Page 132 of With a Little Luck

Chapter Forty-Two

Writ upon these hallowed pages is the epic tale of the greatwizard Jude. It is a story of one hero who faced impossible odds and conquered dark magic (and darker insecurities) as he set off on his brave quest to win the love of the fairest bard in the land …

While senior prom is being held at a golf club this year, junior prom, with its much smaller budget, is taking place in our school gym. Quint finds a parking spot, and we step out into a warm spring evening, the air smelling of sea salt and jasmine flowers. I stand in front of the gymnasium, and look at it, really look at it. And in its dark facade I see, for the first time, not a nondescript torture chamber touted as a gateway to physical education.

I see … temple ruins, buried deep in a forgotten jungle. Lost to any map. The final resting place of too many explorers to count.

My final frontier. My hero’s journey. My epic quest.

She’s in there. My destiny is in there. Am I worthy? Of love? Of adventure? Of a happy ending?

Am I worthy of the magic of Lundyn Toune?

“Jude? What are you doing?”

I start. Pru and Quint are already at the doors, looking back at me.

“Sorry,” I say, hurrying to join them.

We buy an extra ticket from the table in the hall and step into the gymnasium.332

I would like to say that it’s been transformed into a wondrous and enchanting palace, but … it’s still just the gym, albeit with crepe-paper decorations, cloth-covered tables, and a disco ball.

A DJ is set up beneath one of the basketball hoops, and there are a lot of people here jumping around on the court—er, dance floor.

Maya and Noah find us at the entrance, and almost immediately we spy Serena and Raul standing at a table with César and Matt, which surprises me. I hadn’t realized the two of them were coming. I find myself searching for Russell and Kyle, too, until I remember they’re both sophomores.

I square my shoulders and approach the table littered with plastic cups and confetti.

César spots me first, and his eyes widen as he takes in my pirate-y shirt. He grins and spreads his arms wide. “Dungeon Master! You grace us with your presence!”

Everyone turns to me, and I can feel a slew of friendly greetings on the tips of their tongues, but I raise a palm to stop them. “Adventurers,” I say in my most commanding voice, “I need your help.”

They all freeze. And there’s a long moment in which we’re surrounded by the thumping of bass music and the swirl of red and purple lights when I think,What the heck am I doing?

But then Maya steps up beside me, arms crossed over her chest. “We’re here on a quest to find and woo Jude’s true love.”

I shoot her a nervous look. “I mean, I didn’t use thoseexactwords …”

She shrugs back at me. “I inferred.”

“There’s seriously some epicPrincess Bridestuff happening here,” says Noah, already vibing in place to the music.

César throws back his drink. “I’m just here for the ale, but … if you need to kill some goblins, I’m your guy.”

“I have missed this,” says Matt. Then he lifts his arms and flexes his biceps. “Brawndo accepts your mission. Let’s plunder!”

Serena looks at Raul. “What is happening?”

“Okay, what now?” asks Pru, as she and Quint crowd in beside us.333

I look around, scanning the crowd. It’s dim in here, and the gym is big and crowded. “Where’s Ari?”

“Who’s Ari?” asks Serena.

“That your singer friend?” asks César, reminding me that most of these people have only met Ari in passing, if at all.

“What about EZ?” I press.

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