Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

I guessed that’s what “privileges” meant. More like a line-cutting pass.
    Shifting my weight again to ease the ache in my arches, I looked down the never-ending line of overly-dressed students that snaked around the building. In the short fifteen minutes, we’d only moved a couple of feet.
    “ Cassie just texted and said we are in the right spot for pictures and once we get through the doors, it’s only twenty minutes more,” Georgia said, craning her neck.
    I looked for this mysterious door as well, hoping to get off my feet soon. “Are you sure you want to wait?”
    Georgia hit me on the arm. “Of course, silly.”
    I sighed as my tummy rumbled, noticing some of the girls’ dates had come back with hors d'oeuvres. With the swim meet and the nervous rush to get ready in time, I’d completely forgotten to have lunch. My mouth watered.
    “ You hungry?” Callahan asked, noticing my eyes glass over at the sight of crackers and cheese.
    I nodded, feeling a little weak in the knees. I’d even eat a green olive if offered at this point.
    “ Come on,” he gestured toward Dustin and Jeremy. “Let’s go.”
    The guys left in search of food, conveniently leaving us alone.
    “ So why do you think Kylie laughed when I called you Senior Ball Queen in the limo earlier?” Georgia asked softly, pulling Shannon and me into a tight circle.
    “ Who knows,” I mumbled, feeling the title a bit presumptuous and inappropriate. “Maybe she already knows I lost.”
    “ She can’t,” Shannon said with wide green eyes fringed with glitter eyeliner. “Only the teachers on the committee know. They count the votes, right?”
    I shrugged. This was all new to me. “Who cares. I’m not going to win anyway.”
    “ Oh yes you are,” Georgia said with a stamp of her foot. “Everyone I know said they voted for you and I know everyone.”
    But would they tell her the truth? “Still, Brooke is so popular—”
    Georgia put her hands on her hips. “—and treats everyone like crap. I think the student body is sick of her superiority complex and wants someone who deserves to be Queen. Like you.” She straightened up and cupped her hands over her mouth. “How many of you think Ashlyn would make the best Senior Ball Queen ever?”
    The line turned at her voice and, to my surprise, erupted in a cheer.
    I ducked down and brought my hand to my forehead. “Shut-up, Georgia. Please.”
    Callahan came up behind me and put his arm around my waist. “What’s going on?”
    “ Food!” I exclaimed quickly before anyone else could fill him in. “Thank you.” I force fed a mini croissant slathered in some white creamy sauce into Georgia’s mouth to silence her. She smirked knowingly as I winked.
    After thirty minutes more, we finally made it to the red carpet for The Night at the Oscars, complete with a life-sized golden replica of Oscar himself. The paparazzi photographer and posing with the golden statue made for a fun photo shoot. And to no one’s dismay, Kylie missed out on the group shot.
    Afterward, the six of us proceeded to the dining area and looked for our table number amidst the swarm of people. Callahan noticed his table number on his ticket said twenty-one and mine, twenty-three. Twenty-one happened to be Kylie’s table.
    “ Oh.” He licked his lips. “I had to buy an extra ticket for you and I must have gotten the table wrong. Kylie is on the committee. Let’s ask her to straighten this out,” he said, glancing in her direction.
    “ Oh, this is awkward,” Kylie said after looking at our differing tickets. “But there’s nothing I can do now. We’ve only got enough room for one at our table. Callahan, you could sit here next to Evan and rejoin Ashlyn once the dancing starts after dinner.”
    A pit formed in my stomach at her suggestion. How could he not check the tickets? I noted the jackets resting on the backs of most of the chairs, unsure of the owners. Next to the empty seat was a silver beaded bag I could only assume belonged to Brooke.
    “ I’ll find Ashlyn a chair and squeeze her in,” Georgia exclaimed and began to scan nearby tables for one to steal.
    “ No!” Kylie called out with a panic stricken face. “We can only have eight people at a table. Country club rules.”
    I looked around and noticed others had successfully added additional chairs, all the way up to ten in some cases.
    “ That’s okay,” Callahan said, gripping my hand tighter. “I’ll find a seat where I can be with