck, fuck, fuck ,’ I say, realizing what I’ve done.

‘What the hell is all this?’ a voice booms from behind me.

I turn and see Mr Harrington rushing towards me.

That’s when I realize the bucket is still in my hand, everyone around me covered in the red sticky mixture.

Chase looks devastated.

Josh and Owen are dripping on the flagstones.

And Tiffany’s face is a mask of triumph.

‘What’s going on?’ Miss Madzikanda says, following closely behind Harrington.

She looks down at the bucket in my hand.

‘Zach, what happened here?’

‘ She happened!’ I say, pointing at Tiffany.

‘Me?’ she says, effortlessly turning on her wounded princess act.

‘Don’t try to pin this on Tiffany,’ Mr Harrington says.

‘I saw you with my own eyes! I caught you red-handed! Literally red-handed!’ I look down to see that my hands are, in fact, stained red.

‘And after I explicitly forbade this stupid prank. Consider yourself expelled!’

‘Hang on a minute, Alan,’ Madzikanda protests.

‘Save it, Joyce,’ he says, glaring at her.

‘You know what?’ I say.

‘Fuck you. Fuck this school. Fuck everything.’

‘Zach, wait,’ Miss Madzikanda says as I turn away.

‘Let’s talk.’

‘About what?’

‘About … Huckleberry .’

I spin back to face her.

‘My friend’s been assaulted, I’m getting expelled and you want to talk about a statue of a dog ?’

I say. ‘What exactly are you on?’

‘Zach, I think I might know what’s happening here …’

‘I’ll tell you what’s happening!’

I say. ‘What’s happening is that Hawthorn have ruined everything, like they always do.

They’re spoiled and privileged and get a free pass to do whatever the hell they want!’

I throw the bucket to the ground with a clatter, sending a final splash of fake pig’s blood up Harrington’s trousers.

‘Get out,’ he says through gritted teeth.

‘Get out before I throw you out.’

‘Gladly,’ I say, striding off in the other direction.

I hear Madzikanda calling after me – still waffling on about something to do with Huckleberry – but I ignore her.

I know she’s usually on the right side with these things, but I’m beyond saving.

Even she can’t help me now.

I storm out of the front doors, thinking about what kind of punishment they’re going to concoct for me.

Expulsion won’t be enough – they’ll refuse to let me graduate, blacklist me from every university, destroy any chance I might have of a future.

I imagine Ethan and Tiffany rising through the ranks, becoming CEOs on six-figure salaries while I end up destitute and unemployable.

I think of Mum and how disappointed she’s going to be, having worked to put me through this school just to see me expelled on the very last day.

Will she even believe me when I tell her what happened?

‘Zach!’ Bec calls, following me out of the building.

Chase is behind her, still covered with pig’s blood.

He rushes over to the fountain, splashing water on himself, trying to wash some of it from his outfit.

But it’s hopeless. It’s completely ruined.

He never even had the chance to show it to his mum.

It’s our fault he didn’t get any photos.

‘Tiffany’s not gonna get away with this,’ I say.

‘She can’t get away with this!’

‘It looks like she already is,’ Bec says, staring down at her phone.

‘She’s already done an Instagram story.

That fucking bitch.’

‘Already?!’ Chase says, scrambling for his phone.

He pauses for a moment and then starts to read aloud.

‘ I condemn the actions of some of my classmates this evening. We may have our differences, but two wrongs never make a right. Retaliation is never the answer. Nobody’s prom should be taken away from them.

Solidarity always. ’

‘Solidarity always?’ Bec says with disbelief.

‘After this transphobic bullshit? I mean you said it yourself, Zach. The whole pig’s blood thing?

It’s about menstruation.’

‘Oh.’ The realization dawns on me.

‘You mean, you think she did this because …?’

‘I think you’re giving her way too much credit,’ Chase cuts me off.

‘Tiffany isn’t smart enough to make that connection.

Besides, I don’t care about that.

I care about this …’ He tugs on his ruined outfit just as his phone starts ringing in my hand.

‘It’s your mum,’ I say meekly, handing it back.

‘I can’t answer like this.’

His voice begins to crack.

‘She’ll be furious if she sees what I’ve done to her dress.’

‘ You didn’t do anything to her dress,’ Bec says.

‘It was them that did this. Not you.’

‘She told me to stay out of trouble …’

‘As if any of this is your fault!’ Bec says, but Chase tosses his phone into the fountain, his hands shaking.

I can feel my fury rising again.

How dare they do this to him?

He’s literally never done anything to hurt anyone.

Why is it that he somehow always ends up as the target?

‘They can’t keep getting away with this,’ I snarl, turning back towards the building, feeling like every moment at this school has been leading up to this.

‘Zach, don’t,’ Bec says.

‘You’ll only make things worse.’

‘How?!’ I say. ‘What are they gonna do? Expel me a second time?’

‘Just leave it. We can celebrate right here. Just us. That’s all that matters, right?’

‘Of course that’s all that matters, but she took it away from us!’

A firework goes screeching up into the night sky, exploding in deep crimson red.

The colour of Hawthorn.

The colour of pig’s blood.

The colour of Tiffany’s extortionate Jimmy Choos.

At the centre of the fountain, Huckleberry’s expression seems different now, the glare of the fireworks accentuating his bared fangs.

He’s calling for revenge.

‘Zach, wait!’ Bec calls as I march back towards the hall.

I know I should stop, but I don’t.

I don’t even know what I’m going to do, but I have to do something .

Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum.

I read the school motto as I head through the doors.

The candles have all gone out now, but I can see the lights of the masquerade flickering from the end of the corridor.

The sound of music and laughter twists my stomach.

How can anyone be enjoying themselves after what Tiffany and Ethan just did?

I step out on to the grand staircase and see happy faces turned to the skylight, watching the fireworks burst in time to the music.

I see happy couples holding hands and sharing this moment, and think of Cameron waiting out by the lake.

I look down at my watch: 11.

59. I was supposed to be meeting him right now.

Tiffany’s fucked that up too.

All this talk of a Cinderella story.

I think I was actually starting to believe it.

The idea that me and Cameron could have had our happily-ever-after, that I could have had the perfect last night with my friends.

With Bec and Chase. Josh and Owen.

Maybe even Kellen too.

It’s then that I feel my rage give way to sadness.

It’s our last night here.

Our last chance to be together.

We’ve had all that snatched away from us.

And for what?

‘Zach?’

The voice is so faint I barely hear it beneath the sound of the music.

I might even have imagined it, but then I turn and see someone’s silhouette among the shadows.

They walk towards me, and I can make out the sparkles in their outfit.

A guy, wearing a glittering gold jacket and trousers.

A matching mask and bow tie dazzling as they catch the light.

‘Who is that?’ I say, not recognizing the outfit.

But they don’t say anything.

They just stand there, looking awkwardly down at their own feet.

I’m not in the mood for guessing games right now, and I’m half tempted to walk away, but something about their energy holds me there.

It’s almost as if something tells me they feel just as lost as I do.

‘I need to find Tiffany,’ I say.

‘Wait,’ they reply, their voice cracking as they catch my hand and stop me, squeezing as if begging me not to go.

Our eyes meet, and I know I recognize them, and yet right now I can’t seem to place them.

He tugs my hand, inviting me closer, and there’s a tenderness there that makes me want to give in.

Maybe it’s just the emotional weight of everything that’s happened, but right now it doesn’t seem to matter that I don’t know who it is.

I take a step forward, and then another, until he grips my waist and pulls me into him.

‘Cameron?’ I say hopefully, my body pressed against his.

But he doesn’t answer.

He doesn’t say anything.

He just lifts his mask and kisses me.

It all happens too fast for me to process, but, as I feel his soft lips against mine, I can’t help but allow myself to kiss him back.

It’s heavy and clumsy at first, but, as I close my eyes and fall deeper, I feel this tingling sensation coursing through my body.

It’s so intense it lifts me on to the tips of my toes, like it could carry me up into the air and sweep me entirely off my feet.

I’ve kissed boys before, but I’ve never felt anything like this.

Reels of old movies play through my mind, in black and white and then colour.

Every kiss I’ve ever seen on the big screen.

Vintage. Contemporary.

From Casablanca right through to Ratatouille .

I hear the fireworks overhead, but it’s like they’re getting further away now.

Fading into the background until there’s nothing but the two of us.

Just me and this perfect stranger.

And then everything suddenly goes black.