Woke Up Like This

Charlotte describes prom as the most significant night of a teen’s life, and she lists many ways in which the night can go wrong. She believes that it can take only a millisecond for tragedy to strike, referencing the horror movie Carrie, in which a high school girl is bullied and humiliated and then doused with blood at her own prom. For Char, prom is a rite of passage, the culmination of four years of stress and her final chance to be a teen. She is student council vice president and has created a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation detailing her idea for a prom theme: “Around the World in One Magical Night.”

Today, Char is ready for school, though her mother is running late, as usual. Char’s mom is white and looks like a Viking’s descendant, while Char identifies as Asian, with dark hair and eyes. Her father, who left when Char was a child, is Chinese American. Char’s mom never partied when she was young, so she encourages Char to have fun now before taking on more adult concerns. Char is completely focused on planning prom, however, convinced that she won’t “find peace” until it’s perfect. Her mom tries to convince her that adulthood is a never-ending litany of chores and expenses and that Char should live it up now, but Char thinks that adulthood means freedom and choice.

It’s lunchtime at Maplewood High School, and Char is annoyed because the student council president, J. T. Renner, is late to a meeting. Present are Kassie, student council secretary and Char’s best friend; Ollie, Kassie’s boyfriend, who’s in charge of fundraising; and Nori, Char’s close friend and creative visionary. Another 12 minutes pass as the group discusses the latest Maplewood gossip. Finally, J. T. strolls in, cool and unapologetic. Everyone cheers, but Char is irritated, criticizing J. T.’s lateness, and he baits her with a crack about the color she’s wearing.

Char describes how Kassie and Ollie got together. Kassie and J. T. met and hooked up a few days before ninth grade, but when Kassie met Ollie, she forgot J. T. completely. Ollie is a football player and very attractive, and Char compares him to Michael B. Jordan; she also likens J. T. to Noah Centineo and says that he bewitches people with his looks and charm. At the beginning of ninth grade, Char developed a crush on J. T., and she was thrilled when he asked her to homecoming. That night, though, Ollie told her that J. T. wasn’t coming, citing forgotten plans. All dressed up, Char went anyway, but she has never forgiven J. T. The next week, J. T. tried to apologize, and Char derided his cowardly inability to tell her that he was backing out himself. Although she cried all weekend, she lied to him, saying that she only agreed to go with him because Kassie forced her. He seemed surprised and hurt by her manner.

Now, J. T. asks questions that have already been answered in prior meetings, which he missed, as Char points out. They trade barbs. She delivers her presentation, but J. T. dismisses Char’s idea immediately. Ollie and Kassie agree that Char’s theme isn’t the right choice, and J. T. suggests “Under the Sea” instead. Char flatly refuses this idea, and J. T. suggests a vote.

This chapter opens with the invitation to Maplewood’s Under the Sea prom, indicating that J. T.’s idea won. It also includes the seniors’ calendar of events, including exams, beach day, graduation, and more. Char, Kassie, and Nori are dress shopping, and Char complains about the theme. Kassie suggests that Char allow the rest of them to plan the night, but the thought of not being in control makes Char nervous. Nori and Kassie bicker a little, and Char reflects on her role as the glue between the two frenemies. She admits that Kassie can be self-centered, but she also knows Kassie has a softer and kinder side. Kassie wishes that Char would forgive J. T., but Char cannot. She includes a bulleted list of all J. T.’s wrongs against her in the last four years; winning the student council president election is the worst because Char feels that she earned it.

Char cites J. T.’s “obsession” with ruining her life, costing her the election and admission to her dream college. The saleslady confuses Nori for Char, and Char relates that people do this a lot, though Nori is Korean and tall and has shoulder-length, colorfully dyed hair, while Char is half Chinese and half white and has long dark hair. She thinks about the occasional stares that she and Nori get and the stale jokes about how they must be good at math.

Char tries on a green dress, and Kassie and Nori love it. She thinks of the nude, orthopedic heels she already bought, believing that they’ll coordinate. Char has a tragic history with high heels, but she feels confident in this dress. Kassie and Nori promise that she won’t have to sit near J. T. in the limo they are all taking.

In the cafeteria, the friends discuss Char’s lack of a prom date. She wants to ask Clay Diaz, but she is rendered speechless by his presence. Kassie bails on their plans for the night but encourages Char to ask Clay. J. T. plops down next to Char, and Kassie says that she made a list of other options. When Kassie says that she knows that Char likes these guys, “Renner’s eyes light up,” and Char blushes (31). Char shoots down each one. Nori suggests Char take Nori’s cousin, Mike, a college freshman who enjoys feminist literature. Char likes the idea, but J. T. mocks the supposed maturity of a fraternity guy. She insinuates that J. T. is describing himself but cannot help noticing his perfect lips as they continue to taunt one another.

Nori interrupts, asking J. T. who his date is, and he asks if she wants to go, but Nori is going with her on-again-off-again girlfriend, Tayshia. Kassie suggests that J. T. take Andie, a friend from another group. When Char sees Clay leaving the cafeteria alone, she follows.

Char is breaking in her prom heels, and by the time she hobbles to the hallway, Clay is gone. She turns, hearing J. T. behind her. He is clearly trying to beat her to the lockers, as his is just above hers, and they cannot both be at their lockers comfortably and simultaneously. He gets there first and invites her to go to the party store with him after school for prom. He says that Ollie was supposed to go, but Ollie bailed on him just like Kassie did to Char. Concerned that J. T. might choose napkins in Facebook blue, which she calls the “color of depression” (39), she volunteers to go alone, but he cites a responsibility to go too. Besides, he has a van. Char has an interview for a scholarship today, and J. T. has plans tomorrow afternoon, so they agree to go before school tomorrow. After that, they’ll start decorating.

J. T. takes his time at his locker, blocking Char from hers, and she sees Clay turn the corner ahead. She pumps herself up when Clay maintains eye contact with her. Char bumps her locker door into J. T.’s shins, and the two trade gibes. J. T. is confused, however, when Char loses patience with him, and he yanks her bag through the narrow space. The fabric rips, and Char’s spare tampons go flying. Boys dodge tampons as though they are bombs, and J. T. is speechless. Char races to grab them, seeing one rolling toward Clay, whose mouth is hanging open. Clay kicks the stray tampon in Char’s direction and walks away. J. T. leans against his locker with the last tampon in his hand, looking at Char with pity, adding to her humiliation.

J. T. is late to pick Char up to go prom décor shopping. She is tortured by the memory of Clay’s face during the tampon debacle and believes that the incident caused her to bomb the scholarship interview. Nori and Kassie think that it’s worse to ignore what happened, so they help Char draft a message to Clay, coolly acknowledging the incident. Her phone buzzes, and it’s J. T.; every now and then, he steals her phone and changes his name to things like “Sexy President.” Char changes it back to “Satan.”

Her mom comes in, asking why Kassie didn’t come over last night, and Char mumbles something about getting ditched for Ollie. Char’s mom encourages her to talk to Kassie about how this hurts her feelings, citing her own best friend from high school, Georgia, and how they grew apart because of a lack of communication. Char, however, is convinced that she and Kassie will always be best friends. Changing the subject, Char’s mom says that she got a voicemail from Char’s dad, who’d like Char to call him. Char senses that something is going on because her dad never calls just to talk. They used to speak once a week, and she looked forward to telling him about her achievements because this was the only time he treated her with affection. Once he remarried, though, the conversations became more infrequent and less warm. She gave up seeking his approval when she got to high school. He’s had a string of girlfriends since his second divorce, and Alexandra—a pretty, young publicist—is the latest. Char’s mom encourages Char to reach out. Just then, J. T. pulls in.

J. T.’s bright red “mom-van” is infamous. Char criticizes his driving, and he reminds her that she has “no right” to judge him; she failed her driver’s test twice, and he loves to bring it up. He asks if she’s promposed to Clay yet, and Char says that she can’t ask him after what happened the day before. J. T. says it wasn’t a big deal, and she says that it made her bomb her interview. He apologizes sincerely, and Char is shocked. He says that there is a lot she doesn’t know about him. She claims that he just does things to spite her, but they end up joking around a little. Then, he loudly sings the wrong words to the song on the radio, and she corrects him and refuses to sing along. When they arrive at the rental place, the proprietor is clearly annoyed by their lateness, but J. T. charms her like he charms everyone. Once they make their choices, J. T. loads the van. Char’s phone rings, and it’s her dad.

Char’s father never calls her; instead, he goes through her mom. He invites Char to lunch in the city, but she says that she’s too busy until summer. He tells her that his girlfriend is pregnant. He rambles about her cravings, her family’s lake house, and how he’s trying to slow down at work. Char is shocked because he was always busy with work when she was little, but now he wants to slow down for this new baby. He invites her to stay with them at the lake house this summer. J. T. looks at Char with concern, and she holds back tears. She says that she doesn’t know about this summer, and she’ll have to call him back. He rambles some more, and Char hangs up on him when she sees pity in J. T.’s face. J. T. asks if she’s okay, and she tells him that her dad is having a baby with his new girlfriend. He tries to suggest how this could be good news, but she cuts him off and he drops it.

In the gym, Char and J. T. hang decorations. She gets a text from her dad, asking what her favorite color is because Alexandra wants to paint the guest room. A flood of memories (times when she missed her dad) rush into Char’s mind, and she lies down on the floor and cries. J. T. stops abruptly when he sees her. First, he offers to leave, but then he pats her awkwardly on the shoulder and goes to get her some toilet paper. She accepts his offer to help her up, and he hauls her to her feet so fast that they come chest to chest, their faces close. His eyes search hers “fiercely,” she thinks, in judgment, but she notices his eyelashes and lips before she steps backward and looks away. J. T. awkwardly changes the subject. When Char goes to find scissors in a supply room, she comes across the Maplewood class of 2024 time capsule that she and her peers will fill with letters. Touching it, she feels a “zing” of electricity as the metal warms and she feels shocks prick her spine. J. T. reaches to touch it and experiences the same. Char is light-headed, and she asks J. T. where he will be at 30, suggesting that he will be eating ramen in his parents’ basement. He says that he wants to be a varsity coach or gym teacher, and she is shocked that he, too, wants to be a teacher. Char chalks it up to his attempt to copy her and ruin her life, thinking about her own plans to be a high school counselor. J. T. says that the two of them might have more in common than Char believes, but she never got to know him. She ends up comparing J. T. and Ollie, whom she claims is good husband material, and J. T. is baffled that people don’t think the same thing about him. She asks him to hand her some streamers as she mounts a ladder, and when pressed by J. T., she declares that she wouldn’t marry him even if they were the last two people alive. He is hurt by this and holds the streamers just out of her reach, and she leans far out. Before they know it, she topples off the ladder right on top of J. T.