“See?” Jack released her, pushing a strand of hair away from her face. “So what’s the problem?”

  Now she began to tell him how overwhelmed she was and how nothing was going as planned. “The fundraiser is tonight, which is why I was late. But I let down my friends. And now I’m letting down the cast and you and . . . I just feel lost.”

  “Oh, the fundraiser.” He nodded. “I forgot that’s tonight. Why didn’t you just tell Valotti? I’m sure he would’ve excused you. That’s such a great project. Want me to go tell him for you?”

  She shrugged. “Just let it go . . . he’s busy.”

  Jack nodded. “Probably right.”

  “Thanks.” She took in another deep breath. “For rescuing me.”

  “Happy to be at your service. Besides, I was wanting to talk to you . . . alone.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I was thinking about what you told me last week. About the dress and everything and how you don’t even have a date for prom.”

  “Oh . . .” Obviously Jack hadn’t heard she was going with Dayton. Why would he have?

  “I got to thinking . . . what if we went together?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” He grinned.

  She frowned. “Is this a pity invite?”

  “Not at all. The truth is, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to ask you if you hadn’t told me those things last week . . . and if you hadn’t fallen apart on me just now.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. It makes you seem much more human.”

  “More human?” She tilted her head to one side. “Versus what? An alien or something?”

  “No, versus being perfect. You know, like a prom queen.”

  “Oh . . .” She thought about Dayton again.

  Jack got a worried expression. “Well, now that I’ve laid it on the line, you’re not going to turn me down, are you?”

  “No. Of course not.” She would have to think of a way to let Dayton down easy. “I would love to go to prom with you, Jack.”

  “Cool.” He let out what sounded like a sigh of relief.

  “Wow.” She slowly shook her head as realization sunk in. Wasn’t this exactly what she’d hoped for? “This is all so unexpected.”

  “But good, right?”

  “Uber-good.”

  “So . . . do you think we can use your car?”

  She laughed. “Of course.”

  He looked slightly embarrassed as he leaned against the door. “You see, it’s kind of hard to ask girls out when you don’t even have your own wheels. That’s been a big obstacle for me.”

  “Do you like me or my wheels?” she challenged him.

  “Both, actually.” He chuckled. “But with or without a car, we’re going to prom together. Right?”

  “Right.” She’d just have to think of a way to make it right with Dayton. Really, why wouldn’t he understand? She’d been reluctant to go with him in the first place. It wasn’t as if they were actually dating. In fact, the way Hallie had been acting recently, as if she was mad at Megan for stealing her man, which was ridiculous, maybe Dayton would want to consider taking her instead. At least Hallie still appeared to like him. And going to prom should be about going with someone special. Like Jack.

  After rehearsal ended, Megan stopped by the cafeteria to see if her friends needed any more help. Other than the kitchen workers, who Janelle had recruited and managed, no one seemed to be around at the moment. However, the cafeteria looked great. Tables were set with colorful placemats and small flower arrangements. The brightly colored bowls were all stacked artistically—probably Lishia’s work—on a table by the front door, where someone would collect money. Poster-sized black-and-white photos of people being served at the soup kitchen were positioned on easels, something Chelsea had wanted to do and a nice touch.

  Not far from the door, a name tag table was set up, complete with a tablecloth and a large bouquet of flowers. The silent auction items were nicely displayed on some back tables, with signup sheets and pens all ready to use. It was a nice selection of items too, from gift baskets to art pieces to gift certificates. At a glance, it appeared to be worth at least a couple thousand dollars! Impressive. Chelsea had really outdone herself on those. This event was bound to be a huge success.

  Most promising, in Megan’s starved opinion, was the delicious aroma of food cooking wafting from the kitchen just now. She was tempted to slip back there and check it out firsthand, but, worried that her intense hunger might get the best of her, she decided to go directly home, where she would take a short nap and then dress carefully for tonight’s event. She needed to put her best foot forward. Especially since Chelsea had mentioned that someone from the newspaper had promised to stop by for some photos. It would be an excellent publicity opportunity for a prom queen candidate.

  15

  Don’t you need to get to the fundraiser?” Megan opened her eyes to see Mom staring down at her with a worried look.

  “Huh?” Megan sat up.

  “It’s nearly six. I thought you said you—”

  “Yikes!” Megan shot out of bed. “I gotta go.” Running about her room, she grabbed the clothes she’d laid out and began pulling them on.

  “Do you want to ride with Arianna and me since you’re running late anyway?”

  “Sure—if you’re ready.”

  “We’re ready.” Mom frowned at her.

  “I’m coming,” Megan told her. “Just give me a couple minutes.”

  “We’ll be in the car.”

  Megan growled as she pulled a brush through her hair. This was not how she’d meant this to go. Besides looking bedraggled, she was already nearly thirty minutes late. The dinner didn’t officially begin until six, but the plan had been to be there early . . . to help.

  Mom dropped Megan at the front door, and Megan hurried in with a group of people who got in line at the bowl table to purchase tickets from Lishia. At a glance, there appeared to be thirty or forty people already milling about.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Megan told Chelsea, who was manning the name tag table.

  “I tried to call.” Chelsea smiled as she handed a couple their name tags.

  “My phone is dead.”

  “Aha.” Chelsea gave Megan the permanent marker. “Well, you can take it from here. I need to check on the silent auction. Someone had some questions about one of the certificates.”

  “Everything looks great,” Megan said as Chelsea was turning away. “Awesome.”

  “This is such a lovely event.” An elderly woman told Megan her name for the name tag. “It’s refreshing to see young people involved in helping out the community.”

  “Yes, well, the soup kitchen is a very worthy cause.” Megan smiled at her. “Thanks for coming.”

  As Megan greeted people and made them name tags, she reminded herself of the qualities of a prom queen: kind, friendly, helpful, encouraging, positive. Before long, she felt completely comfortable and was actually enjoying herself. Everyone was so appreciative of the event. So happy to be there. And when it was time for the entertainment, Bethany Bridgewater and her friends in Joyful Sound did not disappoint. They sang and danced with energy and enthusiasm, and the crowd clapped loudly when they finished. However, as they were leaving, Megan noticed that Bethany had an unhappy expression, as if something was wrong. Perhaps she’d figured out that Megan was using this fundraiser for prom queen publicity and didn’t approve. Just in case, Megan went over to speak to her. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” Bethany gave her a bright, pretty smile, then leaned over to rub her knee. “I’ve just been having some leg aches when I dance. My dad says it’s growing pains.”

  Megan grinned in relief. Bethany wasn’t upset with her. “Oh, well, you’re so petite. It probably wouldn’t hurt to grow some.”

  Bethany wished her good luck with her prom queen campaign and returned to her show choir friends.

  As the evening wore on, with everything going so smoothly and everyone seeming to enjoy this event, Megan almost began to believe that she really was the one responsible for the fundraiser’s success. Oh, she knew her friends had done most of the work, and for that she was truly thankful. But the idea to run a fundraiser had been hers. Didn’t she deserve some credit for that? And it felt good to succeed at something this big—especially after some of the frustrations she’d experienced today.

  However, there was one fly in the ointment tonight. Both Jack and Dayton had come to the dinner. Although Megan managed to keep herself busy—or at least appearing to be busy—she had to be congenial to both of them. That felt awkward. Still, she knew the time would come to let Dayton down. Just not tonight.

  “This is a great event,” Jack told her as he joined her back by the kitchen. “Very cool.”

  “Thanks.” Megan smiled happily. “I have to admit, I’m relieved it’s almost over. I mean, it’s been fun, but what a lot of work.” Of course, she knew it was work she hadn’t fully contributed to. And despite the general good feeling of success, she did feel guilty. She also felt that her friends were treating her a bit coolly.

  “Okay, everyone,” Chelsea was saying from the microphone over by the silent auction items. “Can I have your attention?” The girls had been taking turns making announcements over the PA system, encouraging the guests to bid more, describing various items that seemed to be going for too little, and just generally clowning around. “As you can tell by the clock, the silent auction is about to end. In fact, we have less than five minutes left now, so if you want to make your final bids, you’d better get to it. In the meantime, I’d like to invite Megan Bernard back up here. Some of you may not be aware of it, but Megan is running for prom queen this year. She was the instigator behind this fundraiser. It was her idea.” Chelsea held out the mic. “Come on up here, Megan.”

  Feeling a bit uncomfortable about this unexpected attention, Megan hurried to join Chelsea. They exchanged quick glances, but Chelsea simply smiled and handed her the mic. “Here she is—Megan Bernard, the reason we’re all here to help out the soup kitchen tonight.”

  The room erupted into enthusiastic applause, and suddenly Megan was looking into the happy faces of all the guests. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight,” she began. “When we first started planning this thing, we had no idea what we were getting into. But as you can see, it all seemed to work out just fine.” More clapping. “Of course, a lot of help went into creating tonight. I certainly couldn’t have done it on my own.” She rambled on a bit, talking about the soup kitchen and how she and her friends sometimes volunteered down there and how it was great to help others in need.

  Finally Chelsea rejoined her, pointing to the clock. “Okay, everyone, put those pens down. The silent auction is officially closed.” She nodded to the people who were helping gather the bid sheets. “We’ll begin announcing the winners of the prizes in about five minutes, and then you can go to the cashier in back to pay for your purchases.” She waved at her dad and stepmom, who were just setting up the cashier table. “My parents volunteered to help with that, and since they both work in the retail industry, I guess they know what they’re doing.” She chuckled. “While I’m here, I want to give some shout-outs to all the other people who have worked hard to make this fundraiser a success.” Chelsea began mentioning everyone who’d helped—from Janelle and Lishia to the cooks and even Megan’s book club friends, the cleanup crew.

  “Back to you, Megan,” she called out as Janelle brought up the bid sheets. “I thought you’d like to announce the winners of the auction items.”

  Megan liked being in the limelight again. She hammed it up as she read who had won which item. The audience seemed to enjoy it too. Finally, she thanked them all again and told them good night. She turned off the mic and looked up to see Chelsea watching her. She wasn’t sure what Chelsea was thinking, but something about her expression didn’t look completely happy.

  “Is something wrong?” Megan asked her as she went over to join her.

  “Not at all.” Chelsea made what seemed a stiff smile. “In fact, Kate estimates we’ve made more than three thousand dollars tonight.”

  “Wow.” Megan nodded. “Very cool.”

  Chelsea pointed to a woman with a camera now. “I think that’s the reporter from the paper. You should go talk to her.”

  Megan studied Chelsea for a moment. “Maybe you should talk to her.”

  Chelsea looked surprised. “This is your event, Megan. For prom queen, remember?”

  “I know . . . but . . .”

  Chelsea nudged her. “Go on. I think she wants to get your photo.”

  “But we should all—”

  However, Chelsea walked away now, going over to where her parents were still working at the cashier table. Megan went by herself to the reporter. Smiling for photos, she answered some questions and then went over to where Mom and Arianna were waiting by the door.

  “Do you have a ride home?” Mom asked. “It’s getting late. And it is a school night, so I think Arianna should get home.”

  Megan had originally planned to drive her own car so she could stay late and help with cleanup. But now she needed to figure out a ride, and when she asked around, it seemed that everyone’s cars were full or, like Chelsea, they were going home with their parents.

  “Just go home with your mom,” Chelsea told Megan a little bit sharply. “I’m sure your cleanup crew can handle it without you.”

  “But I—”

  “I need to help my parents.” Chelsea cut her off. “See you tomorrow.”

  Megan sighed then, feeling rejected, and went back to Mom and Arianna. “I guess they don’t need my help.”

  As they exited, Mom patted Megan on the back. “You girls did such a great job organizing all this, Megan. I’m really, really proud of you.”

  Megan just nodded. She wished she felt proud of herself. The problem was, she just didn’t.

  It was unraveling—all of it—and Megan just knew it. She could feel it in her bones as she walked across the school parking lot on Thursday morning. Nothing was going to go right today. Try as she might to follow Pastor Robbie’s encouragement to think positively, she knew it was useless.

  Not just because she’d woken up with a couple of zits. Or because Lishia hadn’t wanted to ride to school with her this morning. Or because she knew she needed to sort out this thing with Dayton and Jack. She knew this was going to be a bad day because she had realized something very important last night.

  Feeling discouraged and guilty, not to mention hungry, as she’d gotten ready for bed, Megan had resorted to an old habit. A habit that had been left by the wayside when she’d embarked on the fast-lane pursuit of the prom queen title. Megan had gotten down on her knees and prayed.

  Well, it wasn’t much of a prayer. That was for sure. She’d barely begun before she realized that something was very wrong . . . or missing . . . or just plain broken. She suspected it was her. So after muttering a lot of “I’m sorry, God,” and even more “Please help me out of the mess I’ve made,” she’d given up and gone to bed—then tossed and turned all night long.

  Now as she walked into the school, she could feel a disaster rushing at her—like a freight train. Today was going to be a wreck.

  “Hey, great fundraiser last night,” Amanda Jorgenson told Megan.

  Trying not to look overly shocked, Megan simply thanked her.

  Amanda pushed a blonde, silky lock behind an ear and smiled. “Even if we are competing for the crown, I have to admit that was a really nice thing you did, Megan. Kudos to you.”

  Megan attempted a smile. It was only natural that Amanda should approve of the fundraiser. It was simply Amanda’s style to be positive and supportive of a good cause. Everyone knew she was not only pretty and popular but truly a good person too. That was just one more reason she would win the prom queen title this year. Not Megan. Really, the contest might as well be over.

  Megan watched as Amanda walked over to join some kids gathered around her campaign table. As usual, they were glad to see her. Why wouldn’t they be? Megan glanced nervously around the commons as she set up her campaign table. She didn’t see any of her friends around. Probably avoiding her. Why not? She would’ve avoided herself if it was possible.

  “Hey.” Dayton came over and gave Megan a hug. “Great evening last night. Nice work.”

  Megan just nodded.

  “Something wrong?” He plucked a chocolate bar from the table.

  She shrugged.

  “Worn out from last night?” He peeled off the wrapper, tossing her rumpled name onto the table before he took a big bite.

  Megan noticed Zoë walking by now. Shuffling her feet with her eyes downward and head hanging down, Zoë seemed to be in as low of spirits as Megan. Perhaps Megan was partly to blame. Just one more way she had failed recently.

  “Earth to Megan.” Dayton was peering curiously at her. “Are you there?”

  “Sorry.” She looked back at him. “Did you say something?”

  He frowned. “Never mind.”

  Megan bit her lip, trying to remember what it was she’d planned to say to him. “We need to talk.”

  His brow creased. “Huh?”

  “I can’t go to prom with you,” she blurted.

  “What?” He looked shocked.

  “I can’t go to prom with you,” she repeated like a robot.

  “You’re dumping me?” He was shocked.

  “I’m not dumping you, Dayton. We’re not even a couple. Remember?”

  “I can’t believe you’re dumping me. Megan Bernard is dumping Dayton Moore?” He shook his head in disbelief.

  “I’m sorry, Dayton. But I told you right from the start that it wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Yeah, but you said you’d go.”

  “I’m sorry, but I—”

  “You’re a piece of work,” he snapped at her. “You come on to me. You give me your poor little me act. Get me to feel sorry for you and invite—”

  “You felt sorry for me?”