Red (13 page)

Felicity’s entire body was begging,
Yes, yes, yes, just do it already!
But the screaming and banging outside the door made her reluctant to plunge into uncharted waters. She wanted her first time to be slow and tender and romantic, not a quick, illicit whirlwind punctuated by seven-year-old voices.

“Babe, we can’t do it with them in the hall,” she whispered. “My door doesn’t even lock, and I’d get in so much trouble if anyone found out you were here.”

Brent gave a low moan that was one part frustration and one part assent. He kissed slowly up Felicity’s neck, and when he reached her ear, he whispered, “Maybe we could do it on prom night. We could get a hotel room, if you wanted. It would be really romantic.”

When Felicity heard the words “prom night,” her entire body shut down. She tried to roll away from Brent, but he grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her toward him. “Hey,” he whispered. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want. I just thought—”

“No, it’s not that.” Felicity struggled to a sitting position. Her shirt was across the room, so she gathered the covers up against her chest. Still breathless, she said, “I have to talk to you about something.”

“Now?”
Brent’s expression was incredulous.

“I know. I’m sorry, but—” She couldn’t go any further. Brent looked at her, an adorable crinkle of confusion between his eyebrows. He was breathing hard, too, and the waistband of his chili-pepper-patterned boxers was sticking out of his jeans. He was so trusting, so vulnerable, and he wanted her so much. How could she possibly do what she was about to do?

She reached out and touched his face, and he leaned into her hand like an affectionate dog. “I need you to do something for me,” she said.

Brent’s worried look disappeared, and a grin took its place. “Ooh, okay. Is it kinky? ’Cause if it is, I’m up for—”

“No, not that kind of thing.” Felicity took a deep breath. “I need you to take Gabby Vaughn to prom.”

“
What?
Why? But I … How am I supposed to take both of you?”

“No, I mean, I need you to take her instead of me.”

Brent looked deeply wounded, and he drew back from her. “You don’t want to go to prom with me?”

“I
do
. I want more than
anything
to go to prom with you.” Felicity was suddenly afraid she was going to cry again.

“Then I don’t get it. Why do you want me to take Gabby? You’re not—Lissy, you’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

“
No
. No. Of course not. It’s just … it’s a hazing thing. For the prom committee. I want to be in charge next year, but Madison wants it, too, and I have to prove I care the most by doing something really self-sacrificing.” Felicity looked down at her polka-dotted duvet, unable to lie directly to Brent’s face. “Nobody asked Gabby to prom, even though she’s on the court, and giving you up is … pretty much the most self-sacrificing thing I could think of.”

“What’s Madison doing?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure whatever she comes up with won’t be as bad as this.”

Brent stared at her, blinking slowly. “You’re still going to
come
to prom, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll still come. But Gabby has to be your date.”

“Do I have to hang out with her the whole time? I don’t have to do the prom court dance with her, do I?”

“I think you do, babe. If you’ll do this for me, I mean.” Felicity grabbed his hand and held on tightly. “I’m so sorry. I know how much this sucks. I’m really upset about it.” Voicing her emotions out loud made them more real, and a tear trailed down her cheek.

Brent wiped it away with his thumb. “If I do it, will you get what you want?”

Felicity thought about all the things she wanted. She longed for a perfect, fairy-tale prom night that would leave her with stars in her eyes and Brent in her bed. But much more than that, she wanted safety. She needed to be certain that Gabby wouldn’t bring her entire redheaded existence to a screeching halt just when the pageant prize money was within her reach. And that meant her secret had to stay a secret.

“Yes,” she said. “This will help me get what I want.”

Brent sighed. “Fine. I guess I’ll do it.”

“And there’s one more thing—nobody can find out I asked you to do this. So if anyone wants to know why you’re with Gabby, tell them it’s a community service thing for one of the athletic scholarships. Okay? Can you do that?”

He shrugged, defeated. “If that’s what you want.”

Felicity threw her arms around him, pressing her heart to his, and he cradled her against him. All the breathless, fluttery, expectant feelings from just a few minutes before had faded, but Felicity felt a flood of genuine affection for Brent that was more intense than ever. “Thank you,” she whispered.

And that was when Andy and Tyler burst through her door.

Felicity shrieked and grabbed a pillow to cover her chest. “Guys, you have to leave,” she hissed.

“Why?” Andy demanded. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you wearing shirts?”

“Um, we were—”

“—having a wrestling match,” Brent supplied.

Felicity stared at her boyfriend, surprised by his uncharacteristic display of quick thinking. “Right,” she said. “People in ancient times always wrestled with their clothes off.”

“Oh.” Her brothers nodded solemnly, filing this information away for later use. Felicity was sure there’d be naked twin wrestling on the living room rug within the week.

Brent handed Felicity her shirt, and she tugged it on, then knelt down in front of her brothers. “Listen, guys, you can’t tell Mom you saw us wrestling, okay? There’s no wrestling allowed in the house, and I’ll get in really big trouble. I’ll buy each of you a whole bag of jelly beans if you can keep it a secret. But you really have to promise.”

Tyler looked skeptical. “Will there be lots of red ones?”

“
Tons
of red ones. As many as you want.”

Her brothers looked at each other, then nodded. “Okay.” They ran out the door with their model airplanes and resumed their game as if nothing had happened.

Brent pulled on his shirt and got up to go. Their romantic mood was utterly destroyed, and he and Felicity had nothing more to say to each other. Though he didn’t seem angry, he was sullen and subdued, and the good-bye kiss he gave her was halfhearted at best.

It was only when she was alone that the reality of the situation hit Felicity full-force. She, who hadn’t been without a date to a school function since she was twelve, was about to attend the most important event of the year
alone
. She had done so much thankless work on the prom committee to make sure everything was perfect and magical, and now she wouldn’t even get to share in the rewards. No matter what the decorations looked like or how beautiful her dress was, she would have a horrible evening. Plus, she knew that these humiliating demands would just keep coming until she figured out Gabby’s mysterious endgame and found a way to shut it down.

She texted Gabby:

It’s done.

And then she collapsed on her bed and cried stormy, furious tears.

A few minutes later, her mom tapped on her door. “Baby, are you okay? Can I come in?”

“Yes,” Felicity choked out.

Her mom was beside her on the bed in an instant, rubbing her back and making soothing sounds. “Tell me what happened.”

“Brent’s taking someone else to prom,” Felicity sobbed. “Now I have to go alone, and I’m going to look so stupid, and everyone’s going to laugh at me.”

“He’s taking someone else? Did you break up?”

Felicity sniffled. “No. I don’t think so. It’s all really confusing.”

“How could he do this to you? Brent adores you. And he’s such a good boy.”

He
was
a good guy, and none of this was his fault. Felicity thought of the hurt on his face when she told him she wouldn’t be his date, so similar to the expression on Haylie’s face when she had nominated Gabby for prom queen. Keeping her secret safe had seemed like the most important thing in the world, but she had caused so much pain to the people she cared about. They were the ones who deserved sympathy, not her. Thinking about that just made her cry harder.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” her mom said, misinterpreting the fresh flood of tears. “I know how hard it is when someone breaks your heart. Is there anything I can do?”

Felicity was about to say no, but it suddenly occurred to her that maybe there
was
something Ginger could do. Maybe it wasn’t necessary for her to carry this burden alone. The blackmail was starting to spiral out of control now, and it would be such a relief to tell someone what she was going through, to ask for help. Her mom was smart and competent. She would know exactly what to do, and together maybe they could finally end Gabby’s reign of terror.

She sat up and faced her mom. “I need your help,” she said.

“Of course, baby. Anything for my girl.”

Felicity swallowed hard, and then all the words she’d been keeping back came spilling out in a rush. “I’m being blackmailed,” she said. “Gabby Vaughn—Rose’s daughter—somehow she found out about … about my hair, and she’s been forcing me to do all this horrible stuff, like nominating her for prom queen when I was supposed to nominate Haylie, and hanging her super-offensive painting in the art show, and now she’s making me manipulate Brent into taking her to prom. And I’ve tried to fight back, but nothing works because she doesn’t even seem to care about her own reputation. She has all the power, and I can’t figure out what she wants from me or why she hates me so much, and I have no idea what to do.”

When Felicity met her mom’s eyes, she expected to find sympathy and compassion there. She was totally unprepared for the cold, hard look of panic she saw instead. “Has Gabby told anyone?” Ginger asked.

“I … No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh, thank God.” Her mom took a deep, shaky breath and put a hand to her heart. “How long has this been going on?”

“Since just after Scarlet Sunday. Two and a half weeks.”

“And she still hasn’t spread it around. That’s good. That’s really good.”

“But she’s only keeping it a secret so I’ll do whatever she wants, and … Mom, it’s just been
awful
. She’s making me hurt my friends, and it’s not like I can explain to them what’s going on, and I never feel safe, and I’m afraid I’m going to lose everyone.” Two more tears trailed down Felicity’s cheeks and dripped onto her jeans.

Ginger’s face softened, and she took Felicity’s hand. Felicity waited for the soothing words she’d been craving for weeks:
This must be so awful for you. I’m glad you came to me. We’ll figure out a way to make it all stop.

“I know this is hard, baby,” Ginger said. “But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the things that are really important. You’ve been doing such a good job of handling this … inconvenience so far. You’re my strong girl, and I know you can do whatever it takes to keep Gabby quiet and protect this family.”

Felicity stared at her mom. “What?”

“There’s nothing more important than keeping your secret. If this gets out, it’ll destroy our whole family’s reputation. But if you do what she wants, everything stays under wraps.”

Felicity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She pulled her hand away. “But … she’s destroying my life, Mom. Aren’t you going to help me?”

“Baby, I
am
helping you! I only want what’s best for you. I know it seems like Gabby’s ruining your life, but everything will get so much worse if you give her a reason to expose you. In the long run, it doesn’t matter who you nominate for prom queen or whether you have a date to one dance. But if your secret gets out, nobody will ever respect you again. You’ll get thrown out of the pageant before you even have a chance at that prize money. I could even lose my job—you know how the mayor feels about arties. And then how would I support you? I’m just trying to give you the safe, happy life you deserve, but you have to do your part. And for now, that means following Gabby’s instructions.”

Felicity felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. “For how long? Forever?”

“Nothing lasts forever. It’ll only be a year before Gabby goes to college somewhere else and forgets all about you. And then everything will go back to normal.”

A
year
? There was no way she could survive this for a year—she’d hardly been able to get through a few weeks. “But there must be another way,” she choked. “Some way we can fight her.”

Ginger shook her head sadly. “I understand why you want that, but you can’t antagonize her. It’s way too dangerous when she holds your entire future in her hands like this. I need you to be strong and find a way to make this work. It’s your job to protect all of us. Can you do that?”

Felicity wanted to burst into tears again, to throw things, to scream,
You’re my mother! You’re supposed to love me! Why won’t you help me?
But she knew that was useless. Her mom did love her—of course she did. But she loved the daughter she’d created, the popular redhead and pageant hopeful. She wasn’t about to let the strawberry-blond daughter she’d been given get in the way.

“Felicity? Can you do that?”

Felicity nodded, knowing there was no other answer.

“That’s my brave girl.”

Ginger reached out and pulled her daughter into a hug. Her arms were warm and strong, but for the first time, Felicity found no comfort in her embrace. Asking for help had been a huge mistake. Nobody was ever going to help her.

She would have to handle this alone.

T
he prom committee spent all of Saturday preparing the gym for its night of glory. Felicity and Kendall hung their painted cityscape backdrop and artfully draped the bleachers in red fabric. Topher perched atop an A-frame ladder on a rolling base and hung strings of paper lanterns, belting out “The Red, Red Rose of Love” as Cassie wheeled him from place to place. Savannah helped the yearbook photographers with their photo booth, and the rest of the girls set up clusters of small tables and chairs around the perimeter of the room. Madison spent the entire morning ordering everyone around, unwilling to touch anything in case she chipped her manicure.

Felicity couldn’t concentrate at all. She hadn’t been able to focus on much of anything since the painful conversation she’d had with her mom three days ago. Plus, she still hadn’t told Haylie and Ivy that she no longer had a prom date, and that secret had been weighing on her as well. Of course, they’d discover what was going on soon enough, when she showed up to dinner alone. And the rest of the school would see Brent walk into this very room with Gabby on his arm just a few short hours later.

“Felicity!” Kendall was waving a hand in front of her face.

“What? Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”

“Obviously.” Kendall gave the fabric over the bleachers a final tug. “I was just going to say that I thought this looked good. What do you think? Should we go get the streetlamps from the drama room?”

“Yeah, sure. It looks great.”

“So, what are you guys doing before prom?” Kendall asked as they walked down the hall. “Jeremy and I are going to that French bistro on Thorne Street. We had to make the reservation back in January. They have this thing called a
croque monsieur
. French food is so classy.”

“That’ll be great,” Felicity said, trying to sound enthusiastic. She’d had the
croque monsieur
at that bistro, and she couldn’t figure out how it was supposed to be different from a regular grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich. “I’m going to Mamma Leoni’s with Haylie and Ivy and their dates.”

“Oooh, I
love
Mamma Leoni’s! Have you had the pesto tortellini? It’s totally to die for.”

As Kendall wrestled the first streetlamp onto the dolly, Felicity’s phone beeped.

HAYLIE: how’s it going? u ok to do photos @ my house before dinner?

Everything was running smoothly in the gym, and the prom committee would probably be done setting up in two or three hours. But what was the point of taking photos without Brent? Felicity didn’t need her fifth-wheel status documented for everyone on RedNet to see.

FELICITY: running a little behind. not sure I’ll make it for photos. meet you at the restaurant.

HAYLIE: :( :( :(

Felicity stuffed her phone back into her pocket, relieved that her torturous evening would be slightly shorter.

When everyone had finished their assigned tasks, Topher turned off the overhead lights and switched on the lanterns, streetlamps, and Christmas lights around the makeshift stage for a test run. Felicity knew she should be pleased by what she’d accomplished—the gym looked every bit as magical as she had hoped—but nothing about prom felt exciting anymore. As Kendall led a round of applause for her, their esteemed designer, she tried to memorize the expressions of respect on her classmates’ faces. She’d need to remember them later, when she was alone on the sidelines, the object of everyone’s pity.

Felicity had seen enough prom movies to know that the preparty primping was supposed to be one of the best parts. She went through all the motions, hoping to feel some of that delicious anticipation bubbling up inside her. But now that she had no date, the whole thing just seemed pointless. When she slipped on her vintage thrift-store dress—black with tiny white polka dots and a full skirt supported by frothy red petticoats—it didn’t make her feel playful and vivacious, as it had the day she bought it. At the time, she had imagined how Brent would react when he saw her in it. But now the only one he’d be reacting to was Gabby.

When Felicity dragged herself into the kitchen to say good-bye to her mom, Ginger gave a dramatic gasp and clasped her hands to her heart. “Oh, baby,
look
at you! You’re so
beautiful
!” She grabbed the camera off the kitchen counter and ushered Felicity toward the back door. “Come outside, I need photos!”

Felicity grudgingly followed her mom into the yard and endured a few minutes of posing, trying to cover her sadness with elegance and poise. When the camera battery finally ran out, Ginger hugged her good-bye. “Have a fabulous time,” she said. “Don’t get drunk, don’t do drugs, and don’t get pregnant.”

“Mom, who’s going to get me pregnant? I don’t even have a date.”

“I’m your mother. I have to say it.” Ginger kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “I love you. I know this is hard for you, but you’re doing the right thing. Hold that beautiful head high.” Felicity tried, but it was hard to smile through her dejection.

She arrived at Mamma Leoni’s and parked across the street, in front of the fertility clinic that promised to “make those shy MC1R genes express themselves!” The hostess had already seated Haylie, Ryan, Ivy, and Darren at a table with two empty chairs. Haylie was radiant in a flowing shell-pink dress, an orchid corsage the size of a mango around her wrist. Ivy was decked out in a pin-striped suit with tails, and she and Darren had matching yellow rose boutonnieres. She looked absolutely perfect. Both of the boys seemed fidgety and uncomfortable in their rented tuxes, and looking at them sent a pang of longing through Felicity. She had no doubt Brent would wear his tux as if it were a second skin.

Haylie jumped up with a shriek and pulled Felicity into an enthusiastic hug. “You look
amazing
!” she squealed. “God, I love that dress so much!”

“Yours too,” Felicity said. “Nice suit, Ives.”

Ivy grinned. “I don’t see why I can’t just wear this for the pageant.”

“Doesn’t she look awesome?” Darren agreed, running his hand through Ivy’s spiky hair. Felicity waited for her to bat his hand away and toss out some clever, snarky comment, but Ivy just looked down at her bread plate and blushed a deep shade of raspberry.

Felicity tried to say hi to Haylie’s date, but Ryan was busy inspecting his salad fork at very close range and didn’t seem to notice that there was a new person at the table. When she leaned closer to see what was so fascinating, she caught a strong whiff of pot, and Ryan’s whole personality suddenly made more sense. Every seven seconds or so, he jerked his head violently to the side to flip his shaggy, rock-star hair across his forehead, and Felicity wondered how long it would take for him to stab himself in the eye. She didn’t see how he was going to make it through the prom court dance without embarrassing Haylie.

“Where’s Brent?” asked Ivy, looking around. “Is he parking the car?”

Felicity shook her head. “Actually … can I talk to you guys alone for a second?”

“Sure.” Haylie shot Ivy a worried glance, then headed for the bathroom at the back of the restaurant. Ivy and Felicity followed her, and the three of them squished into the tiny room.

“What’s going on?” asked Ivy when the door was safely locked behind them.

Felicity swallowed hard. “Brent’s not coming.”

“What do you mean? He’s not coming to dinner, or he’s not going to prom?”

“He’s going to prom. Just not with me.”

Haylie’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, Felicity, did you break up?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. He just has to take someone else. It’s not his fault, it’s this community service thing for an athletic scholarship he wants. Some of the guys are taking brunettes who weren’t invited. I told him it was okay, but I’m just … I’m really sad about it.”

“Wow, that seriously sucks.” Haylie rubbed Felicity’s back. “When did you find out?”

“A few days ago.”

“God, he could have at least given you some warning,” Ivy said. “That’s kind of a dick move. Who does he have to take? Is it someone horrible?”

Felicity took a deep breath. “He got matched with Gabby Vaughn.”

Haylie and Ivy exchanged a long look, and Felicity’s heart began to race. Her friends were clearly aware that something didn’t quite add up. “Does this have to do with the trouble you were in before?” Haylie finally asked.

“What?”

“I mean, something’s obviously going on with you and Gabby. I’d never even seen you speak to her before this month, and then she’s suddenly at our lunch table, and her painting’s in the art show, and then you nominated her for prom queen, and now this. Is she, like, blackmailing you or something?”

Felicity’s heart was pounding so hard now that she felt slightly dizzy. She grabbed the edge of the sink for support and forced a laugh. “What?
Blackmailing
me? Of course not. And no, this doesn’t have to do with any of that stuff. It’s just a coincidence.” She could tell her friends weren’t buying her story. “Guys, come on. Don’t look at me like that. I’m already having the suckiest prom night ever, and now you’re making me feel like it’s my fault.”

Haylie slipped an arm around her waist. “Nobody thinks it’s your fault. I’m so sorry this is happening to you, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure you have fun tonight. Okay?”

“I’ll punch Gabby in the face if it’ll make you feel better,” Ivy offered. “I’m small, but I’m scrappy. I could totally take her.” She held up her tiny fists, and Felicity finally managed a weak smile.

“You ready to go back out?” Haylie asked. “I’m starving, and the pesto tortellini here is
so
good.”

Felicity nodded and followed her friends back to the table. When the waiter came, she asked him to remove the sixth place setting.

Dinner was a blur. The threads of various conversations wove lazily around each other, but Felicity had trouble following any of them. She sat quietly at the table, mechanically moving her fork to her mouth, but her mind was a cyclone. What would happen when they got to prom and everyone saw Brent with Gabby? Would her classmates point and laugh at her, like they always did in The Dream? What if someone figured out this was a setup and there was no athletic scholarship? Was taking the blackmail lying down really the best way to protect her secret and her family? What if her mom was wrong? What if Felicity could make this all go away by landing one good strike on Gabby’s weak point? But what
was
Gabby’s weak point?

By the time the check had been paid and everyone was ready to go, Felicity felt queasy and exhausted and headachy, and she wasn’t sure she could go through with prom after all. Maybe she should just go home and hide under the covers. She closed her eyes and massaged her aching temples.

“Felicity?” Ivy said, gently shaking her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t feel very good,” she said.

Ivy rubbed her back, a distinctly un-Ivy-like gesture, and Felicity realized she must look pretty terrible. “Are you going to throw up?”

“No, I don’t think so. Just … I don’t know. My head hurts and I’m kind of dizzy.” She hoped Ivy would suggest she go home—if someone else said it first, it wouldn’t count as chickening out.

“Tonight really isn’t working out for you, huh? You probably shouldn’t drive if you feel dizzy. Why don’t you come with us, and someone can drop you back here to pick up your car after the party. If you’re feeling really awful, I’ll take you home sooner, okay?”

Felicity nodded and let Ivy lead her to the car, but even her friend’s steady hand on her back couldn’t chase away her dread.

Darren and Ivy kept up a steady stream of chatter all the way to the school, but the ride wasn’t nearly long enough for Felicity to steel her nerves. Before she knew it, she was ordering her body to follow her friends across the parking lot, one red-heeled foot in front of the other. In moments, she was swept up into a flash flood of rainbow-colored prom-goers. There was no escape now.

Felicity put on her most convincing smile and let herself be funneled through the door of the school. She produced her ticket, had her hand stamped, and then she was back in the gym. Her friends gasped and congratulated her on how beautiful the decorations looked, but she hardly heard the praise. All she could do was watch the door, waiting for Brent and Gabby to arrive.

That was hardly necessary—their entrance a few minutes later was impossible to miss. It affected the crowd like a lightning bolt, spreading crackles of electricity through the room. Every coiffed head snapped to attention as the couple glided through the doorway arm in arm. Brent was gorgeous and regal in his tux, and Gabby was resplendent in a backless satin gown the color of fresh blood. They left a trail of whispered fragments in their wake as they crossed the floor: “Did you see … ? But why are
they
 … ? Isn’t he supposed to be with … ?”

And then came the ubiquitous, “Where’s Felicity? Does she know?”

Even with her advance knowledge of what was going to happen, Felicity was totally unprepared to see Brent and Gabby together in person. Watching her boyfriend with her nemesis was like having an open chest wound sprinkled with lemon juice and salt. The fact that they looked
good
together made things even worse. When Brent located Felicity in the crowd, his eyes were full of hurt and longing. Felicity’s hand flew to her mouth, trying to trap her emotions before they turned into words.

When she finally tore her eyes away and looked around at the rest of her classmates, she saw her worst fears realized. Everyone was staring straight at her with pity, confusion, or suppressed delight on their faces. No one could have anticipated a prom scandal this delicious.

Cassie Brynne was suddenly by her side, digging her shellacked nails into Felicity’s arm. “Oh my God, what is
he
doing with
her
?”

Felicity’s first instinct was to pull away and tell Cassie to mind her own business. But then she realized she might be able to use Cassie, who had the biggest mouth in the school, to make the rumor mill work in her favor. “I know it looks dramatic, but it’s really not,” she said, rolling her eyes and trying to look nonchalant. “Brent’s just with her because of this community service project. It’s for an athletic scholarship.”