(42) The Prom Queen

To their benefit, Cassandra and Matt ended up dancing near and with her friend group which meant that Theo and Makennah were free to dance with her friends. And that meant grinding. Lots and lots of grinding.

Sweaty but super hot grinding.

Bounce that booty on the floor

Shake til you get a little sore

Show em, yo momma made a hoe

Get ahead and get a little slow

Shake that booty in the car

Shake that booty in the store

Makennah and all of her friends yelled out "Pop it, stop it, drop it, pop it." Her hips moved with the prescribed lyrics and Theo kept up behind her.

All of the kids on the floor were getting dirty and nasty grinding, practically having sex. Even Meredith and Nick were getting a little handsy beyond a little bump and grindin'. Theo and Makennah had their moments but overall enjoyed dancing together, moving their hips together, showing off their stellar dance moves and having fun while singing all the lyrics.

Makennah grinded to the side and Theo followed, leaning on their left leg and popping it back. Theo threw his arms up in the air. Makennah swung her arms to the beat with him while focusing on her hips.

The song changed into a slow dance. The couples paired up - face to face, arms around necks, hands on hips. Theo grabbed Makennah by her wrist and spun her around and tucked her under his arm. Instead of preparing for the slow dance, Theo escorted Makennah out of the room towards the hallway. Bending his head, he whispered in her ear, "I'm thirsty. You want anything?"

"A water," she responded. "I'm gonna use the restroom."

She detached from his hip and circled through the hallway surrounding the ballroom and located the restrooms. Surprisingly, her make up was faring well with all of the hot air, sweating, and dancing. Plus, her hair remained firmly curled, tucked, and pinned to her head. Carolynn hired magical masterminds.

As much as she loved this dress, she was looking forward to ditching it and changing into something more comfortable for the after-party taking place at someone's house in a faraway suburb where they were likely not to get in trouble by the police. Everyone was talking about it as much as they gossiped about the dance and who was taking who.

Cleaning her hands and drying them on a paper towel, Makennah grinned just thinking of being back in Theo's arms. She wished she could say she hadn't been all over him but she was. She totally was. The best part was that he seemed to share all of her same feelings. He couldn't keep his hands to himself either. He smiled at her every time he saw her. His gaze dropped to her lips more than once like he was thinking about kissing her. It charmed her socks off, and she terribly wanted to kiss him just as badly.

As she exited the restroom and made her way to the drink station manned by teacher chaperones to ensure no one spiked the punch, Makennah straightened her sash and tugged her skirt down.

As she lifted her head and rounded the corner, Makennah's blood ran ice cold and she stopped dead in her tracks. With two drinks in his hands, Theo was slightly bent over with his lips plastered to Rebekah Allensby's mouth.

Before she could even see anymore, Makennah tucked tail and ran like a scared puppy dog. Without a clear vision in mind, Makennah raced for the parking lot and shouldered the front door wide open. The crisp night air chilled her skin instantly.

She grappled with the sash, trying to rip it off because her chest felt tight. Her lungs constricted but no air filtered inside. Her body begged for oxygen.

How could he?

The logical part of her mind argued with the emotional. Rebekah was beautiful, strikingly beautiful. They had history. Maybe he missed her. Maybe they had been talking to each other this entire time.

Maybe she was a fool.

How could he?

She deserved an explanation. She deserved to know what was going on. She wasn't an idiot. Theo kisses her and made her think that he liked her. Theo bought her coffee and drove her places. He saw her mother and didn't judge her. All of these things made her fall for him without question.

She guessed he was a player. She should have stuck to that gut feeling.

How could he?

Makennah just wanted to get out. Escape. Run.

With all of the chaotic thoughts racing through her head, she managed to remember that Theo left the back passenger side door of his Lexus unlocked with his keys tucked under the mat so they didn't have to carry anything inside and risk it getting stolen. The rest of their things were stowed away in the trunk.

The despicable image of Theo kissing Rebekah played over and over in her mind. She couldn't get rid of it. Her mind just couldn't stop.

It was all too good to be true. Her life wasn't easy. She didn't get to fall in love and have nice things. The Sinclair family was already too much to ask for.

Grabbing the keys, she unlocked the trunk and withdrew a grey zip-up sweatshirt, her phone, and credit card. Her sweatshirt wasn't good enough for this type of weather but it would have to do. She changed into a pair of chunky knit socks and fur lined Ugg's with a tie in the back. Not her usual style but she couldn't deny their comfort which she would need since she would be walking.

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After thirty minutes of trudging and her skin had turned blue from the cold, Makennah arrived at an old run down drive-thru. Even though it was open on both sides for cars to drive through, she felt relief from hiding away from the wind under shelter.

An old man puffing in a giant cigar with his legs kicked up on the counter behind the glass watched old M.A.S.H. reruns on his 12" by 12" 90's style TV. Smoke lingered in the cube where he was bundled up in a ragged jean jacket he probably owned since the 80s. When the man noticed Makennah, his eyes briefly wandered over her getup before returning to his black and white tv show.

"What are you - the prom queen?"

"Something like that. Black madbolo's," she told him with confidence. If she acted eighteen, they usually didn't ask in joints like this. In fact, as she glanced around, she didn't see any security cameras which meant the police didn't come snooping around these parts to bust him for selling to underage kids.

"You want a carton?" He asked, puffing smoke through his mouth. Lazily, he scooted his chair back and reached for the packs of cigarettes.

"No." Makennah slid her debit card under the crack in the glass through which they acted out exchanges. His fat fingers swiped her card and handed over the pack of cigarettes without question.

After she completed the transaction, she remembered she didn't have a lighter. "Sorry, can I borrow your lighter? I lost mine."

The man nodded towards a display case of Bic lighters. "Just take one and get out."

She did. Quickly.

In her house on any given day, several different packs of cigarettes could be found littering the tables and countertops. Crusted cigarette butts stacked high in glass holders. Ash dusted the coffee tables and side tables. The wallpaper peeled from the consistent smoke - both cigarette and other types.

She lived in that type of environment even when she became a foster child. Most parents smoked and drank on a daily basis. Her own mother smoke menthols - Newport's to be exact. She was around it so often that she could recognize the difference in the smell.

She never picked up a cigarette until her friends did. She smoked her first one at thirteen. Hated them. Swore to never do it again.

But it's easy to get sucked in. It's easy to go back. It's easy to get addicted.

The ugly truth was that she started to understand how her mother became addicted to drugs when life got hard. And when Makennah's life got hard, she craved cigarettes. Desired their release. Craved the head high that drowned out the voices of anxiety.

Cracking open the pack and sliding out a cigarette, Makennah perched the cigarette between her lipstick lips and flared the lighter to life. The familiar scent swarmed her senses a moment before she inhaled and coughed. It had been awhile, probably six months.

Over and over, she breathed in sweet release. She felt a little dirty, a little ratchet. This lifestyle....she swore to give it up.

She finished the first one very quickly and instantly felt the effects. Makennah refused to cough like a sissy and instead dulled her mental pain by focusing on the ache in her chest and lungs.

On her third Marlboro, a black Jeep rolled to an easy stop outside the drive-thru where she hid under the awning out of view from the old man.

At the stop sign, the Jeep parked and stalled.

Matt Sinclair circled the Jeep and walked up to Makennah. Immediately, he shrugged out of her letterman jacket and approached her. Ignoring the cigarette which she was too far gone to be embarrassed about, Matt wrapped his jacket around Makennah's shoulders.

"You're blue," he said.

Every fiber of her being felt like crying. "It's cold."

Matt smirked. "Well you need a winter jacket, Mack."

Even though she wasn't finished, Makennah smashed the butt of the cigarette into the brick wall behind her and squashed it on the ground. The smoke smell clung to the inside of her nose.

Matt tucked his hands in his pant pockets and rocked back on his heels. "You shouldn't run off by yourself in the dark."

"Because I'm underdressed?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No, you're totally....rocking this look. You shouldn't go out by yourself alone because there are freaks out here."

Makennah tilted her head back and laughed. She gazed down the street into the dark night instead of making eye contact. "My Mom has dated every type freak in the book and brought him home for awhile. I think I can take em."

Matt just looked at her. "That doesn't mean you should have to face them alone."

He was right. She couldn't deny that. What everyone said was right. The way that everyone tried to protect her was sweet and kind. She was totally unaccustomed to it.

"So you wanna tell me what happened?" Matt spurred her.

For the first time, she looked into his eyes. She thought about all that he had going on and didn't really feel like adding to his stress. There was no reason she had to add to his burden. "No."

Matt snorted. "Get in the car. Let's go home."

"I don't wanna talk about it," she reiterated.

"You don't have to talk. You can listen." Matt pivoted on his heel and returned to the car before she could argue. Ditching the pack of cigarettes at the curb, Makennah hopped into the Jeep and buried herself into the warmth of the heated leather seats.

Once he shifted into drive, Matt started with, "Theo told me what happened. He saw you run away."

She rolled her eyes.

"Rebekah cornered him after he got you guys the drinks. To be honest, I saw her walk out of the ballroom after you and follow you to the bathroom. So I followed her of course. After what happened, I wasn't about to let her try anything else." Weird, Makennah didn't even see or hear Rebekah follow her. "She didn't go in the bathroom after you. Instead she went after Theo. I went to get drinks so I didn't see it happen...figured she would leave you guys alone. The next thing I know, Theo's shoving her away, accidentally spilling the punch all over her. She screamed. And Theo laughed...yes, he laughed, and told her that's what she deserved. Then he told her to eff off and stay the hell away from you and him because he wanted nothing to do with her. Theo did not kiss Rebekah. She grabbed him and kissed him."

Well, there was only one thing she could say.

"Karma."

"Is a bitch," Matt finished, sharing a smile with her.

His story seemed reasonable enough. There was no reason for him to lie. Besides, it's not like Matt was exactly on their side. He didn't think they should even like each other because it was weird. If he firmly stood on that truth, he wouldn't be telling Makennah this.

She held her doubts, but at the end of the day, she trusted Matt. Above all else, she had to believe him because it made her furious when he doubted her about Cassandra. She couldn't put him in those shoes even though he did it to her.

"So how long have you liked Theo?" Matt asked quietly when Makennah didn't say anything else.

She bent her neck and furrowed into his coat, trying to hide away from the truth. It smelled like Matt and like home.

Home. With the Sinclair's.

"He liked me first," she said.

Matt turned the car onto a familiar street. Makennah recognized their surroundings finally. "That doesn't surprise me and it also doesn't answer my question."

"I don't have an answer. We spent time together. We were trying to catch Cassandra, so it was just us two. He...took care of me. Watched out for me." Theo did more than she could ever ask or think. He helped her get a job at his family's restaurant. He bought her coffee. He drove her around. He took her to see her mom. He protected her. He supported her at her game. He made her feel special by inviting her to go to homecoming. He put in effort to get her appointed to court so that she would have to go. He made her feel like a queen.

"Theo is...Theo is...." Matt didn't finish his sentence.

He never finished his sentence.

The ride continued in silence. They drive home in silence. Makennah regretted admitting her feelings to Matt.

When he parked in the driveway, Matt and Makennah hopped out of the Jeep.

Before they went inside, Matt stopped in the stoop, hand on the door, eyes trained on Makennah, hesitation in his body language. "Theo is the best guy I know."

Matt mounted the stairs and went to his room. Makennah found the leftover mimosas in the fridge and took it up to her room. Discarding her clothes, she wrapped herself up in bed with the mimosa, Netflix, and a candle. And she ignored the phone calls, the texts. She ignored everyone. She ignored Theo.

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Okay readers!! What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts! Anything and everything!!!

Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it :)

Xoxo

W. Carolina