Asking people to prom.

I was talking to Thomas that next day during the first recess, telling him about the property I was going to buy soon and showing him pictures of it. It felt awkward at first. I mean, I only wanted to tell him what I had been up to recently, but it also kind of felt like I was bragging about it. But Thomas, as always, was a cool dude and didn't see it that way.

“Holy shit, man, that view is amazing. I think I remember my dad mentioning that this pond here forms because of a small stream that comes from the top of the mountain,” he told me.

“How does he know?” I asked, curious.

“He was thinking of buying that same property last year but mom didn't like that it was so far from the city.”

I still sometimes forget that most students in this school come from rich families.

I chuckled. “Guess I have your mom to thank for it being available, then.”

“But man, you really are serious about this, aren't you? Got an idea of what you want the house to look like?”

“A few, but I want to sit down with the girls and brainstorm.”

“Will I ever be able to visit or will you guys be, you know, busy 24/7?”

“We could set visiting hours, I suppose.”

“My gift to you will be a couple of months worth of air freshener spray. That house is gonna stink!”

“You know what? I'll take it. Thanks. But all kidding aside, be sure to visit, okay?”

“Oh, for sure.”

As we were talking, we suddenly got distracted by a pretty… uh… colorful scene going on in the hallway. We saw one of my classmates, dressed in a white greek toga with a white wig and fake beard, walking all mightily while two other guys followed him with big cardboard lightning bolt cutouts.

“Oh, this’ll be good,” Thomas said, grinning.

Zeus went into Thomas’ classroom and yelled, “You, Jennet!” The guys behind him moved the lightning around and played a loud thunder sound in one of their phones. “The MIGHTY Zeus has chosen YOU, mortal, to go with him to prom!” He dropped the godly act, shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck all casual-like. “So… Uh… Will you?”

We heard laughter from the classroom and a faint, “Sure, if the mighty Zeus chose me of all girls…”

The dude fistpumped and we all cheered and clapped for him, with Thomas even whistling loudly. The couple got together and their friends took pictures of them.

“That was good,” Thomas said. “I’ve seen some pretty bad ones. And speaking of prom, Oliver, do you mind if I ask Isabelle to go with me?”

That took a moment to hit me. I looked at Thomas with a raised eyebrow and said, “Only if you perform 12 Labors and prove your worth. What the hell is this about?”

The big guy laughed. “No, no, no! It’s not like that! Of course I can’t take Maria to prom, right? I was going to go alone, but I keep getting asked if I have a date. Isabelle is in the same boat, right? She wants to go alone but she keeps getting asked out, doesn’t she?”

“Oh, that makes sense. Then sure, you have my blessing. Get her home by 10:00 pm at the latest or I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Hah! You think you can kick my ass, short boy?” he challenged.

I looked him up and down, gave it some thought and nodded. “I do, actually.”

“Well, I don’t feel like finding out. 10:00 pm it is.”

“I’m assuming Maria knows, right?” I asked him.

“Yeah, I told her I’d see if your sister was up for it. Now I just need to ask Isabelle herself.”

I looked past him to our Greek god on earth. “And… are you going to do something like that?”

“What? No, no. It’s not serious, so I’ll just go ask her now. But now that you bring it up… Are YOU going to do a promposal?”

I groaned. “I don’t want to because it’s embarrassing, and I’m sure the girls expect me not to do it and will be okay with me not doing it. Problem is THAT is what makes me want to do it. Am I making sense?”

“Yeah, some. You want to surprise them, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“Have something in mind?”

“Kind of. I need to ask the teachers for permission, though.”

“Oh, shit. You’re planning something big?”

“Not big, but possibly disrupting. Also, I want to borrow a microphone.”

Thomas’s eyes widened, as did his smirk. “Dude, need help? I’ll get the other guys in on it.”

“That’d be great. I’ll need to move some stuff.”

We went to get Kevin, Ben, and Mark. I told them my plan in hushed tones and they were all on board. I promised I’d buy them pizza. I then went to the teacher’s office and spoke to a few of them. Mr. Rodriguez, the music teacher, agreed to let me borrow some things so long as I left everything back where it was.

Meanwhile, Thomas went and asked Isabelle to go to prom with him and she accepted gladly. There were rumors about them being a thing for all of 10 minutes before everyone realized they both just wanted to let everyone understand they weren’t looking for prom dates, thus crushing the dreams of many boys and girls. Still, many also said it was fitting they went together since they were the most likely to get elected king and queen. Couldn't argue with that logic.

“Are you sure about going with Thomas?” I asked Isabelle during the second recess. “You really don’t have someone you’d rather go with?”

“I told you, I don’t want to bother with boyfriends or the like. I don’t want dates or casual relationships. I’m focusing on myself and I’m feeling better than ever for it.”

I nodded. “So what you’re saying is that you don’t like Thomas, right?”

“Yeah. He’s just a good friend and our objectives align. Nothing else.”

I sighed. “I know that’s the right answer, but it just proves again that you have terrible taste in men.”

“UGH! I KNOW!” she moaned, frustrated.