Chapter Three: Stephanie's Choice

Stephanie's POV:

I have never been to a school dance with a date. The last time I had a date, he had stood me up. So I didn't have high hopes for the Back To School dance at all. But then this nice kid Andrew whom I had gone to school with asked me to the dance. Needless to say, I said yes. So that's basically how the trouble began.

Rusty and I had actually become good friends. School had been going on for about three weeks and we were pretty close. Rusty was like the older brother I had never had. And he would have been my older brother if Cindy and my dad had gotten married.

So one day Rusty and I were walking home. Rusty was getting his driver's license soon though and he said he'd drive me home when he did, which I thought was nice.

"Andrew asked me to the dance." I told him.

"Who's that?"

"He's a freshman."

"Oh."

And that was all we said the rest of the way. He turned to go to his house and waved good-bye. He seemed sort of distant, though. I walked to my house, humming the whole way.

"I'm home!" I yelled. I walked into the kitchen, where Vicky and Aunt Becky were with Nicky and Alex.

"Guess what?" I asked them.

"What?" Aunt Becky said.

"I've got a date to the dance!"

"I want his name and address so that I can interrogate him." My dad said, coming down the stairs.

"Dad, he's a nice kid."

"You probably thought Ryan was a nice kid, too."

I hesitated. "That was different..."

"Sure, different. Well anyway, DJ is taking a break. She's coming home this Friday, while you're at the dance. She's leaving Sunday." My dad said.

"That's great!" I said. "Is Steve coming, too?"

"No, just DJ."

That was still great news.

The rest of the week I was getting my outfit ready for the dance. I decided on nothing too fancy. I would wear a black and white sweater and black jeans plus my black ankle boots. I thought I looked nice enough.

Gia's mom was driving us, so I waited anxiously in the living room. Finally, Gia knocked on the door, and we left.

Lots of kids were at the dance already and I looked around for Andrew. However, I couldn't find him.

Who I did see was Rusty.

He was talking to a girl who was obviously flirting with him and for some reason this made me so mad I had the urge to go over there and rip her away from him.

But of course I didn't.

And then Andrew's best friend Jim came over. "Hi Stephanie." He said.

"Hi, where's Andrew?"

"He got the flu yesterday. He said to tell you sorry." He said.

Despite the fact I was upset I understood. I thanked Jim and walked away.

"Andrew couldn't make it." I told Gia. "He's sick."

"That's too bad." She said. "But I gotta go find James, will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I assured her as she left. Then I walked over to a table and sat down. For awhile I watched everyone dancing to funky music. But when the DJ announced that it was time to slow dance, I couldn't take it. I got up and walked out. I sat on the steps of the school, watching the stars when I heard the door open behind me. I expected it to be Gia or Mickey, but when I turned around I saw Rusty instead.

"Why aren't you with Andrew?" He asked me, coming over to sit down with me.

"He couldn't make it." I said, turning around. "He was sick."

"Hmm." Was all he said, and we were silent. Then I became self conscious because I realized Rusty was staring at me the way he stared at DJ at the Tanner Family Picnic or whatever.

"What?" I said, turning to him. "Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason."

"Is there something in my teeth?"

"Steph, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Can I kiss you?"

My cheeks burned but in the darkness I was sure that he didn't see. I was confused but I realized that I kinda liked Rusty. As a kid he was just confused and mixed up with no friends and a love for pranks.

"Why are you asking me?" I said. "Why don't you just do it?"

And so he leaned forward and we kissed.