“You look nice too,” I told him. He was in a sleek black tuxedo with a purple tie that matched my dress perfectly. His short hair had been neatly combed and gelled to perfection. His blue eyes looked dazzling and to add to the whole thing, he smiled showcasing that dimple that made all the girls, myself included, swoon.
“Oh, I got you something.” Before I could question him, he moved away from me and headed for their kitchen. He came back a moment later with a similar clear box to the one Katie received from Tommy. Unlike him though, West opened it himself. Then he took out the gorgeous violet corsage and gently put it around my wrist. I looked down at the beautiful flower and felt suddenly very overwhelmed.
“Okay, picture time,” Mrs. Blake called out. We all got into position and I tried really hard not to freak out about the fact that West’s hand was resting on my waist. Instead, I focused on what I was supposed to be doing.
Eyes straight ahead.
Big smile.
Breathe.
The clicks continued to go off as Mrs. Blake got her fill of pictures for the evening. She assured me as we walked out the door that she would get doubles of all of them for my parents too.
West and Katie’s dad had rented a limo for the evening, and I couldn’t have been happier. West must have noticed because he kept looking over at me and chuckling. We climbed inside and my level of excitement jumped up a few more notches. There was a TV in here, and lights that ran along the roof of the car as well as the bottoms of all the seats. I scooted all the way to the couch lining the side because how often could a person say they had ridden sideways in a car? West scooted in next to me while Katie and Tommy sat on the opposite bench.
“Excited?” West whispered. I looked over at him, beaming.
“So, so excited. This is amazing.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. You want to look out the sunroof?” My eyes widened.
“Can I?”
“Of course. Everyone should check out a sunroof when they ride in a limo for the first time. He pressed a button and the sunroof opened up. He helped me stand up and held me steady so I wouldn’t fall. As the wind swept through my hair, I smiled even wider. This was incredible. I felt someone slide up next to me and I looked over to see Katie. She had a smile that rivaled my own.
“Cool, huh?”
“I wish I could ride in a limo everywhere.” She laughed before she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
“I’m so happy you’re here. I really owe West now.” We both laughed.
After a few more seconds, we decided to sit back down so that our hair wasn’t a total disaster before we even made it to the prom. Luckily, Katie had brought along a few things to help us tame the wild beasts and by the time the limo pulled up in front of the school, we were completely good again.
Tommy was the first one out. He didn’t wait for any of us as he started to make his way inside. Katie looked back at me and rolled her eyes. I gave her a sympathetic smile. Even though she wasn’t interested in Tommy it wasn’t fair that her prom had to be ruined because of him.
West exited before me and he held his hand out to help me out. Then he waited until I was ready to go inside. The three of us made our way in, and I wasn’t oblivious to the faces of people that watched us as we did. For the first time, I actually felt worthy to be seen with West and Katie. My smile wouldn’t quit.
“I’m gonna get something to drink. My mouth feels like a desert,” Katie said. “Do you want something?” I shook my head and she walked off. I looked over at West but he was looking over the crowd of students on the dance floor. He looked like he wanted to join them.
“You can go if you want,” I said. He looked down at me, his brows raised in question. “I’m here so you held up your end of things. You don’t have to actually hang out with me all night.” The corner of his mouth tipped slightly.
“Do you wanna dance?” He asked. I must have nodded or something like that because the next thing I knew, he was taking my hand in his and leading me out to the dance floor. I wasn’t sure what exactly to do since I’d never danced with anyone before other than my dad, and I was pretty sure West wouldn’t appreciate me standing on the tops of his feet. Especially since I was currently wearing heels.
I couldn’t think. I was trying to remember what to do next, but my brain wasn’t cooperating. It couldn’t seem to get over the fact that I was standing in the middle of a dance floor at prom with West, the guy I’d had a crush on for the past three years. West took pity on me though.
“We need to be a little closer,” he said before he placed his hand on my hip and pulled me closer to him. I tried to focus on what he was saying, but it wasn’t working. My heart was racing like crazy. He took my hand in his and placed it on his shoulder. Then he wrapped his arm around my waist a little tighter and took my other hand in his free one. “Is this okay?”
I think I nodded. I know I was smiling. I couldn’t stop. He didn’t seem to mind though because a wide smile spread across his own face, complete with that dimple. I took note of everything. I memorized the way his large hand fit around mine perfectly. His skin was warm and a lot softer than I would have thought. I memorized how graceful he moved us across the floor to the sound of the music; a song I knew would I would associate with him for the rest of my life, ‘I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain. I memorized the slight citrus scent from his cologne. I never wanted to forget a single memory from that night.
Time seemed to stop and speed up all at the same time while we were on that dance floor. I wished the song never had to end, but eventually it did. I hoped for another slow song to come on just so that I wouldn’t have to pull away from him, but as the people around us began to cheer to a techno beat that I knew well, I knew our moment had ended. West pulled away with his perfect dimpled smile still in place.
“You want something to drink?” He asked. My heartbeat had slowed, but it still was nowhere back to normal and I knew as long as I was standing this close to him it probably wouldn’t be.
“Actually, I think I’m going to step outside for a bit.” A look of concern washed over his features.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “It’s just a little hot in here.”
“Okay, do you want me to come with you?” I shook my head.
“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll be right back.” He seemed a little hesitant to let me leave. “Save me another dance?” That brought his smile back full force.
“Of course.” I gave him another smile before I turned and made my way out of the doors. I just needed a minute to calm down. Just a little fresh air and I would be back to normal. At least that’s what I hoped would happen. When I stepped outside and the cool air hit my face, I already felt a little more relaxed. It really had been pretty hot in there.
After a few moments, I had calmed down enough that I felt good about going back to West when something caught my eye. I saw someone stumble out of the bushes as he zipped up his fly. Tommy. Before I could turn around and go back inside, he looked up and noticed me. His lids were half closed, but I could still see it the moment he recognized me.
“Heyyy,” he slurred. I wasn’t sure how he had been able to get trashed so quickly. We had only been there maybe an hour. He stumbled again and I took a step back. “Where’s your date?” I didn’t want to talk to him, so rather than answer, I turned around and headed for the door. Even drunk, Tommy was quicker than me. He came around and blocked my path.
“Hey, what’s the hurry sweetheart?”
“I should get back inside,” I replied as I tried to step by him. He blocked my way again.
“Come on, I’m not gonna hurt you.” That smarmy smile spread across his face again and I felt sick to my stomach. This wasn’t right. I never should have come out here without West. “You know, when you first came down those stairs, I didn’t recognize you. I mean who knew that little geek Lennon Cooper was hiding all this under those baggy clothes?” He stepped even closer to me and I could sm
ell his bad breath. I scrunched my nose up in disgust.
He trailed a hand down my arm and I shivered. “Cold? I bet I can warm you up.” I heard the doors open behind him and I glanced in that direction. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw West standing there. I tried again to move by Tommy, but once more he blocked me. He looked over his shoulder at West. “You can go back in, we’re good.”
“Help,” I said softly. He didn’t hesitate. He came straight for us and shoved Tommy out of the way before pushing me behind him. Tommy tripped in his inebriated state and fell to the ground. When he stood back up, his glare was murderous.
“I’m gonna get you for that Blake,” he warned. West just stood taller. He looked over his shoulder at me.
“Go inside.” I didn’t question him. I immediately turned and went back inside. Not long after me, West came through the doors. He headed straight for me. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He asked. The level of concern in his voice warmed my heart.
“I’m okay,” I said softly. “Thank you.”
“Do you want me to take you home?” I shook my head.
“No.” He didn’t look convinced.
“Lennon, I’ll take you if you want to go. I don’t mind.”
“No, I’m not going to let him ruin tonight for me. I really do want to stay.”
“Okay, then we’ll stay.” He paused for a beat but never took his gaze off me. “Can I get you anything?”
“Can we dance?” I wasn’t sure if it was from having him stand up for me or what, but suddenly the shy girl I was at the beginning of the night had disappeared. In that moment, I wasn’t scared to tell West what I wanted. He smiled back at me before he offered me his arm.
“Of course.” Then he led me out to the dance floor just like he had the first time.
West was good about making sure not to let Tommy Derwin ruin my night. He kept me smiling through the slow songs when he held me close like I was something to be treasured. Then he made me laugh through the faster songs when he busted a move like no one before ever has. I’d never realized until that night that West really wasn’t that great of a dancer. He did it all with that beaming dimpled grin of his though so I didn’t really care.
By the time midnight rolled around, I was exhausted. My sides hurt from laughing so hard, my cheeks were sore from smiling so much, and my feet ached from hours of wearing a pair of heels. Katie looked like she was feeling about the same. So, we gathered our things and made our way back into our limo minus one. The driver dropped Katie off first since she started falling asleep in the backseat. I thought West would get out there too, but he insisted on riding with me so I wasn’t alone.
“I’m just gonna make sure Katie gets inside first, but I’ll be right back,” he promised. I nodded my head then watched them both go inside. It took a little bit but eventually West came back out. He had removed his jacket, but he was still wearing the white shirt just with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I scooted over as he climbed back inside. He gave the driver my address then raised the partition to give us a little privacy.
“So,” he began as he turned to face me. “Did you have a good time?”
“Are you kidding?” I asked causing him to chuckle. “Tonight was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.”
“Yeah, I can’t say I’ve ever seen you let loose like that.”
“It doesn’t happen often,” I admitted.
“That’s too bad. It’s good to have a little fun every now and then.” I nodded my head.
“Did you have fun?”
“I had a great time. I’m really glad you came with me. I doubt I would have had such a good time on my own.”
“I doubt that,” I said surprising both of us with my honesty. “You probably would have been dancing with some cheerleader and the two of you would be making out right now.” He smirked.
“If I didn’t know any better I’d think you sounded a little jealous.” I waved off his words even though he had hit the nail right on the head.
“Yeah right. I already told you guys like you don’t go for girls like me. I don’t pretend to think otherwise.” He didn’t respond and I glanced toward him. He was frowning at me.
“There isn’t anything wrong with you Lennon. You’re a very pretty girl.” He smiled and my heart kicked up a notch. “And you’re funny when you’re not trying to be so serious all the time. You’re a lot of fun to be around and I know any guy would be lucky to have you.” I had never wanted to kiss him as badly as I did in that moment. So, without really thinking things through, I decided to just go for it. I closed my eyes and leaned toward him. I’d never kissed anyone before, but I didn’t think it could be all that hard.
Just as I was preparing myself to feel his lips on mine, I felt his hands against my shoulders holding me back instead. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw the sad look etched on his face. I stopped leaning toward him and sat up instead.
“Lennon, I’m sorry, but I can’t.” My heart cracked. I couldn’t understand how he could say all those nice things, but then not want to kiss me. Then reality set in. He was just being nice. All the things he said, the fact that he had asked me to prom, saving me from Tommy. It was all just West being the typical nice guy he’d always been and I had made a fool of myself by trying to actually kiss him.
I pulled back and felt my eyes begin to water. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be sorry. I just…” I shook my head to block out the words that I didn’t want to hear him say. I didn’t want him to tell me that he only saw me as a kid. I didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say right then. I needed to get away. I looked out the window and noticed that we were turning onto my street. I quickly pushed the button for the partition and lowered just enough to tell him to stop the car.
“Lennon?” West called, but I’d already opened the door and stepped out. Before he had the chance to stop me further, I took off at a run. I could hear him calling out my name behind me, but I didn’t stop. I kept running until I reached the back door of my house. I dropped down onto the step to try and collect myself before going inside.
The last thing I needed was for either of my parents to see me crying. I just needed a few minutes to wonder how I would ever be able to show my face in front of West again. I couldn’t believe I had done something so embarrassing. I buried my face in my hands as I repeatedly told myself what an idiot I had been.
The only good thing was that since it was the weekend, I wouldn’t have to see West again for a few days. Then he would be leaving for college in another few weeks after that. So, there was some silver lining to him leaving after all.
Seven
The next morning I was sitting at the table slowly stirring my cereal around in my bowl. I could feel Mom’s gaze on me, but I refused to look up. I figured if I didn’t actually make eye contact, then she wouldn’t bring up the night before. That plan ended with her next sentence.
“So, how was last night?” She asked. I gave a shrug of my shoulders and went back to stirring. “Did you have fun?”
“It was okay,” I lied.
“Well, tell me about it. I wanted to ask you when you got in last night, but you went straight to your room.”
“I was tired,” I lied again.
“Did something happen?” She asked. I finally glanced up and saw the concern on her face. I felt bad that I was worrying her. I quickly plastered a fake smile on my face.
“No, it was nice. I danced a lot. I just think I should have listened to you and worn flats. Those heels hurt.” A slow smile spread across her face. Then she turned and went back to finishing making Dad his plate of eggs.
The doorbell rang and it made us all look around at each other perplexed. We didn’t get a lot of visitors outside of Katie and she never knocked. She would have just walked right in sat down at the table and Mom would have fixed her a plate too. I knew that from experience. It had happened on more than one occasion in the past.
A few seconds later Dad returned to the kitchen followed by a face I hadn’t been expecting. West. He smiled when his eyes found mine and I immediately turned a few shades red as the memory of my attempted kiss assaulted my mind. I couldn’t believe I had been so foolish.
Mom smiled warmly at him and Jameson bounced happily in his chair. I just stared at him wondering what had brought him here. Did he come to tell my parents about what I’d done? That didn’t seem like something he would do, but he had never just dropped in for a visit either.
“Weston, how are you this morning?” Mom asked. She was one of the few people outside of Mrs. Blake that actually called him by his full name. He smiled as he looked back at her and as usual his dimple popped up.
“I’m alright Mrs. Cooper, how are you?” Mom smiled widely at his greeting.
“Fine, thank you. Did you have a good night last night?”
“I did.”
“I keep trying to ask Lennon about it, but she’s been very vague.” They both looked over at me and I sank lower into my seat. I prayed that he wouldn’t tell them about the almost kiss. That was the last thing I needed. Dad would lock me in my room until I graduated. Of that I was sure. He didn’t think it was right for girls our age to date. He said we should be focused on school not boys.
“She was pretty tired last night, but I think she had fun. I didn’t realize she was such a great dancer.” I raised one brow as I looked back at him. What was he getting at? He and I both knew that calling me anything other than awful was being too generous.
“Oh, I would have loved to have seen it,” Mom cooed. Dad just went back to reading his paper.
“I was actually hoping to maybe have a word with Lennon if that’s all right?” West asked. Dad looked up from his paper. Before he could respond though, Mom spoke up.
Soaked Page 5