What's Your Status? (39 page)

promgirl → the crew
Heading back to the 80s. Do we have the package? Selwidge?

Marcus → the crew
Afraid not. Think we’re going to have to draw the dragon from the lair. Eh?

promgirl → the crew
Dave, ready for an outside pickup?

Dave Gold → the crew
The chosen people are choosing their entrees at the moment. Give me 20.

Shy Time → the crew
If we’re drawing the dragon from the lair, we might need Operation Abercrombie & Switch standing by. JIC.

KitKat → the crew
Good call. I’ll ask. Thank God Abercrombie doesn’t have a date.

Gingersnap → the crew
I still think that’s weird, though, don’t you?

La Lisse → the crew
Focus, people!

La Lisse → Gingersnap
But yeah, it is weird. But good for us…

promgirl → the crew
Sarah, are you warming up?

promgirl → the crew
Sarah???

“And nobody’s been able to get in contact with her?” I asked, trying to yank down the hem of my eighties dress as Schuyler and I hurried back up the stairs.

“She’s not responding to texts or calls and hasn’t updated her status all night,” Schuyler said. “But…um…maybe her phone’s broken.”

I doubted it. If Sarah had gone radio silent, there was a reason for it. But we really didn’t need this tonight. We hadn’t scheduled in any time to talk people out of going
rogue. “I’ll find out what’s happening,” I said. We made it back to the Putnam ballroom, and I led us a few feet down the hall, away from the grumpy guy guarding the door. “How are you doing?” I asked. “You and Connor don’t look so happy.”

Schuyler shrugged and tried to smile, but I could tell she didn’t mean it. “I’ll be happy when this whole thing is over and I won’t have to keep secrets from him,” she said.

“Or you could just tell him,” I suggested.

Schuyler shook her head. “It would be the end,” she said simply. “The end of us. And I can’t face that.”

I nodded. “Okay,” I said. I didn’t know how to tell Schuyler that it looked like Connor wasn’t about to forget the way she’d been acting as soon as the prom was over. I straightened my dress and smoothed down my hair. “How do I look?” I asked.

“Good!” Schuyler said. “But…um…aren’t you cold in that dress? It’s kind of short.”

“I’m fine,” I said, putting the gloves back on. “Just keep things running in there, okay?”

Schuyler gave me a thumbs-up, and I walked up the staircase and into the Hartfield ballroom. Inside, the situation seemed to have deteriorated. What was playing now could barely be called music, and the students did not look happy about it. Most were standing around, talking angrily, arms crossed. But a group of guys wearing tuxedo T-shirts, moshing in front of Tanner’s DJ station, appeared thrilled with the choice of music.

I looked around the ballroom and spotted Sarah exactly where I’d last seen her, deep in conversation with
her date. I crossed over to her, making sure to give the moshers a wide berth.

Sarah looked up as I arrived and gave me a vague smile. “Madison, hi,” she said. “Have you met Zach?” She gestured to her date, who smiled at me briefly before returning his attention to Sarah.

“Hi, Zach,” I said. “Sarah, can I have a moment?”

“Actually, we’re talking,” Zach said, gazing at Sarah.

“It’ll just be a second,” I said, taking Sarah’s arm and pulling her toward the side of the ballroom.

“Back in a minute!” Sarah called to Zach.

“Miss you!” he called back.

Sarah turned to me, starry-eyed, when we were out of earshot. “Oh, Mads,” she said, looking happier than I’d ever seen her. “Isn’t he the best?”

“He seems great,” I said. “Really. But are you still with the program?”

“Oh,” she said, glancing toward Zach again. “About that…”

I closed my eyes. “Sarah, please,” I said. “Please tell me you’re still on board.”

“The thing is,” Sarah said, “I didn’t know that I was going to like him this much. And I really do like him. And you can do this without me, right? It’s not necessary.”

“Of course it’s necessary!” I said, louder than I’d intended. I saw several pairs of eyes swing over to me—including those of my second prom date, who waved at me and started to head over. “Sarah, please,” I said quickly, seeing Andy making his way toward us,
but getting tangled up in the mosh pit en route. “We need you to do this. You have to delay the Hartfield crowning. It’s really essential to the plan.”