I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm going to my senior prom. I'm going to kill him. Who ever told him that this night was vital in a teenagers life had to be on some kind of trip. Seriously. Prom. Poofy dresses. Hairspray infested hair. Pounds of makeup that weigh more than I do. And on top of that. It is a dance! What is so fun about dancing with a bunch of people that you can't wait till the day you'll never see again? He is so going to buy me 1000 gallons of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream for this. I hope he knows that, hopefully he's been saving. Instead of buying a tux. Doesn't he know that I would be so much happier if we just hung out- alone? Then again, I guess I should be happy to see him after he failed to come home last weekend. I don't particularly see what's so interesting about college either, but you know, that may be just the jealous side of me talking. I used to see him everyday until this year.
Lucky for me, he decided to stay in state, and the college is only an hour or so away from here. Probably my fault. Sometimes I feel bad for making him feel guilty about wanting to go elsewhere, but I just can't imagine not being driving distance from him. And Yes, there have been times that I've made the drive to see him. Of course, these were important and vital visits. Life changing even. Sure I missed several days of school due to those, but who didn't skip a lot their senior year? Next year. Next year all depends on him. I got accepted to all three schools of my choice, one being the one he attends. I'm scared to ask him though, because I'm scared he's going to tell me he doesn't want me there.
"Meredith? Meredith!" Oops. I offer a faint smile to my best friend, other than him. Izzie Stevens. One of the very few people in this town that I can stand. Truthfully, I don't know what I would do without her. I mean he is great and all, amazing even, but sometimes it's nice to just stretch back on the couch and not care if you really just ate that ENTIRE bucket of ice cream. Not that it really stops me from doing it with Mark, but the thought does cross my mind. Izzie, on the other hand, we often have contests who can eat the most without getting brain freeze. Of course, we end up in the workout room in my basement the next day, but that's not the point. The point is that we do it, and it simply doesn't matter.
"Sorry Iz." I grin as I refocus my attention to the mirror. "Why am I doing this again?" The joys of full length mirrors is that I can see myself, and most of the rest of the room in it. I can even see her roll her eyes at me. Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much time with her, but if I do, oh well.
"Have you been listening to me at all, Mer? I'm going to prom with Alex! Alex Karev!" Izzie beams, and I'm happy for her. I've been waiting for them two to get together for as long as I've known Alex. What better place, despite how cliche it might be, than prom. Mark didn't even, really, ask me to prom. He just informed me I was going- with him. Romantic, huh? Too bad I'm like his little sister. Any guy that says that is just trying to politely tell you that the thought of you naked repulses him. Don't I just feel so pretty?
"You and Alex. Got it, Iz. Just don't see why we are going to prom." Well, that's a lie. I know why she's going. She's in the court for Prom Queen. She's like our high school sweetheart. Sometimes I wonder how we're friends. But it works. She lets me pretend I'm not in love with him, and I let her crash in my bed when things get bad at home, oh and talk about Alex. It works.
"Because you can't say no to your boy toy, and I won't say no to Alex." Sadly, but surely, it's true. So I don't bother to argue. I'd find a way to give him the moon if he ever wanted it. Simply because I know he would do the same for me.
"You look pretty, Iz." That's true too. Izzie always looks pretty. It's almost kind of aggravating. She's not even one of those girls that believe in wearing a lot of make up. She's just naturally pretty. Even I like to wear eye liner and a little bit of blush. And she wonders why most girls hate her.
"I already have a date. Sorry." She laughs as she reaches for her dress that's lying on my bed. "Guess we should put them on now, huh?" She's mocking me! Does she not realize how nervous I am! I am going to PROM with HIM!! He didn't even take a date to his prom, he said he wanted to not be tied down. Yet somehow when I gave him that excuse this year, he rolled his eyes at me and told me to get over it. Something about there was no way he was going to let some drunk idiot try to grope me in the closet of some post prom party. Sometimes I wonder what exactly he did after his prom. But the realization that I really didn't want to know at all always beat out the impulse to ask. He didn't offer, and I'm not complaining.
"Last chance for a stomach bug, Stevens." I ignore the question, as well as my dad's, scratch that, step dads voice calling for us from downstairs. Richard is a nice guy and all, but it's just so weird to call him dad. Even though I have slipped up a few times, and his face inevitably turned a shade paler than mine, which is saying a lot considering he's not white. So, needless to say, stepdad it is.
"Come on, Mer! It won't be that bad." She winks at me before rushing out of my room into the joining bathroom. Why does she get the bathroom? What if I wanted the bathroom? I don't, but I could!
"Meredith! You're friend is here!" Richard's voice overpowers my stereo, and I have to stop myself from squealing. Just because I didn't want to go to prom doesn't mean I don't want to see him. How pathetic is it that I'm pretty sure even Richard knows how in love with him I am. Not that I will EVER admit that out loud. Not even to Izzie. Well except when tequila is involved, in that case, all bets are off as far as denial goes. I do love my tequila. It's not my fault he's been my next door neighbor my entire life. He was even my first kiss. But no one knows that. And I'm not sure it really counts. I was five and playing on the swing. We jumped off of them, and I landed on him. Even then I knew what to do in those scenarios. Ha. He gets his skills from me. He turned beet red. It was fantastic. I acted like it was on accident, of course, and it's never been brought up again. But as far as I'm concerned, he will always be my first kiss. Even though everyone else thinks it was Jackson Emeralds. Even Izzie. It's my secret. Well ours, really, but I don't even think he remembers that. We've never talked about it, and it is totally something he would rub in my face every chance he got.
"Just a second!" I yell back as I quickly snatch the dress from the door of my closet where it'd been hanging for three days, when I bought it. Izzie thinks I'm crazy for not getting it fitted, but what's the point? I'm never going to wear it again, anyway.
As soon as the dress falls into position, which is still only mid-thigh, my door opens, revealing him in a completely black suit with a pink bootineer- that somehow seems to match my dress, which is strange considering I didn't tell him what color it was. It even looks like he got a hair cut. His hair is gelled just enough to control the fuzzies, but not enough to spike it. Sometimes I wonder if he can read my mind. It's like he knows just what to do to make me go weak in the knees. Good thing I don't have my heels on yet. This could be fatal.
"Ever heard of knocking pre-vert?" I laugh slightly as I run my hands along my sides to make sure that the dress isn't somehow stuck somewhere, offering him a view to something completely humiliating on my part.
I blush slightly as his eyes traveling up one side of my body, following the curves of my skin, and down the other, before he finally stabled them to meet my eyes. "You look.. Mer.. You look amazing." He smiles in awe of me, and it takes every ounce of strength in me not to faint right here. He told ME I looked AMAZING! ME! I am so taking Izzie to the spa for doing my hair and makeup. Seriously. Before I can muster up an appropriate response that didn't revolve around sex or a heavy make out session, he has his arms wrapped tightly around me, bringing me off the ground into a hug, my arms wrapping around his neck instantly. God, he smells good.
Once he's let me down, and released his grasp on me, my brain returns to functional processes. "You don't look too bad yourself, Johnny."
"MER!" Izzie breaks the spell he has over me as my eyes leave his. "I NEED YOUR HELP!" Izzie opens the door, peaking her head through for me, and I watch in slight amusement as her cheeks redden at the sight of him. " Oh. Nice suit. Very Cash of you." She grins, and I can't help but laugh.
"Told you!" I turn to him in proud glory with a smirk on my face.
"Hey Isobel." He rolls his eyes at her before turning his attention to me. "She totally heard you."
"Heard what?" Izzie asks, obviously more interested in us than whatever caused her to call out my name in partial hysteria only moments before.
"I called him Johnny." I smile as I fight the urge to place my hands on my hips.
"That's because he does. I mean what is he trying to do? Find the burning ring of fire?" Izzie bit her lip as she dared to glance at him.
"Maybe he just wants to be called Sue." I counter back as I walk towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "It's okay, I'd still love ya if you were named Sue." By now, his face is a scarlet red, so I have to bite back my laugh as I kiss his cheek. "You look nice. Promise."
"I still need your help, Mer." Izzie broke up our embrace again, and I can't help but to send her a death glare, indicating that this better be be damn important. "Just to zip up my dress." She smiled at me, probably dying of laughter. I'm glad she finds this so amusing. We'll see how much she likes being picked on when Alex gets here. Payback is a bitch, or so they say.