Screw the gymnasium; this was California.
The prom committee had rented these huge roll-out carpets and spread them out over the football field. Concert-worthy speakers were set up at every twenty yards. A wobbly stage took over the entirety of an end zone, and when Dave and Gretchen arrived, bands were still unloading their equipment from their parents’ vans. A few teachers in suits were gathered in a circle beneath the Congrats SLO Seniors! banner that hung by the bleachers. They drank coffee and chatted, not yet concerned about being vigilant. The drinks table was lined with sodas and bottles of water, and no one really seemed to care about the lack of spikeable punch since the Kapoors were hosting an after-party.
“No chocolate fountains in sight,” Dave said, snapping his fingers in an “aww-shucks” kind of way.
“Good. I was thinking about it and I’m terrified of ants. Being covered in chocolate would attract ants, and that does not seem like a fun idea.”
“How are you afraid of ants?”
“I just can’t trust anything that has eyes too small to look into. I don’t know what they’re thinking. They could be plotting my demise and I’d have no idea.”
“You’re adorable.”
“Don’t patronize me, ants are a legitimate thing to be afraid of. All those legs. Have you seen an up-close picture of one? That’s the stuff of nightmares.”
Still holding on to her hand, Dave swung her close to him. She didn’t like being too touchy in public, so he kept himself from hugging her and just stood as close to her as was surreptitiously possible, happy to be close enough that he could stand with his side pressed lightly against hers. He reached for one of the blond tresses that spilled down her temple like something falling in slow motion. “How do you feel about picnics?”
“Dave, you’re going to give me a panic attack.”
“Did you say a ‘picnic attack’?”
Gretchen burst into laughter, smacking him playfully across the chest and then leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. They each grabbed a bottle of water and took a seat along the rows of fold-out chairs that had been positioned in a rectangle around the stage, with plenty of room left in the middle for the wooden dance floor.
They watched the prom fill up. Dr. Hill came by the stage and announced a few official rules, which had been repeated over and over again on the PA system: no alcohol, no inappropriate dancing, no letting chickens run loose in the crowd (an SLO tradition). Then he wished everyone a good time, and the first band took the stage, a group of sophomores that played electro-pop covers of classic rock songs. Gretchen’s friends joined the two of them off to the side of the stage. They’d started warming up to him again recently, and Dave was thankful for the second chance, happy to prove to them that he wouldn’t hurt Gretchen again. Soon enough the dance floor started to fill up. Dave didn’t feel at all like dancing, and he was thrilled when Gretchen didn’t push him to.