Guy unhooked the sword from his belt and dropped it on the table before striding over to Tommy, who stood near Aldys' table.
"What the hell was that, Tommy?" Guy asked bluntly, poking a finger into Tommy's chest.
Tommy laughed, putting his hands up defensively. He looked around the room to make sure that no one was watching. Most of the students had returned to dancing, or were at their tables buzzing about the scene that had just taken place with Josie. The only people watching Guy and Tommy at the moment were the Denominators, who could hear every word. Tommy looked back at Guy with narrowed eyes.
"Ah ha. I see what this is all about. You know, Gibby told me that you had the hots for Alpo, but I didn't believe her. Looks like she was right. I thought you were only dancing with her because someone had asked you to help out with our prank after all."
Guy took another menacing step toward Tommy and sneered, "No, I didn't have any part of your prank and I'm sorry I had a part in ANY of your pranks in the past. You obviously didn't listen to anything Josie just said, did you?"
"Josie? Are you kidding? That speech was ridiculous!" Tommy pointed to Aldys, who was looking on, and said loudly, "That girl will ALWAYS be a loser! Josie will always be a loser. And more importantly, YOU will always be a loser. I can't believe we ever let you in our group!"
Tommy started to turn away, but Guy reached out with one hand and grabbed Tommy's arm. His other hand balled into a fist and slammed into Tommy's chin, knocking Tommy back into the Denominators' table. With the music so loud and the people chattering throughout the whole room, only a handful of people took notice of the punch.
Tommy attempted to stand up but Guy came over and pushed Tommy back down onto the top of the table. As Tommy struggled to get out from under Guy's clutches, people around them stopped dancing and talking to watch Guy and Tommy.
"Let go of me," Tommy muttered.
"Not until you apologize." Guy said.
"Apologize for what?" Tommy snorted indignantly.
"For being a jerk to Aldys."
"No way, man. You're crazy! I'm not apologizing to Alpo!"
Guy grabbed Tommy by the wide lapels of his John Travolta disco suit and picked him up so that he could stand. Then immediately pushed him down so that Tommy was kneeling in front of Aldys.
"Apologize." Guy said again, his hand gripping Tommy's shoulder tightly.
Aldys sat there stiffly, shaking her head. "He doesn't have to apologize, Guy. That's okay. Really."
Continuing to hold Tommy so that he stayed on his knees, Guy looked earnestly at Aldys and said, "But you wanted a public apology, right? This is your first one."
Guy leaned over so that his mouth was right near Tommy's ear. "Tommy, I think you should apologize," he whispered. "Because if you don't, then I'll tell everyone attending this Prom - including Ms. Knox - about a certain trick you used to pass your final exams last year."
Tommy looked up at him quickly, trying to see if Guy was telling the truth. "You wouldn't do that man, I wouldn't get to graduate."
"Try me."
Tommy stopped for a moment, looking at the floor. After a moment's debate, he looked up at Aldys and quietly said, "I'm sorry for trying to throw dog food on you."
Guy squeezed hard on Tommy's shoulder. "Louder."
Tommy raised his voice, all but calling out, "I'm sorry for what we did to you, Aldys," as the crowd around them tittered behind the hands over their mouths.
Guy looked at Aldys, who was gaping at Tommy. It was the first time Tommy had said her actual name since the fourth grade.
Her chin defiantly raised, Aldys said, "I accept your apology, Tommy. Thank you."
With that, Guy let go of Tommy, who stood up meekly and glared at Guy. "Happy now?" he asked.
"Almost," Guy responded, patting Tommy on the back. "There's one more apology left to give, but you don't have to worry about this one. I'll do it."
Guy proceeded to kneel down in front of Aldys as the seniors continued watching over them, and took one of Aldys' hands in both of his.
"Aldys," he began, gazing purposefully into her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "I would like to apologize for the horrible way I've treated you in the past few years. Specifically, for the past four years. We were friends for a long time and then I turned my back on you. Instead of just growing apart as some friends do, I said and did things do you that I wouldn't do to my worst enemy. For this I am so sorry. You deserve nothing but respect and admiration, but because of my actions you were teased and made fun of during our high school years. What Josie said was right - you are amazing. You befriend those who have no friends, and you treat everyone - even me - with the same honesty and maturity that most of us should aspire to."
He paused as he felt a lump in his throat. The Denominators were staring at him as though he had suddenly sprouted antennas. From the corner of his eye he could see that The Trio and Jason had joined Tommy and were also watching his very public apology to Aldys. Encouraged by the small smile he could see hovering on Aldys' trembling lips, he continued on.
Standing up, but continuing to hold Aldys' hand, Guy turned to The Trio and said, "This girl is a human being who deserves to be treated as such. She's not a nerd, she's not a loser, and more importantly, she has a beautiful name by which she should be called. For years I've let you run roughshod over her, but I'm telling you now to leave her alone." Guy looked specifically at Gibby and said, "She's twice the person you'll ever be."
The girls just stood there, having been cleaned up by Jason. Instead of standing there defensively, they were standing like zombies as though they couldn't believe the events of the evening. Kristen looked as though she was about to burst into tears, and Kirsten simply looked shell-shocked. Gibby, instead of looking furious at having been singled out by Guy, merely ducked her head and meekly looked at the ground.
Turning back to Aldys, he pulled her out of her chair and announced with a short laugh, "As a freshman, I kissed this girl and made her cry." He looped his arms around her waist and said softly, "Now that I've made her cry as a senior as well, I'm hoping she'll let me kiss her again, too."
Several girls nearby sighed at this, and Guy smiled at Aldys. The smile she gave back to him meant all the world to Guy. Without another word, Guy gently pressed his mouth against Aldys' waiting lips.
When they finally broke apart amidst the cheers and applause of the senior class, Aldys whispered, "That's the best damn apology I've ever heard in my life. Thank you, Guy."
"Thank you, Aldys," Guy whispered back before kissing her again.
"What the hell was that, Tommy?" Guy asked bluntly, poking a finger into Tommy's chest.
Tommy laughed, putting his hands up defensively. He looked around the room to make sure that no one was watching. Most of the students had returned to dancing, or were at their tables buzzing about the scene that had just taken place with Josie. The only people watching Guy and Tommy at the moment were the Denominators, who could hear every word. Tommy looked back at Guy with narrowed eyes.
"Ah ha. I see what this is all about. You know, Gibby told me that you had the hots for Alpo, but I didn't believe her. Looks like she was right. I thought you were only dancing with her because someone had asked you to help out with our prank after all."
Guy took another menacing step toward Tommy and sneered, "No, I didn't have any part of your prank and I'm sorry I had a part in ANY of your pranks in the past. You obviously didn't listen to anything Josie just said, did you?"
"Josie? Are you kidding? That speech was ridiculous!" Tommy pointed to Aldys, who was looking on, and said loudly, "That girl will ALWAYS be a loser! Josie will always be a loser. And more importantly, YOU will always be a loser. I can't believe we ever let you in our group!"
Tommy started to turn away, but Guy reached out with one hand and grabbed Tommy's arm. His other hand balled into a fist and slammed into Tommy's chin, knocking Tommy back into the Denominators' table. With the music so loud and the people chattering throughout the whole room, only a handful of people took notice of the punch.
Tommy attempted to stand up but Guy came over and pushed Tommy back down onto the top of the table. As Tommy struggled to get out from under Guy's clutches, people around them stopped dancing and talking to watch Guy and Tommy.
"Let go of me," Tommy muttered.
"Not until you apologize." Guy said.
"Apologize for what?" Tommy snorted indignantly.
"For being a jerk to Aldys."
"No way, man. You're crazy! I'm not apologizing to Alpo!"
Guy grabbed Tommy by the wide lapels of his John Travolta disco suit and picked him up so that he could stand. Then immediately pushed him down so that Tommy was kneeling in front of Aldys.
"Apologize." Guy said again, his hand gripping Tommy's shoulder tightly.
Aldys sat there stiffly, shaking her head. "He doesn't have to apologize, Guy. That's okay. Really."
Continuing to hold Tommy so that he stayed on his knees, Guy looked earnestly at Aldys and said, "But you wanted a public apology, right? This is your first one."
Guy leaned over so that his mouth was right near Tommy's ear. "Tommy, I think you should apologize," he whispered. "Because if you don't, then I'll tell everyone attending this Prom - including Ms. Knox - about a certain trick you used to pass your final exams last year."
Tommy looked up at him quickly, trying to see if Guy was telling the truth. "You wouldn't do that man, I wouldn't get to graduate."
"Try me."
Tommy stopped for a moment, looking at the floor. After a moment's debate, he looked up at Aldys and quietly said, "I'm sorry for trying to throw dog food on you."
Guy squeezed hard on Tommy's shoulder. "Louder."
Tommy raised his voice, all but calling out, "I'm sorry for what we did to you, Aldys," as the crowd around them tittered behind the hands over their mouths.
Guy looked at Aldys, who was gaping at Tommy. It was the first time Tommy had said her actual name since the fourth grade.
Her chin defiantly raised, Aldys said, "I accept your apology, Tommy. Thank you."
With that, Guy let go of Tommy, who stood up meekly and glared at Guy. "Happy now?" he asked.
"Almost," Guy responded, patting Tommy on the back. "There's one more apology left to give, but you don't have to worry about this one. I'll do it."
Guy proceeded to kneel down in front of Aldys as the seniors continued watching over them, and took one of Aldys' hands in both of his.
"Aldys," he began, gazing purposefully into her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "I would like to apologize for the horrible way I've treated you in the past few years. Specifically, for the past four years. We were friends for a long time and then I turned my back on you. Instead of just growing apart as some friends do, I said and did things do you that I wouldn't do to my worst enemy. For this I am so sorry. You deserve nothing but respect and admiration, but because of my actions you were teased and made fun of during our high school years. What Josie said was right - you are amazing. You befriend those who have no friends, and you treat everyone - even me - with the same honesty and maturity that most of us should aspire to."
He paused as he felt a lump in his throat. The Denominators were staring at him as though he had suddenly sprouted antennas. From the corner of his eye he could see that The Trio and Jason had joined Tommy and were also watching his very public apology to Aldys. Encouraged by the small smile he could see hovering on Aldys' trembling lips, he continued on.
Standing up, but continuing to hold Aldys' hand, Guy turned to The Trio and said, "This girl is a human being who deserves to be treated as such. She's not a nerd, she's not a loser, and more importantly, she has a beautiful name by which she should be called. For years I've let you run roughshod over her, but I'm telling you now to leave her alone." Guy looked specifically at Gibby and said, "She's twice the person you'll ever be."
The girls just stood there, having been cleaned up by Jason. Instead of standing there defensively, they were standing like zombies as though they couldn't believe the events of the evening. Kristen looked as though she was about to burst into tears, and Kirsten simply looked shell-shocked. Gibby, instead of looking furious at having been singled out by Guy, merely ducked her head and meekly looked at the ground.
Turning back to Aldys, he pulled her out of her chair and announced with a short laugh, "As a freshman, I kissed this girl and made her cry." He looped his arms around her waist and said softly, "Now that I've made her cry as a senior as well, I'm hoping she'll let me kiss her again, too."
Several girls nearby sighed at this, and Guy smiled at Aldys. The smile she gave back to him meant all the world to Guy. Without another word, Guy gently pressed his mouth against Aldys' waiting lips.
When they finally broke apart amidst the cheers and applause of the senior class, Aldys whispered, "That's the best damn apology I've ever heard in my life. Thank you, Guy."
"Thank you, Aldys," Guy whispered back before kissing her again.