Chapter 6. The Prom Evening
The Prom evening was two weeks after the start of school. On the Prom evening the contestant pairs had to join the best pair competition, where all of the participants would vote for the Prom Queen and King. Eve and I greeted each other in the school as if we had not already dated. Everybody saw our love story was over. I think she believed I would be alone and I would get a little humiliation from her. I was sure this was Bret Tyminsky’s plan for revenge on me. But they did not know anything about Kate Kalina or that my beautiful private student stepsister would be my partner.
My friends Frank, Billy and Sam had partners from other classes, they met them on the soccer training. They felt sorry for me because it was an open secret about my breakup with Eve. They had girlfriends for the Prom. They were yet virgins and they believed I was, too. Sam told us, laughing as an interesting thing, that his dad, Mr. George Whiteside, the local Sheriff, asked for almost all of the Sheriff’s office staff to work on the Prom evening. Last year and the previous year only the normal police service was at the Prom evenings.
A strange boy, Jimmy Lang, was in the class of Eve and Bret and was in a sad emotional state for months from refusal of the girls and Bret bullying him a little. I mentioned earlier Bret did not become an all school bully, but he had a wrong effect on some of his classmates and Jimmy was one of them. I think the idea to humiliate me originated from Jimmy’s sad emotional state. Bret and Eve wanted for me to be in similar sadness for the last half-year as Jimmy’s. I understood Bret’s vengeance but Eve’s was a mystery to me. Bret and Eve kept their affair in the dark and others only knew that Eve and I had not already been an item. They disclosed their love connection to everybody two days before the Prom. I was not really interested in Eve and Bret at all, but I wanted to surprise them that their plan would go awry. We prepared ourselves to go for Saturday evening.
My friends believed I was in a sad emotional state and I was looking for a little loneliness to cure my disappointment, so nobody organized any common program with me. My friends had girlfriends for the Prom and they spent the time with their sweethearts. I did not talk about Kate to them. Naturally Becky was silent about Kate, too. Moreover, the school’s leaders did not mention to others that Kate would be at the Prom. We prepared our surprise for Bret and Eve. My friends and Eve knew I had a stepsister, but her participation in the Prom was secret.
Kate and I planned to enter the competition for Prom King and Queen, although we did not think we would get any good rank on it, because nobody knew Kate here. I had been popular since the bully taming action, but Kate was unknown. Bret and Eve also did not think to win the competition, because of her surprising breakup with me. But they believed they could humiliate me with a long sad love disappointment, if I went to the Prom. They thought perhaps I would not even go over there at all.
After getting ready, I went to dad’s house, where Kate had dressed up and she did not worry to have wrinkly clothes because she ran to hug me. She was breathtakingly beautiful in it. She was able to dance very well in her neat dress. We kissed a while. Dad and Natalia praised us that we were a good pair and they wished good luck to us. I took Kate in my car to the Prom. One of the school guards and two lower grade students, a girl and a boy, were at the reception. We brought our two invitation cards to enter. The invitation card contained a tear-off ballot for the best pair competition.
We showed our invitation cards at the entry and Kate and I joined the competition for Prom King and Queen at the PC scanner and we got a number. The vote was at another PC scanner, where the PC prevented the couples from voting to themselves. We would write the number of the best couple according to us in the ballot, but a bar-code annulled any votes for ourselves. Kate was unknown here except for some teachers who were the participants of Kate’s examination committee and the Principal. We went into the cloakroom and took off our coats.
We entered the ball room. I took Kate with me to introduce her to my friends. About half of the students had arrived at the Prom and Kate attracted the admiring eyes of the boys and the envious glances of the girls. Kate came with me to show everyone that she belonged to me. We went through the big ballroom and we saw our names with our number among other pairs on the projector. Bret and Eva were not here yet. They planned a theatrical entrance for me.
My three friends were with their girlfriends in a group over there and I introduced Kate to them. They were delighted by the beauty of Kate and they could see we were lovers. They were surprised that I came with such a stunning beautiful girl. We talked about nothing and I looked at the projector for newer participants in the competition. Bret and Eve were on the projector because they arrived and we had fifteen minutes to the opening of the Prom. The organizers were the teachers, the Principal, the security staff and some one year younger students who were with us. Sandwiches and soft drinks were at the bar and we were with our friends and their girlfriends. My friends were glad that I was with a stunning beautiful girl instead of love disappointment.
Kate took me to the entrance of the ballroom hand in hand and she said, “A little surprise for Eve and Bret.”
Instead of Eva and Bret, this poor bastard Jimmy Lang entered into the ballroom and his coat was swollen out a little. He did not go to the cloakroom. This was not too special some classmates came to the ballroom in coat first, before using the cloakroom, to greet others. However, Kate changed her calm behavior and I felt a strange muscle tension in her hand. Kate released my hand and stepped forward and to the side quickly. I will remember the next seconds until my death.
Kate stepped aside from me slowly and she was between Jimmy and me. Jimmy took an automatic weapon a Kel-Tec KSG 12 from his coat and he wanted to begin the massacre with me. I saw in flashes Kate ran with a supersonic speed to Jimmy and first she hit his weapon from his arms and the first bullet went above my head to the opposite wall near to the ceiling. Jimmy could not shoot more, because Kate broke his both arms in a flash and she knocked him back onto the ground. Bret and Eve entered into the ballroom and they saw everything. Kate threw the weapon sideways. The whole event was so quick, that the pain arrived from his broken arms in Jimmy’s brain and he began to shout, when Kate knelt on his chest.
Kate looked around and she said loudly, “If somebody wants to injure my boyfriend I’ll kick his ass!”
I ran to help Kate, but it was completely unnecessary. She dominated the situation perfectly. The guards ran to us, but their duty was to gather the automatic weapon and to ask for Kate to hand over the wailing Jimmy.
How could Jimmy come with this weapon? When he entered at the reception, the guard turned sideways to answer a mobile call and the two young receptionists did not recognize the danger. Jimmy prepared himself for the massacre and he lost a lot of weight from his fat body in the last two months. He sewed a special holder on his coat from canvas to conceal and to carry this weapon. After the reception, he went straight to the ballroom. He admitted this later. Sam’s father told his son who further told me. He would have better lost that little weight for finding a girlfriend.
Sam phoned his dad and others phoned the 911 and Sam’s dad had been right to place the enhanced Police presence, and some policemen arrived soon and the ambulance was there, too. The guards handed over Jimmy to the ambulance. They took Jimmy to the hospital with a Police escort. Police arrested him, but first his broken arms had to be treated. The whole Prom started to go to a catastrophic end.
Sam’s dad the Sheriff, arrived and he began to take action. He looked at the videos of the security cameras and listened to Kate and me and then other witnesses. Everybody was in shock and believed in the end of the Prom. However, Sam’s dad consulted with the Principal and some teachers and they called Kate and me.
Mr. Whiteside looked at us, “Ben and Kate, if my son had not been on this Prom here I’d stop the event. But the Principal and I came up with the following idea.”
After the Sheriff, Mr. Kaminsky said, “I’ll announce soon that the event will begin after 15 minutes. The Police will get the bullet evidence off the wall tomorrow, so we can start the Prom. But the Prom start will be the Sheriff’s and my thanks to you. I’ll announce you’re participants of the competition for the King and Queen. Could you acknowledge our gratitude on the podium for salvaging this event?”
Kate responded first, “I’m a guest here, Ben has any right to decide,” and she gave a kiss on my cheek, surprising the two men.
They looked at me, “Yes, we’ll do it, but I’ve a condition,” I stated firmly.
Mr. Kaminsky and Mr. Whiteside said, at the same time, “What?!”
“All right, we’ll stand up to the podium, but I’d like to thank my beautiful girlfriend that she saved my life.”
The Principal asked, “Why is a problem?”
I replied, “I want to kiss her on the podium in front of the crowd for more than a minute long!”
Kate hit me with her elbow and giggled softly.
The Sheriff looked smiling at the Principal, “Is this an obstacle?”
Mr. Kaminsky began to laugh a little, “All righ,t I consent to your plan, but I’ve a condition, too.”
Now Kate and I wondered, “What?!”
The Principal explained, “Before your long kiss, I want to hug your girlfriend on the podium for having saved you, a lot of potential victims and the event. Moreover, I want to hold hands with you. Would you mind allowing these to me?”
Kate and I looked at each other and we said unison, “All right.”
The Principal sent us to the teacher room to arrange our clothes. Sam’s dad, the Sheriff, left us and he went to his colleagues. The Principal went to announce the new start time of the Prom for the shocked crowd. A little steam left the crowd to know that the event would begin soon.
We went to the teacher room, where the shocked teachers and organizers greeted Kate to save me and the event. We phoned our parents and we reassured them. We knew everybody did this. The woman teachers assisted Kate to arrange her clothes. We drank a little soft drink and the Principal took us to the podium in front of the whole crowd. Mr. Whiteside was already over there. The band was ready to start the music.
Mr. Whiteside the Sheriff announced, “I want to thank a young brave lady that there weren’t any victims. We arrested the culprit. I allow the event to begin!” and he stepped down from the podium.
A little clap came from the shocked crowd.
The Principal took us to the microphone, “I’d like to thank to Miss Kate Kalina that she saved her boyfriend Ben Paulson and other innocent victims from injury and even from death. She saved the Prom, too. Kate Kalina is a private student and kind guest here with our student, Ben Paulson. I’d like to show on the projector that Miss Kate Kalina and Ben Paulson are participants of competition for the Prom Queen and King.”
Mr. Kaminsky shook hands with me, then he hugged Kate.
A few noises of approval came from the crowd.
Kate and I went to the microphone, and I said, “I’d like to thank my beautiful girlfriend for saving my life.”
Kate and I hugged each other and we kissed passionately in front of the whole Prom for more than one minute.
The crowd was silent first and after one minute they began to clap and shout, so we stopped with a thunderous “Bravo!” shouted from the crowd.
When the noise reduced, Kate went to microphone said with cheerful humorous voice, “If somebody touches my boyfriend with a finger, I will kick the offender’s ass and this regards to the girls, too!”
The whole crowd burst into laughter, so we changed the dark emotional state to a better mood, which was enough to start the dance.
Then the Principal went to the microphone and he started the event.
We began to dance and talk, to drink soft drinks etc, what the students do at a Prom. Kate was modest and she showed everybody that she belonged to me. If we danced or took a rest, everybody smiled at us or thanked Kate for saving me and the Prom. More and more school mates started to say they went to vote for us. The voters generally kept their decision private at all the earlier Proms, so I knew a surprising event was forming and we would win the competition.
Helen was with a decent boy and they conceded to our inevitable triumph. They said they voted for us and Helen showed an unmistakable hand signal about Eve and Bret. Kate, Helen’s sweetheart, and I laughed loudly. Kate and I admitted we voted for Helen and her new lover. They thanked us. My friends and their girlfriends also were glad for our open success.
When the Principal stood at the microphone to announce the results of competition, he said “Kate Kalina is the Queen of the Prom and Ben Paulson is the King of the Prom with 95% of the votes!”
The crowd shouted and clapped.
When the noise reduced, my friend Billy shouted, “Who the hell were those that didn’t vote for Kate and Ben?”
A lot of people were whistling or protesting when I looked at Eve who wanted to sink in her own shame. Bret was adamant not to show any emotion. I saw they wanted to stay in another event. From that evening, Eve and Bret did not interest me more.
The Principal invited us to the podium again and he gave two crowns and two certificates with our names to us. He told he did not remember such a huge triumph.
We went to the microphone and Kate and I credited the triumph to my school mates.
The crowd demanded from us a long kiss and Kate and I kissed each other for more than two minutes. When we stopped kissing, there was a huge consentient noise and prolonged applause.
There was a closing dance session and we danced with crowns on our heads. Then Mr. Kaminsky closed the Prom and everybody went home. I took Kate home in my car. I thought through the whole event and thought that it was strange, as if Kate felt in advance Jimmy’s behavior. I remembered Natalia and Kate told us they lived in dangerous circumstances in Uzbekistan, because Natalia’s boyfriend had related to the organized criminals and he disappeared without any trace.
I asked, “Kate, did you suspect that crazy Jimmy’s horrible plan? Is it related to what a dangerous environment you lived in it before?
Kate said, after short hesitation, “Honey, yes. Mom and I lived near a criminal. When he disappeared, we were afraid of everything there. Mom and I trained in a little self-defense sport, but this is nothing against bullets. Your dad brought us the possibility of the safe living.”
It was funny Kate said my dad brought the possibility of safe living to them, when she saved my life. It was interesting she learned a little self-defense at her sixteen years age. She was almost already a bodyguard with her “little” self-defense knowledge. But she was right, the self-defense is useless against bullets.
I wondered, “How were you able to recognize Jimmy’s crazy intention?”
Kate said, “I saw that lonely bastard Jimmy in his coat in the ballroom and his coat was bulging oddly. Perhaps I had a little hunch.”
I continued, “Did you do it instinctively?”
Kate explained, “I think I was reminded of the real massacres I knew of from Russia and I suspected something, because he was alone without any girlfriend. Earlier somebody came into the ballroom before going to cloakroom and he was with a girlfriend. Jimmy was alone and I saw his coat was bulging. If I had been wrong about that crazy guy, I’d have told you let’s go to the bar.”
I exclaimed, “You’re a fantastic. I cannot thank you enough for saving my life.”
Kate was very smart, “The best thanks is to love me hard, because I love you honestly.”
I replied, “Kate, I love you.”
I stopped on the way to the dad’s house and we kissed passionately for a long time in my car.
Then we went to dad’s house. Dad and Natalia were at the door and dad ran to hug Kate and Natalia ran to me. She could not hug me too closely because of her big belly with my newer sister.
Natalia said, “Ben, you begin to understand what it means that my daughter loves you, but this was only the beginning.”
Dad kissed Kate on her face and only said this, “Thank You.”
They released us and they allowed us to kiss each other.
After the kiss Kate said, “Your mom and Becky can be very nervous, you need to go home now. You cannot imagine how much I love you! Please, don’t say anything now!”
I went home and my concerned mom and Becky were at the door when I arrived.
They hugged me and mom said, crying, “I learned not only from your mobile but a lot of phone calls that Kate saved your life! I cannot thank her enough for this! I’m glad now I allowed her to sleep with you here.”
Becky said to mom, proudly, “Mom, I told you Kate is the right girl for Ben!”
Mom nodded and went to the field phone. She dialed dad’s number. She asked for Kate to come to the phone and thanked Kate for saving my life. She invited her for whole afternoon next day Sunday and to sleep with me at night. She asked for Natalia and dad to come to the phone for permission. We were eighteen years old but a formal permission was important from Natalia and dad. Naturally Natalia and dad allowed Kate to come to our house.
During mom’s action, Becky asked me about the details and she laughed when I mentioned Kate’s humorous words.
She exclaimed “Ben, Kate is fantastic! And Eve?”
“Becky, I think she wanted to sink. But I’m not interested in her and her boyfriend anymore.”
“Brother, you’re right, I waited for this from a King of the Prom.” She smiled at me proudly and said, “I’m sure my entire class will want to ask me about Kate and you tomorrow. Kate is a local school heroine now. I’ll be the center of the interest in my class thanks to my brother and, naturally, Kate.”
Mom joined us and said, “Your girlfriend will be here with us tomorrow. She’s gonna come for lunch and she will sleep here. I can thank her personally that she saved your life. Natalia and your dad approved.”
Becky began to giggle, “Ben, it’s fantastic! You’ll be with your girlfriend at night here.”
We went to the living room and my mom wanted to hear all the details, but my sis did not bother to hear again. They laughed about Eve and her lover Bret, how their humiliation plan failed on me. I remembered about my mom who humiliated my dad. But my brain concentrated on the Prom evening’s events, so I did not wonder too much about my mom who laughed at Eve.
When I was alone in my room, I was really surprised how my mother could laugh at Eve and Bret? Did not she find any similarity between me and my dad or between Eve and her? I found true similarity between dad and me, only he was successful with Natalia and me with her daughter.
Before sleep, a smile at myself for my dad overtook me, because he had three kids who loved him truly and soon he would have a fourth. But I remembered Kate’s wish to have two common kids and I was happy.
After these thoughts, I was shocked,”DID PERHAPS MY DAD CHOSE NATALIA BECAUSE HE WANTED ME TO HAVE HER DAUGHTER?”
I said in my mind, “IF THIS IS TRUE YOU ARE THE BEST FATHER IN THE WORLD!”
I fell asleep.