"The past is like a pimple on prom night Eddie. You can try and ignore it, but its still gonna prevent Jimmy Wiper from slow dancing with you during your favorite Boyz II Men song."
I recently re-watched Season One on DVD, and this line from Janet got the wheels in my head turning. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: ABC owns all names, characters, etc. Boyz II Men owns the song lyrics.
Janet Meadows watched as Jimmy Wiper took Melanie Conrad into his arms and began to sway.
Janet had been so excited for the past couple of weeks leading up to the prom. Graduation was coming up, and she wasn't going to miss high school, she knew that much. Teenagers could be pretty cruel when you looked the way she did. But prom – this was a night she was actually looking forward to. She didn't have a date, but that didn't bother her. She and a bunch of her friends had decided to go together in one large group. She had spent the majority of the night dancing with Rooster or some of the other guys she knew from marching band. And on some songs they hadn't bothered to pair up at all. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" brought her out onto the dance floor with all of her girlfriends while the guys stood back and watched. Even the pimple she found on her chin when she woke up this morning couldn't dampen her good mood. But as Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" blared over the speakers, something else did.
This was my song, she thought. I was supposed to dance with you for this song.
She and Jimmy Wiper had chemistry together this year, and even though Jimmy was one of the popular kids, they had actually become friends as they worked together as lab partners. A week ago they had been talking about the prom and how much they both loved this song. Jimmy had told Janet to save this dance for him. But tonight when Janet heard the opening melody come over the speakers and had eagerly waited for him to come find her, she was crushed to see him take his date, Melanie, into his arms.
Unable to watch, Janet stepped outside into the cool night air. The school had kept the doors to the courtyard open for ventilation, but had kept a chaperone at the door to keep people from venturing outside. Whoever was supposed to be stationed here now however, had evidently left their post.
She wasn't outside for very long when she heard someone else step outside behind her. Thinking it would be a teacher calling her back in, Janet was surprised when she heard another voice calling from inside.
"Eddie, where are you going?" Janet recognized the voice. It was Rory Dunlop, the senior head cheerleader.
"I just need a minute, Rory," the other person outside responded. "The heat inside is starting to get to me." She recognized that voice as well. It belonged to Eddie Latekka, Rory's boyfriend and captain of the football team.
Needing to be alone right now, Janet hoped he would go back inside soon without noticing she was there. But that, apparently, was too much to hope for.
"Hey," Eddie said, seeing her and walking over. "Janet Meadows, right?"
Janet couldn't believe he knew her name. Too surprised to speak, Janet just nodded.
"Eddie Latekka," Eddie introduced himself. "You were in my english class, weren't you?"
Janet nodded again. Truth was, they had a couple classes together, but she was surprised he noticed her in even one of them. While she was outgoing with all of her friends, she mostly kept to herself during her classes.
"Yeah, I remember that poem you read," Eddie continued. "'The Way I See Myself', or something like that?"
"'The Way I See Me,'" Janet corrected him. She had spent days on that poem, and had been so proud of the A she had gotten on it. But her happiness had turned to nervousness when Mrs. Johnson had requested she read it aloud to the class.
"'The Way I See Me,'" Eddie nodded. "Yeah, that was it. It was really good."
"Thanks," Janet smiled. "I'm surprised you remember it."
"Yeah, well," Eddie shrugged, and they fell into a comfortable silence.
"Great song, isn't it?" Eddie asked. Strains of Boyz II Men could still be heard from inside the gym.
Janet nodded. "I love this song."
"As long as we're here. . ." Eddie raised his eyebrows at her and held out his hand. "Can I have this dance?"
It took a physical effort to keep her mouth from dropping. Eddie Latekka wanted to dance with her, Janet Meadows? Speechless, Janet nodded and took his hand.
Eddie pulled her into his arms as Janet let the lyrics wash over her.
I'll make love to you
When you want me to
And I will not let go
Till you tell me to
Girl relax, let's go slow
I ain't got nowhere to go
I'm just gonna concentrate on you
Fully aware that that they didn't know each other very well, if at all, Janet had expected to feel awkward dancing with Eddie. But to her surprise, when his arms closed around her waist, nothing had ever felt so right. Here they were, the captain of the football team and first clarinet in the marching band, dancing all alone in the courtyard under the moonlight. As Janet let her eyes drift shut, she heard another sound accompanying the song. Was it humming? It was, and Janet realized Eddie was humming along to the melody as they swayed back and forth.
Baby tonight is your night
And I will do you right
Just make a wish on your night
Anything that you ask
I will give you the love of your life
As the song came to an end, Eddie slowly released her and smiled.
"I should probably get back inside," Eddie gestured to the open door. "Thank you for the dance."
Janet smiled.
Eddie started to lead her toward the door, but turned back when she stood in place. "You're not coming inside?" he asked her.
"Not yet," Janet told him. "I just want another minute out here."
Eddie nodded. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Janet."
"Enjoy your night," Janet smiled.
"Hey Eddie," she called when he started to walk away. He turned back to face her. "Thank you for the dance."
Eddie smiled at her one last time, then walked back inside.