The People I'd Die For (part 5)

The week following that night was awkward to say the least. None of the three were talking to each other and avoided each other as well as they could.1

Kat was purposely wearing v-neck shirts all that week to show off her pendant. She never took it off. When Brian was passing Kat and her other friends in the hall on Wednesday, he heard her talking about her necklace. "Yes, it's beautiful, isn't it? My BOYFRIEND Jake gave it to me. I love him with all my heart.". Brian kept walking and shook his head. What happened between them had obviously been a fluke provoked by pain and vulnerability.2

Amy hadn't cut herself since the night she almost died. She was too tired to really do anything, she had gone emotionally numb for the time being. She wasn't all that eager to do it much anymore, especially if it drove her friends away from her.3

At the high school, the senior prom was rapidly approaching. They were reminded that it was coming up every day on the morning announcements, and every day Amy would think about Kat and Brian when she heard about it. When Amy went shopping for her prom dress with her mother, she began to miss Kat terribly. "I SHOULD be picking out my dress with Kat." she thought. Sometimes she would start talking to Kat and then painfully realize that she wasn't standing right next to her. 4

It was not until the morning before prom night that Amy remembered that she, Brian, and Kat had all pitched in and reserved a limozine for this night over a month ago. Kat must have realized this too. She approached Amy at her locker between second and third block and asked, "We're still sharing a limo, right?"5

"Uh, yeah, sure." Amy answered without looking at Kat. Even though she missed her friends like crazy, the last thing she wanted to do was share a car with the two people that had hurt her the most. Nevertheless, Amy was there on her front porch at sevon o'clock sharp, waiting in a white and gold evening gown.6

When the limo pulled up, she couldn't have been more nervous. The driver got out of the front and opened the door for Amy, revealing Brian and Kat sitting in the back with a big space in between them. "You're in the middle." Kat said, a little irritability in her voice. 7

"That's the way it's always been." Amy muttered under her breath as she maneuvered herself into the middle seat.8

"What was that?" Kat asked, although she heard what Amy said just fine.9

"Nothing." Amy replied. 10

During the car ride that seemed to take an eternity, Amy looked over at Brian and Kat. Amy rarely saw Brian in a suit, but he looked nice when he wore one. It was a plain black suit and bow tie, but Brian cleaned up well. Kat looked nice also. She was wearing a burgandy strapless evening gown with her sapphire pendent. She looked marvelous. 11

The rest of the car ride was pure silence except for the quiet music in the background. Brian was looking out the right window, Kat was looking out the left window, and Amy was looking staight ahead at the driver.12

When they arrived at the school, Brian and Amy got out of one side and Kat got out of the other. Kat tripped on her dress and almost fell. Brian and Amy almost reached out to help her but then remembered that they were all mad at each other. They gave the ticket taker their tickets and went their seperate ways. 13

For the first hour, Brian, Kat, and Amy all stood in different corners of the gym. None of them were dancing, all of them were miserable. Many guys were asking Kat to dance. She refused them all. Not only did she not particularly feel like dancing but the only guy she wanted to dance with was Jake.14

Nobody even went near Amy. She had her head down the whole time and was picking at her nail polish. "Hey, baby!" she heard a man call out. She looked up and saw the guy walking over to the girl next to her. She sighed, walked to another empty corner, and put her head down once again.15

Brian stationed himself near the refreshment table. It wasn't that he was at all hungry, it was just a good excuse to get out of dancing and to make himself look busy. "Hey." he said to a girl with hid mouth filled with motzerella cheese. She just shook her head and murmered something like "Pathetic." and walked off.16

"Kat!" Kat heard somebody call. She shook her head and thought that she must be hearing voices. She heard the call again but once again ignored it. This time, she felt somebody shake her by her shoulders. She turned around and saw who it was.17

"Jake!" she screamed. Kat leaped into his arms, feeling happy for the first time since he left.18

"I hitch-hiked from the airport." Jake said, covered in sweat. "And I ran from Waldorf Street."19

Kat shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're here. Why are you here?"20

Jake motioned to his formal wear. "Couldn't miss your senior prom now could I?". Jake leaned in and kissed Kat. 21

Brian and Amy ran over to greet Jake at the same time. "Jake!" they both yelled out. Amy hugged him, Brian shook hands with him and then hugged him. 22

"How are you?" Amy asked. 23

"Good." Jake replied. "Um, I have to bail for a second. I have to go across the street to my old house to get something."24

Kat walked Jake out to the front doors of the school. "I'll be right back!" Jake said as he walked backwards into the street. "I love-". Jake was cut off. As he was about to finish his statement, out of nowhere, a car swerved and hit him. The car ran him over and Kat watched in sheer horror.25

"Jake!" Kat screamed at the top of her lungs. She was unable to move. Slowly but surely, she felt her world crashing and burning before her very eyes.26