Chapter 8 Autumn
Autumn
Well, so far so good.
I’m surviving being back home. I felt so much peace that first day with my parents, and even more so the second day with Kory.
I wasn’t sure how running into Jimmy would affect me, but surprisingly, I feel good about that too, and I’m glad we got it out of the way.
The more I think about it, the more I know it was better that way rather than if we were alone.
After that lunch, Kory didn’t bring him up anymore, and we went on to meet up with a few other friends. It was a really good day.
I told them about the box of notes I found, and we all agreed I should’ve brought them so we could all laugh and cringe at our younger selves together.
That thought leads me back to the box, curious to see what else is in here.
I shuffle my hand into the middle and grab one from Morgan, one of the girls we saw today.
Autumn,
Are you going to the game tonight? I hope so! There’s a party after! Come with me! I’ll give you a ride unless you’re riding with Jimmy. Let me know. Also, what should we wear? Talk to Kory, I’ll talk to Olivia. TTYL!
Morgan
I shake my head. I remember this one. I did go to that game and that party.
And I did ride with Jimmy. I always rode with Jimmy.
I tuck the note back in place and pull out another one.
This one is from Kory and is dated, which catches my attention.
4/23/09. Towards the end of our senior year.
We didn’t write notes much by then, which makes me even more curious.
Hey.
I’m sorry about Ben. Did he say why? What an idiot.
He couldn’t have at least waited until after prom?
Don’t even THINK about saying you’re not going.
It’s SENIOR PROM. I will not let you miss this.
We have our dresses and hair appointments, and I don’t care what I have to do; this is happening.
Just have Jimmy come with us. He doesn’t like him, so it will make him jealous as hell.
Actually, that’s a great idea. I’m going to tell Jimmy he’s going with you, and we can all hang out after.
Austin will be happy. K, sounds good. Glad we figured that all out. Love you. See you in 5th hour! <3
Typical Kory. She has not changed a bit.
But prom night… not my fondest memories.
The note box goes back into the closet, and I search for a different one, one that I did take with me and brought back.
It’s in a stack with a few other boxes of stuff that don’t have homes yet.
I untangle the cardboard flaps and pull them out.
My collection of printed pictures from the digital camera era, a ton from high school.
I smile at the selfies we took back before you could see what they were going to look like. Mine and Kory’s red flushed cheeks, squished together, clearly freezing at a late-season football game. I think that’s the year we made the playoffs.
There’s a bunch more ancient selfies from all different times, and some random hallway shots. There’s one of me and Jimmy sitting on a bench, and it looks like lunchtime. I laugh at the difference between him then and now. We were probably fourteen and fifteen in this one? And boy, you can tell.
The one under that is me and Kory on a playground. I don’t remember what we were doing, but I do remember who was on the other side of the camera.
The next picture is from the same day, Kory and I posed on either side of the slide, holding up peace signs and our lips pursed into ‘duck faces.’ This is definitely one of the ones that deserves the cringe laugh. Why did we think this was cute?
I look through the pile until I find what I am looking for, my prom pictures.
The first one is just me. Nostalgia makes me smile as I remember how exciting it was to get ready for these dances.
My hair was tightly curled and pulled half up, a common look back then.
Also popular, the cupcake dress; the bigger the better.
My dress was bright blue, a tight glittery corset for the bodice, then an explosion of tulle.
I remember begging my mom to buy a new hoop to go underneath because the first one we bought wasn’t ‘big enough.’
Kory’s dress was similar, except bright orange.
A color no one expected, but that was Kory.
The next picture is me, Kory, Morgan, and Olivia, all having to stand a foot apart because of our skirts.
Then there is the one I was looking for.
Jimmy and I posed like a couple because how else do you pose for prom pictures?
His coming with me was last-minute minute so we didn’t match like the three couples, but looking at my face in the second picture, where we’re looking at each other, I didn’t care about matching.
The next photo is all eight of us. The three girls and their boyfriends, then me and Jimmy.
We had so much fun at the dance that night. It was everything a prom should be.
I hang onto that memory as I put the pictures away, wishing the second half of the night’s memories were as happy as the first.