Clara's Undoing

“Bridge what?” Clay Winston shouted as the entire crowd roared in return. “Born! Bridgeborn!” The chant we so particularly cheer after a victorious event like this one had us shouting repeatedly like maniacs on rampage. Not long after, members of the entire football team picked up their starplayer and put him on their shoulders, dancing him around like a King amongst his constituents. It wasn’t hard to notice that James Evans, the superstar quarterback, was enjoying every bit of attention and praise he was getting—which he rightfully deserved. Sure he was irresistible with his good looks alone, but the fact that he scored a touchdown beating the buzzer with a sprained ankle from an earlier tackle by a six foot gorilla made him omnipotent amongst my fellow schoolmates. It was unbelievable really, like something that came out of a feel good movie. “Are you falling in love with James all over again, Clara?” Sidney shouted against my ear. I laughed and shook my head. “As if that’s possible.” She put a hand over my shoulder and started dragging me towards the parking lot. “Well, with this victory hun, I believe the line’s just got longer for him. Come on, we need to get ready!” “No! I want to stay a little longer!” I demanded. She looked at me flatly as she fished her car keys from her pocket. “You can’t possibly congratulate him now against the throng of crowds in there. That’s a stampede in the making.” “I can try!” Her flat look took an even deeper dive. “You can do that later when you’re all dolled up, in a sexy dress, without the disgusting sticky face paint.” “Fine.” I rolled my eyes and went into the passenger seat of her Jeep, innately hating the fact that she was, once again as always, on point. She chuckled as she got into the wheel. “You know I’m right. Besides, we only have two hours left to get ready. Whoever thought to hold the Homecoming Dance right after the game seriously needs to go to jail. This kind of logistical planning should be illegal in all states.” “Don’t forget your Mom’s the Headmistress, Sid.” I said. “I believe she’s the one responsible for that.” She laughed. “Exactly my point!” Sidney dropped me at home before going to pick up our dresses from her house where she had it delivered. I didn’t see the point of the entire logistical nightmare but she kept the description of my dress hidden from me. So that was another nightmare. She arrived exactly an hour before the dance. I couldn’t keep my hands idle… I kept on rearranging the rollers on my hair all because I didn’t know how to work a curling iron. Then I saw the dress she had prepared for me. It was a see-through white bird-patterned lace woven on top of a tuile halter neck dress that flowed all the way to the floor. It was beautiful. Sidney had the most amazing taste when it came to dresses. I’d always told her to pursue a career in fashion but she always emphasized how her mother didn’t like the idea. But then again, her mother never liked any idea of hers. Sidney helped me finish my make-up off. There wasn’t anything else she had to overdo since I’d already done it myself. Jodie, my old babysitter, taught me. She also fishtail-braided my entire hair, letting my natural curls fall from certain spots, and put little pieces of flowers and diamonds all over. She was skilled like that, in all things fashion. The exact opposite of me. We had a little fight about whether or not I should take my glasses off especially since all I saw when I did were rays of light and just a figure of a face of whoever was in front of me but she said it wasn’t a question. So she won. Good thing, I had some contacts lying around. She was right about the entirely different look it gave on the outcome, but I wasn’t about to let her know that. Half past ten, we arrived at the school parking lot where we overheard John Selleck and his group smuggling in liquor to spike the punch so I might have to steer clear of that later on. The classic white brick Neo-Georgian style of the vast school grounds at night felt almost entrancing. I’d always liked Bridgeborn Elite Preparatory Academy at night, when everything was dim-lighted and the old halls were quiet, contrary to the boisterous, rumor-filled corridors in the daytime. I often used to stay here in the library till eight in the evening—sometimes even longer than that—back when I had the secret key Sidney used to have, which I lost the summer after sophomore year. Now I only get to sneak in during the mornings when Mr. Jimenez, one of the janitors, happily lets me. Most of the students had already registered but I still thought we were way too early. Perhaps twelve midnight could've done it. Just a peek and then we could leave but again, I wouldn’t win against Sidney if I suggested that. The Bridgeborn grand banquet hall looked different tonight. I’ll admit there was something magical about a place you see everyday suddenly looking so glamorous and enchanting with all the decor and different hues of light. The high neo-georgian ceiling had white streamers strewn all across the numbers of chandeliers going out from the huge middle one and then continuously flowing on the walls. White dame’s rocket filled the entire hall and it felt like we were in a scene for a white wedding. “It looks so magical.” I muttered to myself. Sidney smirked. “Now you know where a huge chunk of our tuition fees go to. Ah, Bridgeborn and their dances! Making students concupiscent since nineteen twenty one.” I sniggered at Sidney’s candor remark. But if there was one thing Bridgeborn got on point, it was the band. Ever since I attended school dances, they had always got a good band playing classic rock songs and power ballads—the kind you get to really get into and dance without most of the auto-tuned and virtually edited songs you heard nowadays. “There’s James!” Sidney exclaimed directly to my ear. I winced a little before turning my attention to where she pointed. “God, Clara, you’ve got amazing taste in men. He’s a complete stud!” I chuckled. “So does half the entire female population of Bridgeborn.” James was standing by the punch and food table. Coming from a long line of generals in the army, he was wearing a full-dress uniform. Most students here wore their culture and legacies proudly. It was why they came to school here. Bridgeborn was a generational school of the most prominent old-money families in New England and the stepping ground of how they made connections. Friendships formed here last for a very long time or until they become CEOs of their parents’ companies. That was why they laid the groundwork here. “Come on, let’s go say hi.” Sidney said, hauling over to where James and his friends were chatting. I tried my best not to keel over with my long dress and high heels but she was not slowing down. James and his friends stopped talking the minute we stumbled into their little circle. Sidney just flashed her boy-magnet, ray-of-sunshine smile before greeting everyone. “Damn, Sidney.” Marcus Murdoch III hollered, a flute of non-alcoholic sparkling Chardonnay in his hand. “You look delicious, little lady.” “Perhaps you should take me out for a spin?” She replied, immediately getting in tune with him—one of her superpowers. “I heard from Sarah Powells you couldn’t dance to save your own life.” Marcus placed his glass down on the table and accepted the challenge. The others immediately followed suit. Brad Samwell invited me to join them but I refused. “I think I’ll stay here and accompany her.” James said to his friends, to my utter surprise. “She might get lost.” My cheeks grew hot in embarrassment. “It’s fine, you should join them.” He took a sip of his sparkling Chardonnay after letting out a chuckle. “Nah, I still need to rest my foot.” “Oh right, congratulations! You looked great out there.” I stuttered. “I meant you were great. Playing football—football playing… quarterbacking. Not that you don’t look great I mean… uh—good game!” I mentally slapped myself left and right. For someone who had been dying for some alone time with the man of her dreams, I was tanking it. Not to mention making a complete fool out of myself. James looked at me amusingly, as if the only thing keeping him from laughing at me was the fact that he was trying so hard to decipher what I was saying. “Thanks, I guess?” “How’s your foot?” I said, trying to pick myself up from the gutter that I had dug up on my own. “You took quite a big fall.” He looked down at his leg, turning it from left to right to show it wasn’t that injured. “All good. I think it healed up when I forced it to run although gyrating with those buffoons is an entirely different thing.” I laughed rather loudly, tapping him on the shoulder just as the song turned into a more mellow one. “Ha! Good one! That’s funny.” My voice reverberated to the immediate vicinity. I silently cursed myself, wanting to cut my hand off more than anything as I looked around for an escape plan. He laughed at me awkwardly as he shook his head a little and muttered “Not really.” He was laughing at me. At me… s**t. “Okay. I better get back to my table.” I mumbled under my breath, promising to myself that I would hide under my bed as soon as I got home and to never, ever, ever attempt to talk to James Evans ever again. “I’ll see you later.” It was terribly evident this conversation was going nowhere other than myself ending up looking like a complete moron so it was probably for the best to cut it short. This was the one night I got to talk to James as an acceptable looking girl with nothing but intelligence and eloquence to spout but I guess my mouth had different plans. “You know what?” He placed a hand on my arm when I turned around. “Why don’t we give this song a dance? It’s a lot slower so I think I can manage.” I blinked in surprise. Probably longer than I should have. The only thing that brought me back to reality was James’ eyebrows waggling as he patiently waited for my response. I bit my lip a little before nodding. “Here, let me get that for you.” He said, taking my purse from my shoulder. “I’ll just put this on my table and then we’ll get to our dance.” Surprised, I agreed. I didn’t know he had a chivalrous side to him. “Well, that was painful to watch.” I heard a voice muttering from behind me. I turned around to see Mr. William Parrish, our Physics teacher, standing behind the punch table, suddenly dawning at me how much of our conversation he was privy to. I immediately felt my cheeks grow hot. Mr. Parrish was one of the younger teachers in Bridgeborn Academy. Considering that this was one of the oldest schools in the country, there were plenty of them teaching here. He started the same year I went into freshman year and had been the recipient of most unrequited affections from the lovelorn female population in school—faculty included. I guess they’d never seen a collared cardigan that looked so appealing in men before. Neither had I. With his boyish looks which was a sure-hit with the ladies, the way he moved and acted was what made him a man. His green eyes and distinguished Adam’s apple sealed the deal for every girl within his vicinity and the gentle tenor voice he put out there was so damn irresistible. But even with all those combined, what really made him stand out—in my opinion—was the way he moved and acted. Everything about him seemed precise and… clean. Like there was not a single thing he did that was out of rhythm and sense. It was almost scary. Probably why I’d always steered clear of him. “You think?” I mumbled under my breath, rhetorically of course while silently cursing myself. He offered me a glass. “Punch? It’s good, I've had a couple myself.” I took it and finished it in one chug, appreciating the perfect timing the man in front of me had. “Want a refill?” He offered, his thick brows raised in curiosity and amusement at me. “No, thank you.” I smiled as I finally felt air again in my lungs. “Besides, I don’t want to hurl a lot if I ever did… because I’m starting to feel nauseous… even naught of the alcohol’s presence.” “It’s non-alcoholic, you know.” I scoffed. “Don’t be so sure.” Mr. Parrish narrowed his eyes at me, unsure of what I meant. “I may or may not have heard John Selleck and his g**g of underdeveloped misfits planning to spike it earlier out in the parking lot.” I whispered to him, leaning in a bit. “But you didn’t hear it from me, Mr. Parrish.” He laughed a little, his ever-famous tenor voice reverberating in my ear. “My lips are sealed. Although, that positively explains why I’ve been feeling a bit different.” I pressed my lips together and laughed. I didn’t know he had a sense of humor. It wasn’t what you would initially think of him but it surely suited him. His eyes suddenly turned serious when they turned them behind me. “Head’s up.” James was just reaching my spot when I turned around. I gave Mr. Parrish a nod as a thank you and goodbye as James put my hand in his and guided me towards the dance floor. The band played a slow song. I think the original was a lot faster but they had it rendered to a more mellow pace. I know I knew this song from a movie before but I couldn’t quite place which one. My mind was in scrambles. I was about to slow-dance with the love of my life. “Does it make me lame if I told you I absolutely love this song?” He asked as he put his hands around my waist. Then he chuckled. “Now that I heard myself say it, it definitely sounded lame.” I chuckled. “No, I think it’s cute.” “I thought you thought I looked great, not cute?” He asked teasingly, causing me to wince internally. Great start, Clara, you git. “Clara, you’ve got to relax.” He suggested. “I’m not gonna bite you. I mean, I have done so with a couple of guys from St. Andrew’s during the game last week but I’m not doing that to you.” “You did?” I asked, my eyes widening like saucers. “That’s disgusting.” He laughed. “Hey, once you’re on the field, you have no control over your actions. It’s all rage and adrenaline and whatever comes to mind first, you do it. Including biting your sweat-covered opponents while you’re all rolling on the ground.” “What did they taste like?” I asked the first question that popped into my head. He laughed even louder, shaking his head a bit. “I can’t believe you just asked me how they tasted.” I looked away and bit my lip. “I can’t believe I did either.” “You’re as adorable as I remember.” James whispered, causing me to look back at him with a slight surprise in my face. “What?” I asked softly. “What do you mean?” “Nothing, I just remember how adorable I thought you were in Kindergarten. I seem to recall you being my first crush ever.” He said. I shook my head in disbelief. “What?” He what? Did I hear him right? Did I just hear from James Evans’ mouth—the guy I’d had a crush on since middle school—that he had a crush on me? He smiled sheepishly. “Now I realize I probably shouldn’t have told you now at the risk of looking and sounding so lame.” I laughed, still a little fazed. “You need to stop worrying about being lame, that’s never gonna happen.” “Is that right?” He asked, staring down at me with an amused smile on his lips. With a small bite on my lips, I nodded dutifully. Never have I ever expected for this night to turn out like this. Amidst the beautiful song in the background, the other students dancing around us, and the handsome man holding me in this dance, there was only one thing in my mind. I’m so glad Sidney made me come.