Dance Preparations

Elliot woke up with a start, their heart racing from another bad dream about Alex Wilson. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, leaving warm patterns on their bedroom floor. Today was the Winter Formal—the dance they'd been looking forward to for weeks.

Their phone buzzed on the desk. Jamie had sent a text with a picture of his suit for the dance—dark blue with a silver tie that matched Elliot's dress perfectly.

Elliot smiled, then froze as they remembered the strange message Dr. Jensen had mentioned overhearing at the art showcase: "The winter formal will be a night they'll never forget."

The doorbell rang, making Elliot jump. They hurried downstairs to find Megan on the porch, holding a huge makeup bag and a garment bag with her dress.

"Ready for transformation day?" she asked with a grin.

"I guess so," Elliot said, trying to sound excited instead of nervous.

As Megan set up her makeup station in Elliot's bedroom, they told her about the frightening message.

"That's super creepy," Megan agreed, brushing Elliot's hair. "But we can't let them win by being scared. Besides, after what happened with Derek at the showcase, the school has hired extra security for the dance."

"You're right," Elliot said, but couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong.

Elliot's phone buzzed again. This time it was Ryan: "Need to talk before the dance. It's urgent. Meet me at school at 5?"

"Ryan wants to meet up," Elliot told Megan, showing her the message.

Megan's eyes narrowed. "No way. He's trouble."

"But what if he knows something about the threat? He warned us about Alex before."

"Then he can tell Jamie or the principal," Megan said firmly. "You're not going alone."

Elliot sighed and texted back: "Only if Jamie comes too."

Ryan responded immediately: "Fine. Back entrance of the gym at 5. Don't tell anyone else."

While Megan did Elliot's makeup, they couldn't stop thinking about the meeting. What could Ryan possibly know? And could they trust him?

At 4:45, Jamie pulled up in his dad's car. He looked nice in his suit, his hair neatly combed for once.

"Wow," he said when he saw Elliot in their silver dress. "You look amazing."

Elliot blushed. "So do you. But we need to go to school early. Ryan wants to talk to us."

Jamie frowned. "About what?"

"He wouldn't say. Just that it's urgent."

They told Megan they'd see her at the dance later, then drove to school in tense silence.

The parking lot was nearly empty when they arrived. Only a few cars belonged to the teachers and helpers setting up for the dance.

"I don't like this," Jamie said as they walked toward the gym's back door. "Stay close to me."

The door was forced open with a rock. Inside, the gym was dark except for the stage lights being checked for the dance. Decorations hung from the ceiling—silver stars and blue streamers that matched their clothes.

"Ryan?" Elliot called softly.

A figure stepped out from behind the stage curtains. But it wasn't Ryan—it was Alex Wilson.

"Well, well, well," Alex sneered. "The lovebirds arrived early."

Jamie stepped in front of Elliot. "Where's Ryan?"

"Probably still locked in the janitor's closet," Alex laughed. "It was so easy to take his phone when he was changing after practice."

"What do you want?" Jamie asked.

"Payback," Alex spat. "You ruined my brother's life. Got him kicked out of school. And for what? Because he taught this freak a lesson?" He pointed at Elliot.

"Leave now," Jamie warned, "or I'm calling security."

Alex smiled coldly. "Go ahead. But first, you might want to check the punch bowl. I added a special ingredient while the teachers were busy with the decorations. By the time people start feeling sick, I'll be long gone."

Elliot gasped. "You poisoned the punch?"

"Just something to make everyone throw up," Alex said with a shrug. "But who knows? Maybe some weaklings will have worse reactions."

Jamie lunged forward, but Alex was faster. He dodged and ran for the exit, slamming the door behind him.

"We need to find that punch bowl!" Elliot cried.

They raced to the refreshment table, where three big crystal bowls sat filled with bright red liquid. Which one had Alex messed with? Or was it all of them?

"We need to dump them all," Jamie decided. "Then find Principal Garcia."

As they lifted the first bowl, the gym doors burst open. Ms. Chen walked in, holding a stack of cups.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, shocked.

"Alex Wilson poisoned the punch!" Elliot explained quickly. "We need to get rid of it all!"

Ms. Chen's eyes widened. She set down the cups and pulled out her phone. "I'm calling security right now."

Within minutes, the room was filled with teachers and police officers. They found Ryan in the janitor's closet, gagged and tied up with jump ropes.

"Alex jumped me after practice," Ryan explained after they freed him. "He said something about finishing what his brother started."

Principal Garcia called the school nurse to test the punch. "It's definitely been tampered with," the nurse stated. "Some kind of laxative, very concentrated."

"All three bowls?" Ms. Chen asked.

The nurse shook her head. "Just this one. The others are clean."

Elliot felt sick. If they hadn't shown up early, dozens of kids could have gotten ill.

"We need to find Alex," Jamie said. "He ran out the back door."

The police officers spread out to search the school grounds, while the teachers hurried to prepare new drink before the dance started.

Elliot's hands were shaking. "This is all because of us. Because we stood up to Derek."

Jamie squeezed their hand. "This isn't your fault. The Wilsons chose to do this."

"The dance starts in an hour," Principal Garcia stated. "Ms. Chen, please stay with Elliot and Jamie while we search for Alex. I don't want them left alone."

Ms. Chen nodded and led them to her classroom. "You two were very brave," she said. "You potentially saved many students from getting sick."

As they waited, Elliot's phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "Think you're clever? The punch was just a distraction. The real surprise is still to come. Winter Formal will end with a bang. Literally."

Elliot's blood ran cold as they showed the message to Jamie and Ms. Chen.

"A bang?" Jamie continued. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Elliot whispered. "But I think he's planning something much worse than spiked punch."

Ms. Chen instantly called Principal Garcia. "We have a situation," she said. "Alex may have planted something in the school. Something dangerous."

As the principal's voice came through the phone, the lights in the classroom suddenly went out, sending them into darkness.

"What's happening?" Elliot gasped.

"Stay calm," Ms. Chen said. "It's probably just—"

A loud blast shook the building, cutting her off mid-sentence. The classroom door burst open, and a person stood silhouetted against the emergency lights in the hallway.

"Found you," Alex Wilson whispered, stepping into the room.