Prom 2004

April 30, 2013 at 6:00 am · Filed under stories and tagged: Dances, Dates, high school, Prom

< by Jill >

It’s prom night 2004, and the dance is over. All of the couples have retreated to Dan’s house for an overnight. In the backyard hot tub, we find five boys:

Willy: the tall, boyishly handsome alpha

Matt: the athlete and know-it-all

David: the blond giant with a heart of gold

Sax: the troublemaker

Dan: the quiet hobbit with a gentle spirit

The boys land in gridlock every time they try to make a plan. Willy conspires to sneak out; David counters with dad-like finger waggling. Sax proposes a high-stakes round of poker, Dan snuffs the idea with tender concern for his date, who does not play poker. Matt opposes everything.

Eventually, all the boys agree: Let’s smoke cigars.

This satisfies everyone. Willy feels manly, Matt feels cool, David feels legal, Sax feels rebellious, Dan feels amenable.

And so the cigars circulate around the hot tub. The boys peel of the cellophane wrappers and chomp off the ends. Willy ignites the lighter and goes puff-puff-puff, but the cigar won’t light.

Frustration ensues.

Willy slings his cigar into the water. This thing is defective!

Matt insists he never wanted to smoke in the first place. I’m a runner!

Dan shrugs. No big deal, guys.

David retrieves Willy’s cigar and examines it. He turns it over and rolls it between his fingers. He looks at one end and the next.

You bit off the wrong end!

The girls erupt in laughter.

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