What's Your Status? (15 page)

the8rgrrl → mad_mac
Totally understandable! Do you have detention again?

mad_mac → the8rgrrl
Um, no.

the8rgrrl → mad_mac
Great! See you later, then!

mad_mac
Beginning to rethink the kind of stuff I share in my updates…

Dave Gold → mad_mac
Then maybe you shouldn’t update about it? Just a suggestion…)

mad_mac → Dave Gold
Good point.

CHAPTER 8

Song: To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament…/Sufjan Stevens

Quote: “You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”

—Colette

“And so, after the Putnam High School prom of 1953, when her granddaughter Mariel was crowned with it, Mrs. Ida Hayes most generously entrusted to the school the Hayes crown, so that it could be used in every subsequent coronation. It is therefore one of the school’s most valuable possessions….”

Dr. Trent, standing at the front of the classroom, droned on about the Hayes crown, as he had been doing for the past—I snuck a glance at the clock—forty-five minutes.

The classroom was filled with the entire prom committee. All the résumé kids were in attendance for once, drawn by the presence of the assistant headmaster. Kittson, sitting in the front row, was holding the crown with both hands and seemed enraptured by it. I was just
trying not to fall asleep and wondering how quickly I would be able to get out of there. I wasn’t particularly interested in hearing about the crown’s venerated history. And seeing the crown up close and in person, I didn’t think it was even that special-looking—it was small, and looked kind of dingy.

“And so!” Dr. Trent boomed, shaking me out of my reverie. “With the full power of the office of assistant headmaster, I am entrusting this crown to the junior prom committee for its safekeeping and transport to the Putnam Hyatt.” Dr. Trent took the crown back from Kittson—who seemed to go through some sort of internal struggle before surrendering it—and placed it inside a large dark blue jewelry case. He then closed the case and handed it back to Kittson as the résumé kids burst into applause.

The meeting broke up after that, with most of the résumé kids drifting off, no doubt to the next activity they were pretending to participate in. I noticed Kittson talking to Dr. Trent at the front of the classroom, frantically motioning for me to join her. I grabbed my bag and headed up there.

“I’ve no doubt you can handle this responsibility,” Dr. Trent was saying to Kittson, who was clutching the jewelry box. “The planning of this prom thus far has been exemplary….” I bit my lip hard to keep from laughing as Dr. Trent looked over his glasses at me. “Oh. Madison,” he said. He frowned at me. “I see you’ve managed to avoid detention this afternoon.”

“Oh,” I said, completely thrown. I hadn’t known that
the assistant headmaster kept tabs on who was in detention every day. But maybe he got a list or something. I was half tempted to tell him that my detentions were all his fault, since he’d made me move lockers. “Yes,” I finally said, not sure how else to respond.

“Good,” he said, still frowning at me. “Because it doesn’t reflect well at all on our class officers when they are constantly receiving disciplinary action.”

I opened my mouth to protest, or try to defend myself, but Dr. Trent had turned to Kittson and was going over crown details with her.

I stared at him, still a little stunned. I’d known that in the wake of the hacking thing, I hadn’t exactly been Dr. Trent’s favorite student, but once that had been cleared up, I’d assumed that things would be fine again. But maybe he was just stressed about the crown, which he was being super paranoid about.

Dr. Trent finished telling Kittson exactly how to bring the crown to the hotel, said goodbye to her, nodded at me, and left the classroom.

“Was that weird?” I asked when the door shut behind him and Kittson and I were alone in the classroom.

“What?” Kittson asked, stroking the box reverently.

“Dr. Trent,” I said. “It’s like he suddenly hates me or something.”

“Well, of course he does,” Kittson said matter-of-factly. “You made him expel one of his prized students.”

“You mean Dell?”

“Who else? He’ll get over it,” she said breezily, as if
having the assistant headmaster turn against you was nothing to be worried about. Then she opened the box and peeked inside. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Very nice,” I lied. “Want to try it on?”

Kittson snapped the lid shut and stared at me, looking horrified. “Are you kidding me?” she asked. “That’s
incredibly
bad luck.”

“Okay,” I said with a shrug. Just as there were all kinds of theater superstitions, I guess it only made sense that there were prom queen superstitions as well. “So I should get going—”

“Here,” Kittson said, thrusting the box at me.

“Wait. What?” I asked. I took a step back from it. “I don’t want to try it on.”

“No,” Kittson said, rolling her eyes. “Though God knows it wouldn’t be bad luck for
you.
I need you to bring it to the hotel.”

“Seriously?” I saw Kittson take a breath, and I continued before I would have to receive her “there is nothing funny about the prom” lecture one more time. “Fine. Seriously. But we just heard Dr. Trent’s speech about how he considers this no less important than the Hope diamond. And also, apparently he hates me now. I think he’s going to want you to bring it to the hotel.”

“Well, of course he does,” Kittson said. “But I don’t have time this afternoon. I have to talk to the gift bag people, and then go to the florist, and then get my highlights refreshed. I don’t have time to bring it to the
hotel. I just don’t have the time. Okay?
Okay?
” Kittson’s voice was getting progressively higher and more hysterical, and I decided not to argue with her.

“Okay,” I said in what I hoped was a soothing tone. “Just calm down. I’ll take it over.” I took the box from her, even though making another trip to the Hyatt had not been in my plans for that afternoon.

“The concierge will be waiting for it,” she said, already looking calmer. “And then he’ll lock it in the safe, where it’s going to stay until right before the crowning. So all you need to do is drop it off. Think you can do that?”

“Yes,” I said, trying very hard not to roll my eyes. “I think I can handle that.” I dropped the jewelry box into my bag, causing Kittson to flinch a little.

“And how’s the music coming?” Kittson asked as we headed to the door and snapped the lights off.

“Fine,” I lied, remembering that I’d promised Tanner a playlist.

“Good,” Kittson said as she shouldered her bag. “The last thing we need is something
else
to worry about on prom night.”

I was about to reply that some of us had lots of other things to worry about on prom night—like our little brothers riding in our limos and accidental propositions we might have made to our boyfriends—but Kittson was already heading down the corridor, waving backward at me as she went.

I took out my phone and updated my status.

mad_mac
I am currently in possession of…THE HAYES CROWN! About to deliver it to a top secret, undisclosed location. Details given to those with Top Level clearance only.

Almost immediately after I had finished sending this, my phone chimed with a new update.