A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I started 2 new fics any Les Miserables fans should check them out.

Chapter 8:

The next day, Bianca walked into first period and was "greeted" by Jeromy at the door.

"What's up, little whore?" he mocked.

"Go to hell!" Bianca shot back.

She walked to her seat and sat down trying her best to ignore the snickering of her classmates. The morning announcements started immediately after the bell rang, as they did every day. Only this morning, it was not the student council president and vice president speaking their normal good mornings, it was Brian.

"Hey everyone, it's Brian Delancey," the whole room became quiet, "I'm sure y'all know Bianca Giordano and the recent rumor spreading around the school about her," all eyes turned towards the mortified Bianca, "I started the rumor, and I made it up. None of it's true. Jeromy and Cara, put me up to it, and I'm sorry, Bi."

The loudspeaker went off. Everyone was still staring at Bianca. She would have paid to see the look on Jeromy's face after hearing the announcement. Che ha fatto Eliot?

She went through first and second period with what felt like the whole school watching her. Joe didn't bring up the announcement to her.

Eliot and Bianca were in the same cooking group third period and none of the others in their group could speak Italian.

"Eliot," Bianca asked, "Che hai fatto?"

"Ti ho detto, Bianca, non ho fatto niente d'importanza," he replied.

"Lo so che non sia vero, Eliot. Non sono stupida."

"Non ti preoccupare, Bi, non ho fatto niente di stupido."

"Puoi promettermi?"

"Si, te lo prometto che non ho fatto niente di stupido. Sei felice adesso?"

"Si," Bianca sighed.

Bianca knew Eliot wouldn't have lied to her about it, so she dropped it. He couldn't have gotten away with anything that bad.

A few months later, Bianca sat in her bedroom staring at the envelope on her desk in front of her. She could barely breathe as she opened it. This was it, her dream school, Harvard University. The next three seconds could leave Bianca either in tears of pain or screaming with joy. She unfolded the letter, her hands shaking and held her breath as she read the first sentence.

"Dio mio," she whispered to herself. She repeated it louder and louder until she was almost shouting to herself.

Joe ran up the stairs, "Bianca, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I got a full scholarship to Harvard!" she yelled.

"Congratulations, Bianca!"

"I can't believe this…I can't believe this!"

The next day at school, Bianca walked up to Eliot, beaming.

"I have to tell you something," she said.

"I have to tell you something, too," he replied, "but you go first." He didn't look as thrilled as Bianca.

"I got into Harvard and they're giving me a full scholarship!"

"That's great, Bi! I knew you'd get in!"

"What did you want to tell me, Eliot?"

He paused, she wasn't going to be happy, "After graduation, I'm joining the military."

"What?" she asked.

"After graduation I'm—,"

"No, I heard you, but why?"

"I want to serve and if I do they'll pay for me to go to college when I'm done."

Bianca stared at him for a minute, shocked, "What branch?" she finally asked.

"I'm going to try to work my way into Black Ops."

"Isn't that really dangerous, El?"

"Yeah, but I'll be fine, Bi, you know me."

"But…but what if you aren't fine?" she asked almost in tears.

"Hey, Bi, it's OK. I'm not even leaving for months. You have nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself. I promise I'll be fine. OK?"

Bianca nodded, "Yeah, OK," she smiled. He was right. He had to be.

TIME SKIP!

June meant two things in Dallas, Texas: Graduation and Prom.

Bianca was only worried about one of them and it wasn't graduation. Once June started, Prom was only 3 weeks away and she didn't have a dress or a date. No one went to Prom without a date so Bianca was doomed to stay home (or so she thought). She decided to forget about it and stop worrying. Worrying never helped anything anyway.

A few days later, her culinary class was given a sugar cookie recipe to bake. Bianca mixed the dough and gave them to another group member to put in the oven. Eliot was in charge of decorating/garnishing that week, so Bianca got started on the dishes.

When she was about half way through, Eliot called her over, "Hey Bi, do these look good to you?"

Bianca walked over and looked at the cookies. Each cookie was decorated with a different letter spelling out "Will you go to Prom with me? –E."

Bianca smiled and hugged Eliot, "Yes, I'll go to Prom with you!"

"Do you have time to get a dress?" he asked.

"I don't need to, I'll make one."

"You can do that?"

"Of course I can, my mom taught me."

After school she went to the fabric store to pick out material. She walked around the store for hours before settling on light pink. She also picked up sheer fabric in the same color for the cap sleeves she planned on sewing into it and material to make flowers for it as well.

She worked all week long on the dress, trying it on and making adjustments. When the time came to sew the flowers she thought she was going to lose her mind. The day after the flowers she came to school with Band-Aids on almost every finger.

"What happened to you?" Eliot asked.

Bianca glared back at him, "Little fabric flowers happened."

"What?"

"I was sewing the flowers onto my dress and stabbed myself at least fifteen times."

Eliot laughed.

"Non e' buffo!" she yelled at him.

"Sei giusta, mi dispiace," he apologized trying his hardest not to continue laughing.

The dress went all the way down to the floor and had a scooped neckline with some beading around the waist. The little cap sleeves covered about three fourths of her shoulders and the back was open. The little flowers went from her sleeves into the sheer fabric that formed the opening in the back of the dress.

Eliot arrived at the house to meet the limo and Bianca at around 6:30. He gave her the corsage (pink magnolias, Bianca's favorite), and told her how beautiful she looked.

"Let's just hope we don't get voter King and Queen and get pigs' blood dumped on us," Bianca laughed although she was kind of concerned about it. That book Carrie really had her worried. In hindsight, she realized it was a bad idea to read in the week leading up to Prom.

"Yeah," Eliot said, "don't worry everyone is going to vote for Cara and Jeromy."

They got to Prom at 7:00 exactly. All the girls loved Bianca's dress.

"Where'd you get it" they all asked.

"I made it," she replied, "I didn't have time to buy one and have it altered so I had to make it myself."

They were shocked. Cara wasn't happy at all; they should have been talking about her dress as far as she was concerned.

Bianca got nervous as they were about to announce Pro King and Queen. Eliot was right, it was Jeromy and Cara. Grazie Dio, Bianca thought.

Prom was a great experience for Bianca. She was so happy to have spent the evening with her best friend instead of staying at home wondering what might have been.

A few weeks later, the yearbooks were distributed. Bianca turned to the superlatives page because no one on the yearbook committee would let her look at it while they were working on it. She looked at it and laughed out loud.

"CUTEST COUPLE: Bianca Giordano and Eliot Spencer"

She ran up to Eliot in the hallway, "Did you see the superlatives page?"

"Yes! Can you believe it? We aren't even a couple!" he laughed.

The bell rang and the two had to go to their next class. In the hallway after class, Cara walked up to Bianca and without a word slapped her across the face.

"You bitch!" she yelled.

Che diavolo, "What the hell was that for?" Bianca asked, in shock.

"Jeromy and I were supposed to win cutest couple not you and Spencer! You're not even a couple!"

"Listen, Cara, I don't control who wins yearbook superlatives, so you need to back off."

"Don't tell me what to do, bitch!" Cara said as she pushed Bianca backwards into a locker.

Bianca hit her head on the locker and could have sworn she saw something or someone behind Cara. She fell to the ground and got back up and walked away.

"I'm not done with you," Cara whispered behind her. She walked quickly up behind Bianca and was about to push her again, when Bianca took a slight step to her left causing Cara to miss and face-plant in front of her. Come l'ho fatto? Bianca thought How'd I do that?