You're lovely, but you're empty

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“I’m sure being called you fuckers makes them feel really proud that they voted for you,” Jessa teased, eyebrow raised as she took a sip from her flask. In truth, she’d been pleased that they had won, having known what was going to go down if they did, thanks to Carson. “Congrats, by the way. Two crowns. Hell of an achievement. You must be so proud.” 

“Well since you are saying them and not we, Im assuming you didn’t vote for me so rude first off. And second, how dare you?” Kaleb replied, bringing their own cup to their lips. They had cleaned up most of the paint from their face and neck, it now just leaving a bit of pinkish stain across their skin. “Oh absolutely. I was aiming for king and queen but princess is fine. I get two prom royalty pictures in the yearbook and if im not mistaken ifs the first time one person has won two titles and the first time a non binary student has won in general. Just real shit that someone tried to ruin my night. Jokes on them though, i look great in red..”

“I know the last thing you’d want to do is have your precious little flowers ruined,” she shook her head. “Not sure if I told my family I was planning on crashing at your place but I’d much rather spend my time after everything at your place than trying to pretend to not be drunk at my own house. What the hell is even in this?” She asked them, looking down at her cup. Aurora was never much of a drinker, so she honestly wasn’t too sure what Kaleb had brought with them to prom. 

“I spent a lot of time on them and they are real flowers.” They commented not wanting to admit how long it had taken them to get the flowers to stay in with bobby pins and hairspray.  “Well you can just text them or call them before you get too drunk. Tell them that its going to be a late night and my parents want to see us after the dance since my mother wasn’t able to get pictures before we left since we were at your house.” Of course, Kalebs parents werent going to be home but her parents didnt need to know that. “A little bit of this and a little bit of that.” 

“That’s pretty fucked up. Georgie isn’t the nicest person, but no one deserves to be talked about like that. Now I really don’t feel bad about framing him.”

“Tyler is a disgusting person. He hides behind his intelligence but at the end of the day, he think most people are this school are beneath him and its obvious in how he treats people that are paying to be tutored by him and women he is having sex with.” 

“Even more the reason to enjoy yourself while you can right? Do I wanna die denying myself life’s simple pleasures? Or do I go out filled with booze and tacos? One of those options sounds a lot more fun to me.” He teased as he listened to them go on about their classmates. He knew they had to be right. “Do you think they were secrets worth dying for?” He asked, glancing over at Kaleb as he watched them pick up another rock and toss it off the cliff. “That’s true. You might already be marked for death as we speak.” He said, hoping that came off as jokingly as he meant it. But in reality it wasn’t far from the truth. First his mom, then his dad, Denise, Jessica. He’d become so accustomed to losing people and yet it never seemed to get any easier. When his friend sat down at the edge, he waited a moment before being invited to sit down next to them. He moved to let his own feet dangle over the edge as he watched them tell their story. “Sometimes I feel like high school forces us to wear more masks than we’re proud of.” He said softly as his eyes moved back towards the ocean. “And it’s up to use to decide when it’s okay to take them off you know? Do you want people to know how smart you are?” 

To Calum what they’d said was exactly the reason he didn’t let himself care that much. He wouldn’t be in high school forever and thank god for that. “I guess I’ve always thought that I have the rest of my life to worry about that kind of stuff. I only get to be 17 once you know?” He added as he picked up another rock and ran his fingers gently over the stone. It was hard but the ridges on it reminded him of his own skin. The poisonous touches that had already been there. As far as was concerned his health was already fucked. He watched as they took another sip from the bottle and nodded. “Yeah I’m not exactly the killing type, but somehow everyone around me ends up dying anyways so I wouldn’t get to close.” He shared, the statement a bit morbid but if he were being honest, it was the truest thing he could have said. “Is sad a better word for it?” He asked as he watched them look over the rock he’d handed them and give it a nice throw with a scream definitely attached. “Not angry at all.” He teased as he followed suit, tossing his own rock and letting out a scream as loud as his lungs would allow, watching as it bounced of the cliff and landed in the dark water below. 

Calum could tell from a mile away the secrets hidden behind the hidden ‘I’m fines’. Mostly because far too recently and even sometimes still he’d been the same way. The flashbacks were unrelenting but if he wanted to keep himself out of the hospital he had to play the part. He handed his friend the drink and smirked. “We’re in high school? Since when did we really do anything that was actually good for us?” He asked as he watched them take a pull from the bottle. When they were done, Calum walked himself over to the ledge. A cliff several feet above the water, opening itself before them. He looked back at the mountain behind them, grateful that it was big enough to block the moon. The only thing in front of them being the ocean and a sky full of luminous spheroids of plasma held together by their own gravity. “I’m not trying to get you killed or get my first DUI.” He teased as he picked up a rock and tossed it over the edge. “My dad and I used to come here when we’d visit my aunt and uncle before he died. Used to be our spot. Now it’s just mine.” He shared as he picked another large rock up from the ground. “He used to tell me anytime I was angry, I could come here, put all that anger into one of these and throw em off the cliff. Also coincidentally a really great place to scream.” The boy added as he offered a rock to his friend. “Wanna give it a go?” 

“If you really insist, Kaleb. This whole Prom King and Queen thing isn’t the end of all be, but it would be pretty cool if one of us ended up winning something. Do I really need to be on your level? My dad will probably kill me if he knows I’m drinking at prom, but I have a feeling you won’t be taking no for an answer,” She shook her head, before taking a sip of her spiked drink. 

“I say that you should win both prom king and queen. You’re the only decent option anyway.” Jane was bitter about the whole evening but she didn’t need to take it out on her friend. She raised an eyebrow at them and said, “Just don’t die.” 

“That’s a dick move. I once knew a guy who told me teaching me Mandarin was like trying to teach an elephant how to swim. It took me a few weeks to let him know that elephants can swim. In that case, I’ll definitely frame him.”

“I’m secretly hoping that you win King and I win Queen because how perfect would that be? But somehow I have a feeling you’ll be beating me out of Queen,” she admitted to her bestfriend and date to prom. 

“I would be more willing to do that if I knew him, but I don’t. I’m not against taking the credit for it. It’s not like they can give me detention this late.” 

“I’m all for it. I’ll just have to find a bucket of red paint and we’ll be good. At least this way, no one will ever forget your winning.”

“Yeah, I saw. I voted for you on both, so I hope you win. It’ll definitely make it a night to remember. I know it’s become a cliche to expect someone to be Carried at prom, but I’ve never actually seen it happen outside of that movie.”