Free A Tale of Two Proms (Bard Academy) by Cara Lockwood

really thought my feelings for him had made a difference.
    But something had been wrong with the Heathcliff standing in front of my dorm. It was like he was a different person. Like he was possessed. Maybe Catherine had taken over his body. Stranger things had happened at Bard.
     By the time I climbed the stairs, turned down the hall and walked into my room, I realized it was probably all in my head. I’d more than likely just imagined it. Maybe it was just me. I was just all worked up after seeing Catherine this morning. And then there was the growing stress of having the Big Decision weighing on me, too. It seemed like I kept jumping back and forth. One second, I felt like I’d be a fool not to marry Heathcliff. The next, I felt like I’d be a fool if I did.
     What I needed was some sleep. I sure hadn’t slept much last night after Heathcliff had proposed. Once inside my room, I went to the window and glanced out. He had gone. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time. Heathcliff would often wait for me underneath my window. I’d wave goodnight and then he’d leave. He liked to make sure I was safely in my room before he went to his. Even last night he’d waited there for the wave. I guess tonight he’d finally gotten tired of waiting. Or he’d been too drunk to remember, I thought.
    That part worried me most of all as I shrugged out of my Bard uniform and into my pajamas. I wish I had a roommate to talk to about it.
    My room for senior year was a single, not a double. I’d finally earned the right to be roomie-free. Many of the seniors went solo. Blade had been my roommate sophomore year. She’d decorated the room according to Goth Digest, complete with a skull candle and Wiccan framed spells on the walls. As much as I loved Blade, living with her was always a bit trying. But now, just for tonight, I wished she were here. I needed someone to talk to. Someone to tell me I wasn’t going crazy.
    Blade’s room was down the hall from mine. Hana’s was on a different floor.
    I heard a bell tolling in the distance, marking curfew. It was time to get inside. If I sought either one of them out now, I’d risk getting them or me in trouble, and probably all of us. I doubted my friends would be so glad to give me relationship advice if we were all in detention. And given Headmaster B’s new attitude, I’d say that she’d relish giving me some really gruesome punishment. Toilet cleaning, probably.
    I sighed.
    “Everything okay, Miranda?” It was the voice of Miss A. She had appeared at my door but I hadn’t heard her approach. But then, she was a ghost. They tended to be stealthy.
    “Miss A!” I said, involuntarily putting my hand on my chest to prevent it from jumping straight out in fright. “You startled me.”
    “Sorry,” she said and looked contrite. “I’m just doing room checks.” She held up her clipboard in her hand to show she wasn’t trying to scare the life out of me. She really was just making the rounds as the new dorm mother.
    That job used to be Ms. W’s, my old teacher. But that was before she’d sacrificed herself to save us. Everyone told me that she was probably in a better place now – released from purgatory. But it still made me sad that she wasn’t here. She’d been one of the few faculty members – aside from Coach H – who was a true friend. I knew I shouldn’t mourn her. After all, her ghost had been trapped here for decades. Sacrificing herself meant she was released to go to the next world, or to heaven, or wherever it was she was supposed to go. She’d moved on and I was sure she was in a happier place. It’s what almost every faculty member at Bard dreamed of – being freed from this place. I shouldn’t wish her back here, but I really did miss her. She had always made time for me. She’d always listened. She would know what to do about Heathcliff. She would have helped me make the Big Decision, no doubt.
    “Miranda? You’re sure you’re all right?”