Chapter 219: Unspoken Ghosts and Open Doors

Two days later, on Saturday night, the prom was underway. After dropping the girls off and escorting them to the back of the gym, which had been transformed into a grand dance hall and music stage, Eric walked back toward the parking lot, intending to wait in his car until they finished their performance. On his way out, he crossed paths with Katie, who had arrived alongside Mike and Jade. Jade was already in her performance outfit, draped in a stylish long coat.

Spotting Eric heading in the opposite direction, the three of them paused in confusion before Katie reached out to grab his arm.

"Where are you going? Why are you heading back out?" Katie asked, puzzled.

"Oh... I figured I’d just wait in the car. I’m not really feeling like going inside," Eric answered.

"What are you talking about? You really don’t wanna watch Emma, me, Ruby, and Tania perform? Plus Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura are going on stage too, right?" Jade pressed.

"Yeah, bro, hanging out outside by yourself is totally lame," Mike added.

"I’m just not in the mood to go in... I don’t even go to school here, so it feels weird crashing their event... plus I’m not even dressed up, just wearing a jacket, a t-shirt, and jeans," Eric explained.

"Come on... nobody is looking at what you’re wearing. Let’s go back inside together," Katie said, wrapping her arm tightly around his until her body pressed flush against his, making Eric flinch slightly in surprise.

"Yeah, bro, we can just hang out in the back, I’ll keep you company," Mike offered, clapping a hand on Eric’s shoulder.

Jade locked eyes with Eric, noticing his hesitation and reluctance. She understood completely what had gone down the previous year, the very trauma that kept him from attending his own high school prom and made her skip hers as well. Reaching out, Jade pulled on Mike’s arm.

"Let’s head inside, babe, I’m already late," Jade urged softly.

"Oh... right, babe. Sorry, bro, I’m gonna head in first. You just go in with Katie," Mike said, glancing back at Eric.

"Alright... you guys go on ahead!" Katie added, throwing up a thumb.

Jade pulled Mike along as they hurried toward the back entrance of the gym. "Sigh." Eric let out a soft breath of relief, grateful that Jade instantly caught on to the unspoken weight hanging over him. Meanwhile, Katie kept her eyes fixed on Eric while holding his arm tightly.

"So... do you still wanna go outside?" Katie asked softly.

"Hmm... I don’t know. Let’s just stay right here for a bit," Eric replied.

"Alright... let me take you to the side courtyard by the entrance then," Katie suggested.

They walked down the side corridor and stepped out through a side exit, taking in the view of senior students strolling down the garden path toward the gym at the back. Paper lanterns hung suspended overhead, decorating and illuminating the walkway just as advertised on the event flyers.

But as they turned toward the courtyard, they spotted Wilson standing guard, ensuring no students wandered into the garden area. Seeing Katie approach, Wilson’s eyes went wide in surprise before he narrowed them, recognizing her.

"You’re... Katie Winters?" Wilson asked, astonished.

"Hello, Mr. Wilson! Glad to see you still remember me," Katie greeted, nudging her glasses up her nose.

"Hello, Katie! How have you been? Where are you working these days? Last I heard, you graduated cum laude from law school, right?" Wilson asked, extending a hand.

"I’m currently working at his firm as the head of legal, sir," Katie answered, shaking Wilson’s hand while gesturing toward Eric.

Wilson turned his head to look at Eric, his rigid posture melting into a cold, chilling smile as he clearly recognized who Eric was.

"How are you doing, Eric?" Wilson asked, holding out his hand.

"Doing well, Mr. Wilson. How about yourself?" Eric replied, shaking his hand politely.

"Doing fine, thank you... so... what are you two doing out here? Why aren’t you inside?" Wilson asked, getting straight to the point.

"We just wanted to step into the courtyard for a minute, sir. Is that alright?" Katie asked, pointing toward the garden area behind him.

Wilson paused, looking between Katie and Eric before glancing back at the main walkway where more guests were arriving.

"I’m sorry, but the garden is strictly off-limits tonight. We don’t want a repeat of last year when half the student body was partying out in the yard instead of inside the hall. Plus, a lot of kids snuck in alcohol out there since the courtyard was unsupervised last year," Wilson explained, shaking his head.

"But I’m an alum, sir, and neither of us are students here anymore. I just need to have a quick chat with him before we head inside," Katie countered smoothly.

"Sigh." Wilson rubbed the back of his neck, a sudden look of exhaustion washing over his face as he checked the main walkway again. Stepping aside, he cleared the path.

"Ten minutes. Say whatever you need to say, but I’m standing right here," Wilson stated firmly.

"Understood! Thank you, sir!" Katie chirped warmly. Turning to Eric, she pulled his arm. "Come on, let’s head inside."

"Oh... alright. Thanks, sir," Eric added, glancing back at Wilson.

"Yeah, yeah... get in quickly. It doesn’t look good if the others see you lingering," Wilson grumbled back.

They slipped into the courtyard while Wilson resumed his guard stance like a loyal watchdog blocking the entrance. Once inside the serene garden, Katie led Eric over to a stone bench. As they sat down,

"Alright... let me sit with you here for a minute... okay?" Katie said softly.

"But weren’t you planning on going inside? Honestly, it’s fine, I can just wait in the car," Eric offered.

"What fun is going in alone?" Katie asked.

"Wait, didn’t you say you wanted to dance with Mike?" Eric countered.

"Yep... but I wanna dance with you too," Katie replied with a sly grin.

"Sigh... you really don’t give up, do you?" Eric chuckled weakly.

"Like I told you before: let go of what happened in the past and look forward. If you refuse to step inside tonight, it just means you’re still chained to what happened last year, doesn’t it?" Katie asked, locking eyes with him.

Eric went dead silent. Deep down, he knew Katie was right, he was acting like someone deliberately avoiding a good experience just because it brought back painful memories of a bad one.

Looking inward at his own heart, he knew he didn’t harbor any feelings for the people involved anymore, yet certain places and events still dragged those old shadows back to the surface, making him instinctively retreat without realizing it. Letting out a soft "sigh,"

"Maybe I haven’t fully moved on after all, hahaha... and here I thought I was totally over it," Eric murmured weakly.

"No... you HAVE moved on. But memories have a habit of dragging back things we thought we forgot or buried. It all comes down to how you choose to react to them," Katie replied gently.

"Honestly, if I’m being real... back on the day Jason and Melissa got engaged, I had already planned on asking Vivian to prom the following week. I had waited a whole year just to ask her out... but before I could even get the words out, everything fell apart and I ended up in this city. I guess part of me still remembers how much that hurt back then, right in this moment," Eric admitted softly.

"Yep... that makes total sense. I didn’t know you had been waiting and longing to go to prom with your ex, but one thing is clear: there’s still a knot in your chest that makes you afraid to touch the situations or places right in front of you. That’s completely normal, so don’t beat yourself up over it. Just remember... the past is strictly in the past. What really matters is the present, because the present shapes your future. Sorry, just sharing what’s on my mind," Katie offered gently.

"Did you go through something like this too? You sound like you really understand what I’m feeling," Eric asked, curious.

Katie went quiet for a moment, leaning back against the stone bench as she gazed up at the star-studded sky above, a faint smile touching her lips. Seeing her quiet expression, Eric decided not to press any further, leaning back beside her to look up at the night sky as well.

"The story of what happened to me can wait for another time because it’s a long one, but let me assure you of one thing: I went through the exact same thing as you. What happened to me in the past was the sole reason I wanted to go to law school and become someone who stands tall for justice," Katie shared quietly, her eyes remaining fixed on the stars.

Hearing her words, Eric fell silent. He didn’t want to pry into Katie’s past trauma, but her words struck a powerful chord deep within him. A genuine smile slowly broke across his face. Reaching out, he took Katie’s hand in his, making her flinch slightly in surprise even as she kept her gaze on the sky.

"Let me take you inside. You’re right, what I do in the present determines my future," Eric said resolutely.

"That’s what I like to hear! Come on, let’s head in, it would be a shame if your six fiancées performed without you watching in the crowd," Katie beamed.

"Haha... you’re right. Come on, Katie, let me walk you in," Eric replied, standing up while still holding her hand.

"Awesome... let’s go! Time to go push your girls’ buttons, hehe," Katie teased, rising to her feet.

"Hey... don’t go causing trouble, haha!" Eric laughed cheerfully.

With that, they stepped out of the garden, offering a polite nod to Wilson as they passed. Walking side by side into the venue with Katie holding tightly onto Eric’s arm, both of them radiated a bright, joyful energy.