Of Covert Prom Plans, Orange Tuxedos and Muted Gold Bowties (Or Operation: Take Maya To Prom)
A Josh & Maya Story (from Zay's Perspective)
By Brown Eyes Parker
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Rated: T (but lightly "T" because there are a couple of pop culture references that I'm sure everybody knows about but I don't want to get in trouble for. . .)
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"Project Take Maya to Prom is a go," Zay announced to Josh in a staged whisper as he adjusted his dark sunglasses.
"Man, we're in a library. Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" Josh inquired.
"I'm working undercover, brother. They make me look more covert," Zay answered, rolling his eyes even though Josh couldn't see them. "Anyways, I got a date with your lady for you. I think you can respect the shades."
"How did she say yes?" Josh asked anxiously. "Like she's excited to go? Or was she hesitant?"
Zay leaned against the bookcase, trying to look cooler than he was. "I think she'd be more excited if you were taking her."
"I am taking her to prom!"
"Fine. I think she'd be happier if you had asked her to go with you," Zay amended, crossing his arms. "I hope you realize what this is costing me."
"Um. Nothing?
"That's where you're wrong, Joshua. Girls talk. Everyone is going to know I'm Maya's prom date by tomorrow morning. I won't be able to ask any other girl to be my date and I was going to ask the hottest girl in school."
"But you are going with the hottest girl in your school, technically."
"Ew. You're supposed to say that because she's your boo and all, but ewww," Zay said.
Josh frowned. "What do you mean ew? You just spent the better part of high school taking her out on dates."
"Sure I did," Zay agreed, taking his sunglasses off and making a face . "And never once did I think she was hot. Beautiful, maybe. But not hot! What sort of weirdo do you think I am? She's like a sister to me, man. A sister."
Josh laughed. "Well. I guess that's good for me then!
Zay flipped his shades back on. "I've gotta split. Same time next week? At Men's Wearhouse? I should know what colors Maya intends to wear and I can help you pick out your tux."
"See you then," Josh agreed.
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"WHAT are you wearing!?" Josh asked when Zay came out of the dressing room at Men's Wearhouse, still sporting the same sunglasses from the week before like he was a damn spy or something. "I didn't even know they sold orange tuxedos here."
"They don't," Zay answered. "I rented this from a costume store down the street. What do you think?"
"They'll see you coming from a mile away," Josh answered, making a face as he searched the racks for a navy blue suit. "Your personality is already larger than life. You need something a little more understated.
If you want to wear orange, you should do it with a bowtie."
Zay sighed. "Fine."
Josh pulled down a few suits in different cuts and shoved them into Zay's arms. "Go and try these on," he said.
"Maya's wearing muted gold," Zay informed him through the closed door. "You might need to special order your bowtie."
"Do you know what her dress looks like?" Josh asked curiously.
"No," Zay replied. "Why? So you know what flowers to get her?"
"Maya's allergic to flowers," Josh reminded him. "But I need to get her something."
"Yeah you do," Zay agreed, coming out in the traditional cut suit. "Especially since you're basically lying to her and costing me a date with the hottest girl in school. Crap, what is Lucas doing here!? If he sees us together, he'll tell Riley and then the whole plan will be exposed. Because Riley cannot keep a secret for the life of her."
"It'll be fine," Josh said as Zay shoved him into a dressing room and closed the door. "You do know these things unlock from the inside, man. I can still get out!"
Zay leaned against the door so there was no way he could get out. "Hey man! What are you doing here?"
"You told me that you were going shopping for a tux," Lucas reminded him. "I decided to do it too. I hope you don't mind."
"Mind?" Zay squeaked.
"Zay, are you cheating on me with another guy?" Lucas teased.
"Cheating with you?" Zay repeated, slipping accidentally as he tried to lean on the door harder. "Why would I be cheating on you with another guy? You're my best friend, Luc."
"I know! I was only kidding!" Lucas assured him. "Hey, Zay, could I ask you a question?"
"Of course man!" Zay answered, laughing nervously.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses inside the store?"
"It's my migraines," Zay explained. "The fluorescent lights trigger them."
Lucas frowned. "You don't have migraines. . . and why are you leaning against the dressing room door?"
"Everything will be explained soon," Zay promised. "But you've gotta get out of here right now. I think I can hear Riley calling you! Yup. That's definitely Riley. I'll see you at school, Lucas."
"Come on! Just tell me what's going on!" Lucas pleaded.
Zay sighed, cracking under pressure. "Fine."
He got off the door and Josh came tumbling out into the hallway.
"Zay! Why are you hanging out with Josh!?" Lucas asked.
"We're not hanging out so much as plotting," Zay answered. "Josh is going to take Maya to prom. I'm just his cover so he can surprise her. But you can't tell Riley because she tells Maya everything."
"Hold on, Josh, are you ending the long game?" Lucas asked, excitedly.
Zay smirked. "Yes."
"No! I'm not ending the long game so much as I'm going to see if it's someday. . ." Josh trailed off. "I just realized how dumb that sounds."
"Yeah it does!" Zay said helpfully.
Lucas's face lit up. "Oh my gosh. This is going to be your moment!"
"You two are both saps!" Zay announced. "With your my moment will be my moments and fly me to the moon stuff and some days and long games. Like any of this is realistic, we're in high school for crying out loud!"
"You're just jealous that you don't have your own Maya or Riley," Lucas answered, winking at him.
"I do not want a Maya or a Riley," Zay said, looking over at a sale's person named Mo. "Excuse me do you have a muted gold bowtie for my friend here? He's going to a costume party as Liberace."
"I'll see if I can put a special order in," Mo answered. "But I can't make any promises, I don't know if our warehouse sells gold. Who are you?"
"Just a whipped boyfriend," Zay replied, smirking at Josh.
"Not yet!" Josh protested. "I mean, I'm not her boyfriend and I'm not whipped! That's Lucas's department."
Mo sighed and pulled up an order site to look for the muted gold bowtie. "I hate prom season," he said to no one in particular.
"Same man," Zay answered. "Same."
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"You lucked out, I couldn't get Riley to send me a picture of Maya's prom dress," Zay told Josh the next time they met up, sans sunglasses. "She said something about wanting me to be surprised when I saw her. Like we're getting married or something like that."
"Prom is the second most important thing next to a girl's wedding," Josh said.
Zay rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know. Since I missed my window to ask the hottest girl in school, do you think there'll be any girls there who didn't get asked to prom?"
"There's always going to be a girl who didn't get asked to prom," Josh answered. "You probably won't be there by yourself for long."
"I bet she'll be the real wall-flower type," Zay mused. "Just waiting for somebody like me to swoop in and be her Zay in shining orange armor."
"I thought we nixed the orange tuxedo idea. . ."
"I'll see you later Josh, I've gotta go find myself a wallflower."
"You can't actually ask a girl right now!" Josh called after him. "Just be her Zay in shining— ugh, never mind! Just wait until you get prom and rescue her there. I've waited a long time for this! You can't just ruin it for me now! And what about Maya!?"
Zay threw him a cheesy grin over his shoulder. "Don't worry Joshie! No one's going to find out! I promise! Everything's going to be fabulous, you'll see! Same time next week! Talk to you then!"
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"Zay, I can't believe you wore orange!" Maya said, shaking out her gold tulle skirt and trying not to lose her temper. "You promised you were going to at least try and find something to go with me. But you look like Austin Powers right now."
"It's okay Peaches," Riley soothed, giving Zay what he supposed was a death glare but looked more cute than anything else.
"Listen Maya, I know we agreed I'd wear muted gold or whatever color your dress is right now but I wasn't feeling it," Zay explained, smirking at her.
"Why are you smirking?" Maya asked, gesturing to Farkle and Lucas. "I don't know where Farkle managed to find a rainbow tie but he did! And Lucas is wearing pink. Pink, Zay! It doesn't emasculate him in any way possible."
"I know you're upset Maya," Zay said, not really caring at all. "But there is a reason I'm not wearing the same color as you."
All the color drained from Maya's face. "You're standing me up, aren't you? You're going with somebody else to prom."
"But only because she doesn't have a date!" Zay explained hastily.
Maya furrowed her eyebrows, confused by his thinking. "But now I'm not going to have a date Zay! I'm not even going to be the third wheel tonight. I'm going to be the seventh wheel and that's all together worse."
Zay pulled at his collar and wished that Josh would hurry up and make his appearance already because their plan was beginning to backfire on them. The last thing anybody needed was Maya starting to cry even if she decided she wasn't going to prom.
"Like I'd let you go dateless on one of the most important nights of your life."
Zay breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Josh standing in the threshold looking like Richard Gere or one of the other leading men from the romantic comedies Maya and Riley were always going crazy over.
"Josh?" Maya asked, looking at him like she was dreaming. "What are you doing here?"
"Yeah, what are you doing here Uncle Josh?" Riley echoed.
"I guess you didn't hear me the first time," Josh answered. "I'm here to take Maya to prom."
"B-b-but. . ." Maya trailed off and turned to look at Zay. "You knew about this?"
"I planned the whole thing!" Zay lied cheerfully. "Well. . . okay, Josh planned the whole thing but I helped! I asked you to prom didn't I? I agreed to go along with Josh's scheme that could have gone terribly wrong by the way. . ."
But Maya wasn't listening to him anymore. Despite her high heels, she had made it across the living room in two seconds and was standing in front of Josh, a puzzled look on her face. "What happened to the long game?"
Josh pulled something from his pocket, the gold Pandora rope bracelet he and Zay had picked out the day before and took her wrist. "We're still playing it," he told her as he snapped it shut. "If I have anything to do with it, we're never going to stop playing. . ."
"Oh just tell her already!" Zay said impatiently. "Before I do it for you!"
Josh smiled at Maya and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I was hoping that maybe tonight could be the first of many dates."
"Is it someday?" Maya asked quietly, looking at the bracelet he had given her, fingering the charm he had put on it.
"I think we've waited long enough," Josh replied. "Don't you?"
Maya flew into his arms and Zay started to applaud slowly until the rest of the clique six joined him. Riley was squealing in the background and Smackle was saying something about Josh kissing Maya. Lucas and Farkle stopped clapping to high five.
And Zay.
Zay congratulated himself on another match well made.
The End
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Author's Note:
I have had this story on my mind for a while now and I am so happy to have finally it written down and to share it with all of you. There are some things that I didn't plan, it just happened naturally after I sat down to write it. Like how it is from Zay's POV. It's how my muse wanted it to be written, I can only hope I did him justice and that he sounded in character. I do not usually utilize Zay because I am unsure of what to do with him.
For those reasons alone, I hope you will tell me what you think. . . if you are inclined or have the time.
I'll be back soon with something new!
Much Love,
Holly, 8/31/2016
P.S
I am toying with the idea of writing some Stranger Things fan fiction. If you're into that, let me know!