I

It was my senior year of high school. I was getting ready to graduate and go into the military. I had always dreamed of this. Hell, my recruiter was even going to my graduation. Not only would I be graduating at the top ten percent of my class, but I was going into the career field that I wanted and had a full ride to Princeton afterwards.

"Hey, Ella!" I heard somebody call out my name behind me.

I turned around to see Devin running towards me wtih some papers in his hand. Probably his senior thesis. He has been working so hard at writing it.

"What do you want this time?" I joked, rolling my eyes at him.

"Can you just proof read this for me one more time? I need to make sure that it's perfect." He responded, handing me the small packet of stapled papers.

"I have read it at least ten times already. I'm sure you have it in the bag."

"The last time you read it, it still had several gramatical errors. Please, just one more time. I promise. Then I'll never bother you again." He begged pathetically, his overlong black hair falling into his face, emphasizing his desperation.

"You said that last time and yet here you are again." I retorted.

"I promise it'll be different this time." He said, pouting.

Why does he always have to pout at me? He knows that it always works, that's why.

I groaned.

"Alright, fine. But I swear, if I have to read this damn thing one more time after this, I will castrate you. Got it?" I growled at him as I took the packet and shook it in his face.

"Got it. Thank you so much, Ella. You have no idea-"

"'How grateful you are and what a wonderful person I am.' Yeah, you've said it many times. I swear, I should be getting paid for this." I finished for him, irratation clear on my face.

He is stuck on repeat. Can he say something new?

I started to walk away.

"Wait, Ella, I have one more thing to ask you."

I turned around, suprised. Normally, all he would do is ask me to proof read his paper and we'd hang out later at lunch. This caught me by suprise.

"What?" I inquired.

"Well, I was wondering, if you had a date for prom?" He asked, unsure of his question.

What the- where did that come from?

I didn't know what to say. Of course I didn't have a date to prom. I was too involved in my studies to bother with it. I didn't even plan on going at all. Student organized activities were never my thing.

He looked so worried. Like his life depended on this answer.

Put him out of his misery, Andrews.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"Well, since you didn't , I was hoping, if maybe, you'd like to go with me? To prom that is. Uh, as friends." He stuttered.

No, I don't want to go to prom. I hate dances.

"Sure. I'd love to. As friends though. No mushy shit." I responded.

His face lit up like a kid at Christmas. His green eyes practically twinkled behind his thick glasses. He looked like he was about to explode with happiness.

He quickly exhaled, trying to make himself look cool.

"Great! So, it's a date then." He grinned, not able to contain himself.

"No! I said no mushy shit." I clarified.

"Alright. No mushy shit." He repeated.

The bell rang and I knew it was time to get to my next class.

"See ya!" I yelled and hurried away to Advanced Physics.

What the fuck?! Why didn't you turn him down? Why? Why? Why? He's not even your type!

What was my type, actually? I've never dated before. Whatever it was, Devin was not it. He was the friendzone type.

I got home from school around 4:30 later that day. I walked up the stairs and into my room, dropped my backpack on the floor and plopped face-first onto my bed. It smelled of baby powder. My light brown hair covered the entire head of the bed spread out.

I groaned. That was my happy place. And it was also the placewhere I brooded over the most ridiculous of issues. My most recent being Devin asking me to prom. I started making a list of issues of this in my head.

1. I hate school events.

2. I can't dance.

3. I don't own any dresses.

4. I don't even like the guy I'm going with.

5. I can't walk in heels, let alone dance (see number 2). This would make it much worse.

What the hell did I do to myself?

There was a knock at my door.

"Enter at your own risk." I forewarned.

"Okay. Don't eat me. It's Mike." My older brother announced.

He raised me after our parents died in a car crash. I was 11. He was 20. We didn't have any other relatives to take me in, and Mike didn't want me to go into to the foster care system. So he fought the state for custody and won.

"Get out. I don't like you." I said, grumpy as hell. My face still buried in my bed.

"Yeah, well, get over it. Siblings don't like each other. It's part of the job description." He retorted, smart ass that he was.

"What do you want?" I asked, pushing myself off the bed to face him.

"I just got a phone call from Devin. He thought I was you and kept going on about prom." He said.

"Oh my God. Seriously?" I whined.

"So, you are going to prom with him?" He prompted.

What was he getting at?

"Yeah, it would seem so. Why do you want to know?" I asked. He is pushing at something.

"You guys have been friends about 9 years now, right?"

"Yes. Why does it matter?"

"Well, he's taking you to prom."

Silence.

"Okay, what about him taking me to prom?"

"Well... what did you guys plan on doing afterwards?"

I was drawing a blank. Go home, I guess. I didn't know.

"What do you mean, doing afterwards?"

"You are an adult now, so what you do is perfectly legal and acceptable. But-"

"What the fuck? Are you giving me the sex talk?!" I exclaimed, outraged.

"You're going to prom with a boy. I know what the aftermath of that means. I just want to make sure you have some form of protection." He tried to explain.

I just sat there. My mouth open in shock.

"You can stop there. We're going as friends, got it? Nothing like that."

"Well, I just wanted to make sure-"

I groaned inwardly. I knew how to shut him up.

"Oh my God, Mike. I'm a virgin, okay? Never had sex before. I don't intend to for a long time. Now can you please drop it?!"

"Ugh! I didn't need to know that."

"You were just talking about contraception."

"Yeah, but I didn't need to know if you were already doing it or not."

"Then we're done here, right?" I pleaded.

"Bye." He said as he got off my bed and shut the door behind him.

Fucking Mike. He can't read me at all, can he?

Well, it's settled. I intended on calling Devin back and setting things straight with him.

Why didn't I just say no? That would have been the end of it.