Beatty & The Beast

TWENTY-SIX: Where the Beauty Breaks a Heart

The next day, four days until prom

Due to a doctor's appointment that had to be shifted from the afternoon to early morning, Andie didn't get to school until the end of second period. She didn't mind missing the classes – any excuse to miss class was a good one, even a doctor's appointment – though she did mourn the loss of riding to school with Keefe. It had become one of those silly small moments of life that she looked forward to every morning.

But at least the rides to and from Marmontel gave her plenty of opportunity to plan for the prom. Her mind spun with ideas for her hair and make-up, and spent plenty of time envisioning herself in that amazing dress.

She never felt so girly in her life.

Keefe didn't seem too happy about her absence either. She had called him while she and her uncle were on their way to Marmontel, telling him not to bother stopping at her house. His voice was very low, almost tired sounding. When asked if he was okay he said he was fine, he just needed to see her soon.

She smiled at that. It was good to be needed.

When she got to school, she decided to go to his locker to wait for him and then they could go to third together, which was their routine.

After a few minutes of waiting in the silent, empty hallway, the bell rang and the place exploded with movement and voices and footsteps, filling with students shuffling to their lockers or next classes. Andie rested against Keefe's locker, closing her eyes. She had to get up earlier than normal to go to the doctor's, she was quite sleepy.

"How could you let this happen?"

Andie's eyes popped open and she looked down to see a very distraught Oscar Tenderfoot gaping at her as if she had committed a heinous crime. "How could you? You guys are my favoritest couple of all time! How could you do that to me?"

Andie stared at Oscar. The little guy looked near tears; his overly-magnified eyes were even a little wet. "What are you talking about?" she said.

"I can't believe this!" Oscar huffed. "This is not right! Not salivary!"

"Salutary."

"I can't even function right now! I've never been so deprecated!"

"Devastated."

"Whatever!" he cried.

"What's wrong? What did we do?" Andie was laughing now.

"What did you do? You let him ask the Queen of All Evil to the prom, that's what!" Oscar wailed.

Andie's expression twisted. "What? Where'd you hear that?"

"Becca's telling everyone," Oscar spat. "Anyone with ears now knows that she is going with the Keefecake to the prom, she said he asked her last night! How could you let him do this? This can't happen!" Oscar looked so miserable Andie would have hugged him, had she been big on hugging anyone besides Keefe.

She snorted. "Oh for God's sake, you believe her? After all the lies she's told, you actually believe this one? I mean, she's been saying that she and Keefe have been a thing for God knows how long, though they never have been. She's totally delusional."

Oscar's thick eyebrows knitted. He thought for a few beats. Then he sputtered, "But this was different, she seemed so confident, so loud about it, it's not like any of the other malarkey she's tried to spread in the past."

Andie sighed and smiled at Oscar. "Have you asked Keefe about it?"

Oscar opened his mouth as if he was going to argue, but then closed it, looking suddenly sheepish. "No. I haven't seen him yet."