William finished dressing for prom. The corsage he’d picked for Casey rested on his desk beside a picture of them at Chuck E. Cheese. He lingered on it, imagining their future. At least two more years together—until she moved on from community college to pursue her bachelor’s degree. But he knew high school sweethearts rarely lasted.
Shaking off the thought, he reminded himself that the future wasn’t written yet. Instead of dwelling on possibilities, he focused on the time they’d already shared.
The mirror didn’t help his confidence. The tuxedo felt unnatural—he’d never worn one before and would’ve skipped prom like Dave and Ed if Casey hadn’t wanted to go. David convinced him it was just one night and, if it made her happy, he should go.
David and Eric planned to skip the event at first, but Casey talked David into taking her friend Abby as a date. William had joked about telling Abby that David was going with her, only to not inform David of the date—but while Casey found the idea amusing, she refused to trick her friend.
The group planned a late dinner before the dance. Most restaurants had been booked for weeks, so they settled on Cooper’s Diner. Abby protested at first, but Casey worked her magic, and soon, she was on board.
Getting ready took less time than expected. At five-thirty, he’d pick up Casey, then they’d meet Abby, David, and Eric at Cooper’s around six. Since Casey’s father had set her curfew at midnight, they decided to drive in separate vehicles, leaving room for plans after prom.
William had his dad look him over to make sure he looked presentable. Daniel adjusted his tie, giving it a final tug. “That's better.”
“Thanks, Dad,” William said.
“What time are you going to be home,” his father asked.
“Probably a little after midnight, but maybe later if I track down my friends after dropping Casey off,” he responded.
“It might be better to come straight home,” his father advised. “There are a lot of kids out drinking tonight, and some might not have designated drivers.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” William said, grabbing his keys.
“And no drinking either,” his grandmother chimed in. “Not even one sip.”
William jumped—he hadn't noticed her sitting in the recliner and had forgotten she was there.
“I won't, Grandma. I promise,” he assured her. Then, turning back to his father, he added, “I'm heading out. I think Casey's mom wanted to take some pictures before we leave.”
“Oh, ask her to give us a copy,” the grandmother asked.
With forty-five minutes to spare before picking up Casey, William drove to the Video Coop. Saturdays before five meant a dead store, and Dave had dimmed the lights as usual. The neon glow from the back wall cast an unhealthy color across the room—something about it unsettled William.
“Well, look who it is,” Dave said, nudging Ed’s arm. “Is that the Penguin? Enemy of Batman?”
“It's William,” Ed replied.
“I don’t see an umbrella. No monocle. No top hat! He’s a little taller than I expected,” Dave teased and hopped back onto the counter. “Did you decide to ditch prom and hang with the cool kids instead?”
“No, I’m still going to prom. What are you guys doing around midnight?” William asked.
“Well, let me check my calendar,” Dave said, pretending to flip through imaginary pages. “Ah, yes. We don’t have any plans.” He turned his invisible calendar toward William as if proving his point.
William sighed. “Do you want to meet up around then?”
“I’ll probably be home, spooning my pillow and watching a movie,” Dave replied. “Wait—that’s Ed’s plan. You can meet me at the McDonald’s across the street. There might be a party at Matt Walker’s house. That could be fun.”
“Yeah, we can meet there a little after midnight,” William said.
“You still got that condom I gave you?”
“Um, no. I lost it,” William lied. He didn’t want his friends knowing how much more serious things had gotten with Casey—because it meant they'd start asking for details.
“Lost it?” Dave shouted. “You were supposed to put it in your wallet, forget about it, and then give it back to me when I asked. Not lose it!”
“I'm sorry. I'll buy one and keep it in my wallet for you,”
“Thank you. You'll never know when I may need it so I need you staying close tonight. But not so close where you creep out women.”
“I wouldn't dream of it,” William responded.
“Thank you. You're a good friend, Further,” Dave said, hopping down from the counter. “But you look ridiculous in that thing.” He scanned William up and down before circling him. “Absolutely ridiculous.”
“You look fine,” Ed interjected.
“He does NOT!” Dave shouted. “If he had a mustache and a monocle, I'd call him Monopoly Man.”
“His name is..” Ed started.
“Irrelevant! Moving on!” Dave cut him off, reclining against the counter. “But seriously, pick up a condom and meet me at Mickey Dee’s.”
“I'll grab one after I leave,” William assured him. “When are you turning the lights on? This place looks closed.”
“I’m sure Ed will turn them on next time I go into the break room,” Dave said, shooting Ed a look of disgust. Ed shook his head in agreement.
“Anything else you want me to pick up for you, Dave?”
“Well, now that you ask, I could probably use some body spray or cologne. Rewinding videos is sweaty work, my man,” Dave said.
“I’ll see what I can do,” William replied, though he knew he wouldn’t buy him the body spray or the condoms.
He planned to get to Casey’s house a little early. He wasn’t sure how many photos her mother wanted to take, but judging by their home, he doubted they would ever be used. He imagined Mrs. Harlow had a drawer stuffed with rolls of undeveloped film, destined to sit untouched forever.
William already knew there wouldn’t be a special night with Casey anytime soon. Her parents never went out of town unless her father was attending a conference. His own father never traveled, and even if he did, his grandmother stayed over—despite both him and Willow being capable of taking care of themselves. He also didn’t want Casey spending the night at his house while his father and sister were home. That would be too awkward.
“William. Further. Further. Further,” Dave said, snapping his fingers. He could tell William had zoned out.
“Yeah, sorry. My mind wandered for a moment,” William responded.
“Well, stop that. We’ve got plans now. I don’t need you messing it up,” Dave advised him. “We’re doing this.”
“Yes, we're doing this,” William responded.
“Yeah, we are,” Ed added.
Dave turned to Ed, surprised at his enthusiasm. “Good for you, buddy. Getting out on a Saturday night!”
Ed never wanted to hang out past ten, even on weeknights. He never cared much for parties—he preferred sitting around watching movies, which made working at the Video Coop the perfect job for him.
“Well, that’s settled. We’ll meet up after prom. Make sure the other two know,” Dave told him before hopping back over the counter to rewind more VHS tapes.
“All right, I’ll meet up with you around midnight,” William confirmed.
“We’ll be in Ed’s Chevette eating McNuggets,” Dave told him.
“Sounds fun,” William replied as he left the video store. The neon lights had started giving him a headache. He never understood how Dave and Ed weren’t affected by the strange glow.
Stepping into his car, he took a deep breath. He hoped he wouldn’t be expected to dance much. Slow dances would be fine—those didn’t require much effort. He’d just place his hands on Casey’s hips and sway back and forth. But anything fast-paced? He dreaded that. He’d once seen a video of himself dancing, and it looked so awkward that he swore he’d never do it again.
He pulled into Casey’s driveway. She didn’t run out of the door as soon as he pulled in like she had in the past. He waited for a moment, then shut off his vehicle. Grabbing the corsage, he made his way to the front door. Hesitating, he hovered his finger over the doorbell before pressing it.
Casey’s mother answered. “Oh, William. You look so handsome,” she greeted him, holding a camera. “Casey will be down in a minute—she’s just finishing up.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Harlow,” William said.
“I think we’ll take some pictures by the fireplace first,” she said, gesturing toward the room to his right before walking inside to wait.
William lingered by the doorway, watching the staircase. He hadn’t seen Casey’s father yet. He’d met him once before—a man who tried too hard to seem intimidating but couldn’t quite pull it off. Casey had inherited traits from both parents, yet she didn’t resemble either of them.
He heard a door close upstairs. Looking up, he saw Casey descending the staircase. She wore a dark green gown, a white shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hair was styled up, with a few strands framing her face. The makeup made her look a little older—more mature.
William couldn’t look away as she made her way down the stairs.
Casey reached the main floor and stood in front of him. He was frozen. Smiling, she asked, “Are you just going to stare, or are you going to tell me how beautiful I look?”
“You—” he stammered. “You-You look b-beautiful. Gorgeous.” His eyes remained locked on her.
“You’re drooling,” she teased. “And it’s not even Mister Carlson’s first-period class.”
William wiped his mouth with his sleeve as Casey walked into the sitting room where her mother waited. Once he was sure there was no actual drool, he followed her.
Inside, Casey hugged her mother. “You look so beautiful, Casey dear,” Mrs. Harlow said with warmth.
Casey gave William an apologetic frown. She knew he didn’t want his picture taken but was going along with it for her mother’s sake. He forced a smile.
“All right, I want you both in front of the fireplace,” Mrs. Harlow said, pointing to where she wanted them to stand.
William stepped beside Casey, both smiling as Mrs. Harlow snapped a picture. He was about to move away, but she stopped him. “No, let’s do one where you actually look like you like each other. Pretend I’m not here.”
Pretending she wasn’t there would be difficult, given the constant stream of posing instructions, William thought. She had them do several shots—his arm around Casey’s shoulder, her waist, then an embrace.
After what felt like forty different poses, Casey’s mother let them go. “Love you, I’ll see you at midnight,” she called as the couple walked to the car.
William started the engine, and they headed toward Cooper’s Diner.
“Sorry I have to be home by midnight, but Bob has been setting limits,” Casey told him.
“It’s fine. We’re still going to have a lot of fun,” William said, trying to reassure her—and himself.
“We always do,” Casey responded, resting her hand on his arm as they drove out of her neighborhood. William smiled. “Can’t wait to have professionally made pancakes, though,” she teased.
“Are my pancakes not delicious enough for you?” William asked in mock offense.
“They’re fine in a pinch, but you need a few more lessons before they reach professional quality,” she replied.
“Maybe the supervisor was at fault,” William joked.
"No,” Casey said with a smirk. “The supervisor did a splendid job.”
They were the first of their friends to arrive at Cooper’s. The parking lot had a decent number of cars, but the diner wasn’t packed. Casey had been to the last Further monthly breakfast and had seen how crowded Cooper’s got on Sunday mornings.
As they stepped inside, Manny was already waiting by the entrance to greet them. His pleased expression showed how much it meant that the couple had chosen his diner for their pre-prom dinner. It wasn’t a spot most teenagers picked—most preferred national chains.
“You two clean up so nice,” Manny said as he gave Casey a hug. “Thank you go coming in.”
“We wouldn’t dream of eating anywhere else,” Casey confided. “You have the best food in town.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Manny replied. “Since I know you kids can get excited on prom night, I opened up the other section to make sure you have some privacy.”
He led them to a room to the right of the booths. Twelve tables were already set up. “I know it’s not fancy. I just ask that you don’t get too rowdy—no drinking or smoking back here,” he added, letting them choose their own table. “I know you and William will keep your friends honest and out of trouble.”
“We definitely will, Manny,” Casey assured him. “We wouldn’t do anything that could harm your business.” William nodded in agreement.
“Thank you so much, you two.” Manny patted William on the back. “Tell your grandmother I said hello.”
“I will. Thanks so much, Manny,” William replied.
“I added a special for tonight in case you or your friends are interested—I’ve got some sirloin steaks ready to cook up. I’ll make sure you guys get a nice dinner,” Manny said.
“That sounds awesome,” William responded.
“Do you two want a drink while you wait for your friends?”
“Yes, please. I’ll have a Coke,” Casey answered
“I'll also have Coke,” William said.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Manny replied. “Pick whichever table you want. If you need a couple pushed together, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Manny,” Casey said. “I think we can move the tables ourselves—you’ve already done so much.”
She studied the setup. There would be five of them, and each table seated four. “We can push two together,” she said. “Abby, David, and Eric can sit on one side, and we’ll take the other.”
“That will work,” William agreed.
Casey directed William to move the chairs aside before pushing two tables together. They placed four chairs on either side of the combined table.
Settling into a middle seat, Casey set her small purse on the chair at the end. William sat beside her.
“Hopefully, that’s all the work we’ll have to do tonight,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sure I can think of a few games for us,” Casey said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“I don’t know…” William responded, cautious.
“I’ll figure something out. I need to keep you on your toes,” she teased before kissing him.
“You look very handsome, Will. I forgot to say that earlier,” Casey told him.
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you didn’t say I look like the Penguin or Monopoly Man,” William said.
“Someone must have been around Dave today,” Casey laughed.
“You are gorgeous. If you were wearing a yellow dress, you’d look exactly like that girl from Beauty and the Beast,” William told her.
“Why, Will,” Casey blushed. “You’re calling me a Disney princess? Well, if I’m Belle, that makes you the Beast,” she teased.
“Again, not the worst thing I’ve been called today,” William joked. They kissed again.
Their friends arrived twenty minutes late. Manny led them in, and they took their seats across from William and Casey. Abby sat between David and Eric.
“Sorry we’re late. My parents took so many pictures—about twenty with each of them, plus another twenty with all of us together, and another twenty just of me. I told her we didn’t need that, but my mother kept insisting,” Abby explained.
“I’m sure all eighty photos look wonderful,” Casey reassured her. “My mom took forty of me and William.”
William groaned.
“Well, when you’re fifty, you’ll look at those photos and wonder how you snagged such a beautiful girlfriend,” Casey teased.
“Actually, I’m doing that now,” William admitted, though he knew it was the truth.
Casey rested her head on his shoulder.
Manny took the drink orders of the new arrivals and left.
“Does anyone else have a curfew tonight?” Casey asked.
David and Eric both said no.
Abby shrugged. “I don’t really have a curfew, but my parents want me to call them after prom and let them know what I’m doing. I heard Matt Walker is having a party, but everyone’s been talking about it, so I think it’s going to get busted.”
That was the party Dave mentioned, William thought. He knew it was best to skip it. Even though he wasn’t planning to drink, he didn’t want to get caught up in anything.
“Yeah, if everyone’s talking about it, it might be better to avoid,” David said. “I think his last party got busted too—lots of kids got MIPs.”
William never got a Minor in Possession ticket. He’d had drinks on a few occasions but never drove afterward. He would drink if he was staying the night at Dave’s. Their gatherings were small and quiet enough to avoid police attention. He’d heard the fine was fifty dollars for the first offense, jumping up twenty-five dollars for each infraction after that. It wasn’t worth the risk—or worse, facing his father’s disappointment.
“Well, I definitely know where I won’t be going tonight,” Casey said, even though she didn’t have a choice. Prom ended at eleven, and her father had given her an extra hour before she had to be home. The group hadn’t planned on staying the whole time—maybe they’d dance for a bit and then head somewhere else.
“Well, we can do whatever you want,” William told her.
“So just a normal day then,” she teased
“Megan and Melissa said their dates got hotel rooms,” Abby informed the group. “Maybe we can go hang with them afterwards.”
Eric gasped. “I don't think their dates would want us there,” he said.
“Yeah, probably not,” David added. William wouldn't have wanted to go party at a hotel anyway.
“You’re right, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. They might not want to go alone with them,” Abby said. “They may need us to cock block for them so it doesn’t seem obvious.”
“As much as that sounds like fun, I definitely don’t want to be involved either way,” William said. He turned to Casey to see if she agreed. She didn’t seem to care what the group did. She rubbed his thigh.
Manny came to take their orders. All three boys chose the sirloin, Abby got the grilled chicken breast, and Casey—of course—ordered pancakes. She had never tried anything else at the diner, but she seemed fine with that.
Eric and Abby seemed to hit it off far better than Abby ever had with David, who had never been interested in her in the first place. Abby was surprised at how well she and Eric were getting along—because he let her talk as much as she wanted without interrupting.
Casey and Abby’s meals arrived first. The boys, knowing nothing about steaks, ordered theirs well done.
Manny brought their plates a few minutes later. Abby was already halfway through her chicken. Casey ate slower than usual so she wouldn’t finish her meal before the boys even got theirs.
William thought the steak was delicious. Had Manny not mentioned that he ordered extra for the prom group, William would’ve just gone with a hamburger. He hadn’t eaten steak often, except on special occasions or when his dad grilled during the summer.
David smothered each piece of steak in A1 sauce while Eric drowned his in ketchup. William ate his plain, finding it delicious without any condiments.
Casey’s pace picked up once everyone’s food arrived. Abby had a few bites of chicken left, and William knew she’d soon start talking about something random while everyone finished their meals.
Once she was done eating, Abby launched into conversation—chemistry class, her plans for college, what she wanted to do over the summer. Casey added an occasional remark, but David and William tuned her out. Eric, on the other hand, listened to everything she said. He never finished his meal and needed a to-go box.
After paying for their meals, they headed to the high school for the dance. As their friends pulled away, William noticed Eric leaning forward in the middle back seat in an awkward position, trying to stay involved in Abby’s conversation.
For the rest of the story, check out Part One - Chapter VI of The Many Deaths of William Further