"Best Friends Forever"
Nicole and Richard Watterson's Love Story
Chapter Two: The Prom
Ever since that day Nicole and Richard became inseparable. Since they were the same age they had all the same classes together. They played together, they had lunch together… they put up with each other all the way through junior high and high school. Richard wasn't very bright, but Nicole was a straight-A student, so she helped him with his grades. And she defended him every time he was confronted by a bully. Most of his guy friends made fun of the fact that he was protected by a girl, but he didn't mind. She was his best friend, and that's all that mattered.
Although, at some point, Richard had started to have deeper feelings for Nicole. She had blossomed into a beautiful young lady, and that hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the males. She was asked out more than any other girl at school, and you can believe the other girls were jealous.
Now the prom was coming up, and date-hunting season had started. Nicole had already turned down almost every guy at school… except Richard. He had been mustering up the courage to ask her since the prom was announced. Finally he felt ready, and he was not going to waste this opportunity.
It was the week before prom and the two friends were having lunch together, across the table facing each other, like they always did. Richard was trying to find the right words to start with.
"So…prom's coming up!" he started, still thinking about what to say. "You got a date yet?"
"Nah…" Nicole said, her mouth half-full with the tuna sandwich she was having for lunch. "I didn't like any of the guys who've asked me so far…" she swallowed her chewed food. "You?"
"Uh… There's a girl I want to ask, but I'm not brave enough to…"
"Well you should! Who knows, maybe she's waiting on your invite! Do I know her?"
"You could say so…"
"Then go for it!"
"But what if she turns me down?"
"You don't know that! Go ahead and ask her! Maybe she'll surprise you with her answer!" she noticed how nervous he was, so she placed her hand on his, which was on the table. He looked into her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes. She had such a lovely gaze… a gaze that could calm down a raging bull. He gulped and decided to give it a shot.
"N-Nicole?" he asked in a nervous tone.
"Yes?" she asked, smiling brightly, which made him even more nervous.
"I-I…"
"Hey Nicole."
He was cut off by someone behind him. Judging by the depth of the person's voice, it was clearly a man. Whoever it was it had gained Nicole's full attention, making her eyes widen. When Richard turned around he saw a peanut with antlers holding a full lunch tray: it was Thomas "Tom" Fitzgerald, quarterback for the Elmore High football team.
"H-hi, Tom…" Nicole stuttered, much to Richard's surprise.
"Mind if I join you for lunch?"
"Not at all!" Nicole shouted, blushing and calming down almost instantly. "I-I mean, s-sure!"
Tom sat down next to Nicole and placed his tray in front of him.
Richard had never seen Nicole act like that. She was blushing and she looked like she couldn't hold back her smile. He knew what it meant. He acted the same way when he was around her.
"So listen…" Tom started, looking right into Nicole's eyes. "I don't have a date to the prom yet. So I was wondering if would you like to go with me."
"Really?!" she practically squealed that question. She cleared her throat. "I would love to!"
Richard felt his heart shatter when she said that. He had let his one chance slip right through his fingers, and now it was too late.
"Awesome! I'll pick you up at seven. See you then!" Tom grabbed his tray and got up to leave.
"Bye!" Nicole waved at him slowly, looking rather love-struck. As soon as he was out of hearing range, she turned to Richard. "Can you believe it? Tom asked me to the prom! Me!"
"I never thought you'd be the type of girl who was into jocks!" confessed Richard.
"Neither did I! But what are the odds of this happening?"
"I guess…" Richard was bummed. Now he would never be able to tell her how he felt.
"What's wrong?" Nicole asked, concerned.
"Nothing… Sorry, I gotta go…" he got up and left, leaving Nicole even more worried. She had never seen him act like this.
Richard decided he wasn't in the mood to go to any more classes, so he just walked home. His house was only a few miles away, and his mom wouldn't be home until five, so there was no problem. As soon as he got home he went straight up to his room and collapsed on his bed, the mattress screeching beneath his weight. He turned over and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, after which he reached under his bed to retrieve a small briefcase. He unlocked it and took out a small photo album. For years he had taken pictures of himself with Nicole, and this was the scrapbook he kept them in. He had pictures from junior high, their freshman year in high school, last year, this year, birthdays, Christmases, Halloweens, spring breaks and summer vacations. He had never bothered to count them, but they must've been way over fifty.
He locked up his book in the briefcase and hid it under his bed again. He was staring at the ceiling again, but now all the memories he had of the good times he had spent with Nicole were flashing through his mind. And he felt himself doze off… but he was abruptly awakened by the sound of a slamming door.
"Idiots! All IDIOTS!"
His mom was home, and she didn't sound too pleased. He got off his bed, exited his room and went downstairs, where she was throwing the contents of her briefcase onto the floor in fury.
"Mom?" he approached her carefully. "Are you OK?" When she saw her son she calmed down a bit.
"Yeah…" she panted "I'm fine…"
"What happened? What are you doing home so early?"
"I got into a fight with some of my coworkers. I decided to get out of there before I did something I would regret." Then she realized something. "Wait a minute… What are YOU doing home so early?"
"I… It's complicated…" he looked at the floor in sadness. Josephine could feel something was wrong with her son.
"Come on, son." She gently grabbed hold of his hand and started pulling him towards the couch. "Why don't you tell me all about what's bothering you." They both sat on the couch and Richard sighed.
"You see… there's this girl I like…" he started, trying to some up his worries into just a few words. "…and I'm not brave enough to tell her how I feel. I wanted to ask her to the prom, but… some guy beat me to it. And now I just don't know what to do…"
"Oh sweetie…" she gently rubbed his arm in consolation. "Don't be sad… There are plenty of other girls out there! You'll find the one for you…"
"But I don't want another girl… I want Nicole…"
"NICOLE?!" Josephine let go of her son's arm and looked at him in shock. "You like Nicole?!"
"Yeah…" he couldn't understand what his mother's problem was. "What about it?"
"I can't believe it! Of all the girls in the world, you had to go and fall for HER?!"
"What's wrong with her?"
"EVERYTHING!" Josephine got up and started pacing around the room. "She's pretentious, arrogant, she'll run over anyone just to get what she wants… and don't get me started on her fur color!"
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
Josephine stopped and stared at her son. Never in her life had she thought that her son would use that tone with her! He was now standing up, with pure rage reflected on his face.
"How dare you?" asked his mother in shock.
"No, how dare YOU!" replied the angry Richard. "You have no right to talk about her like that! Nicole is none of those things! She's smart, mature, beautiful, and tough as nails! Sure, her rage might get out of hand sometimes, but I put up with anyway! Know why? Because I LOVE HER!" he ran up the stairs to his room. "And just so you know, I think her fur color is PERFECT!" he slammed the door as hard as he could.
"Your date's here, sweetie!"
Nicole applied the finishing touches to her makeup as her mother entered her room. She was wearing a frilly violet ball gown, and although she didn't have hair, she had gotten a perm, which gave shoulder-length blue curly hair with bangs falling gently onto her forehead. It made her look somewhat younger. She turned to her mom and saw her eyes were sparkling.
"You look so beautiful…" she moved towards her daughter and held her in a tight hug, which she returned.
"Mom…" she whispered into her mom's ear.
"Yes, honey?" her parent let go of her and looked her in the eyes.
"Can you tell Tom to wait just a few more minutes? There's something I need to do before I go."
"Of course." She kissed her daughter's forehead and headed towards the door. "We'll be waiting for you downstairs." She gently closed the door behind her.
Nicole sat in front of her vanity mirror to examine herself for the last time. She had lost count of how many she had done that since she started getting ready. She would start checking how she was, but then mind would just end up drifting into thought.
Richard hadn't talked to her since the day Tom had asked her to be his date to the prom. It seemed like he was avoiding her. Every time she wanted to talk to him it seemed like he would pretend to be busy or walk away on purpose. She couldn't understand why he was doing that to her. Was it something she had done or said? Whatever it was, she didn't like it.
She still remembered the promise he had made her when they were twelve. 'Best friends forever', he said. Then why was he treating her like that? She felt so confused…
She could hear her parents and Tom laughing downstairs, no doubt at one of her dad's cheesy jokes. After one last fluff of her perm, she exited her room and headed downstairs. There her parents were joyfully talking to her date, who was wearing a suit and tie. As Nicole walked down the stairs, Tom noticed her and his eyes widened.
"Wow…" he let out involuntarily. "You look beautiful…"
"Thanks." Nicole gave him a weak smile.
"Picture!" exclaimed Nicole's dad, pointing the camera towards the two teenagers.
Tom placed his arm around Nicole's shoulders and smiled for the camera. Nicole had to force a grin out of her because she was still feeling down from the cold shoulder she was receiving from Richard. As soon as the camera snapped she was able to relax again.
"Well…" she turned to Tom. "…shall we?"
"Your chariot awaits." He opened the door for her and gestured so she would exit first. Tom had rented a limousine for the night, and as much as Nicole hated to admit it, she felt quite impressed by it. She opened the door and entered, Tom following right away.
When they arrived at the school they could hear the music pumping from inside the building. They made their way to the gym, and when they entered they could see that all the hard work the student board had had with the preparations had paid off: there were colorful ribbons tied to the top of the walls, a couple of tables covered by white tablecloths with snacks, drinks and plastic cups, plates and cutlery and balloons hanging from the walls. On the wall above the punch table hung a banner saying "Class of 1988". The music was loudly coming from speakers all around the well-lit room, and all the students were dancing with their respective dates. Miss Simian was chaperoning the prom, so she was standing by the punch table, looking around the room suspiciously.
Nicole looked around the room in search of Richard, but had no luck. She decided to walk through the crowd to get a more thorough look.
"I'LL GET US SOME PUNCH!" she shouted to Tom, covering her left hear to block out the loud music.
"OK! I'LL WAIT HERE!" he shouted back. Nicole made her way through the all the dancing couples, trying her best not bump into or be bumped by anyone. She made it to the punch table and poured herself a glass of the fruity liquid. After receiving another offensive remark from her old teacher, this time about her hair, she tried looking around for Richard again. She spotted him sitting at the bleachers, looking desolated. He was wearing a white dress-shirt with a brown tie, no doubt a clip-on, and brown khakis. She made her way towards him, again avoiding her dancing classmates, but when he noticed her he tried to make a run for it. This time she wasn't going to let him get away. She knew he couldn't run too fast, so she picked up the pace and was able block his passage.
"Richard!" she sounded a mother scolding her disruptive son. "What is going on?"
"Nothing…" he was avoiding looking in her in the eyes and she noticed that.
"What do you mean 'nothing'? You've been avoiding me all week! And I wanna know why!"
"I-I can't… tell you…"
"Why?" now she was getting worried.
"It's complicated…" he turned away from her, but she moved in front of him just as swiftly.
"Richard, look at me. Look at me!" she sounded angry again. He looked up at her from the corner of his eye, and saw how worried she really was. "Why are you doing this to me? You've never acted like this before! Why now?" he looked back down. She felt a lump growing in her throat and her eyes start to water up. "I thought we were best friends… forever…"
"We are…"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!" she was now shouting, her voice cracking under her desperation. Richard knew that tone. It was the tone he used when she was about to blow up in pure anger. He looked up at her again. She had her teeth clenched and tears were now rolling down her cheeks. He felt bad, but there was nothing he could do.
"It's too complicated. I'm sorry, Nicole." he turned around and ran off. She was about to chase him when she felt a hand on her shoulder, which made her jump a little. She turned around and saw Tom, who looked somewhat concerned.
"Hey, what's going on?" he was definitely concerned. Nicole could hear it in his voice. She wiped away the rest of her tears and tried her best to look OK. She wasn't gonna let Richard's little tantrum keep her from enjoying her night.
"It's nothing. Let's just dance."
Richard had run behind the punch table. He poked his head out to see if she had followed him, but when he saw her dancing happily with Tom, he felt even worse than before. He poured himself a glass of punch and drank it in just one sip. If only he had drunk it slower to notice that it tasted funny he would have spared himself from one of the greatest humiliations of his life…
Half-an-hour and twenty glasses of punch later, Richard could barely stand up. He was feeling dizzy, but he also felt more courageous somehow. He looked over to where Nicole and Tom were sitting on the bleachers, chatting while they rested their feet from all their dancing, and felt a mix of anger and determination take over his body. He threw his plastic onto the floor and crushed it with his foot, right before stomping towards his targets. He wobbled with every step he took, barely able to keep his balance, bumping into everyone in his path. When the cat and the peanut saw him coming, they were surprised to see the state he was in.
"Hey, nut face!" he was still wobbling, even while just standing, and slurring all his words. "I've got something to tell you!"
"Are you OK, bro?" Tom raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't look so good."
"I…I'm fine. Peachy!" he lost his balance but Nicole ran up and held him before he fell.
"What happened to you? Did you hit your head or something?" she was thankful she was strong enough to support his weight.
"I'm fine! Leave me be, woman!" he spat onto her face, and Nicole felt unmistakable smell of alcohol on his breath.
"Richard, have you been drinking?" she asked, worried.
"Just punch…" he tried to stand on his own. "Why?"
"THE PUNCH HAS BEEN SPIKED!"
Everybody stopped dancing and turned to the punch table, where Miss Simian had just had some of the party drink and discovered the gruesome fact.
"WHO DID THIS?!" roared the furious primate. Suddenly everybody heard an annoying laughter coming from the middle of the dance floor. They all turned to see a banana laughing its sides off.
"Banana Bob, I should've known!" Miss Simian walked to him and he immediately ceased his laughter. "Well guess what, smart guy: you've just earned yourself a month of detention. In the summer!"
Bob groaned and everybody laughed at him before returning to their dancing.
"Serves him right…" said Richard, almost falling over again, if Nicole wasn't there to hold him.
"I better take you to the infirmary." She tried to pull him towards the exit, but he didn't let her.
"No! I have something to say!" he regained his balance as best as he could and tipsily walked over to Tom, pointing a finger at him. "You see that beautiful woman over there?" he pointed towards Nicole. "I want you to treat her right! Like… like a goddess! Give her tulips every day! Those are her favorites. And… and take her out for chicken parmesan and… and buy her coffee with extra cream! Just the way she likes it. And most of all, treat her like she's the most important person in the world! Because…" he looked back at her and smiled. "…she deserves it. And much, much more."
Nicole covered her mouth with her hands in awe. She couldn't believe how many things Richard knew about her. They had been close friends since they were kids, but somehow that touched in a way she had never felt before.
"I'm out…" Richard stumbled out the gym door. Nicole remained motionless as Tom got up and approached her.
"That was weird…" he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So… wanna dance?"
Nicole brushed off Tom's and ran out the door, leaving him trying to figure out what had just happened.
She ran through the school's main hall looking for him. He was nowhere to be seen, until she reached the main entrance and saw him bending over outside. She quickly ran up to him.
"Are you OK?" she placed her hand on his shoulder just as he was straightening up. He wiped up his mouth with the back of his hand and Nicole realized he had just vomited.
"Yeah… I guess." He stared at the floor with an upset expression. "I'm sorry I ruined your night…"
"You didn't ruin my night!" she replied softly, placing a finger under his chin to lift his head so he could see her. "You just… spiced up it a bit!" she smiled at him, which mace him smile too. "Did you really mean all those things about me?"
"Of course!" he placed both hands on her shoulders and looked as determined as he could. "You're special, Nicole. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"
That remark made her giggle. It also made her realize how special he was. He had always been there for her. He was her best friend. But now she felt that, somewhere along the line, that had evolved to into something more.
"Nicole?" he smiled lovingly at her.
"Yes?" she smiled lovingly back at him.
"Take me to the infirmary…"
He collapsed on the floor unconscious.
"He'll be fine. He just had a little too much to drink."
"Are you sure? What about that bruise on his head? Isn't that a concussion?"
"No, dear, that's just from when he fainted and hit his head."
Richard could hear the commotion around him. It was mostly Nicole and somebody else. Female, by the sound of it. He felt a pounding in his head, unsure if it was because he had hit it or if he was just hung-over, and his mouth tasted like vomit. Otherwise he felt fine.
"I have to go get some papers." Said the person whose voice Richard didn't recognize. "If he wakes up don't let him lift his head."
He heard the unknown female walk away, and could now realize he was lying down. When he opened his eyes he saw that he was in the infirmary, lying on the observation bed. Nicole was sitting beside him, staring at her hands on her lap with worry on her face. Richard tried to lift his head and groaned, which made her snap out of her thoughts. She immediately stood up and held him.
"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" she pushed his head back down. "The nurse says you mustn't lift your head. It took a big blow."
Richard reached for the sore spot on his head. He felt it was covered by a piece of gauze, held in place with some bandages. He gave a small press and cringed.
"Take it easy." She gently lowered his hand. "You've had quit a night."
"Yeah…" he felt remorse take over. "I'm so sorry Nicole… I completely ruined your night…"
"No you didn't, I already told you that!" she smiled at him. "You made it a night I'll never forget." He smiled back at her. "You know, what you said back there… was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Why haven't you told me that before?"
"I'm a coward, Nicole. You should know that by now." his smile faded. "I just didn't have the guts to tell you how I really feel…"
"You can tell me now."
He looked her in the eyes. He could tell she was eager to know what his true feelings were. In that moment all of his insecurities disappeared. He was ready.
"I love you, Nicole. I've loved you since the day we met, and I've never stopped."
He braced himself for her reaction, thinking she was going to turn him down. He was surprised to see her smile grow wider.
"I've been waiting years to hear those words…" she held him in a tight embrace. "I love you too."
He was stunned at first, but then he allowed himself to smile and returned the hug. He could stay like that forever, just lying in her arms… but then he remembered something. He held Nicole´s shoulders and made her face him.
"But… if you do… why did you agree to be Tom's date?" he was a little confused by that fact.
"I didn't think you felt the same I did... and I was too afraid to ask you…" she blushed slightly.
"You? Afraid?" Richard was astonished. "You can take on a T-Rex, but you're too afraid to confess your feelings?"
"Hey I may be tough, but I'm still a girl!"
"True..." just then the nurse came in with a pile of papers in her arms.
"Oh, you're awake!" she said as she placed the papers in her desk.
Richard recognized that voice: it was the female that was in the room with Nicole before he regained consciousness. She was nothing but an over-grown Band-Aid in a nurse outfit. She opened a drawer in her desk and took out a little lantern, with which she examined Richard's eyes.
"Looks like you didn't suffer any traumas." she put away the lantern. "Do you feel bad in any way?"
"My head hurts." He rubbed his head. The nurse returned to her desk and opened the same drawer, this time retrieving a small box of pills. She took a pill out, picked up a bottle of water from her desk and handed them both to Richard.
"Here, take this. You'll feel better in a few minutes. Do you feel anything else?"
"No, that's it." Richard put the pill in his mouth and took a few sips of water to wash it down.
"Well then you can leave once you feel better. Just be more careful next time, OK?" Richard nodded. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in the principal's office." She grabbed her papers again and left. Nicole placed her hand on Richard's.
"I really like you're outfit." She smiled, gazing tenderly into his eyes.
"Thanks. I'll try to wear it more often." He returned the smile and the gaze. "You look beautiful tonight, Nicole." She smiled and blushed. He took her hand in his and brought it closer to his face. "Nicole?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think we might have a shot at this dating thing?"
"I have no doubt about it." Richard's smile grew wider. Nicole looked over to the clock on the wall. "You know, prom doesn't end for another two hours. Wanna dance?"
Richard's smile grew even wider, and his eyes sparkled.
Tom sat at the bleachers, bored out of his mind. His date hadn't returned yet, and he was starting to wonder if she even would. His gaze drifted towards the gym entrance where he saw Nicole and Richard enter, hand in hand. He rushed up to the two, wondering what had happened to Richard's head to have gauze on one spot.
"There you are!" he tried to keep his cool. "I thought you'd never come back! Come on, let's dance!"
"Sorry, Tom." Nicole wrapped her arms around Richard's left arm. "Something happened, and, well…" she tried to find the right words not to hurt Tom's feelings. "…I'm with Richard now."
"You're… you're kidding, right?" Tom laughed nervously.
"I've never been more serious in my life." Nicole smiled lovingly at Richard, who did the same. She turned back to Tom. "I hope you understand." The two started to walk towards the dance floor, when Nicole felt something grasp her wrist tightly. She turned to see Tom, with an angered expression in his face.
"Where do you think you're going?" he lifted her hand up to his face to bring her closer, making her release Richard's arm. "You're my date! You're not going anywhere with him!"
"Let go of me!" Nicole tried to free herself from his grip, but he only tightened it more. Nicole started to get angry, but it was nothing compared to how angry Richard felt.
He felt the rage bubble inside him with an intensity he had never felt before, and he finally felt brave enough to do stick out for someone. He couldn't let that brutish peanut harm his lady. He clenched is hands into fists, walked up to Tom and threw a punch that struck him right between the eyes. Tom fell to the ground, letting go of Nicole's wrist in the process.
"Don't you ever come near her again!" Richard yelled at the dizzy peanut. He looked over at Nicole, who was rubbing her wrist and looking at him with a perplexed expression. "Are you OK?" Nicole smiled widely and threw herself into his arms.
"Richard, you did it!" she hugged him tight. "You found your courage!"
"I just couldn't let him hurt you." He smiled at her and she smiled back. She held his hand.
"Come, on. Let's dance."
They finally made it to the dance floor and started dancing to the rhythm of the pop/rock song that was currently playing. Nicole was by far a better dancer than Richard, but he was doing surprisingly well.
"YOU'RE PRETTY LIGHT ON YOUR FEET!" she yelled, doing her best to be heard over the loud music.
"THANKS! I'VE BEEN PRACTICING!"
As soon as he shouted out that reply a slow song started to play. They both stood still initially, observing all the other couples dancing romantically. Richard looked at Nicole, blushing and giggling nervously. Nicole smiled compassionately and grabbed his hands, placing them gently on her hips. The red on his cheeks increased as Nicole positioned her hands on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes and gave him a slight nod, which he understood as a sign to start moving his feet.
They swayed to the smooth groove of the music, gazing passionately into each other's eyes. Richard's heart pounded uncontrollably against his chest, and he couldn't get over how beautiful Nicole was, her blue eyes glistening under the lights. He took his hand up to her cheek, petting her soft blue fur with his thumb. He could feel her purr under his touch. He had never heard her purr before. It was charming.
As they fixed their eyes into each other even more, they felt some sort of magnetic force pulling them together. They slowly closed their eyes as their faces moved closer, their cheeks burning more and more intensely with every inch they grew nearer. When their lips made contact they felt like they were floating, and sparks flew everywhere. Nicole held the back of Richard's head to deepen the kiss and Richard held her back with the same purpose.
After a few seconds of pressing their lips together passionately, they broke the kiss and looked at each other lovingly. Nicole then wrapped her arms around Richard's torso and held him in a tight hug.
"I love you." She whispered into his hear. He smiled and returned the hug.
"I love you too."