A (Prom)inent Night: A Scax Fanfic part 5

Scarlett held the skirt of her gown within her gloved fingers as she descended the hotel’s back porch, fretful that she’d trip otherwise. She continued to saunter forward, finding herself in a well-kept garden. She looked between the gaps of the groomed hedges and beside the amateur willow trees for her missing date.

Mal, where could you be? Scarlett thought in distress. Suddenly, she heard a loud burst of heavy metal music just east of her. Following the sound, she found herself in a side parking lot, most likely where employees would park. As she got closer, she noticed three guys crowded in a neat circle around a black sports car, Mal’s car to be exact. As Scarlett approached, Mal was the first to see her. He smirked and greeted her, slurring as he waved to her rather sloppily.

“AAAAAAY! Dare’s my prum b-budday!” Mal giggled as he exposed a vodka bottle that had been out of Scarlett’s view. “Want sum, Red?”

“W-What the hell is going on?”

“Well,” Mal began as he wrapped an arm around her, “that there prom isn’t reeeeeeally my scene. So I called up my friends. You ‘member Duncan from the party. That’s Lightning he’s—oh! How can I forget? The craziest chica from Jersey, Anna Marie.”

“It’s Anne Maria.” Anne Marie eyed Scarlett up and down and half snuffled a laugh. “What the hell is that you’re wearing? Did the Disney store have a sale or something, princess?”

Scarlett’s cheeks turned red with frustration and embarrassment. “W-well, at least I’m not dressed like a hooker like some people.” The comment caused Lightning to spit out his drink while the others stared at Scarlett, dumbfounded that had come out of the fancily dressed female.

“Oh oh oh! I know you did not just go there with me, princess,” Anne Maria responded, beginning to undo one of her oversized hoop earrings. Lightning gave her a bit of a side hug with his left arm to both comfort and come her down.

“Whoa, relax, girl. She’s not worth going sha-crazy for.”

Duncan, who had been nonchalantly sipping his beer while leaning against the trunk of the car, piped up. “Yeah, Jersey girl, don’t get your cheetah print in a bunch. Then again, I never oppose to a chick fight.”

Mal chuckled and bumped his fist with Duncan’s. “Can’t argue there.”

Scarlett took a deep breath and approached Mal. “Aren’t you gonna go back to the prom with me?”

Mal rolled his eyes, trading his vodka bottle for Lightning’s 4 Loko. “Red, I tol’ you. Prom is not my scene.” He suddenly leaned in close to Scarlett, his lips close to her ear. “But maybe you can join me for a…special ride in the car? If ya know what I mean…”

Scarlett pushed Mal back with all her strength, causing him to stagger backwards into Anne Maria.

“Ay, watch the poof!” Mal ignored her comment and looked at his white dress shirt; some of the green liquid spilled, causing a stain.

Mal’s body language suddenly changed. His once giddy flirtatious expression became stern. His lips curved into a snarl, and his eyes, now red from alcohol consumption, glared right through Scarlett.

“Heh. You ruined my shirt, Red.” He approached her very slowly, like a predator on the trail of prey.

The others tried to coax Mal in the background to think over things.

“Sha-lax, Mal. Lightning doesn’t want to hold you back again.”

“Yeah come on, man. No need to take it out on the girl.”

Mal threw the 4 Loko across the parking lot. Scarlett shuddered as she heard the aluminum can clang, but her eyes did not leave Mal. She held in her breath as Mal gripped her forearm rather roughly, his glare not leaving her face.

“Oh look. Little Red’s been caught by the big…bad…wolf.” Mal grinned wicked. “What’s the matter? Scared I’m gonna eat you up?” Mal moved his other hand slowly towards her bare shoulder and from there stroked the nape of her neck possessively. He whispered between his smile, “Hmm…maybe I should. It’s the least you could do for me since I did take you here and you did ruin my shirt.”

Scarlett was used to Mal making lewd comments to her like this, but this time she felt frightened. The way his nails dug into her skin, the way his intense stare burned into her. This wasn’t his usual advances. He meant what he said, and she knew that he’d do it. What was worse was that Scarlett was always at least putting on a front that she was a confident and courageous individual. Her better-than-average IQ was usually all she needed to get herself out of situations. She tried her best to put her mental skills to use, but it was no use. For the first time in years, Scarlett’s mind went blank.

Scarlett felt like…a weakling.

Just as she began to understand she was in a defeated state, a familiar voice greeted her ear.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY MINION?”

Mal’s eyes left Scarlett and looked past her shoulder. He smirked at the sight of Max huffing towards him and the group.

“Well, if it isn’t the purple Oompa Loompa.” Mal pushed Scarlett aside and walked right up to meet Max. Max’s face grew redder with not embarrassment but rage.

“Now listen closely, you overgrown ape. Either you and your unfit excuses for companions get yourself away from these facilities or suffer the wrath of my evil genius!”

Mal and the others looked at another and then burst into drunken laughter. Anne Maria had to cling onto Lightning in order to keep herself from falling on the pavement from laughing.  Duncan’s laugh was interrupted by him choking on a sip of beer he forgot to swallow down. The only one who didn’t laugh was Scarlett. She just stared at Max, wondering what the self-proclaimed “genius” was thinking. Scarlett could just see Mal crushing him into the pavement with a single punch. She could see him with a broken jaw or a black eye or a twisted ankle. Yet he stood his ground. He glared up at Mal, his face continuing to get red while gritting his teeth. Why would he be standing up for her, especially after she treated him earlier today? Wait…why did she even care about him?

“Haha…aahhhh…oh for a minute there, I thought you were seriously trying to challenge me,” Mal flicked away a single tear from his eye bas he completed his laughing fit.

Max balled his fist in frustration. “Very well, infantile! Don’t say I didn’t warn you. TIME TO EVIL!” Inhaling an abnormal loud breath, Max suddenly shouted out on the top of his lungs “PRINCIPAL MCLEAN! CHEF HATCHET!”

As quickly as he shouted, two figures came out of the distance. One was wearing a rather wrinkled white chef uniform while the other was clearly more dressed up, wearing a suit like Mal’s only with his suit’s jacket was navy blue and a paisley handkerchief was showing from the jacket’s pocket.

“Jesus, kid, could you scream louder,” Chef said. “All the kids in Toronto couldn’t hear you.”

“And what is with all the kids? I thought you said there was a secret entrance to the massage parlor in the hotel back here.”

“Yeah! It’s been high time for Chef to get another one of those mud baths; keeps the pores open.”

“And it’s been exactly six hours since my last seaweed facial,” Chris pouted. He lifted his eye, noticing Mal. “HEY! You’re that runt who backed into my car on Tuesday!”

Chef pointed at Duncan. “And ain’t that the punk who destroyed your beach home?”

“Oh yeaah! I thought I sent you to prison!”

Duncan smirked. “Got off for good behavior.”

“Oh ho, good for you. Oh, but what’s this here?” Chris picked up one of the alcoholic beverages scattered around the parking. “Bringing fresh liquor to high school-run event and trying to lure in some innocent underaged kids like Max—”

“I am definitely not innocent, Sir,” protested Max.

“Yeah, whatever, short-stuff. As I said, exposing underage kids to irresponsible drinking as well as trespassing on an event is some kind of violation. Isn’t that right, Chef?”

“Right, Chris. Don’t worry, getting to dialing the cops right now.” Chef pulled out his cell and began chatting on the line about the situation to an officer at the local police department.

“Aw man, Chris, couldn’t you chill out for once,” Mal said. “You’ve always got a stick in your ass, but from what I heard that’s what ya like, huh?”

The teenagers and Chef gasped in response. Mal nonchalantly continued you to sip his half spilled beverage before Chris turned a deep red and gripped Mal by the shirt. “Well, with my understanding the only one who’s going to get something up their ass is you since you’ll be going straight to jail tonight.” Chris then scanned over the rest of the intoxicated youth. “All of you will be high-tailing it to prison!”

“What?! You sha-erious right now? Coach’ll kill me; Dad’ll sha-kick Lightning’s ass!”

“I can’t go to jail! I’m too pretty, and there ain’t no mani-pedi service up in there!”

Chris shushed the troubled youth. “Now, now. I’m sure you’ll all get cells close to another. Besides, it’ll only be until your parents bail you out. Ya know, if they decide to bail you out that is.”

While Chris was keeping Lightning, Anne Maria, Duncan, and Mal from escaping their fate, Chef hung up and turned to Max. “You better get back to the party, and make sure to take that…Hey! Where’d the little glasses girl go?”

Max looked around and was just as stunned to discover that Scarlett had disappeared. Panicking, Max rushed from the parking lot and back towards the gardens in search of her.

Now where could she have scampered off to?