Everything Has Changed

by Mia Kayla

  I glanced at my watch. A couple of more hours, and this event would be over. I scanned the area. Even tonight, a separation of classes existed just like in the lunchroom every day—the jocks, like Jimmy; the nerds; the girls who had gone stag; and the emos with their purple hair, black lipstick, and multiple painful-looking piercings.

  As I took in my surroundings, I knew one thing. I wasn’t going to miss high school. My junior year, I had received my acceptance letter to Brown. Jimmy already had offers for full rides from all over the country. Football scouts from Florida State and Michigan State had been vying for his attention since sophomore year.

  I would not miss this—the drama, the gossip, the pettiness. But I would most definitely miss the rough and tough brown-eyed boy next to me, laughing hysterically at some joke his teammate had cracked.

  Jimmy stopped laughing as he looked around, and then he busted out in one of his hip-hop moves to the beat of a song he recognized. I jumped back as I laughed out loud. That mischievous dimple popped on his cheek, and when those same playful eyes landed on me, I stepped away before he could grab me. But with one hop forward, he had me, his hand clenched around mine, and he pulled me to the middle of the dance floor.

  “Jimmy!” I protested.

  No. Please no.

  I was absolutely going to die. A flush crept up my cheeks, and he tugged me forward as the crowd cheered him on. I gave him an evil eye, but his dimple just deepened. His look told me he wasn’t going to let me go.

  He moved to the middle of the dance floor, and people caged us in, forcing me to move forward. Jimmy pumped his fist in the air, totally in his element.

  “Come on, Boo,” he coaxed, giving me a goofy grin.

  I frantically shook my head and wrapped my arms around my stomach. I hated the attention, but I couldn’t help but feel amused as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

  When the music changed to something more old school, the spectators surrounding us roared, egging him on.

  Some beefy male in a white tux yelled, “Uh-oh! Work it, work it!”

  Another boy jumped into the circle, and both he and Jimmy started to do the running man. Everyone else shuffled to the music around me as I stood stoic, smiling and watching Jimmy entertain.

  Was there anything he couldn’t do?

  The DJ mixed up the music, and when the song stopped mid-beat and changed to a different old-school song, the boys started to do the Cabbage Patch. As the music continued to change, the boys switched up their moves, doing the Reebok, the Carlton, and the Pop and Lock. Just when I thought it was over, Jimmy busted out in the Percolator, leaving the other guy faded in comparison. The guy stopped and raised his hands in defeat.

  Jimmy turned toward me. “Come on, Boo.” He begged me with his eyes and used his hands to urge me forward.

  The smile instantly left my face, my eyes widening as though I’d been doused with cold water.

  The mass of people cleared the floor, making more room for Jimmy, and the blush on my face spread to the tips of my ears. I vigorously shook my head. There was no way in hell I would join him. My fear must have shown, evident in my eyes, because he retreated, not forcing the issue.

  He moved his feet back and forth, changing into a break-dancing pose. Then, he stood, reeled back, and dropped to the ground in a windmill-type move, twisting his legs above his head and keeping his hips off the ground. He grabbed his legs as the momentum kept him turning until he came to a stop.

  The crowd roared around us, above the music, and all I could do was smile. He stood and bowed in a Jimmy-like fashion before walking toward me.

  Beads of sweat formed on his brow. “I’m teaching you that one day.” His words left his mouth in jagged puffs as he tried to catch his breath.

  I let out a carefree belly laugh. “Sure, Jimmy. Sure.”

  At my laughter, he stepped closer to me, holding my gaze. The side of his mouth lifted.

  “Yes?” I laughed again.

  “I love hearing that.”

  “What?”

  “Your laugh.”

  I swatted at his chest. “Whatever. I do it all the time. It’s usually because you’re the one making me.”

  He displayed a wide grin as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I want to hear it more often. I think I’ll make it my lifelong purpose to make you laugh.”

  I linked arms with him, bringing him closer. “I thought that was already a given, an unspoken rule.”

  For one long second, our eyes locked, causing my heart to flutter wildly in my chest. I sucked in a breath, unable to pull my eyes away from his. A soft banging sounded from the stage, and the moment between us fizzled.

  Mrs. Moraga, our art teacher and this year’s coordinator for prom, tapped on the mic. Then, she cleared her throat. “Is everyone having a good time?”

  The mass hollered in response.

  “Well, votes are in for this year’s prom king and queen. Is everyone ready to know who they are?”

  I fidgeted in my spot, my eyes flickering to Jimmy. He seemed only slightly interested in what was happening on stage. This title was based on votes, and without a doubt, I knew who had won by a landslide.

  “And this year’s prom king is…” A drumroll played in the background for dramatic effect. “Jim Brason!”

  He put his hands on his chest. Me? he mouthed to me in feigned disbelief.

  The swarm of people started cheering, becoming a deafening roar around us.

  He kissed the top of my head. “Boo, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna claim my crown.” He strolled toward the stage as he pumped his hands in the air, getting the slew of high schoolers riled up.

  I laughed. This was so him, including everyone in his moment, never leaving anyone out.

  I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling lonelier than I should. Without him next to me, the realization that I was somewhere I didn’t belong intensified. Where Jimmy was in his element, I was most definitely out of mine. At this moment, I wished I had magic genie powers, so I could blink myself home.

  “And this year’s prom queen is…” Mrs. Moraga opened up the little white envelope in her hands. “Clary Jensen!”

  Clary would walk the school’s halls with a self confident coolness I wished I were born with. She was beautiful in a way that guys would watch her every move—how she drank water, how she talked with a lilt in her voice, and definitely how she walked. They would just stare. It was weird, but I couldn’t blame them. While I loved her air of confidence, I never agreed with the kind of person she was. She was just a mean girl, and the only reason she was never mean to me was because I was Jimmy’s friend. And everyone knew, she wanted Jimmy—bad.

  Clary’s groupies leaned in, giving her their congratulatory hugs, before she started up the stage in plastic grace. Her eyes flickered to mine as a smug smile crept up her face.

  I gulped as she tiptoed over to Jimmy and gave him a lingering kiss on his cheek. Her goonies swiveled toward me to gauge my response. I gave nothing away, holding my arms tightly across my chest and keeping the smile pasted on my face. Though, I did notice Clary’s date looking not so happy.

  Clary positioned herself closer to Jimmy as the flashes started going off. Of course everyone wanted a picture of the famed king and queen. After a few shots, she wrapped an arm around his lower back but Jimmy subtly moved away.

  Inside, I smiled. He knew Clary and her inner ugly side even though she faked being nice.

  I jumped when I felt a warm hand on the small of my bare back.

  “Hey, legs.”

  I jerked away from the unfamiliar touch. “Hey,” I said shyly.

  Evan Miller, Deerfield High’s second-string quarterback, stood beside me. He was part of the in-crowd, the one I didn’t belong to. His eyes gave me a once-over that made me uncomfortable.

  “Bliss, you look like a total babe tonight. You used to have chicken legs, but shit, you’ve grown into your own skin—nicely, I must add.” He nodded toward the st
age where Jimmy stood next to Clary, flashes still blinding them.

  I wondered if Jimmy would be able to see afterward.

  “So, you and Jimmy finally together?”

  “No.” I turned my whole body toward the stage, not wanting to start this conversation.

  Jimmy and I had always been noticeably close, and over the years, I knew every student had been wondering about us, but this was the first time someone had outright asked me.

  Evan and I had been mortal enemies in elementary school. He’d picked on me, called me names, and said things behind my back. Only when Jimmy had pulled down Evan’s pants and tied him to the monkey bars with his own jeans, Evan had finally stopped.

  He’d only said a handful of words to me these last four years. Being this close to him only reminded me of how much I didn’t belong here and how ready I was to go home.

  “Why are you even talking to me?” I crossed my arms over my chest as I focused solely on Jimmy on the stage. “You don’t even like me.”

  Evan laughed, which made me turn toward him. “I think I’ve had the biggest crush on you since the first grade.”

  There was a softness in his eyes that I hadn’t recognized before, making me wonder where Evan the Bully had gone.

  “Yeah, whatever.” I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not. My head flipped back to the stage, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

  “If you weren’t always with Jimmy, maybe I would have asked you out already.”

  Jimmy squinted through the dim lights, looking straight at me, and stiffened. He moved past Clary, ignoring whatever Mrs. Moraga had just said, and plowed toward us.

  Jimmy’s beef with Evan went beyond elementary school. Sophomore year, they’d gotten into a full-on brawl in the parking lot. It had taken six football players to pull Jimmy off of Evan just before the principal had rushed out, only to miss them in the act. There was no doubt who’d won that fight.

  Jimmy had gone to school the next day with barely a cut above his brow. Evan had returned a week later, his whole face still swollen. The gossip floating around school had said that Evan had made some smart remark about Jimmy’s mother, and it had set Jimmy off. When Jimmy’s mother or I were involved, he would become overly protective, almost beyond reason.

  I stepped away from Evan, ready to stop the train wreck heading our way.

  “You need something?” Jimmy ground out when he approached closer, the muscles in his jaw working.

  “Just talking to Bliss here.” Evan shrugged. “What? Bliss can’t have friends now?” His tone oozed confidence, but the mild fear in his eyes gave him away.

  “Not friends like you, dickwad. Fuck off.” Jimmy nodded his head to the left, indicating which direction Evan had better go. When Evan didn’t budge, Jimmy took one step forward. “I said move, asswipe.”

  They stood close, too close for comfort, locking eyes like they were in a staring contest. I tensed, ready to jump between them, as a small crowd formed around us. The spectators wanted a show, I was sure, but there was no way that would happen, not on my watch.

  “Jimmy,” I whispered, trying to calm his beast called his temper.

  Evan still stood stoic in his spot, mostly because all eyes were on them. When Jimmy clenched his fists at his sides, an awful feeling crept up my throat.

  Their staring contest seemed to last forever until Evan broke it, backing away slowly. “You need to chill the hell out, Jim.” His eyes flickered to me for a second. “See you around, Bliss.” Then, he turned and stomped off, clearly pissed that he’d basically been kicked off the dance floor.

  “Yeah, good fucking luck with that,” Jimmy muttered under his breath, his hands still clenched. Standing as still as a statue, he shot daggers in Evan’s direction. Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut, blowing out a breath. “I really hate that guy.”

  “I know,” I said, keeping my tone sympathetic, as I ran my hand down his arm to try to calm him.

  I knew the depth of his hatred for Evan went deep, beyond football and competition. No one messed with Jimmy’s mom—ever. It was a sensitive subject, and Evan never learned, constantly pouring fuel on the fire and lighting Jimmy up.

  The deep rumble of the bass switched to a sweet melody, and I slid my hand down to Jimmy’s, pulling him toward me. For the second time tonight, I wanted to make him forget and remind him that we were here for fun.

  “Want to dance with your date?” I smiled, peering up at him through my lashes.

  He stood stiff, hesitant, but when I intertwined our fingers, he softened, and the tension in his stance finally relaxed. When his eyes met mine, all that hatred seemed to evaporate, changing to something I couldn’t quite decipher, as he wrapped his warm hands around my back. Liquid brown eyes held my blue ones, and that familiar feeling of butterflies stirred in the pit of my stomach.

  A small smile passed his lips as he twirled me around and pulled me forward before placing his temple against mine. He swayed us back and forth in a rhythmic motion. His hands on my waist felt as though he were branding me. A tingling spread through my body at our connection.

  “Having fun?” He pulled back slightly, only inches away from my face.

  I shrugged. “It’s okay.” I was everything but okay as my heart stammered in my chest.

  “I made you laugh a little when I was dancing though, huh?” His dimple flashed in the most adorable and boyish way, which made my insides swoon.

  “You embarrassed me more.” I let out a nervous laugh, hearing the quiver in my voice, caused by our closeness.

  “But I saw you laughing, Boo. Admit it. You’re having a good time.”

  His fingers dug lightly into my back, and it took all my energy to keep myself steady. I wanted him to dig in harder, hold me tighter, come closer even though I could already see my reflection in his irises.

  “Jimmy, I always have fun with you,” I said softly.

  “Ditto.”

  The emotion in his voice caused my pulse to race, beating to an up-tempo melody.

  “Graduation’s around the corner, you know. And there’s no one I’d rather spend tonight with.”

  At his words, my heart sank. I hated that he’d brought up graduation right at that moment. My heart ached at the thought of not seeing him every day. It was going to be so strange.

  Who would I talk to? Who would I see movies with? Who was going to get me through my day and console me when it was crappy? Or more importantly, who was going to make me laugh?

  I let the sadness swirl around me, wondering if he felt it, too. This was it. Our last hoorah was coming to an end, and soon, we would have to part ways.

  Pressing my face into his chest, I told him, “I’m going to miss you, Jimmy.” My voice weakened, and I hated it. I wanted it to be stronger.

  We only had the summer left before we would venture on to new places with new people, starting new chapters in our lives.

  He pulled back and searched my face. His gaze dropped to the floor, confirming that he felt the sadness, too. I thought he’d be the one to pull away first, but he just tugged me in. He tucked my face into the crook of his neck, cradling me against him.

  “I—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I wish I could take you with me. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

  My dream had always been to go to Brown, but I knew what he meant. I wanted to take him with me, too.

  I didn’t speak because I didn’t want to hear the tremor in my voice again. I was too close to tears, and I didn’t want our evening to end like that.

  When I didn’t think we could be closer, he pulled me in even tighter, placing his head at my temple.

  “You’re my anchor, Boo, my rock. When you’re not with me, I feel…unsteady.” He let out a heavy sigh. “How am I going to get through my day?”

  My thoughts exactly.

  His fingertips drew tiny circles on the bare skin of my back. We’d never slow danced this close before. We’d danced in eighth grade, but we had been square-danc
ing partners. It had been nothing like this. His hold felt intimate, but I wasn’t nervous. If anything, I wanted to be closer.

  He kissed my temple as we continued to sway to the tempo. An explosion of heat spread from his lips to the pit of my belly, making my stomach flip. Then, he pulled back and cupped my face with his huge hand. Something in his eyes was so different from all the other million times he’d looked at me, and the intensity sent those damn butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

  “I love you, Boo. You know that, right?” There was such conviction in his voice.

  I held my breath, taking his words in, committing this moment to memory. We stopped dancing while everyone else still swayed around us.

  I swallowed, and so did he, still not breaking eye contact.

  What was happening?

  We’d said those words to each other so many times before. It had never been a big deal. But this time…it felt different.

  I peered up at him as my heart skipped a few beats. Our eyes locked, and in that instant, it was as if my world was shifting.

  He briefly closed his eyes, and when he opened them, that look from a moment ago disappeared. After a few seconds, I started to wonder if I had imagined it. When the song was nearly over, he dropped his hand, locking his fingers around my lower back, sending a tingling sensation straight through me.

  He was waiting for my answer.

  “To infinity and beyond,” I replied with a small smile, feeling my heart swell. It was the truth. In that instant, I knew that, as sure as the sun would rise in the morning, I’d love this boy for infinity.

  His dimple appeared, and my breath caught again. The air felt charged tonight.

  He pulled me in, resting his head at my temple again, and I reveled in the solidness of his firm chest against me, suddenly realizing he was no longer the boy I knew.

  Jimmy was all grown-up. He was a man. And I was in love with the man he had grown up to be.