Prom-Wrecked
Author: Jennifer DiGIovanni and T.H. Hernandez
Publication Date: May 6, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Description:
Their
prom night ended in a jail cell with forty of their closest friends.
But that’s hardly the worst thing that happened to them…
When the principal announces prom is canceled this year, senior Riley Hart is determined to save it. Armed with little more than her own enthusiasm, she ends up working closely with Owen Locklear, who is more than completely off-limits. Because he’s the boyfriend of her ex-BFF, Catherine Reed. Still, Owen knows Riley better than almost anyone, and his charming ideas for turning the prom upside-down and backward win Riley over.
Catherine is willing to join Owen and Riley on the prom committee, but only because her legacy as prom queen is at stake. She’s already suffocating under the weight of her parents’ expectations for after senior year, and compared to that, ensuring prom happens should be easy. At least until everything starts to go wrong.
First they lose their deposit. Then they book a band full of octogenarians. And lose their venue... Twice.
Riley will have an unforgettable teenage experience, damn it, if it’s the last thing she does…
When the principal announces prom is canceled this year, senior Riley Hart is determined to save it. Armed with little more than her own enthusiasm, she ends up working closely with Owen Locklear, who is more than completely off-limits. Because he’s the boyfriend of her ex-BFF, Catherine Reed. Still, Owen knows Riley better than almost anyone, and his charming ideas for turning the prom upside-down and backward win Riley over.
Catherine is willing to join Owen and Riley on the prom committee, but only because her legacy as prom queen is at stake. She’s already suffocating under the weight of her parents’ expectations for after senior year, and compared to that, ensuring prom happens should be easy. At least until everything starts to go wrong.
First they lose their deposit. Then they book a band full of octogenarians. And lose their venue... Twice.
Riley will have an unforgettable teenage experience, damn it, if it’s the last thing she does…
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“Mom. Is something wrong? You’re kinda freaking me out.”
A grin tugs at her mouth as she focuses on the dark road in front of us. “No. Just trying to understand why I found you wrapped in the arms of a good-looking boy mere hours after leaving our home with a different good-looking boy.”
Of course. She has no idea Owen and I broke up. “I was going to tell you. We were just…waiting.”
“Tell me what?”
“Owen and I broke up a few weeks ago. We decided to still go to prom together, so we were hiding the fact that we broke up to avoid gossip…” I glance at my mom to gauge her reaction, and also to buy myself a moment. If I’m really going to be the new Catherine, that means not only standing up for myself, but telling the truth. “And to up my chances for getting the crown. I know you wanted that for me.”
She doesn’t respond until we come to a stop at a traffic light two blocks later. It must be on a timer because there isn’t another car around this time of night. Mom turns to look at me, her expression giving nothing away. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Prom Queen. You wanted me to win. Just like you did.”
“Well of course.” The light turns to green and she eases through the intersection. “Being Prom Queen was one of the best nights of my young life, and I wanted you to have that experience, too, but it’s not that important. Certainly not worth going to the dance with one boy when you wanted to be with another.”
Now it’s my turn to be confused. “What?”
“Catherine, I have failed you in more ways than one, but if I ever led you to believe that being Prom Queen was the end game, that everything else was only to serve that purpose, than I am truly sorry.”
Tears pool in my eyes, making the street lights grow into fuzzy blobs. “I just wanted you to be proud of me.”
Mom checks the mirrors again, before drifting to the right and pulling up next to the curb. She takes a deep breath and turns toward me. “I’ve always been proud of you.” A hiccup escapes and I realize she’s fighting back her own tears. “And the fact that you don’t know that may be my biggest failure of all.”
I gulp in air to calm myself enough that I can speak. “I was worried I would be a disappointment if I don’t become a lawyer. If I didn’t get the crown. If you found out Owen and I broke up.”
She wipes a few stray tears and picks up my hand, setting it on hers, so our palms are resting against one another. “I am so sorry. Baby, all I want for you is to be happy. Part of me thought you could be happy by living the life I had, since I consider myself to be relatively happy. But you need to find your own path. And if that’s in theater, then I will come to your shows. If this Jordon boy makes you happy, then I need to get to know him.” She tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I meant what I said the other day. I went into law to do something good for others. Your dad and I have been talking. We’re both going to be making changes in our lives. You’re growing up and we’ll be empty-nesters. It’s time to figure out what the next chapter of our lives will be.”
I burst into tears and fling myself into my mom’s arms. She’s stiff at first, but then her body wraps around mine, melding into me. She smells like her expensive shampoo and a hint of the linen perfume she wears. She smells like home, like acceptance, like Mom.
My phone vibrates with a text and I disengage from her embrace to look at the screen.
Jordon: I’ve been sprung
Catherine: Happy face
Jordon: When can I see you?
My actual face breaks out into a happy grin and I glance briefly at my mom. “So, would you like to get to know Jordon better tomorrow? Oh, wait, it is tomorrow. Can I invite him to dinner tonight?”
“I should run it by your dad first, but go ahead and invite him with the caveat that we may need to reschedule.”
“Thanks. Mom.”
Catherine: How about 2nite. Dinner with my parents?
Jordon: Scary
Catherine: They don’t bite
Jordon: I’ll be there
My smile is still plastered on my lips as we pull into the drive, my phone hugged to my chest. Prom may have been a disaster, but this has been the best night of my life.
We didn’t really have any deleted scenes, so instead, here is a bonus scene from Catherine’s POV.
Mom glances over at me before studying the rear-view mirror as she backs out of the parking spot at the county jail. Her hands grip the wheel as she navigates her SUV through the lot and onto the street. After checking all three mirrors, she returns her attention to me.
Self-consciously, I reach up and pat my hair. It feels just as disastrous as my dress, as wrecked as our entire prom. “What?” I ask.
She presses her lips into a tight line before they part, then close again.
Mom glances over at me before studying the rear-view mirror as she backs out of the parking spot at the county jail. Her hands grip the wheel as she navigates her SUV through the lot and onto the street. After checking all three mirrors, she returns her attention to me.
Self-consciously, I reach up and pat my hair. It feels just as disastrous as my dress, as wrecked as our entire prom. “What?” I ask.
She presses her lips into a tight line before they part, then close again.
“Mom. Is something wrong? You’re kinda freaking me out.”
A grin tugs at her mouth as she focuses on the dark road in front of us. “No. Just trying to understand why I found you wrapped in the arms of a good-looking boy mere hours after leaving our home with a different good-looking boy.”
Of course. She has no idea Owen and I broke up. “I was going to tell you. We were just…waiting.”
“Tell me what?”
“Owen and I broke up a few weeks ago. We decided to still go to prom together, so we were hiding the fact that we broke up to avoid gossip…” I glance at my mom to gauge her reaction, and also to buy myself a moment. If I’m really going to be the new Catherine, that means not only standing up for myself, but telling the truth. “And to up my chances for getting the crown. I know you wanted that for me.”
She doesn’t respond until we come to a stop at a traffic light two blocks later. It must be on a timer because there isn’t another car around this time of night. Mom turns to look at me, her expression giving nothing away. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Prom Queen. You wanted me to win. Just like you did.”
“Well of course.” The light turns to green and she eases through the intersection. “Being Prom Queen was one of the best nights of my young life, and I wanted you to have that experience, too, but it’s not that important. Certainly not worth going to the dance with one boy when you wanted to be with another.”
Now it’s my turn to be confused. “What?”
“Catherine, I have failed you in more ways than one, but if I ever led you to believe that being Prom Queen was the end game, that everything else was only to serve that purpose, than I am truly sorry.”
Tears pool in my eyes, making the street lights grow into fuzzy blobs. “I just wanted you to be proud of me.”
Mom checks the mirrors again, before drifting to the right and pulling up next to the curb. She takes a deep breath and turns toward me. “I’ve always been proud of you.” A hiccup escapes and I realize she’s fighting back her own tears. “And the fact that you don’t know that may be my biggest failure of all.”
I gulp in air to calm myself enough that I can speak. “I was worried I would be a disappointment if I don’t become a lawyer. If I didn’t get the crown. If you found out Owen and I broke up.”
She wipes a few stray tears and picks up my hand, setting it on hers, so our palms are resting against one another. “I am so sorry. Baby, all I want for you is to be happy. Part of me thought you could be happy by living the life I had, since I consider myself to be relatively happy. But you need to find your own path. And if that’s in theater, then I will come to your shows. If this Jordon boy makes you happy, then I need to get to know him.” She tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I meant what I said the other day. I went into law to do something good for others. Your dad and I have been talking. We’re both going to be making changes in our lives. You’re growing up and we’ll be empty-nesters. It’s time to figure out what the next chapter of our lives will be.”
I burst into tears and fling myself into my mom’s arms. She’s stiff at first, but then her body wraps around mine, melding into me. She smells like her expensive shampoo and a hint of the linen perfume she wears. She smells like home, like acceptance, like Mom.
My phone vibrates with a text and I disengage from her embrace to look at the screen.
Jordon: I’ve been sprung
Catherine: Happy face
Jordon: When can I see you?
My actual face breaks out into a happy grin and I glance briefly at my mom. “So, would you like to get to know Jordon better tomorrow? Oh, wait, it is tomorrow. Can I invite him to dinner tonight?”
“I should run it by your dad first, but go ahead and invite him with the caveat that we may need to reschedule.”
“Thanks. Mom.”
Catherine: How about 2nite. Dinner with my parents?
Jordon: Scary
Catherine: They don’t bite
Jordon: I’ll be there
My smile is still plastered on my lips as we pull into the drive, my phone hugged to my chest. Prom may have been a disaster, but this has been the best night of my life.
Jennifer DiGiovanni writes
light fantasy and contemporary fiction for teens. You can find out more
about her books by visiting www.jenniferdigiovanni.com or following her
on Instagram or Twitter @jendwrites.
T.H. Hernandez is a young adult author of six novels, spanning the contemporary, post-global warming/dystopian, and urban scifi
genres. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband, three
kids, and a zoo-worthy collection of animals. Her latest release,
PROM-WRECKED, was co-written with Jennifer DiGiovanni and releases May
2019 from Entangled Teen.
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