don't hate me because I'm beautiful

Yeah. Of course. No pressure or anything. But, um, really, I mean it. I don’t want to cause any pressure for you. That would be the opposite of nice, and I’d hate to fall in the rankings. It’s a good thing that we didn’t have a nice competition because I’d hate to have to choose between the two of them. I don’t know. It seems a little silly to go if I’m not participating in it, you know? [allows her brain to catch up to what Tyler was saying] But just hanging out would also be really nice. If that’s a thing you’d like to do. With me, I mean. Yep. College. I have no idea, just yet. Well, I do have a short list, but nothing is super set in stone. You know, gotta keep your options open and all that. [takes another small sip] Definitely not terrible. Just different. Yep, that’s me. A complete party animal.

I- I, um, don’t think that you could ever fall into the ‘opposite of nice’ category, Leila. At least not in my books. You don’t have to worry about I think or anything, I mean. I think you’re cool. Great. Pretty great--- Pretty and- Um, yeah, no problem. If you don’t want to--- [ Manages to stop himself from getting further tongue-tied in this absolutely #typical situation ] Yes. Yes. That’s a thing that I would like to do with you. Good reason to look forward to summer vacation. Short list, huh? That’s, um, a good idea. I guess you just have to think about how far you wanna get away from Havensdale and go from there... Anyway. [ Grins ] Woot woot. Maybe you’ll be next year’s Steven Beaumont- we’re gonna need one, you know. Or a Greg, I guess. Not that you should wanna fill those shoes- absolutely not. Just- Just thinking about who’ll throw all these cool parties for us.

Thanks. You’re the best. I mean, I know I say that a lot. But, really, you are. Like, one of the nicest people in the school. Definitely the nicest guy in the school. It’s pretty hard to out-nice Bonnie and Jenny though. Oh my gosh, I would so watch that movie. Karaoke nights sound amazing! If I was able to sing, I would totally go to one. Me? My plans? Um, I’m doing an online class at the college but that’s not really a big deal, and my dad thinks I should do work on college applications, but Mom wants me to go to this out of state cheer camp thing for two weeks, but I don’t know about that. So mostly just at home. Nothing that exciting. Mmm. I feel so terrible for her. Getting kicked out of the race like that must suck, but if it means she’s…nice, it’s good, right? [takes the cup and takes a tentative sip] Thank you. It tastes…good?

Aw, I’m not... I mean, thank you. It’s really cool of you to say that and I’ll, uh, try and live up to it. [ laughs ] Yeah, there’s no way you’d win over on Bonnie and Jenny. I’m pretty sure together they could re-brand the whole world in a week. Coop might at least tie with me. He’s, like, maybe even too nice. Well, it’s pretty fun to hang out on the karaoke nights too even if you’re not singing. Just- Just so you know. If you wanted to hang out one night or anything. Oh man, that’s really cool! I mean, I already knew you were, like, next level smart but that’s awesome. College. Do you- Do you know where you wanna go to college? A two week cheer camp sounds way intense but I bet you could handle it, if you wanted to. Huh. Well, if you’re around and I’m around- maybe we’ll be around together. Right. Sometimes you gotta do what you’ve gotta do to make the Montgomerys of the world nicer. [ raises a brow but follows suit--- ] Not terrible. Alright. I think we’re gonna be fine then, Leila. We’ve got this whole ‘party’ thing down.

Yeah. He is. Don’t tell anyone I said that, but he can be really mean. Huh. I wonder what’s caused that change. Do you think he maybe hit his head? I think I read that concussions can cause slight personality changes but…Nah. It’s probably just senioritis. You’re right. Oh, no pranks. A fun summer is definitely a thing that we should want. I mean, yes for a fun summer for us both. [God Leila could you sound weirder?] Do you have any summer plans? Hmm. I wonder what she was doing here. Maybe she’s friends with Steve or something. Or with Faye? Have you talked to Faye yet? Because she was being…nice to me? Okay. Alcohol drinks. We’ve totally got this, Tyler Manning.

My lips are sealed, I promise. Really? Huh... To be honest, it’s as good an explanation as any. Sounds like a quick fix, a quick knock to the head and suddenly you’re a better person. Actually, it sounds like a Netflix movie plot or something. Yes. That is... Yes. Um, nothing concrete but I did promise my dad I’d help out at the ‘Silver Fox’ this summer. Just odd jobs and if I’m lucky I’ll get to host karaoke Fridays which he forsure made sound a lot more exciting than it is. Might visit my--- Uh, might visit my grandparents for a while if Mom has time off work. Mostly I’ll just be around here in, ah, home sweet home. Free to hang or- or whatever, you know. What about you? Any summer plans? Yeah, I imagine pretty much everyone cool is friends with Steve. Nah, I’ve avoided her. Maybe being booted from the prom race was the best thing that could have happened but that is definitely none of my business. [ Tyler smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. After all, who knew he’d be here at Steven Beaumont’s after prom party getting drinks with the prom queen? It was too wild. His middle school self was hyperventilating. His current self however managed to locate them some red solo cups and wine coolers. ] Cheers to you, your royal highness.

Yeah, just from the way you say ‘cool’ I know you need something to make you chillax. Don’t worry, I totally got you bro [he gets to work preparing a drink that’ll be a lot of fun without completely fucking up the guy that he’s not sure has had anything harder than a hard lemonade in his life]. Honestly, if you passed out in the punch bowl, you’d be more likely to go down in history as the guy who got his ass handed to him by fifteen seniors in the backyard of Steven Beaumont’s house for knocking over the booze. What–being nice to people is a bad thing now? I’ve been on the receiving end of one of her compliments, and it’s kinda like how I imagine being hugged by cloud would be like, you know? Ah, okay. Finally a real reason. But, just so you know, you don’t have to justify anything to anybody, okay? I might give you shit, but if you say you’re not drinking much I won’t force you.

You know you’re basically, like, a life guru. You should take up life coaching, or something. Just get out there and help some other totally hopeless bros out across the country. Or- Or the world even! I--- Ohmygod, you’re right. Man, I didn’t even think about it like that... You’re a life saver, Steven Beaumont. That’s what they should say when they talk about this party tomorrow. No, no, no, it’s just- Well, Faye’s...not nice. Well, alright she has her moments and stuff but she’s way nicer tonight than she’s ever been. It’s a good thing forsure, just totally weird. Hugged by a cloud? [ Tyler paused, thinking briefly about whether or not he should throw his entire life philosophy out the window and give Faye a break... ] Anyway. Yeah, yeah, of course. I know. I mean, it’s good to hear but yeah. Thanks man, you’re the best. Very cool party.

Jamie giggled again, trying to ignore the noises from her family. He was so perfect. “Good to know. We’ll have to hunt down the photographers at prom so that doesn’t go to waste.” A small gasp escaped her when Tyler presented her with the corsage. It matched her dress. Her eyes shifted to her mom and aunt as they peaked around the corner. Had they told him what she was wearing? Her grin widened as her eyes returned to Tyler then dropping to the corsage again. She lifted her hand towards him and tried her best not to squeal as he secured the roses to her wrist. “It’s beautiful, Tyler. Thank you.” She could have kissed him right there, but gosh, not in front of her mom. Thankfully, Tyler spun her around, fully making her feel like a princess, and at the end of the spin she pulled him into a hug. “Let’s go.” She laughed again, pulling him towards the door by the hand.

“You’re welcome, Jamie.” Tyler couldn’t stop grinning. He wasn’t too proud to admit that before she’d come over to knock some sense into him (empathically, of course), he wasn’t even gonna go to prom. It had been the final kick in the teeth, Jesse ignoring him when he was trying to tell him something important. Jesse’d been too in his own drama and it’d been too easy to claw back onto their old rift. Damn, it was like just when things were getting good between them again--- But no. No. Tyler wasn’t thinking about Jesse McArthur tonight. He let out a laugh, feeling instantly better as he let Jamie lead him out the front door. “You have a playlist, right?” He asked with a teasing smile, knowing the answer. “Because there’s no way we can drive to prom tonight without the proper theme songs and I can’t be trusted with that kind of thing. Totally hopeless. You’ll have to help me, Obi Wan Jamenobi. You’re my only hope.” Tyler had been holding onto her hand the hold time, only letting it go to unlock his mom’s car and even then not without a very bashful brush of his lips on her knuckles. Tonight was going to be good. It was. Nothing bad was going to happen and for once, he really believed that.

Oh. That sort of explains it all, doesn’t it? No offense to Greg Porter. But…that seems to be less of a prank and more of a…really mean thing. I wouldn’t prank you. Unless you want to be pranked. In which case, I guess I could. Can you imagine if they made a movie about Havensdale? It’d either be super boring or like…super crazy. No in between. Sc-scary girl? What scary girl? There’s a scary girl? Scary how? Does she go here? No. I want an alcoholic drink. I think. I should try new things tonight. Because I’m the prom queen and stuff. Yeah. Let’s go crazy.

Yeah... Let’s be honest, Greg’s a little mean. Well, at least most of the time. He’s been weirdly, like, non-Gregish this past while actually which has been weird. Nice but weird. Maybe it’s senioritis? Nah, let’s, uh, veto pranking for now. I think it’ll make our summer much more fun. I mean- I mean, my summer. And your summer. So, it’d be, like both of our summers. [ Please don’t say summer again, Tyler- ] Summer. Huh? Oh, she was blonde with pink hair. Doesn’t go to our school and not from here so I think we’re safe. Last I saw her, drunk Faye was trying to be her new BFF. You’re the prom queen, and stuff. Let’s- Let’s do it then. An alcohol. Drink. We’ve got this, Leila.

“No, I mean, it’s fine to call me a weirdo. I mean, I know I kind of am. Not in a bad way. But I like math a lot. Like, a lot a lot. And most remakes suck. Why can’t people have original ideas for once?” Why hadn’t she talked to Tyler Manning more before? She’d always assumed he was…well, annoying, she guessed. But he was fine. “Having a Spotify playlist in your brain would be exhausting. The ads are so annoying. And what if it was pump up music when you wanted quiet? Ok, I’ll go suggest Footloose right away then.”

“Well, as long as it’s not in a bad way. I’m pretty sure any time I’ve ever been called a weirdo it’s not been in a good way but that was, uh, middle school. Freshmen year. I-,” traded friends for looking cool. He cut himself off before he turned this into an unscheduled therapy session. “Being good at math is awesome. That basically makes you a genius, Blair. It beats me, man. Originals are the original for a reason. Aw man, tell me about it. You have to go Premium or borrow a friend’s login, it’s the only way. R-Right, yeah. For dancing. Awesome, awesome.”

Yeah, you, bro. Who else would I be asking? Nah, you’ve got the pronunciation down, though. So I take it you’re ‘carpe-ing the diem’ then? [he’d laugh at tyler for the complete word vomit he just witnessed, but the guy was probably drunk, clearly high off of post-prom endorphins, and–honestly–this wasn’t really that out of the ordinary for him]. Are you asking for drink recommendations right now? Cause I’m no bartender, but I’ve got three drinks I could suggest, all dependent on what you’re looking for. You want something really fun to drink, something to get you messy drunk, or something to make you black out?

Right, right. Cool cool cool... [ Tyler laughed again, trying to shake off his nerves. He was at Steven Beaumont’s after prom party. He deserved a night off from everything in his life falling apart and-or being so freakin’ weird... He could chill. Probably. ] I am carpe-ing the diem. Uh, well, I did basically just get here so let’s go with ‘fun to drink’. I don’t think I need to be going down in Havensdale history for being a mess or passing out in the punch bowl. Faye Montgomery has complimented, like, fifteen people and if that’s not a cautionary drinking tale, I don’t know what. Plus my mom got me this jacket from one of her fancy designer friends so she’ll forsure kill me if anything messy happens to it.

“You do know how to bat your eyelashes, right? It’s like a blink but multiple times in a row and very fast. Most people can do it pretty reflexively, but it sounds like it’s a concept you’re struggling with.” It’d be so easy to laugh at the kid; he looked almost pathetically confused. “Oh, no. I’ve lived here for a bit. Yeah, sure. I know ‘Steve.’“ Another sip of her drink. God, how long was this going to last?

“Right, no. I knew that. I’ve...seen it in action.” Tyler shuffled on the spot, trying to square his shoulders like someone who definitely knew how to bat their eyes like a champ. “Who doesn’t know Steve, right? He’s, like, the man. That’s cool though. How’d you like it here? I know it’s not exactly a holiday hot-spot or anything but y’know. It’s home.” Tyler may have been a little oblivious to her lack of actual interest in this conversation. “The summer’ll be cool here. We have a whole carnival, fun-fare, thing to kick it off.” 

Why would someone shave of your eyebrows? That just doesn’t make any sense. Like, as a prank, it’s really silly. I feel like dying your eyebrows hot pink or something would be way funnier. Oh my gosh! It totally is. Like, I feel like I should be pulled aside to do one of those confessional interview things. Like, hi I’m Leila and this party is off the hook or whatever. I was really surprised it fit, but it did! Um, yeah, you. Wait, eye batting? I didn’t know I had to do that. I thought just asking for a drink was enough. Maybe I…I mean, I’ve never, like, had a, you know, alcoholic drink before.

Not someone, Greg. I- Okay, I just realised that I’ll never have to deal with Greg’s high school pranks ever again. Aw, man. Very cool. I’d definitely rather be pranked by you then. [ laughs ] Yeah! That’s exactly what it feels like. Any minute now the camera crew will be here to ask us, like, our thoughts and feelings on this past school year. It’ll get really nostalgic and stuff. ‘Off the hook’, yes. That’s perfect. That’s exactly the kinda thing that people say about Beaumont parties. Oh, I mean, I don’t know forsure. It’s just what this kinda scary girl said to me earlier and she seemed like she knew things. That’s cool. I mean, you don’t have to. There’s always soda, that’s what I always say. Said. Used to say. Anyway, your the prom queen. You can get anything you want.