Author's Note: It's been a while, my life kind of exploded. I'm super sorry. Hopefully this chapter is good enough to make up for the wait.
Chuckie tugged at the blue bow tie that Angelica had bought him; the tips of bow kept rubbing against his chin. Once it was no longer bothering him he resumed pacing in front of the door. He had a horrible feeling in his gut that the last three weeks had been some elaborate joke and that she wasn't going to show up at all. It was already nine minutes past seven and the dance started at six thirty. Sure, Angelica had said she wanted to be fashionably late, but she also said she would pick him up at seven. He glanced down at his watch and discovered that she was now ten minutes late and his stomach constricted into and even tighter knot.
"Chuckie relax." His mother's calm voice called from the couch. "Young ladies a bit longer to get ready for a dance. She'll be here."
How his mother was capable of sensing his deepest fears he'd never understand, but her words gave him a little comfort. Of course. This is Angelica. She has to be the best dressed most talked about person at the dance. She's probably still in front of her mirror making sure—
He jumped at the sound of the doorbell and the knot in his stomach tightened more. He froze suddenly terrified of the girl he knew was standing on his porch. He must have stood staring at the door for too long because his dad came over and opened it for him.
"Come on in Angelica." All Chuckie could see was his dad's back until he closed the door and stepped aside. It was then that he got his first glimpse at her. Only his feet had been frozen before, but at the sight of her his lungs and heart had decided to join in. She was a goddess.
Her hair was pulled up like it had been for Jim Morgan's party, but this time she wore more curls and little jewels throughout her hair. Chuckie tried to keep his eyes from roaming over her, but her dress didn't even start until well below her collarbone, leaving her shoulders and neck completely bare, save for a large blue pendant that hung from a silver chain. Her dress hugged her body all the way down to her hips where it suddenly erupted into a cascade of ruffles.
Angelica put her hand and her hips and quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to say something about how nice I look?"
Chuckie was viciously yanked back into reality as his entire face went red.
"S—sorry, I . . ." He cleared his throat. "You look really nice."
She smiled and Chuckie felt himself relax a little. "You don't look so bad yourself Finster. Now let's get this show on the road."
"Corsage," his mother reminded gently.
"Oh, right!" Chuckie hurried over to the couch where a small box was sitting. He grabbed it and hurried back over to Angelica.
"Really?" she asked sounding pleasantly surprised.
"Sorry," he whispered, "my parents insisted." The next few minutes were a flurry of camera flashes and more apologies as Chuckie slid the little blue corsage onto Angelica's wrist and his parents forced them to pose for what had to have been at least a thousand pictures.
"Have fun," his mother called when they were finally permitted to leave. Chuckie glanced at the clock and grimaced when he noted that it was nearly seven forty five.
"Don't stay out too late," his dad called as Chuckie closed the door. Once on the other side Chuckie sighed heavily in relief.
"You weren't kidding about the pictures," Angelica chuckled as she walked to the car.
"That actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting."
She gave him a skeptical look.
"Trust me," he said as he opened her door, "It could have been a lot worse."
"I'll take your word for it." She muttered as she struggled to fit her ruffled skirt into her car.
"Um . . . do you need help or something?"
"It's a lot of dress. I think I've got it." She nodded at him to close her door. He carefully pushed it shut as she held her dress out of the way. She gave him a thumbs up and he hurried around the side of the car and got in. He tried not to smirk at Angelica practically drowning in ruffles with her hands on the steering wheel.
"Not a word Finster."
Angelica heaved a sigh of relief as Chuckie helped her out of the car. Her dress was just snug enough to make breathing uncomfortable when she was sitting down. He waited patiently as she smoothed out the wrinkles and folds that driving had put in the snug fabric. When she was done she smiled at him, took his arm, and the two of them walked into the school gym together.
"Wow." Chuckie said as he glanced around. "This place looks great!"
Angelica raised an eyebrow at the paper streamer and brightly colored balloons. "I didn't realize your standards were so low."
He shrugged in response and Angelica remembered with a twinge of guilt that this was his first school dance. They were still standing just inside the door so he could take in the sights while she glanced around in search of her friends. It didn't take long for her to spot a tall blonde waving frantically at her. She nudged Chuckie with her elbow and pointed.
"There's Brittany!" Angelica began pulling him across the room toward her friends. Chuckie obediently followed.
As she met up with her friends and their dates, Denise pulled her into a hug.
"So," she asked as she glanced at Chuckie, "Did he pass out?"
"No, but I'm pretty sure he forgot how to breathe for a bit."
They both giggled and Chuckie eyed them suspiciously.
Savannah and Brittany joined them and the girls began complementing each other on their appearance, leaving the boys to talk among themselves. To Angelica's astonishment Chuckie seemed perfectly at ease as he chatted with three of the most popular juniors in school. She kept glancing over at him, shocked that he was fitting in so well.
As she stared she realized there was something different about him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. A fit of giggles snapped her out of her reverie and back to the conversation. Her friends were staring at her and not bothering to hold back their laughter.
"What?" she snapped.
"You've got it bad Ang," Denise told her.
Her heart stopped for a second and she immediately shook her head in denial. "You're crazy! I—" her protest was cut short as she followed her friends' gazes to something over her shoulder. She spun around to find Chuckie right behind her.
There was definitely something different about him and the look in his eyes as he held his hand out to Angelica made her breath catch in her throat.
"May I have this dance?" he asked.
Angelica nodded dumbly and gave him her hand. She didn't even hear her friends giggling behind her as Chuckie led her to the dance floor.
She tried to stop the rapid fluttering of her heart as they slowly walked through the crowded room, but with sudden jolt she realized a slow song was playing. Chuckie placed his hands on her hips and she knew any attempts to calm her heart were useless.
He was blushing, probably because of their close proximity, but his smile didn't fade and the look in his eyes stayed the same. Angelica scrutinized him trying to figure out what had changed. She took in the posture of his shoulders, that odd expression he was wearing . . . the smile. He was an entirely different boy than the pathetic cowering kid she had forced to be her boyfriend.
This Chuckie radiated confidence and she smiled warmly at him knowing that it was her push that got him there. He looked happy and with a momentary pinch of sadness Angleica was glad that when they actually broke up he would have gained something worthwhile from their time together.
The pair swayed back and forth—not really dancing due to Angelica's foot—but Chuckie never took his eyes off of her. Angelica usually delighted in the attention of others, but the intensity of Chuckie's gaze was making her blush. It was something she was entirely unaccustomed to. She glanced away, her heart was in desperate need of a break, but Chuckie put his hand on her cheek and turned her face back toward him.
Angelica wasn't sure she had the endurance to handle this new confidant Chuckie. He smiled at her, gently stroking her cheek. She vaguely noticed that they had stopped swaying and was about to say something about it when the hand that had been on her hip slid around to the small of her back and pulled her closer to him.
Anything she had been about to say fled from her thoughts as Chuckie leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She couldn't think, no shred of reason was left in her brain and on instinct she slid her hand into his hair and deepened their kiss.
Someone clearing their throat loudly beside her kicked her brain into gear again. She pulled away from Chuckie and glared over at whoever had felt the need to ruin their moment. Her entire body flushed with white hot rage as her eyes settled on Timmy McNulty.
"What do you want?" she practically growled.
"I thought you might be thirsty." He offered her a cup of whatever fruity drink the dance committee had decided to serve. Angelica eyed it suspiciously.
"Thanks, but I don't accept drinks from strange men."
"What about you Finster? Thirsty?" Before Chuckie could respond Timmy dumped the entire contents of the cup onto Chuckie.
Angelica stood frozen with wide eyes as she watched the red liquid drip down Chuckie's hair and face to stain his jacket and shirt. The harsh braying of Timmy McNulty's laughter brought her temper flaring to life. She spun and slapped McNulty across the face. The smack was so loud that it could be heard over the music. She shoved him away from her and grabbed Chuckie's hand pulling him out of the gym.
Chuckie stood completely dumbfounded as Angelica began tugging on his jacket. He understood with absolute clarity that he had been completely wrong about Timmy McNulty. Chuckie hadn't ended a war, he had started one. McNulty was never going to leave him or Angelica alone. He barely noticed as Angelica began unbuttoning his shirt. He was still reeling at the idea of someone doing something so cruel.
He felt terrible. This was supposed to be his chance to impress Angelica, they were supposed to have a fun night out together. This was his last chance to change her mind, and McNulty had ruined it in a juvenile attempt to regain his pride.
Angelica's words cut into his thoughts. "Of course it's dry clean only." She spat as she glared at the shirt in her hands. He hadn't even noticed her taking it off. "Don't worry Finster, I'll pay for it. It's my fault McNulty started bothering you in the first place." She sounded more hurt than angry and Chuckie wished he knew what to say to make her feel better.
"It isn't your fault." He frowned at her and wiped some punch off of his face. "I'm the one who punched him."
She took his hand and began pulling Chuckie toward the parking lot. "Something you would have never done if I hadn't forced you to be my pretend boyfriend." The word pretend still felt like a slap across the face Chuckie wondered if the word would have disappeared if Timmy hadn't shown up.
She sighed. "C'mon. Let's get you home."
He pulled his arm out of her grip. "I can just call my parents for a ride." He said quickly. "I mean, so you can stay at the dance."
"Its fine, I'll take you home. It's the least I can do." Guilt began to squirm its way through him and he suddenly couldn't look at her as she took his arm again and led him to her car. Her night was over because of him. Chuckie sat down in the car and stayed absolutely still worrying that he would get punch on her seat or dress. They rode to his house in silence while he stared out the window.
Angelica got herself out of the car with no trouble this time and walked Chuckie to the door. She nodded to the shirt and jacket that he had draped over his arm. "Go change and I'll take these to the dry cleaner in the morning for you."
With his eyes on his shoes he shook his head. "It's fine. We already paid a 'just in case' fee, so it's covered. Sorry again." He still couldn't bring himself to look at her.
"It's not your fault," she said quietly, her voice sounded almost pleading, but what she wanted from him, Chuckie had no idea.
They stood in awkward silence for a minute or two then Angelica cleared her throat. "Look Finster, I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but my foot is feeling a lot better now so . . . so just let me know when you've decided on your payment."
He nodded knowing there was nothing he could say this time to change her mind, but desperately wishing there was.
"Just . . . just let me know, and thanks, for everything." He heard her skirt rustle as she spun and walked away. He didn't watch her go, just stepped dejectedly inside his house and closed the door firmly behind him.
There was a lump in Angelica's throat as she walked toward her front door. She was furious and depressed at the same time. She had watched Chuckie go from some crazy confidant gentleman back to a sulking, cowardly nerd. Damn you McNulty. She wanted to cry and scream and punch someone all at once. She opened her front door to find her dad on the couch watching a movie. He paused it when he caught sight of her.
"You're back early." There was concern etched on his brow. "How was the dance?"
She slapped on her brightest smile. "Great," she lied. "I just got tired from dancing and we decided to call it a night." Angelica motioned to her foot and her dad nodded in sympathy. "I'm gonna head to bed." She walked over and kissed her dad's cheek. "Night Daddy."
"Goodnight Angel."
She held her composure until she reached the top of the stairs and was safely behind her door. Her entire body feel heavy with the weight of what she had said to Chuckie. With slow labored motions she took of her dress, slipped into a pair of pajamas, and began pulling bobby pins out of her hair. The image of Chuckie's face after McNulty had doused him kept returning to her mind, and each time she thought of it the lump in her throat grew bigger.
One thing was absolutely clear to her. Angelica wanted to kiss Chuckie again. She wanted to hold his hand, to smile at him, to call him just so she could hear his stupid voice. She flopped down on her bed and let herself cry with no self-restraint. She was in love with him, and it hurt like hell.
After his shower Chuckie sat on the living room couch in pajamas revisiting the most important events of the evening.
I kissed Angelica and she kissed me back. He reminded himself. Chuckie had been talking to Steve, Aaron, and Todd about football. In reality he had been listening and nodding politely because the only thing he knew about football was that all three of the guys he was talking to played it. He had heard Angelica and Denise giggling and had glanced over. They both looked at him and giggled more, confirming his suspicion that he was what they were giggling about.
"You are one lucky dude." Steve had said as he clapped his hand on Chuckie's shoulder. "I don't know how you did it, but that girl is nuts for you."
He had looked at the three burly guys in confusion as they all nodded in agreement. For brief moment he had dared to imagine that they were right. He had taken initiative, made his move, and for those few seconds he had everything wanted.
Then I took a punch bath. Somehow Chuckie knew he'd never get the sound of Timmy's laughter out of his head. Who did I think I was kidding? He wondered to himself. I've always been a loser and nothing is ever going to change that. Timmy had merely confirmed what he'd known all along.
Angelica broke up with me. Again. He didn't blame her. He had just stood there like an idiot until she dragged him out of the room. Of course she hadn't wanted to go back to the dance after that, everyone would be talking about her, and not in a good way.
He sighed heavily. He'd somehow managed to make things even worse for her.
Chuckie slid his hand down his face and resolved to avoid Angelica at all costs. It was better that way. He had dealt with his fair share of bullying over the years and it was clear now why his parents had always told him to never fight back. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Feeling empty and broken Chuckie picked up the remote from beside him on the couch and was about to turn on the TV when Kimi came bursting through the front door with Lil at her heels. The two were having a conversation at three times the appropriate volume and Chuckie sighed and set down the remote.
"What's wrong Chuckie?" Lil asked, noticing him as soon as she walked in the door.
Kimi glanced at the nearest clock then back at Chuckie. "The dance can't be over already." One look at his face must have given away his feelings because Lil set down her bag and sat beside him on the couch as Kimi stepped closer.
"What happened?"
"Some jerk dumped punch on me and I decided to call it a night."
"What?" both girls cried in unison.
Chuckie shrugged.
"Ooooh I bet Angelica ripped him a new one!"
"Wait, you went to a dance with Angelica?"
Kimi turned to Lil and began explaining her misguided understanding about his and Angelica's relationship. With a heavy sigh Chuckie dropped the remote and began trudging back up the stairs to his room.
"Chuckie, wait!" Lil called out.
He stopped and turned around. She looked at Kimi for a moment then back to Chuckie. "I know you've taken more than your share of bullying over the years and I'm sorry that it ruined your night." She wrapped her arms around him in a too-tight hug, pinning his arms to his sides, and soon Kimi wrapped herself around both of them.
"You're the best brother ever," hhe told him.
"As someone who has a brother, I'd have to agree."
Chuckie let out a small laugh.
"Just don't tell Phil I said that."
"Thanks," he whispered when they finally released him, "but I think I just want to be alone tonight."
He was halfway up the stairs when Kimi came running after him, "At least your girl wasn't there to see it right?" She gave him another hug and ran back down to join her friend. Chuckie groaned and slid his hand down his face.