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  “How’re your mom and dad doing?” Octavia asked.

  “Good. I ain’t heard a bunch of arguing. One day I heard screaming, and I thought they were throwing down. But when I got close to the door, I think they were throwing down another way. You know what I’m saying?”

  Octavia just giggled.

  “What? They’re married. They’re adults. Certainly them getting busy is a good sign. You approve of that. My momma’s a pastor, but she ain’t stupid. I’m sure she does what it takes to keep her man.”

  “You are so fearless,” Octavia said. “I’ve gotta take me some of your fiery spirit with me to college next year.”

  Willow smiled, truly flattered, and then said, “So you haven’t heard from Shawn at all?”

  “I thought we weren’t going to mention his name,” Octavia teased.

  “Well, I know you care about the guy. So I’m just asking you. Has he called to apologize or anything? You can’t tell me that he ain’t really feeling you.”

  “I thought he was. I thought we had something good going. He was even connecting with my dad. But he pulled back from hanging out with my father, too, lately. Like I care that he doesn’t have money for prom. It’s not like I’m rich, ya know?”

  “You guys think I am, but I’m not. So yeah, I know.”

  “Whatever, Miss Gorgeous Red Glittery Gown. That’s not the one you picked out when we were in Atlanta.”

  “Naw, my mom wanted me to splurge. I look good, don’t I? Too bad I’m not looking good for anyone.”

  Willow was surprised she was sharing her inner thoughts with Octavia. She had always been so closed, not really wanting to let anyone in. Sure, she’d had an acquaintance on the dance team, but in reality she was her own best friend until a few months ago. And now, whether it was Sanaa, Olive, or Pia who could have been sitting there instead of Octavia, Willow would have been okay being real. That openness surprised her.

  “So you give me a hard time about caring about Shawn, but clearly you wish you weren’t alone tonight,” Octavia joked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I was just too hard on Dawson.” Willow thought about the fight that broke up their relationship. She just didn’t understand why he wouldn’t get physical with her, like all the other guys she’d been with.

  “And if Dawson were here right now, what would you say to him?” Octavia asked.

  “That I knew he cared about me all these years, living right next door, always there to lend a shoulder when I needed to cry on it. And all he wanted to do was take things slow, and I couldn’t handle that.”

  “So would you ask him for another chance?”

  “It’s not like he’d give it to me.”

  “How do you know what he’d do?” Willow heard Dawson say huskily behind her.

  Willow looked at Octavia, who motioned for Willow to turn around. “Wow, Dawson ... you’re here.”

  Dawson said, “Yup. Holding out my hand to take you on a stroll so we can talk.”

  Willow had to admit, he looked so darn fine in his white jacket, black tie, and black trousers. He cleaned up real well. She was impressed.

  “She’d love to go on a walk with you,” Octavia said as she pulled Willow up out of her seat.

  Dawson escorted Willow to the dance floor. “That dress looks really nice on you.”

  “I’m not trying to entice anyone or anything,” Willow said, knowing they’d had trouble in that area before.

  “Look, a brother ain’t blind.” He stopped walking and made eye contact with her.

  Willow felt confused. “I know it’s your prom too, so I’m not wanting to ask why you’re here, but why are you around me? Why do you want to give me another chance?”

  “Because ever since I was in the fifth grade, and you came to school with those stupid pigtails and kicked me in the shin and I realized you were my next-door neighbor, I knew that you were the girl for me.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so mean. I guess I don’t know how to be nice to somebody who is true. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Nothing you could do or say ... ” Dawson said as he touched her brow and kissed her cheek, “would ever make me stop caring.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Overwhelming (Olive’s Ending)

  Olive sat in her room, wanting to hurt somebody, break something, or cry. It was prom night, and she knew Charles was in the house. Even though they weren’t at prom, she at least wanted to be watching a movie with him. A scary one, so they could curl all up and enjoy each other. But he’d been distant. She’d hoped that he’d come around and forgive her for meddling, but he hadn’t.

  She had to get over it. She knew having a pity party wasn’t going to fix anything. Living in a foster home, she’d always been tough. But somewhere between ninth grade and twelfth grade, she’d lost a little of that toughness after getting together with Tiger.

  Olive got down on her knees and cried out, “Lord, I need you to make things right. I’ve done all I can. I messed up. I’m not perfect, but I’ve asked for forgiveness. I believe that you haven’t forgotten me. Just help me not break.”

  Suddenly, she got a text from Ms. Davis that read, “Why are you looking so melancholy?”

  She quickly texted back, “Huh!?”

  Olive got a reply from Ms. Davis, “Turn around. I’m by your door, and I got something that’s gonna make you smile.”

  Olive turned around and couldn’t believe it. Ms. Davis was standing there with the very short and sassy yellow dress that Olive had picked out in Atlanta.

  “It’s time for you to get ready to go to the ball,” Ms. Davis said.

  “What am I supposed to do? Go by myself? No, thank you. I know my girls are at the prom, but not me. I don’t wanna go by myself.”

  “If you accept my humble apology, you don’t have to go alone,” Charles said, appearing from the darkness of the hallway to stand by Ms. Davis in the doorway.

  He was decked out in a handsome tux, all white. The look on his face mirrored what his apology said. She could tell he was sincere. As Ms. Davis moved out of the way and Charles entered the room, Olive stood still.

  “I would give y’all some privacy, but I promised Ms. B that I would supervise. I don’t like the fact that the two of y’all could be left alone in this bedroom, so I’ma stand right here. Pretend like I’m not here,” Ms. Davis said as she smiled.

  They both smiled back. Olive knew there had been plenty of times her and Charles had been alone in a bedroom, but if it made Ms. Davis feel better playing watchdog, she was fine with it. She just couldn’t believe the guy she cared so much for was now doing a 180.

  Charles confessed, “Ms. Davis talked to me at school. I never knew having counseling could be so enlightening. I’m angry about the decisions I made and for trying to push you away. But I know that if you wouldn’t have stepped in, I wouldn’t even be in the position to graduate now. I’m just lucky you went out of your way to convince the judge to let me stay in this house. Ms. Davis and I went to the judge and asked if I could go to prom.”

  Olive motioned for an answer as her eyes opened wide. Charles pulled up his left pant leg, and she saw the monitor had been removed. She clenched her heart.

  “Where is it?” Olive asked.

  “Well, it’s not gone for good. Ms. Davis will take me back tomorrow morning to put it back on.”

  Olive went over to the door. “You would do this for us?” she asked Ms. Davis.

  Ms. Davis responded, “What can I say? I told you I’m a hopeless romantic. It’s a lot I’m trying to make up for. My niece just—”

  “Your niece?” Olive asked, confused about what Ms. Davis was alluding to.

  Pulling back, Ms. Davis said, “Forget it. You get dressed. We don’t have a lot of time left at the prom.”

  Olive hesitated. Though Charles was handsome and the dress was all that and a bag of diamonds, Olive suddenly felt unworthy. She needed more than a bath to become flawless.

  “Do you wanna go to
the prom or not?” Ms. Davis messed with her and said. “I’ll go with this handsome guy if you don’t want to.”

  Olive winked and said, “Oh, but what about the boyfriend of yours Pia was telling all us about? He probably wouldn’t like that.”

  Ms. Davis laughed. “Exactly. So don’t get me in trouble. Get ready to go out with your boo.”

  Olive leaned in and whispered, “But my hair, my makeup.”

  “Girl, as natural and pretty as your hair is, don’t trip,” Ms. Davis said. “Alright, out, Charles.”

  He said, “Just one second, Ms. Davis, please.”

  “Okay,” Ms. Davis offered.

  He grabbed both of Olive’s hands and said, “I am so sorry for being a jerk. All you did was care for me, and I made life miserable around here for no reason. I missed you. I’ve been thinking about you. Hurry up, so I can see you gorgeous. I mean, you’re gorgeous right now, but I know you ’bout to be ... ”

  Olive took one finger and placed it over Charles’s mouth. After he hushed up, she removed her finger. She bent his neck down and gave him a sweet kiss.

  It took her and Ms. Davis all of thirty minutes to get her ready to go. Olive looked drop-dead gorgeous when she stepped out in a beautiful, stellar, banana yellow gown. Charles was coughing.

  “It doesn’t look right?” Olive uttered, feeling self-conscious.

  “Are you kidding me? You look beautiful. Do I give it to her now?” he said to Ms. Davis.

  “Yes.”

  Charles took out a sweet box with a yellow rose in it and said, “I see your eyes watering up, looking at this flower like it’s the most precious thing.”

  “I just can’t believe we’re going to prom. I just can’t believe this. You just don’t know what this means to me.”

  “You don’t know what it means to me for you to forgive me, because as nice as this flower is, it pales in comparison to how beautiful it’s gonna be on you.”

  At that moment, he pinned the flower on her dress. Then they walked out arm in arm and got in the back of Ms. Davis’s car. Olive felt so special, so appreciated, and so loved. All those feelings cupped together were absolutely overwhelming.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Loving (Octavia’s Ending)

  “And the winner of the Jackson High School prom queen is Octavia Streeter!” Ms. Sealy, the Student Government Association advisor, said in a bubbly tone.

  Octavia hit herself. She wondered why in the world she was daydreaming so hard. To believe her name was called was stupid. When Willow and Sanaa rushed over, clapping like everybody else, she wondered if she was still sleep.

  “Get up, prom queen!” Sanaa said, trying to lift Octavia.

  “Represent us! Swoop list in the house! That will show them not to mess with us. Popularity has its perks. Go on, prom queen!” Willow beamed, all proud.

  Stunned, Octavia shared, “But I didn’t even know my name was on the ballot.”

  “I put it there,” Willow proudly announced. “I figured you’d have the best chance of all the swoop girls. I knew what would happen at a majority black school, just like with homecoming earlier in the year; too many of us cancel each other out. As I thought, you, as the only white girl, would get the most votes. Go get ’em!”

  “You put my name on the ballot?” Octavia said, not wanting to move.

  “Yeah, why?” Willow said, wondering why Octavia was tripping.

  Getting wimpy, Octavia cried out, “I don’t deserve y’all’s love!”

  Willow smacked her lips. “Girl, if you don’t get your butt up there ... no time to be mushy. You know we care.”

  “Yeah, but like this. I never won anything in my life,” Octavia replied, completely flabbergasted.

  “And they going to take the crown away from you right now if you don’t hurry up and get on up on stage,” Sanaa said playfully.

  “Do I look okay?” Octavia asked, adjusting her melon-colored, fitted, satin gown.

  “Yes, your red locks and curls look fine. Plus you’re accenting them hips. Go!” Willow uttered.

  Never in her life had she felt so special. Prom queen ... the feeling was surreal. As Octavia was walking to the podium, she passed Pia and Stephen.

  “Congratulations!” Pia said as she blew kisses.

  “Where have y’all been?” Octavia asked.

  Pia said, “Long story. Dinner was late. But look who we found ... ”

  Pia pointed behind her. It was Olive and Charles. Octavia smiled really big, but Olive and Charles both knew she was a little melancholy when she looked around and didn’t see Shawn. Staying focused on her moment, Octavia reached the stage and was given the crown.

  Ms. Sealy turned back to the mic, and with hype she said, “And the winner of the Jackson High School prom king is Shawn Fox.”

  Octavia’s eyes practically popped out of her head. She knew Shawn wasn’t there, but the fact that both of them won was more than ironic.

  Ms. Sealy leaned in and said, “Yeah, when all the other nominated boys saw Shawn’s name was on the ballot, it was when he in the hospital suffering from the gunshot wounds. They felt sorry for him, so they took their names off.”

  “He won by default?” Octavia asked.

  “No ... respect,” Ms. Sealy boasted as if she was proud of the students’ stance on the matter. “Where is he? We called him.”

  Octavia said, “Sorry, but he’s not ... ”

  Cutting her off, Ms. Sealy shouted, “Oh, there he is! Shawn, come on up!”

  Octavia dared get her hopes up and think Shawn was there, but when she looked up she saw Shawn standing beside a gentleman she knew all too well. He was with her father. Most girls would be all upset if their dad was at their senior prom, but she knew there was more to the story. As Shawn took his time getting to the front, people clapped, knowing all he’d endured. He made his way to the stage and accepted his crown.

  Ms. Sealy said, “Now it’s time for our king and queen to dance.”

  Shawn motioned for her to lead the way. Every part of Octavia was shaking. Though she knew this was reality, it felt more like a dream. One she didn’t want to wake up from. Thankfully, this was her reality. But she was still trying to connect the dots. She was still angry at Shawn for giving her grief about the prom in the first place.

  “Should I even dance with you?” Octavia said, having mixed feelings about it all. “After the way you treated me.”

  Shawn took a deep breath and vulnerably shared, “I know. How could I tell you I was ashamed? Ashamed for not having any money to get a tux or rent a limousine, take you to dinner, buy pictures, or even get a corsage, for goodness’ sake. So much has happened to me in the last couple months, I can’t even believe I’m standing here. Worse than that, though, I can’t believe I treated you so mean.”

  “Did my father help?”

  “Yeah, he did. He let me borrow his jazzy suit. Shucks, it looks like a tux,” Shawn said as they both smiled.

  Octavia moved towards him, and they started dancing. They got a lot of oohs and ahhs. They both enjoyed the moment and danced in silence.

  As soon as the dance was over, Octavia rushed up to her father. “You helped him?”

  “Yep. I didn’t go to my prom because I couldn’t afford it. And while he won’t be taking you back home in a horse and carriage, he can take you out. Sometimes, in order to feel alright, you’ve got to give back. Shawn’s a good kid. It’s not his fault his parents walked away. But when he got word he was going to be prom king and felt terrible he’d let you down, he reached out. I was happy to help make it happen. My black suit looks pretty good on him, huh?”

  “Yeah, Dad, it does,” she replied with a laugh. Octavia knew she was blessed. “Dad, how can I ever repay you?”

  Her father explained, “Just keep doing the right things. Keep caring about people and doing your best. You’ve got one of the biggest hearts I know. How could I not do all I can to help you when you’re so loving?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN />
  Shining (Pia’s Ending)

  Pia felt on top of the world. All finally seemed right, not only for her, but for her four swoop list friends as well. Though she and Stephen were late to the prom, they made it just in time to see Octavia crowned queen. She knew life wasn’t always going to be perfect, but she was so thankful for the moment of happiness.

  Earlier in the month, she was feeling so guilty about being the only one going to prom, or at least the only one going to their senior prom with a date. Now she was thankful all five of them were with guys they cared about. Who knew things would turn around the way they did? She made a mental note: Just because you’re down one moment and it seems like there’s no hope doesn’t mean things can’t turn around in an instant.

  Her mom had been doing better. Waitressing wasn’t bringing in much money, but it was giving her a purpose. In the whole month, she hadn’t entertained a male friend. Pia was amazed.

  “You want something to drink?” Stephen asked, being really attentive.

  “That’d be great,” Pia said.

  He kissed her on her forehead and walked across the room to the punch bowl. Pia loved his gray, pin-striped tux. As she sat alone, she hoped things would stay great for a very long time.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Davis. “Hey, beautiful gal, penny for your thoughts?”

  “Ms. Davis! Hey, how are you?”

  “Look at your friends. A couple of weeks ago, they didn’t even want to try on a dress. Even though Miss Willow got a different one, you all are stunning!”

  “I know. I was just sitting here thinking the same thing. Thanks to you.”

  “I was happy to take you all.”

  “No, I mean thank you for putting this all together and just always being there. It’s like you know what we need. You go above and beyond. It means a lot.”

  “I’m thrilled to see you all in a stronger place. The swoop list could’ve devastated your lives for good, maybe even ended them,” Ms. Davis shared in a caring and concerned tone. “But you all have taken the advice given and overcome your struggles.”