It’s tough being popular. That was the thought that went through Denny’s mind over and over again throughout his first three years at Tottenville High School and now, as a senior, it had become pretty much his mantra. It wasn’t something he said out loud very often though, because it was a gripe that usually elicited very little sympathy. This was especially true of his girlfriend Cynthia, known to her friends as Bangles. Having been an outcast most of her scholastic life – both for her taste in clothes and her knowledge of what people considered ‘witchcraft’ – she never understood why people made such a big deal and tried so hard to be a part of the popular world. Denny, as a member of the football team, had no choice but to be immersed in the ‘in’ crowd, along with the parties, gossip and scandals that went with it. The worst part of being popular in Denny’s mind was Homecoming season. In most schools, Homecoming was just another event during the school year. But at Tottenville, the only public school on the south shore of Staten Island, Homecoming was treated like a week-long festival, and Homecoming Day, which included the game and dance, had been made an actual school holiday. The school was closed except for Homecoming activities, alumni took off from work and traveled from all over to participate, and local junior highs and even non-participating high schools planned school trips to watch the game. But none of this concerned Denny; what bothered him about Homecoming season was how it completely disrupted his life. Not only was there extra football practice before and after school, but there was also the organizing, planning and executing of the Homecoming Party. Normally he wasn’t involved in the party, but he was told that, since this was his last year, and since he had been a member of the Homecoming Court twice, he had been selected to be a member of the Homecoming Committee. This hassle he could complain to Bangles about, because his committee duties affected her life as well as his. He had found his girlfriend in front of her locker and tried very hard not to look inside. Although she was a ‘white’ practitioner (although she insisted she was ‘grey’) she made a point of making her locker look like that of a black magic witch, just to freak those non-witches who shunned her because of her Faith. He knew inside she had bones hanging from leather straps, a huge tarantula (that she insisted was not real) crawling around the locker and a couple of vials of liquid dragon’s blood. He knew the “blood” was just a resin, but in those vials… He watched her face as he explained why she wouldn’t be seeing a lot of him in the upcoming weeks. She was keeping her face neutral, and he couldn’t see her eyes behind her rose-tinted glasses. “I tried to get out of it,” he said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Really, I did! But even the coach got on my case about showing team spirit by participating. But between that and football and schoolwork… you just gotta bear with me on this, OK?” Bangles tilted her head slightly. “I’m sorry, was I supposed to be listening?” He made a face. “Cyn…” “Look, am I complaining? You put up with me and marching band and the newspaper and yearbook and everything else I get suckered into. Why would I gripe?” He shrugged. “I dunno. I was hoping you’d try to talk me out of it.” “Why? It’s not like you can back out.” He leaned against the lockers next to hers. “I sure wish I could though.” “What’s the big deal?” she asked, leaning against him. “You pick a theme, throw up some balloons and streamers and bam! You’re done.” “It’s not that simple,” he replied, watching the underclassmen rushing past. “I mean the theme, yeah, I could care less and would just vote with the majority.” “Ah yes, spoken like a true leader of men!” He ignored her. “But we gotta choose the Homecoming King and Queen. That is not something I am looking forward to.” Bangles looked up at him with curiosity on her face. “Can’t you just vote with the majority on that too?” “Oh, sure. The voting’s not the problem. We take the top three after the school has voted and then pick the one we’d like to represent the senior class.” He paused as the late bell rang, then grabbed his and her books and started down the hall. “It’s the campaigning that’s going to kill me.” “Why?” she asked as they walked into automotives class. “It’s not like they’re campaigning directly to you or anything.” He chuckled. “Just you watch,” he answered as they put on their coveralls. “You think I’m popular now?” He rolled his eyes. “Just wait until the nominees are announced.” *** There were five nominees for both the king and the queen of the Homecoming Ball. Of the ten, six of them were pretty much moot. Everyone knew that Keith was going to be the king. Even the stoners who hung out in the woods more than they were in class knew and liked Keith. He was one of the few people in the popular crowd who wasn’t part of any sports team. He was an actor who played the lead in Sing, the spring musicals, and even the holiday extravaganzas four years running. He volunteered often, got good grades, and always had a smile or nice word for people. The other male nominees already knew they were going to be part of the homecoming court, not king, and they had no problems with that. Among the girls, two of them had no hope of being queen. Both were underclassmen - one a junior, the other a sophomore - and were chosen more for their potential than anything else. That left three: Jeanie, Natalie, and Angela, and that was where the drama was going to happen. The three girls were rivals: captain of the twirlers, cheerleaders, and track team, respectively, the three competed over everything, from fashion to grades to boyfriends. They demanded the best clothes, the best cars, the best position in the spotlight; in this case, that meant being the Homecoming Queen. Another thing that they had in common was their complete and total ruthlessness; their desire to get what they wanted at any cost. And that came out loud and clear the day the nominations were announced. It was then that Bangles understood why Denny had been dreading his role on the committee. As much as the three nominees accosted everyone in the school to win their votes, when they saw a committee member, they put it on full force. They were aggressive, yet simpering. They praised the mundane and pouted when they thought it would help. They invited the female committee members to manicure appointments and out for coffee, while the men they asked to dinner or the movies. They brought in baskets of chocolate and cupcakes to hand out to students throughout the day, and the halls were plastered with their posters, each one bigger than the last, with their larger than life heads smiling down at the masses. Denny did his best to ignore it all. He walked through the halls with his head down, trying very hard not to make eye contact with anyone. He started making a habit of going through rarely used side hallways, the basement and the auto bays just to avoid the nominees as much as possible. He had just come out of the boiler room on the way to physics class to find Bangles standing in the hallway waiting for him. “Are you going to dig a tunnel out next?” she asked. He smiled ruefully. “I may have to.” “When is the vote taking place again?” “Next week,” he answered. “You know, that date that’s plastered on every one of those posters on the walls?” “I thought that’s when we vote.” “It is, but then we have the final vote later that day.” He gave her a look. “This is the fourth year you’ve been through this holiday, you know.” “Not me,” she answered. “I could care less who’s Homecoming Queen.” She rolled her eyes. “And this is not a holiday. Yule is a holiday; Beltane is a holiday; Arbor Day is a holiday. This is not a holiday; this is something made up by local football fanatics.” He sighed; he’d heard this rant before. She heard the sigh and got back to her point. “But this time around I need to know when voting is so I know how much more of this crap I have to endure.” He took her books from her hands. “If this is about me having to sneak through the back corridors…” “That’s part of it.” She stopped walking and turned to him. “Look, you know how much I enjoy being unpopular, right?” He knew she was being serious. “Yes, I do.” “People leave me alone; I don’t get involved with any drama outside of my small group of friends; I don’t get invited to any parties… it’s a life I like, you know?” He nodded, wondering where she was going with this. “And I know that you have to be popular in order to play ball, or vice versa. I get that too.” He started walking again before they were late to class. “Yes, you’re one of the most understanding girlfriends ever.” “Yes, I am. But these days… It’s very difficult for me to not punch the Homecoming Queen nominees in their respective mouths. They won’t leave me alone. They keep chatting with me like we’re old friends, calling me by my nickname and trying to involve me in small talk. Natalie actually asked me if my religion still approves of human sacrifice!” She gave him a small smile. “I told her that I had someone of the cheerleading persuasion in mind for this upcoming Samhain. As much fun as seeing her expression was, the sudden attention is still aggravating.” “In all fairness,” Denny said, smiling at her spunk, “You have known Jeanie for over a decade. There’s really nothing wrong with her talking to you, is there?” “Oh, she won’t talk to me. She says it should be a given that I vote for her and that’s when I told her I wasn’t voting for anyone, and she got pissed.” “You know if you had just said that you were voting for her, the other two would’ve left you alone.” She stopped at the door of her English class and took her books back. “You know as well as I do that that’s not true.” “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault,” she answered with a smile. “I just needed to vent. I’ll see you at lunch.” He turned and walked towards physics, hoping that things didn’t get any more aggravating... *** “Hi Denny,” Angela said as he walked out of class. “How weird, bumping into you!” He didn’t answer her as he walked down the hall towards the stairs. She had to walk double-time to keep up with his purposefully long strides. “I just…” She paused to catch her breath. “I was just wondering if you had decided who you were voting for Homecoming Queen.” “Nope,” he answered, taking the stairs two at a time. “Well, I thought you may want to take this into consideration… can you stop for a minute?” He stopped and leaned against the wall, out of the way of the crowd. “I have to get to lunch.” “I’ll make it fast,” she said, catching for breath. “If you vote for me for queen, you will be going to the dance with the hottest girl in school.” Denny raised his eyebrows. “I already am.” Angela looked genuinely confused. “I thought you were going with that witchy chick.” His eyes narrowed. “Her name is Cynthia,” he replied, “and yes, I am.” “Well then, I don’t understand…” “Look, you can’t buy my vote, so please stop trying.” “But to be on the arm of the queen…” “First of all, just because I vote for you doesn’t mean you’d win. Secondly, if this is the only thing you’re offering, does that mean all the male judges are going to be your date if you win? And, thirdly, I’m going to the dance with Cynthia.” “But, your reputation… to be seen at the dance with her…” “My reputation was held up for the past three and a half years just fine.” “But, now with her eyes glowing all red…” He let her sentence hang in the air for a moment. “Her what now?” “Her eyes! Certainly you know that the reason why she was those ridiculous glasses is because it keeps people from noticing her glowing red eyes…” He turned and glared at her. “Keep talking, and I’ll be certain not to vote for you.” He then left her on the landing, looking angry and completely confused. Denny pushed through the throng, his mantra running through his head. It’s tough being popular… it’s tough being popular… it’s tough being popular… *** Denny heard the footsteps before seeing the heeled feet stop beside the car he was working on. “Denny?” He closed his eyes and sighed. He had really thought the auto bays would be a safe place to hide out during his free period. “Yeah?” “It’s Natalie, if you can’t tell. Can we talk?” He sighed again and rolled himself out from under the car, wiping his hands on the rag on his lap. “Yeah?” She was dressed in a tight, white dress and spiked heels; not exactly the best attire for a garage. She took a step away from him as if the grease on his hands was going to jump onto her. “I wanted to know if I had your vote for Homecoming Queen.” “No one has my vote just yet,” he answered, not bothering to sit up. “I’ll make my decision after you give your speeches on Monday.” She balanced herself with her hand on the car’s bumper as she knelt next to him. “Well, I was hoping that a little… incentive… may help you with your decision.” Denny closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. “What incentive?” “Well, you know that my dad owns the car dealership by the expressway, right?” Who didn’t know that? “Yeah…?” “Well, if you vote for me, I can get you a great deal on a new beamer.” Denny sat up and turned to her. “A new beamer?” Natalie nodded, thinking she had hooked him. “Yes. My dad gets a deal with the manufacturer which he extends to friends and family, and he would definitely consider you a friend if you voted for me.” He chuckled softly and patted the car he had been working on. “You do know I have a car, right?” “But this one’s old! Wouldn’t you rather have something new?” Denny’s eyes narrowed. “This is a ’78 firebird. There’s a difference between an old car and a classic one. Besides,” He stood and walked over to his tool chest. “I’d rather have something I rebuilt myself than a leftover from the showroom that no one wanted.” She stood as well, and he could see anger flash in her eyes. “I understand. You take the weekend to think it over.” He slammed the tool drawer shut. “I will think it over after I hear your speeches on Monday.” Natalie tossed her head. “Fine, but don’t complain when this hunk of junk dies on you.” Denny’s lip curled as she stormed away. He tried very hard not to hope she would slip on one of the oil slicks and land hard on her very white backside… *** Denny helped the lanky freshman on the weight bench guide the barbell back into its holder before turning to Jeanie. “Not you too,” he said by way of a greeting. “Not me too what?” “Look, your speeches are this afternoon. After I hear them, I will make a decision.” “I know; that’s what Bangles told me.” He was about to correct her, but remembered that the captain of the twirlers had known Cynthia long enough to use her nickname. “So then what do you need?” “Well, I was wondering if you knew if Bangles was mad at me. I mean, she told me about the speeches, but she seemed so cold and distant when she spoke to me.” “She’s been putting up with a lot this past week,” he explained as he reached for his bottle of water. “Don’t take it personally.” “But I do!” Jeanie replied, stamping her foot. “She’s destroying a really long friendship because she’s having a bad week.” “And you’re going to end a friendship over that? Because she’s not having a good week?” “Well, it’s also because I’m not having a good week either.” She smiled slyly. “Now, if my week got better…” Denny choked on his water. “Are you telling me that if I don’t vote for you, you’ll end your friendship with Bangles?” Jeanie feigned innocence. “Denny! You’re making it sound like I’m threatening you!” “Now why would I think that?” He rolled his eyes. “Look, what do you with your social life is your own business. I’m not going to be blamed for your actions.” “You might want to run that past your girlfriend before making a decision, because if you think she’s unpopular with me as a friend…” “Jeanie, I think you should leave before something heavy falls on you, like a barbell or something.” She looked like she was going to answer, but changed her mind and stormed out of the weight room. Denny sighed and went back to helping the frosh lift his fifty pound barbell… *** “Why in the world would I care what Jeanie does?” Bangles asked, slowly moving the lit sage back and forth. “Be my friend, don’t be my friend. My life goes on.” “But I feel bad that you’re getting this grief because of me.” Bangles smiled and waved the sage at him as they sat on the bleachers. “No, I’m getting grief because Jeanie’s a shallow, self-centered bully. But I’ve known that for years.” She put the sage on the bench next to her and zipped up her purple band jacket. “The bigger her desire, the nastier she gets.” “Well, if I vote for her…” “Don’t you dare!” Bangles exclaimed, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. “You vote for who you think should be Homecoming Queen, for whatever reasons you have.” “But she pretty much threatened to blackball you.” “How can you blackball someone who’s already unpopular?” She opened her thermos and took a swig of hot chocolate. “What is she going to do? Make me wear a worse outfit than my marching band uniform?” He chuckled. “That’s true.” “Look, put it out of your head. Worry about what they said both during their speeches and elsewhere after the game.” She raised the sage towards him again; he didn’t like it the smell much, but she felt is cleansed his aura and protected his body from harm. Who was he to argue? “For now, worry about tackling people and stuff.” He shook his head and kissed her. “One day, I am going to get you to understand football.” “Yeah, whatever. Go play.” Denny ran down the bleachers, glancing back once to see Bangles being joined by a few of her close - also outcasted – friends, most like her dressed in their band outfits. That’s when he realized that losing Jeanie’s friendship would be no great hardship to his girlfriend. By the time he arrived on the field, he had come up with a solution to his Homecoming Queen problem… *** Denny sat at a table next to Bangles and a group of her friends, watching the teens on the dance floor moving to one of those annoying party songs that is played at every catered event ever created. He glanced across the room to where the homecoming hopefuls were sitting, and wondered how much damage they would make once the queen was announced. “You have a weird expression on your face,” Bangles said as the DJ asked people to take their seats. “Just a little tense,” he replied, rolling his head from shoulder to shoulder. “You want to leave?” “After the weeks I’ve been having? No way! I’m going to see this through to the end.” The DJ then asked the judges to come up to the stage to announce the new Homecoming King and Queen. There were no surprises when it came to the king. The audience said Keith’s name along with the announcer. The guys who he beat out were already standing there with his crown and scepter ready. Next came the queen. Bangles noticed Denny take a step away from his fellow judges as they announced the winner of the crown. “For the first time ever,” the announcer said, “we have a tie!” The two underclassman girls took a step back, leaving Natalie, Angela and Jeanie standing in the spotlight, all obviously tense and determined to be wearing that crown. “Our new queens are… Jeanie, Natalie and Angela! Can you believe it? Three queens! Keith, that’s a winning hand!” “How is that possible?” Natalie asked angrily. “There’s an odd number of judges! There shouldn’t be a tie!” The judges turned to look at Denny. “I abstained from voting.” “What!” Angela yelled. “Why?” “Because the queen should be a senior, and I don’t think any of you are worthy enough to represent our class, or be Keith’s queen.” He shrugged. “I had wanted to vote for Cynthia, but I was overruled.” The three new queens started arguing, trying to out-yell the others in order to be heard. Denny ignored them and walked back to his table, where Bangles was waiting. She had taken off her glasses, and that’s when he noticed that her eyes were a deep blood red. He wondered when she had time to go to Goth-in-a-Box to buy those costume contacts. “Wanna dance?” he asked. She smiled at his lack of reaction. “Sure.” He walked her to the dance floor, and the DJ was smart enough to start playing a slow, romantic song. Couples began to join them, the drama of the queens already forgotten. Bangles leaned her head on his shoulder. “Very smooth Den. I liked that last bit, even though it’s a bold-faced lie.” “What? I would like to have made you queen.” He smiled at her. “You would’ve hated every minute of it, but that crown would have looked really good on you.” She chuckled. “Sorry, that crown only fits on popular heads. I’m not ready for that kinda pressure. I’ll leave all that tough being popular nonsense to you.” “Gee, thanks.” He grinned and pulled her close, and over the music heard his mantra repeating in his head. It’s tough being popular… it’s tough being popular… it’s tough being popular… He smiled as he heard Bangles sigh against him. But sometimes, he thought, being me isn’t half bad...
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