Face Value

Part 24

TWENTY FOUR.

"So are you looking forward to the Prom?"

Astrid looked up at Heather's words and considered as she changed for gym. Pausing to tie her laces, she flipped her braid over her shoulder and gave a smile.

"I think I'm actually looking forward to it." she said, analysing her feelings. "I mean, if you had asked me about two months ago, I would have stared at you for talking to me in public and scoffed at the thought of going...but now..." She smiled again. "Now, I would be heartbroken to miss going to Prom with my boyfriend and my BFF and all of my friends. Through no fault of my own, I've lost so much in this school. But somehow, my Mom's illness has brought me the chance for a boyfriend, friends, Prom...all the normal things."

Heather studiously retied her laces, thinking hard. She had been watching Atali carefully and she was profoundly suspicious of the red-haired girl's motives.

"I'm looking forward to going too-especially with Fishlegs," she admitted. "He's such a good guy-and he's really sweet. Have you thought about your dress yet?" Astrid smiled.

"I have possibly had a look at a couple of possibilities," she confessed. "Finn has insisted that he's paying but I don't want to abuse the offer..." Heather chuckled.

"Abuse away!" she advised her friend. "You only get Senior Prom once and you certainly deserve this..." And then she stopped, for a couple of the girls were sniggering away at the other side of the changing room. Frowning, she straightened up and glared at them. "What's so funny?" she asked. The girls gave her a pitying look.

"You think Atali will let either of you go to the Senior Prom?" the shorter dumpier one asked.

"What's it to do with her?" Heather asked pointedly. Her friend-a short mousy-haired girl with dimples-rolled her eyes.

"She's head of the Prom committee," she said.

"But she's not in charge of Prom," Heather pointed out. "She can't refuse to let Seniors attend just because she doesn't like them!"

"She can do what she wants-she's in charge!" the mousy-haired girl said arrogantly. "If you're not her friend, you won't be going-and that includes you, Astrid. You may think you're special-but she's going and you're not!" Blue eyes narrowing, Astrid straightened up,

"We'll see about that!" she growled and looked over at Heather, who was looking aghast. "Come on-we'll get this sorted out..." But Heather grabbed the irate blonde and hauled back as the other girls walked off towards the gym, laughing.

"Asti-you can't," she hissed. Looking infuriated and betrayed, Astrid looked at her friend.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because she's done nothing," Heather reminded her. "You think this isn't what Atali wants? Why would she tell two 'nobodies'?" Astrid opened her mouth to protest. "Look-Elin and Helena aren't anywhere near the kind of girls that Atali would embrace into her confidence-but she knew those two wouldn't wait to spill the beans..."

"So we speak to someone and stop her..." Astrid protested.

"She hasn't done anything...yet..." Heather repeated. "And accusing Atali would just be seen as petty and spiteful. Atali would play innocent and it would give her a perfect excuse to turn people against you. They'd say you were trying to frame her out of spite..." She sighed and her green eyes darkened. "You have to wait until the tickets come out-and then you buy them. If they refuse to sell you a ticket-then you have them. But until then...you have to wait..."

"But we know she's planning to exclude us..." Astrid protested, her eyes flashing with anger. Heather paused-and then smiled.

"And we know," she hissed. "So we carry on as normal. We smile. We treat Atali as we have been-polite blanking. And we buy tickets on the first day of sale for the Prom. And if anyone refuses, we have them. We know that-and so do they."