Goodbye Earl(29)
By the time they were finished, Ada was so hungry she could’ve chewed off Grayson’s gray-tuxedoed arm. He had it around her as they made their way to the backyard for dinner. Ada had invited six more friends and their dates so there’d be twenty people total.
“You are the prettiest little thing I ever did see,” Grayson said in her ear as he pulled the chair out for her and kissed the top of her head.
“That’s what I like to hear,” Ada said to him.
Dinner was fried chicken and steak. Fries and asparagus. Biscuits and rolls. There was a “bar” with fruity virgin drinks and sugar cookies with Class of ’04 looped on the thick frosting. Holly Plum was aglow with her full house and her cold glass of moscato. She chatted with the other moms, while Mr. Plum was content standing back with his beer and buddies—as he did on all social occasions—watching his wife and daughters flitter and shine.
Taylor was only in middle school, but Ada hadn’t wanted her to feel left out, so she said it’d be okay for her to dress up and invite some of her friends too. The little girls ate and giggled in their dresses at a smaller table next to the deck.
*
The prom theme was Cotton Candy Land, and Ada and her mom and the rest of the prom committee had spent weeks searching for the perfect pinks, lavenders, and blues for the decorations. Everyone who entered the Goldie Country Club had to walk through two huge arches wrapped in tulle to get to their table. Cellophane and twinkle lights were fashioned into fruity candy wrappers and strung on the walls. On the floor, big colored squares made everyone feel like pawns on a giant board game. Cardboard peppermints hung from the ceiling; oversized lollipops were propped around the room. By the time the girls got there, a long line was already snaking around the cotton candy machine. The fog box smoked between two stacks of fat, oversized, sugared gumdrops; the room flashed with disco-ball light.
“Will is truly brainless, y’all. Damn. Ain’t enough cute in the world to fix how dumb he is. Look at him,” Rosemarie said later, after about an hour of dancing. She tilted her head toward him and made a grouchy face to prove how completely done she was with Caro’s date. She mimed his erratic dance moves and said Caroline’s name exactly how Will said it—all slow, like if he said it too fast, he’d get it wrong. Ada covered her mouth for a second so she wouldn’t fall into a full open-mouth guffaw. Rosemarie laughed when she looked at her; they lost it together. They were by the punch bowl now, having decided to take a breather when the DJ put on back-to-back Justin Timberlake songs. Caroline and Kasey swished off to the bathroom, and their dates were scattered. Leo was talking to a friend of his from band class, and Silas and Grayson were out there on the dance floor, watching Will attempt to do the worm.
“He’s just so weird, but he’s nice! He’s not a jerk, right? He told Caroline her dress was cool and that her hair looked fancy. It’s really all we can ask for,” Ada said. Rosemarie was still cackling.
“No, he’s not a jerk, but bless his heart. That’s where we’ll leave it. Bless his heart,” Rosemarie said as they watched Will lift himself from the floor only to hop down again with his legs positioned in some sort of half split. The Castelow brothers were doubled over in laughter, and when Caro and Kasey returned, they asked the girls what was so funny.
“Your future ex-boyfriend,” Rosemarie said.
When Caro’s eyes found him, Will was busy doing some twirls.
“He’s said, like, eight words to me,” Caroline said.
“Thank God,” Kasey said. “You’re blessed, girl. Don’t jinx it!”
The Justin Timberlake faded into Norah Jones, and the fast, swooping lights changed from red to a slow, pale blue. Leo was the first to make his way to them, holding his hand out for Rosemarie. Next, the Castelow boys for Ada and Kasey. Will had disappeared.
“No way are we leaving you here by yourself,” Ada said to Caro.
“Nope.” Rosemarie shook her head. Kasey did the same in solidarity.
“Please don’t be ridiculous. I’ll scream so loud if y’all don’t go out there. I’ll be fine! He’ll come back from…wherever he went. It’s fine!” Caro said to them. She lifted a napkin from the table, started putting some pretzels on it.
Trey Foxberry, whom none of them ever talked to or even liked, appeared beside them in his tuxedo, craning his neck to see if the punch bowl was empty. Caro scooted over. The girls and their dates lingered awkwardly, not wanting to abandon their friend, no matter how much they loved the song. Ada pretended to brush something off Grayson’s lapel, and he leaned down to kiss her.
“Are you not here with anybody?” Trey asked Caro. Ada’s back was turned to them now, but she was using all her energy to hear every word.
“Oh…yeah, I am. Will Brody is my date. But, um, he’s gone somewhere. I don’t know where,” Caro said.
“Do you want to dance to this song? You don’t have to stand here alone waiting for him,” Trey said. “I’ll dance with you if you want.”
“Okay,” Caro said.
Ada turned to see Caroline smile at him, and they all walked to the dance floor together.
Trey was surprisingly fun and light on his feet, even taking the time to dip Caroline back like something out of a movie at the end of the song. When Destiny’s Child came on, he stayed out there with them for that one and “Toxic” by Britney Spears too before disappearing.