The Perfect Prom Date (19 page)

I fell to the ground and put my head between my knees. I concentrated on breathing in and out. I was never going back to school. I was resolved to the fact that I would have to be to homeschooled for what little remained of my senior year.
 

A few minutes later, I heard someone walking toward me. By the sound of the footsteps, I knew it was Brennan. I kept my head down, wishing I could completely disappear. There was no way he’d want to have anything to do with me now. Ellie made sure of that. He had probably come to break up with me.

“Josie, are you okay?”

I sniffed loudly, but couldn’t answer.

“Josie?” Brennan sat down next to me. I could hear the concern in his voice, which took me by surprise. “It’s me. Look at me.”

I couldn’t look up.
 

“Josie, I have something really important to ask you.” He put his arm around my back and tried to pull me to him.
 

“Go away, Brennan. I don’t want to see you right now.” I tried to shrug him off.
 

“Well that’s too bad because I’m not going anywhere.” He let go of me, but he stayed put. He sat there patiently waiting as if he had all the time in the world. The bell rang in the distance, but he remained.
 

We sat in silence for several minutes until I couldn’t stand it anymore. Finally I looked up and sobbed, “What are you still doing here? Didn’t you see the pictures plastered all over the school?”

“Yeah, I did. That’s why I’m here.” He gently touched my cheek, wiping at my tears with his fingertips.

“I don’t understand.” I was completely confused. By all accounts Brennan should be running in the opposite direction.

“I wanted to apologize to you.”

“What for?”
 

“For being a terrible boyfriend.” I stared at him in disbelief. “I’ve been an idiot.
 
I honestly thought you didn’t want to go to the prom because you did such a perfect job of completely avoiding the subject. You never once even hinted at it. How could I have been so foolish to think you didn’t want to go?” He slapped himself in the forehead.
 

I couldn’t respond. My throat was tight with emotion.
 

“I’m really sorry. I wanted to ask you to go to the prom so many different times – but I always got tongue-tied. Like when we were sitting by the pool on vacation, and instead of asking you to the prom, I asked you if you ever dated Noah. I know stupid, right? But I couldn’t seem to help feeling nervous. Before you and I started hanging out, I overheard Noah telling some friends that he wanted you to be his date. So when you made it clear you two were never more than friends, I gained the courage to ask you. Only that’s when I noticed that were you quickly flipping the pages of the magazine that that contained any references to the prom. At that moment, I gave up on the idea of you and I going to the prom together. Deciding it wasn’t meant to be, after all. I thought maybe prom just wasn’t your thing, or that maybe you were a terrible dancer, or something like that. Anyway, I’m sure I’m still screwing this up, but what I’ve been trying to say is - ”

“Why are you still here? Don’t you get it? I’m a loser!” I started to get up to run away again, but Brennan grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let me go.
 

Fresh tears sprang to my eyes. I wasn’t crying because he was hurting my arm. I was crying because I felt so humiliated.

He let go. “Sorry, I just didn’t want you to take off before I got the chance to ask you – will you be my date to the prom?”
 

I laughed and hiccupped at the same time.
 
“You’re asking me to the prom?
 
Now?”

“You don’t want to go?” He actually sounded hurt.

“I
did
want to go, but I
don’t
anymore.”
 

This time Brennan laughed. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I can’t go to the prom now. I can’t even show my face at school ever again. Everyone thinks I’m a freak.” I stood up.
 

“Josie, Josie, Josie, what am I going to do with you? Of course, you can go back to school. Who cares what everybody else thinks?”

“I do,” I said quietly, but definitively.
 

“Well you shouldn’t.” I opened my mouth to speak, but Brennan touched his finger to my lips. “Yes, it was mean of your sister, but you can’t let her win. And she wins if you don’t go to the prom with me. Please? Please be my date to the prom? I would never want to go with anyone but you.”
 

He surprised me by kissing me lightly on the lips.

I pulled away, but I felt my heart softening. “I don’t get it - how can you still want to go with me?”

“Isn’t is obvious?” He smiled. His bright blue eyes practically sparkled in the sunlight.
 

I shook my head, no.
 

“Then let me spell it out for you…I love you. And I want to be with you. And if going to the prom is something you want to do, than I want to do it too. So what do you say - will you be my date to the prom?”

“Are you sure?” I asked, giving Brennan a chance to back out.
 

“Of course, I’m sure.” He held my hand in his.
 

“Okay,” I agreed.
 

“Okay? That’s it?” His eyebrows rose.

“Yes, I’d love to go to the prom with you,” I whispered, still feeling doubtful about whether I could really go through with it after everything that had happened.

“Don’t worry. I promise it will be a night you’ll never forget.” He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me deeply. I sighed, forgetting all about Ellie and the recent disaster.
 

We stopped to catch our breath. Brennan leaned his forehead against mine. “I guess we should get to class. Mrs. Perkins isn’t going to be happy that we’re late.”

“We should just blow it off and stay out here. I could think of something else I’d rather do.” I ran my shaky fingers through his soft hair.
 

“As tempting as that sounds, I think we should go to class.” Brennan grabbed my hand and started walking toward the school.
 

I froze. I wasn’t sure I had the guts to walk through the main door again. “I’m scared,” I admitted.

“Don’t be. I’ll be right here with you.”

“What about the photocopies?”

“I’m sure they’re all down by now. Rachel, Kyle, and some of your other friends were taking them off the walls when I came out to look for you.”
 

I was still rooted to the spot.
 

“It really wasn’t as bad as you think. I saw one girl point to a picture and confess that she bought that exact same dress. I overheard her tell her friend that she hadn’t thought to get those shoes to go with it, and she wondered where she might be able to buy them.”

“Really?” I felt my lips curve into the tiniest smile.

“Really.” He stared into my eyes, and I knew he was telling the truth.

Taking a deep breath, I let Brennan lead me toward the school. We walked in silence. I was too nervous to talk.

“Josie,” the principal said, stepping out of his office as we walked by, “can I talk to you, please?” He nodded at Brennan, “You can take a seat.” He pointed to the chairs lining the wall in the main office.

I followed the principal into his office and sat down in the chair facing his desk.
 
He sat down and cleared his throat, “So, things were a little crazy around here - especially for the Monday morning after spring break.”

“Yes, it appeared that way.” I nodded. I hope the principal didn’t think this was my fault.

“I saw your signature on every one of the pictures I took down.” He paused and then added, “How do you explain that?”

“They were photocopies of pages from a scrapbook I made.” I looked at my hands, and struggled not to chip my nail polish.

“How did they get in MY main hallway?”

“I don’t know.” I looked up, and stared right at the principal. I could have ratted on Ellie, I knew it was her who pulled the prank, but I wasn’t a nark.
 

“It’s a serious crime to break into the school and deface school property,” the principal said sternly.
 

“I know it is. I hope you don’t think I had anything to do with it?”
 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“I did not hang up those pictures. I’m just as upset as you, if not more. Everyone was laughing at me.” Tears filled my eyes.

“Okay, okay. I just had to be sure.” The principal looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t know what to do with a teenage girl on the brink of an emotional meltdown. “You better get to class. Stop by the secretary’s desk on your way out, and she’ll write you and Brennan a pass.”

“Thank you Mr. Richardson,” I sniffed.
 

“No problem. And I promise we’ll get to the bottom of this.” He banged his fist on the desk.

Brennan was still sitting in the same chair and stood when he saw me exit. He held up the pass that the secretary had already given him, “We’re all set.
 
Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand.

 
We were several steps beyond the office when I breathed a sigh of relief.
 

 
“Are you okay? What did Mr. Richardson say?”

“He wanted to know if I knew who was responsible.”

“And? What did you tell him?”
 

“Nothing,” I shrugged. I stopped in the middle of the hall, “You were right. I won.
 
I got you – the best date I could ever have to the prom.” I reached up and kissed Brennan, sealing the deal.

At lunch, Brennan headed straight to buy prom tickets. This was the last week they were on sale because the prom was only two weeks away. The other kids were whispering as he stood in line, and someone even went so far as to ask him if he was really going to go with me. Brennan answered in typical-Brennan-fashion with a question of his one, “Why wouldn’t I?” The truth was Brennan didn’t really care what anyone else thought. I guess when you moved from school to school every couple of years you became self-confident and didn’t worry about what other people thought. I was working on not letting other people’s opinions bother me either. It did make me feel lighter and freer. I had already changed a lot since B-Man and I first started going out, and the truth was I liked who I was becoming.
   

I spent the rest of the day mulling over the best way to confront Ellie when I got home. In the end, I decided that the only way to beat Ellie was to beat her at her own game. She never lost her temper, but always kept her cool. It was time I did that.
 

When school was over Rachel dropped me off at home, and I rushed inside. “Mom. Mom. Where are you?” I called out.

“I’m in the laundry room,” she yelled. “What’s going on?” She came out folding a pair of my jeans.

“You’ll never guess what happened at school today?” I looked up and saw Ellie come out of her room. She stood listening at the top of the stairs. It looked like my plan just might work. My timing couldn’t have been better.

“What happened?”

“Brennan asked me to the prom. I’m going to my senior prom with Brennan,” I shouted, jumping up and down.
 

Ellie walked down the stairs. She never could mind her own business.
 

“That’s great, honey,” my mom replied. “We’ll have to go dress shopping this weekend.” Her forehead creased. “I hope they still have a good selection of dresses. He’s cutting it a little close by asking you so late, isn’t he?”

“It’s fine, mom. I know I’ll find the perfect dress.”

My mom smiled. Then she saw Ellie, “Did you hear? Josie is going to the prom with Brennan. I think it’s wonderful, don’t you?”

“I think…it’s surprising.” Ellie scowled. Obviously she thought that her little prank would prevent Brennan from asking me.
 

“Oh, Ellie. I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to thank you,” I said, sounding sincere.

“Thank me? For what?” She shook her head in confusion.

“For going to all that trouble to make photocopies of ‘Everything Prom,’ and then hanging them around school for Brennan to see. It did just the trick. As soon as he saw them, he knew that I wanted him to ask me to the prom. I had been too shy to even hint at it myself. He found me and asked me to go. And of course, I said yes. So, thank you.”
 

“What’s this?” my mom asked, trying to follow our conversation.
 
“Did Ellie do something nice for a change?”

“Yeah, she did.” I smiled broadly. I had finally succeeded at beating Ellie at her own game.

Ellie, on the other hand, was fuming. She couldn’t contradict me in front of our mom without getting herself into big trouble. However, I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was pissed about her plan backfiring. She bit her lip. “You’re welcome,” she sputtered.

“That’s so nice. I’m so glad to see my girls getting along for a change.” My mom put an arm around each of us and squeezed our shoulders, oblivious to what had really happened.
   

Comments:

countrygirl: You were so right. MY GUY did finally ask me. We were riding in his truck when the song, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift came on and he looked over at me and said, “Will you dance with me to this song at prom?” I was so excited that I threw my arms around him, and we just missed hitting a tree. He pulled over and asked me again. And I said YES!

peytonrussel: I haven’t left a comment b4, but I’ve been following your blog every step of the way and am I ever glad. I was about to give up when he said out of the blue, “Hey, do you want to go to prom?” It wasn’t the most romantic way I could have imagined, but I didn’t mind one bit. I’m going to the PROM!

BLOG #10

Step Ten: Prom!

      
The big day you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Yeah! All of your hard work and dedication to these 10 easy-to-follow steps has paid off. So, don’t waste another minute - go and get ready. Tie up your hair, put on your make up, slip into your party dress, and strap on your dancing shoes, girl. It is time to have fun!