"Turn right over here, Tuck," said Wendy.

We pulled up into Carrots's driveway ten minutes early. I feel a little jittery. This is the first time I've ever been here since Wendy usually rides with Clara. And I wanted to ask her something...

I get out to look around. They have a nice place. It calms me down a little. It's sort of like being on my piece of land that Gramps left for me with the fresh air and birds and trees. I turn and see her coming out the house and that calmness I had a moment ago vanishes.

"Hey Carrots," I say. "Beautiful day for shopping." Honestly, I've never understood girls and shopping when it's perfectly fine to wear a hoodie with jeans and tennis shoes (or snow boots, depending on what time of year it is). But prom's around the corner so I guess girls all over the world are wasting away a beautiful day for the mall.

"Yep," she says. Best come back she's ever attempted.

Wendy slams the door and says 'hi' to Angela. They start, what I personally think, an awkward conversation. I turn back to the woods before I start starring at her or say something that I didn't mean to say like maybe that I think she's beautiful and that I really like her. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Clara walking down the steps towards me. Calm down Tuck, she's just walking down the stairs to talk to you. No big deal other than the fact you've wished since day 1 that she would come up and talk to you.

I didn't know what to talk about so I decided to talk about prom since Wendy has either been constantly talking about prom or her internship.

"Shopping for prom, huh?" I ask. I realize how uncomfortable I was now that I brought prom up. She probably has a date with a really popular guy like Christian. I try to keep my shoulders from sagging at the thought since I really wanted to ask her out to prom today even if I'm going out with three other girls that night. I know how that sounds, and I'm not a player, I swear. They were some of my friends on the rodeo team who didn't have a date and this is the first year to prom, nobody has to be dateless unless they want to be.

"Um, kind of." she says. "Wendy needs shoes. Angela's after accessories, since her mom's making her dress. And I'm along for the ride, I guess." That's weird...

"You're not going to prom?" I ask.

"No." she glances away uncomfortably, back toward the house. I see Wendy turn her head back to Angela and starts talking more seriously. That was weird too

"Why not?" I ask. I mean, come on, someone had to have asked her. She's gorgeous, any guy would be lucky to dance with her.

She gives me a "why do you think?" glare and it hits me. No one really has asked her. That's a little depressing since all the guys I know talk about her and how hot she is.

"No one's asked you?" I ask for clarification. I might have read the glare wrong.

She shakes her head. "Shocking, right?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." I say. She's beautiful and smart and I bet she's a great dancer. I'd be the happiest guy in the world to have her in my arms all night. Now's your chance, Tuck! Ask her to prom! You can't let her skip it!

I rub the back of my neck because it suddenly gets hot from how nervous I am. I look back at the woods because I don't really want her to see me blushing like crazy at the moment. I clear my throat so my voice doesn't crack when I ask her out. I'm about to ask her to be my date when my tongue betrays me.

"Go stag," I say instead of 'Will you go to prom with me?'. Darn it! "That's what I would do." That's is most certainly NOT what I would do! I would most certainly like you, the girl of my dreams, to go to the dance with me!

"I guess," she says with laughter in her voice. My ears turn pink. I really didn't mean to tell her to go stag, but if she does, I would still get a chance to dance with her that night. What bothers me is that all the other guys who like her will also get a chance to dance with her.

Seeing that this conversation is making the both of us a little awkward, I start to get ready to leave.

I turn to Wendy. "I gotta take off. Come here a sec," I say to her.

"Clara's going to take me home," she says. "So I won't be needing your services anymore today, Jeeves." I nod. Thanks a lot sis for embarrassing me in front of Clara...

I take Wendy's arm and drag her over to the other side of Blue Bell since Clara was still standing where she was while we were talking.

"I don't know what prom shoes cost, but this might help," I say to Wendy in a low voice since whispers are annoying and easily heard. I know Wendy probably brought her allowance, but I know prom means a lot to her so I took out fifty dollars and handed it to her so she could buy new shoes or accessories.

"Tucker Avery," Wendy says. "You know I can't take that." I knew she was going to say that.

"I don't know anything," I say back.

She snorts. "You're sweet. But that's rodeo money. I can't take it."

"I'll get more," I say. I really wanted to make it easier for her. I still have the money in my hand and I tried to put it in hers.

"No, Tuck," she says. "I brought some of my own money. You worked hard for that and I'm not going to take it."

"Okay, fine," I grumble. I give her a quick one-arm hug and I sneak the money in her pocket. I turn and get in my truck so she doesn't find out about it while I'm still there. I pulls around the circle of Carrots's house, and stop. I'm forgetting to do one last thing. I pray that this time my tongue won't go haywire on me this time. I roll down the window to lean out.

"Have fun in Idaho. Don't provoke any potato farmers," I say. Okay tongue, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You know full and well that was not the thing I wanted to say.

"Right. Because that would be bad," Wendy says.

"Oh, and, Carrots . . ." I say. Now we're getting somewhere, Tuck.

"Yes?" she asks.

"If you end up going to prom, save me a dance, okay?" I say. I drive out as quickly as I can with old Blue Bell, but not before I caught her expression. It was so adorably confusing that I couldn't help but laugh knowing she wouldn't hear me in my truck. After that, I drove away.I couldn't help but smile all the way to the Lazy Dog. I was so proud that I worked up enough courage and got my tongue to function correctly to finally sorta ask her to the dance. Come on, prom. I've got a date with the lovely Ms. Carrots.