Charlie thought about it. “You know, in a weird way, that makes sense. When did you become such an expert on the Sentrian psyche?”
“I’m not an expert on Sentrians, but I do have some personal experience with how the female mind works.”
Chapter 13
Prom
Spring break ended, and the entire senior class was gearing up for prom and graduation. Prom posters were hanging up all over the school. A couple of times Charlie noticed Lilly staring at them, but she never said anything.
Lilly had bigger things to worry about than a silly dance. Two more months and school would be over. It made her sad to think that Charlie would be leaving then. Seeing Charlie only in the evenings was not enough. Plus, the whole sneaking around thing, trying not to get caught by Evelyn, was getting really old.
One evening Charlie asked her, “Why don’t you go to prom? I know you want to.”
“No way. It wouldn’t be any fun without you.”
“Well, of course that’s true,” Charlie said modestly, “but I don’t want you to miss prom because of me. This is your senior year. I don’t want you to regret not going.”
“I won’t regret it. It’s just a stupid dance,” Lilly said. “I can’t imagine you’d want me to go anyway. I mean it’s not like you’d want me to dance with someone else.”
“Oh,” Charlie said. “I didn’t think you’d want to dance with anyone else.”
“Well, of course. I’m not going to stand around and drink punch all evening. Going to prom and not dancing isn’t my idea of a good time,” she said. Charlie looked worried. “It’s OK, Charlie; I’m not going.”
***
Evelyn still didn’t believe that Charlie was staying away from Lilly, but she could never catch either of them doing anything improper. Charlie was too smart to get caught driving over to her house, and after the incident at the hardware store, Henry wouldn’t let her go to the Grays’ home to check up on Charlie in person. After a drive-by of Charlie’s and Lilly’s houses, Evelyn went home. She was surprised to find her father-in-law there when she arrived.
“So how are things with the youth? No problems, I trust?”
“No,” she lied. She had never told the magistrate about the situation with Charlie, and she had no plans to do so. He would handle things differently, and she did not want his interference.
“I’m glad to hear it. Some of the other team leaders are having difficulties, and I need some help from those who are managing well. Come speak to me after dinner.”
“Certainly.” Evelyn smiled and excused herself. She really did not want to help out; dealing with Charlie was a full-time job. But she would do whatever it took to get ahead in the Sentrian hierarchy. After dinner she returned to the magistrate’s study.
“Evelyn,” he said. “The records department is very far behind. I need your help at the off-site facility until we return. You will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the facility, and I’ve pulled Andy and Linda from the NASA complex as your aides. Here is the contact information for your secretary, Sylvia. She will coordinate with you to set up the workstations. Any questions?”
“Yes, Magistrate. But what do you want me to do about my other responsibilities?”
“Oh, you are referring to the supervision of the youth. You’ve done such a splendid job keeping them in check that we can afford to pull you for this assignment. Don’t worry about the school charade. I’ve already telephoned the principal and informed her that you are going back to live with your mother.”
“Oh,” Evelyn said.
“Your expression is odd. I would have expected you to be elated over the promotion.”
“Oh, I am glad,” Evelyn quickly said.
“I see,” the magistrate said. “You are concerned about being separated from Henry. That is completely understandable. Rest assured that you will be able to communicate with each other via PCD, and Henry will, of course, stay with you on the weekends. You will find that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the good of the state. That’s what leadership is all about.” The magistrate turned around in his chair and faced his computer screen. That was his signal for Evelyn to leave; he was done speaking with her.
Evelyn went to her room. She began pacing across the floor. This was a terrible development. It would be virtually impossible to continue surveillance of Charlie, considering the hours she would be putting in at the records facility. If she couldn’t keep an eye on Charlie, then someone else would have to. She thought about Henry. It would be convenient to have Henry watch Charlie, but he was not apt to pay attention to what Charlie did or who he was talking to. Besides, he was kind of naive and trusting when it came to stuff like this. No, she needed someone who would notice; someone who was always looking for the worst in others. The names Jana and Claire immediately came to mind.
***
An hour later Evelyn was waiting in the mall at the food court for Jana and Claire. She waved to them when they walked in.
“What’s wrong?” asked Claire. “You sounded so anxious on the phone.”
“It’s my mom,” Evelyn lied. “She and my stepdad got back together, and she wants me to move back in with them.”
“Now?” Jana asked. “At the end of the semester?”
“I know, I know. That’s what I told her. But she convinced me it’s for the best. I just hate missing out on the band trip and all the other end-of-school stuff. You two have got to promise to keep me updated on what’s going on here. I want to know about the band trip, prom, graduation, and any other juicy tidbits that come up.”
“Of course we will,” Jana said.
“And most important, I want to know all the gossip on the band couples: who are together and who are broken up.”
“Well, yeah,” Claire said. “That’s the most interesting gossip of all.”
“Oh, I’m going to miss you guys so much,” Evelyn said, giving them each a hug. She hoped she didn’t sound too phony.
***
“Morons, incompetents,” Evelyn grumbled as she slammed down the phone. She had asked the two dim bulbs to report back to her on any gossip from the band trip to Dallas. She specifically asked them if there was any indication of Charlie and Lilly getting back together.
Claire really couldn’t be bothered. She told Evelyn she barely even saw them on the trip. Evelyn had come to realize that if it didn’t have an impact on Claire directly, she wasn’t interested. All she wanted to talk about was how hard it was to be away from her boyfriend for the whole weekend while they were in Dallas, and how she thought Matt wanted to break up with his girlfriend and get back together with her. This was not the kind of gossip Evelyn was interested in.
Jana didn’t remember ever seeing Charlie or Lilly together on the trip, but she had heard that Lilly wanted nothing to do with Charlie about a month ago. A month ago Evelyn was still tracking Charlie. A month ago was old news.
This wasn’t going to work. Jana had the intellectual capacity of a doughnut. But what choice did she have? She started pacing the floor again. There had to be a better way to monitor Charlie. She realized she would have to make the time to follow him again.
***
“It’s going to be hot soon,” Lilly remarked. “We’ll be able to use the pool. Do you like to swim?”
“Not too much,” Charlie said.
“So, is it a Sentrian thing? You don’t swim on your planet?”
Charlie cleared his throat. “Well, uh, yeah, I mean we do swim, but it’s different. On Sentria, swimming is not a…co-ed sport.” He tried to get the image of Lilly diving into the deep end out of his head.
“Co-ed sport? I’m not talking about swimming laps, Charlie. I’m talking about hanging out in the pool on a hot summer day.”
Charlie squirmed in his seat. “We have some different ideas than you do. For a Sentrian male, seeing a female in water, or especially with her hair wet, well, it’s like an Earthan male looking at a Playboy magazine.”
Lilly arched her eyebrow. “So that’s why you made such an effort to keep me out of the rain that day last fall. It would be indecent for me to show my wet hair in public.”
“Yes, completely indecent. I mean, not you. You’re not indecent. But for me to see you that way, yes,” Charlie explained awkwardly. “I think I’ll just go check on the pizza.” They were splitting a crappy pizza and studying for their English exam on Ethan Frome.
“You know,” Lilly said, motioning to the novel, “I would like this story better if it wasn’t so depressing.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t all have happy endings,” Charlie said. He felt like he was an expert on that subject.
“But couldn’t they have come up with a better solution than suicide? And they couldn’t even get it right.”
“Don’t judge them too harshly. I know things didn’t work out, but they were at least trying to do something. They were trying to find a way to be together, even if it was in death.”
“Well, they succeeded, although not the way they intended. He would have been better off with the hypochondriac wife,” Lilly said.
“Every story can’t be wrapped up into a nice pretty little package like Jane Eyre. I mean the fire that killed Rochester’s wife was rather convenient, wasn’t it?” Charlie asked.
“Considering that the fire was set by the crazy wife herself, and it practically destroyed Mr. Rochester’s home—and left him blind—doesn’t seem too convenient to me,” Lilly said.
“The problem wife was gone, and no one thought any worse of Jane or Mr. Rochester,” Charlie said. “And Ethan will always be seen as a cheater and Mattie a seducer. To most people, they both got what they deserved. And you even feel kind of sorry for Ethan’s wife, Zeena, at the end.”
“So what’s your point?” Lilly asked. “That I’m silly to wish for a happy ending?”
“No, not at all.” Charlie brought the plates with the pizza over to the table. “I guess my point is that things aren’t always so cut and dried. Ethan and Mattie aren’t as bad as they seem, and Jane and Mr. Rochester aren’t total saints either. Both couples made tough choices. For Jane and Mr. Rochester things turned out well, but not for Ethan and Mattie.”
“I know. You’re right. But maybe I just feel better reading stories that do turn out right, because I don’t have any hope for us. We have less of a future than even Ethan and Mattie.”
“Don’t, Liliana.”
“Don’t what? Don’t face the facts? You’re leaving right after graduation.”
“C’mon, Liliana.” He encircled her with his arms and held her tightly.
“Charlie, it scares me how much I love you. I don’t want to be without you.”
Charlie kissed her forehead. He had no words of comfort. “Neither do I.”
***
Charlie crawled back in the bathroom window later that evening. He was surprised to hear the sound of his parents talking. It was well after ten; they were usually in bed by now.
“I guess I was just hoping things would be different now than before Christmas break. We worked ourselves to death back then, and here we are again, trying to play catch up,” Louis said.
“At least you don’t have that witch, Evelyn, for a supervisor,” Helen complained. “She’s constantly watching me. It’s unnerving. I guess she thinks she has to keep tabs on me because of Charlie.”
“I’m sure that is why. But I do have some good news. On the third weekend of this month she is going with the leadership team out of town for a conference. I overheard Mr. Conner discussing it with his secretary.”
“Why out of town? That seems strange,” Helen said.
“I thought so, too. But I heard from Fred that they are combining the conference with a visit to an Earthan research facility in San Antonio.”
“That’s wonderful,” Helen exclaimed. “Evelyn will be gone for a few days.”
“Shh, you know how Charlie can hear,” Louis cautioned.
“Yes, but when he sleeps, he’s dead to the world. He doesn’t even stir. You know, it still seems odd to me that all of the leadership would go now, with all this work we have left to do,” Helen said.
“Well, Fred also mentioned that if all of the departments aren’t ready to go after graduation, we’ll stagger our departure and possibly send replacements down for some of our people.”
“What does that mean for us? Are we going to have to stay through the summer now?”
“I doubt it. I agree with Evelyn on this point. I want Charlie back on Sentria as soon as possible and married to Tamar.”
“It figures,” Charlie grumbled.
“Now, Helen. Not a word of this to your co-workers. This is not common knowledge. C’mon, let’s go to bed. We have a long work day tomorrow.”
Charlie pulled out his calendar and looked at the date for the third weekend in April. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
***
Evelyn was annoyed. She did not want to go to this conference, even though she knew it would help advance her political career. The conference would last almost four days. That would give Charlie way too much time for mischief. She supposed it could be worse. At least Charlie had no idea she would be out of town. She sipped her coffee. Most of her day was spent at the records facility and at least part of the night staking out Charlie’s house. That was where she was now. Not that all this surveillance did her any good. She never caught him doing anything, and his car was always in the driveway. Lilly’s car was in her driveway, too. But Evelyn didn’t buy for a second that Charlie was following the rules; he just hadn’t been caught yet.
***
“I have great news,” Charlie said excitedly as Lilly let him in the back door.
“What? Tell me,” Lilly said. She plopped down on the sofa next to him.
“OK, Lilly, I know this is kind of short notice, but would you go to prom with me?”
Lilly brightened at the thought. But then reality hit, and she frowned. “What about Evelyn?”
“I found out Evelyn and the entire leadership council will be out of town that weekend. It’s supposed to be a big secret, but my father found out.”
“And he told you?” Lilly asked.
“No, not exactly. I overheard him talking to my mother. So what do you say? Will you go with me?”
“I still don’t see how we can. I mean, that’s a huge risk. If she happens to find out that we went to prom together…”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll figure something out. In the meantime, why don’t you let it slip that you’re going to prom with someone from another school, a friend of a friend or something.”
“OK,” Lilly said. She was curious about what he was planning and how he was going to pull it off.
***
The prom’s theme was retro. The music would be from the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties. The students were encouraged to dress up for the prom from any one of those decades. Lilly knew immediately she would dress from the fifties for Charlie.
She was sitting at the band table at lunch when Claire brought up the subject of prom. “I hate that retro theme. That is so lame. They are going to play all that old music, and the clothes from the sixties and seventies—U-G-L-Y. I’m going to prom with Darren in Brazoria instead.”
“I’m going to prom,” Lilly said.
“Wait,” Claire said. Jana leaned in to hear. “Did you and Charlie get back together?”
“No, I’m going with a guy from Spring, a friend of a friend. You don’t know him.”
“So what’s his name?” Jana asked.
“Jimmy. Uh, Jimmy Smith,” Lilly answered. It was the first name that popped into her head. She cringed. It sounded so fake.
“So are you two friends or boyfriend-girlfriend?” Jana began her cross-examination.
“We’re just getting to know each other,” Lilly answered. Michelle was right. She was a terrible liar. She couldn’t even fabricate a story about a make-believe boyfriend.
??
?So it’s too soon to know if you two are a thing or not?”
Lilly nodded.
“What does he look like?”
“Well, he’s pretty cute.” How vague could she get?
The bell rang, and Lilly jumped up to get out of there. She hoped Jana didn’t notice her strange behavior. Luckily, Jana was not very bright.
“We’ll talk later, Lil. I want to hear more about Jimmy,” Jana called out to her as she left.
***
Jana dialed Evelyn’s number. She was quite proud of herself. This would be some news Evelyn would actually want to hear.
“Lilly’s going to prom with a guy named Jimmy,” Jana told Evelyn when she picked up the phone.
“Really? Are you sure?” Evelyn asked.
“I’m positive. She told us all about it at lunch,” Jana said smugly.
“Well, what did she say?” Evelyn asked. Jana related what she knew. Then she proceeded to bore Evelyn with the other school gossip. Finally Evelyn found an opening and hung up with her. She sat down on the bed. She didn’t know quite what to make of this news. If Jana had told her that Lilly wasn’t going to prom at all, that would have made Evelyn more suspicious. But she knew how devious Charlie could be. If they were really still together, he would never want anyone else to know. Would he go so far with the ruse as to let her take another male to prom? Would he even be capable of allowing it? Evelyn didn’t think so, considering what had happened to Dan. Maybe it was less complex than all that. Perhaps Charlie’s precious little pet was a typical, fickle Earthan, and she had simply moved on.
***
Lilly didn’t have a lot of time to shop for her prom dress. After one frustrating afternoon of dress hunting she gave up and called Dana, since she had been a lifesaver for finding her homecoming dress. Dana, of course, knew exactly where to go.
“Meet me at Vintage Couture after school tomorrow. If they don’t have your dress, then no one will.”
***
Lilly was overwhelmed when they arrived at the store. It occupied the space of a former grocery store and was filled with rows and rows of clothes in styles dating back to the early nineteen hundreds.