Playing with Myself on Prom Night

[Polybius]

He was skating around the riverfront. He’d had a joint and three beers. It was 10 o’clock on prom night.

Billy Trevino had never wanted to go to prom. It was stupid. School sanctioned “fun” events were always stupid, even the one that was hyped up in movies and shit as the most super-special thing in a high schooler’s whole damn life. Having to rent a tux so he could go do some awkward sober dancing to shitty pop songs? Come on. Not to mention the fucking prom king and queen elections. If he’d had to watch Bret and Ivy (or whatever other douchebags won) stand on a stage in front of everyone cheering them on like they were actual royalty he would vomit. Maybe if he’d had a girl begging him to come along he’d consider it. But, well, he didn’t.

So Billy was pretty much just killing time till the after parties started. That was more his scene. He’d been hanging out with some pimply sophomores and their case of beer, but… uh, where had they went, again? Whatever, they weren’t here anymore. After they left he tried prank calling random people in his phone, but he gave up after Forrest and Connor both didn’t pick up. Bastards, all of ‘em. So he now was just doing tricks in the park.

He skated along the path, then did a heelflip over some steps. This stuff was natural to him by now. Didn’t matter if he was high or drunk or blind, he could do it. But as he was skating away from the stairs he saw a lonesome figure sitting on a bench. Even in the dark, he could recognize that face. Actually, the dark made him look better than usual.

Ron “The Rat” Kiser, that’s what Billy called him. He acted like a rat, he looked like a rat, it fit great. Also, his name started with an R. So it was good. He was the type of vermin that did whatever he could to make the cool kids like him, even though they treated him like shit. He avoided Billy like the plague (wait, how does that fit into the rat analogy?), so it was funny to mess with him from time to time. He was just sitting there in a hoodie, looking at his phone with some airpods in his ears. Billy wondered what the hell he was doing here when all the other scumbags were at prom.

Well, might as well go ask the man. Could have some fun with him, too.

Billy rolled up to the bench. Ron flinched when he noticed him, and he started taking his airpods out. Billy tried to lean over and see what exactly he was looking at on his phone, but he pulled it back before Billy could see.

“Ronnie!” Billy exclaimed. He put his hands to his face and opened his mouth in a fake look of shock, like he was Kevin McAllister. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know prom’s going on!? What will happen when Ivy gets crowned queen and you’re not around to lick her toes!?”

Ron stared at him with an expression Billy could only assume was a mix of panic and disgust. He was silent for a few moments, but then Billy could see the little gears start to turn in his big head.

“Ah, I- I thought I caught the smell of pot and jealousy.” He sneered “You’re being disgusting.”

Billy burst into a short fit of laughter. “What do I have to be jealous of you for?” he replied, this time with a big ol’ grin.

Ron stared at him in silence, then he looked to the side.

“Just leave me alone. I’m not bothering you.”

“I’m really actually curious, bud. Why aren’t you at prom?”

“Why aren’t you at prom?”

“There’s nothing for me there. But you, all of your” Billy coughed “friends are at prom. Why are you just sittin’ by yourself here?”

“I…” Ron’s eyes darted around and he started grinding his teeth. Like he was thinking really hard about how to respond.

“There’s… there’s nothing there for me, either.” He said, slowly. “I don’t have to be with my friends all the time, do everything they do. I don’t like the kind of music they play or the dancing. It’s not my thing.”

“Hmm…” Billy stroked his chin. He didn’t believe him for a second. Ron would cannonball into a volcano if all the popular kids were doing it. “Couldn’t get a date, huh?”
Ron looked right at him, stone faced. His eyes looked like they were trying to burrow into Billy’s brain. Freaky shit. Then, his lips curled into a smile.

“Didn’t even try, honestly. I’m not really into dating right now. Maybe in college.” Ron said, even toned.

Billy snorted “Yeah, sure. Bet you tried but all the girls started runnin’ the second they saw your mug.”

“Do you like being like this?” Ron asked, louder. The brief smile was gone.

“What?”

“Being mad at everyone who isn’t a loser like you.”

The nerve of this rat! Billy snapped the board into his hand and stepped towards Ron with a scowl. Ron, has soon has he saw the movement, jumped off of the bench and scrambled to the side, keeping his distance. He looked a bit shell shocked, he clearly hadn’t expected this.

“Don’t talk shit unless you wanna get hit, Ronnie!” Billy wasn’t planning anything violent, honest, but seeing Ron scramble around like that was a joy.

“St-stay away!” Ron squealed, inching away from him. “You… why don’t you try to improve yourself instead of insulting others, huh!?”

Billy tilted his head. “I like how I am, dickhead.”

“I… I doubt it.” Ron said, backing away. “I’m leaving, alright? Don’t follow me.” Ron turned around and started jogging back towards the boardwalk.

“Why would I follow you?” Billy called after him, but he was already out of earshot. Guy was fast, Billy could give him that. Fast like a… rat. See, it still fit.

Seriously, though, what was he talking about? Ron didn’t know Billy, had never even tried to be friendly with him. Where did he get off telling Billy to fix himself or whatever? How was it his fault that Ron and all his rich, popular friends were assholes? Why was he the one who had to change?

Billy dropped his board to the ground and pushed himself forward. God, he was feeling kind of worn out now. Nothing some more partying and substance abuse couldn’t fix, probably. The after party couldn’t come fast enough. And then, in a just a few short weeks, he wouldn’t have to see jerks like that again. They’d go off to college, and then to the real world. Hopefully somewhere along the way they’d get some humility knocked into them… but Billy wasn’t optimistic. There were tons and tons of pieces of shit in power in the real world, everyone knew that.

Billy sighed. It was all screwed up, the whole world. The best he could do was keep telling it to go fuck itself, right? Never back down. As long as he kept being true to himself, it didn’t matter what anyone else called him. Billy Trevino was proud of who he was, and they couldn’t do anything about that.