Catch Me

Clarity

 May 25, Sunday

5:50pm

"Have lots of fun at prom, okay?" John said when he stopped his car's engine just outside the entrance of our school, Huckstome High.

I frowned and raised an eyebrow at him in my seat. He was awfully cheery even though his plane leaves for China in a few hours. John took over his Dad's business too, you see, like... someone I knew. Rose, on the other hand, decided to continue pursuing her studies by passing Harvard instead of taking over her Mom's work.

"Oh, and good luck on your flute performance later," he inserted with a grin.

My frown deepened. "Are you sure our music club's supposed to have a number and I actually have a flute solo?" I squeezed lightly the instrument I brought, with two hands. The news sounded impossibly real in every way; music-club-with-all-the-instruments on stage at prom?? Right.

"Of course!" John exclaimed. "I have never been sure in my life!"

? I gave him an uneasy look.

"Honest, Jade! I bumped into that Filipino girl... er, whatsername..." he began snapping his fingers as he tried to remember.

"You mean Regina?" I asked-slash-answered.

"Who? Oh, yep! That's the one!" He sounded full of joy for some reason. "Regina, yeah. She said it was this last minute thing and told me to tell you. Yep, yep, baby."

OnO? I wish he would never call me that ever again.

"Why do you keep looking at me weird tonight?"

'Seriously???' I wanted to complain. 'You don't even realize you're wearing these ridiculous Ray Ban shades on your face for some reason??' John really was wearing shades when he picked me up a while ago. The dark lenses now reflected my confused face, but I kept it to myself and gestured my round glasses so he'd get my point.

"Oh don't worry, you look ravishing even with glasses, Jade."

He didn't get my point. I sighed and dropped the topic. "Do you really have to go to China?" I asked, sad.

John became thoughtful and I saw him force a smile. "Yeah. Keep the business going, you know?" He got out of the car and went to my side to open the door. "Besides, we have relatives there, so I have a place to stay. Don't worry about it."

I hugged him with one arm because of my flute in the other hand, and I told him to take care of himself (because I already lost a family member when my grandpa left, remember?). He nodded and messed up the top of my hair (that I remember someone else used to do to me), which I couldn't help frowning at.

If that was some cruel prank/joke he's doing (because he mostly does play pranks on people) to cheer me up, then it's not funny. Nope.

John didn't mention Vriska, so I didn't either. They kind of stopped seeing each other ever since John decided to keep the business going, which was around the last week of April when he made the decision of leaving the country. It wasn't really a good month for all of us that time.

I waved goodbye before he sped out of here, and I wondered when I'll see my friend again as I went inside.

6:00pm

Okay, I know that a dress is supposed to make you feel pretty especially when you're at prom, but I don't feel pretty in my dress. Just some buck-toothed girl with round glasses without a Dave.

... ! I mean, date. Yeesh. >__>" The last I heard about the guy, was that he got a new job as a DJ at this record store or something.

Some people started dancing in the middle of the dance floor. I dunno why I felt sad when I saw the DJ at the stage and it wasn't him, but this Tavros Nitram guy instead, that... um... isn't very good I'm so sorry. ;___;