Retro Geeks. Karen Mueller Bryson

was undeterred. “My offer remains on the table.”

      “Why don't you go back to eating that repulsive lunch?” his sister chided.

      Ollie picked up a piece of mystery meat and popped it in his mouth. He didn’t understand his sister’s hatred of cafeteria food. It was cheap, greasy and good.

      Molly and Ally downed the last bite of their ice cream then headed over to the voting booth, where a short line of teens had already formed. Ollie raced past Molly and Ally and snagged a spot in front of them.

      “What are you doing?” Ally said to her brother.

      “Do I need to state the obvious?” he countered.

      “You can't vote. You're only a freshman.”

      “I can pass. I look quite mature for my age.”

      Ally frowned. Her brother didn’t even look mature for a freshman.

      Molly and Ally were astounded when a stout girl at the head of the line hurried out the cafeteria in tears.

      “That's weird,” Molly observed. “It doesn't look like that girl even voted.”

      A geeky girl was now the only person ahead of Ollie in line. She stepped up to the voting table and Elisa held out a ballot. The geeky girl grabbed the other end of the ballot but Elisa did not let go of her end.

      “Do you really think someone is going to go to prom with an Amazon like you?” Elisa sneered.

      The geeky girl let go of the ballot and hurried away in shame.

      Megan leaned over to Elisa and whispered, “Good one.”

      “I know,” Elisa said smugly.

      Then Ollie bounded up to the voting table and Elisa and Megan stared at him in disbelief.

      “What do you think you're doing?” Elisa asked.

      “Voting,” Ollie said matter-of-factly.

      “Not for three years, Pip-squeak,” Elisa said.

      Deflated, Ollie sulked away.

      “Pip-squeak. I love it,” Megan complimented. “Very old school.”

      “I love it, too,” Elisa agreed.

      Molly and Ally then approached the voting table.

      “What are you? Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dumber?” Elisa taunted.

      Megan laughed.

      “Just give us the ballots,” Molly said.

      Elisa started to hand two voting ballots to the girls but stopped midair. “I don't think you really need these,” she said.

      “We have a right to vote,” Molly insisted.

      Elisa continued. “Why bother? You don't think the two of you will actually get dates for the prom, do you?”

      “We'll get dates,” Molly assured her.

      Molly snatched the two ballots out of Elisa's clutches. “Come on, Ally,” she said as she grabbed her BFF by the elbow and pulled her away.

      “What a hag,” said Elisa, when Molly and Ally were out of earshot.

      “Total,” Megan replied.

      Once the voting was completed, Elisa and Megan took the voting boxes to an utterly secluded and secret counting spot: a deserted table near the back of the library. They dumped the ballots on the table and began the count.

      When they got to the final ballot, Megan turned to Elisa with a look of defeat in her eyes and said, “Wow. We lost.”

      Elisa scoffed, “I refuse to attend an 80s theme prom. And I already have my pirate costume picked out.”

      The girls stared at the two piles of ballots until Elisa grabbed half of the larger stack, tore the ballots to shreds and stuffed them in her book bag.

      Megan gave her co-conspirator a big grin.

      In fifth period English class, Molly and Ally sat next to each other in the front row as their classmates took seats around them. An announcement blared from the loudspeaker. It was Elisa’s shrill voice, “As your senior class president, it's my pleasure to announce this year's prom theme…”

      Molly and Ally glanced expectantly at each other.

      Elisa continued, “Caribbean Pirates!”

      Molly and Ally gasped in horror but in the back of the class, Kimmie applauded. She was already planning her arrival at the cool kids’ table.

      As high schoolers filed down the hallway for their final class of the day, Molly and Ally stopped dead in front of the guidance counselor’s office. They overheard shouting so extreme, the girls checked to make sure their ears weren’t bleeding.

      A mother’s voice blared through the corridor, “I will not have some lame-brained second-rate school counselor tell me what my daughter can and cannot do. Elisa is applying to Princeton and that's final.”

      Molly and Ally exchanged glances then moved in closer to hear more. Elisa’s mom continued, “Are you deaf or just stupid? I said she's applying to Princeton. Is that understood?”

      When the office door swung open, Molly and Ally hid from view. Peering from behind the door, the girls saw Elisa trudging from the office with her head hung low. Her mother, a witch in heels, made a grand exit and strode down the hall behind her daughter.

      “You’re a complete and utter embarrassment,” Elisa’s mother hissed. “Do you hear me? No child of mine is going to a state college. Do you understand?”

      For the first time ever, Molly and Ally witnessed Elisa with her head hung in shame. “Yes, Mother,” was all she could say.

      As Elisa and her mother disappeared from view, Molly and Ally came out of hiding.

      “That explains a lot,” Molly said.

      Ally nodded. “Like mother, like daughter.”