A/N: So... it's been verrry long once again! Apologies to you all as usual. I've been busy at work with some major independent film projects so I've been failing miserably at balancing everything. But I'll try, I promise y'all! As a matter of fact, be sure to check in soon for the chapter after this, because it is finished! I just need to make some necessary revisions! Now I'll stop talking and allow you guys to reaaaad! Review afterwards! And enjoy, of course!
Chapter 25: When Her Senior Prom Was a Hit... Or a Miss
Moze's POV
If Ned asking me to prom turned out this amazing, prom could only get better. But I didn't cross my fingers--I had a tendency to jinx all good things!
Thank goodness I didn't cross my fingers, too. Prom turned out to be one of the most amazing and memorable nights in my life.
But it was what happened after prom that had me in a total state of confusion with myself and with Ned.
::When My Senior Prom Was a Hit… Or a Miss::
The weeks went by quickly as prom came nearer and nearer. All of the girls, including Lonnie, and I had gone dress shopping everyday after Ned asked me to prom, all of us searching for the perfect dress to wear to our last high school prom… with the exception of Xavier, Lonnie, and Logan. They still had some time, but the rest of us--the seniors--were preparing for our last high school prom.
Now it was the night of prom, and like always, the preparation was at my house. The night before, everyone stayed at my house so that the next morning we could go to the spa and get pampered. There, we got facials, pedicures, and manicures. After about three hours of pure relaxation there, we went to the salon and got our hair and makeup done.
By the time we were at my house, donned in our dresses, everyone looked breathtaking. That day, multiple pictures were snapped--luckily, I had an extra memory card to be filled for the actual prom!
"Guess where I'm going tonight after the prom?" Hollie, in her deep purple gown, asked as she watched herself twirl in the mirror.
"Where?" Suzie asked, clasping a simple bracelet around her wrist.
"The Hilton Hotel. Xavier got a room for us!"
We all stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?" Lisa asked.
Hollie stopped and turned to us with a frown. "What? You guys don't seem excited at all."
"I mean… don't you think it's a little cliché going to a hotel after prom?" I asked, taking my turn in front of the mirror. I had to say, I was shocked at how… how lovely I looked. I looked almost ethereal and otherworldly. Lisa even said to me on the sly that I looked more amazing than Suzie, and that's something that just doesn't happen. However, with my soft brown curls hanging down my back, two braids tied together behind my head like a halo, and the soft makeup done to perfection, it was easier for me to believe Lisa.
The dress I wore pulled the entire ethereal look all together. It was unlike any dress I usually wore. Instead of the sexy, dangerous look I tended to reach for, the dress was strapless and white with a heart-shaped neckline and fell down to my feet in a filmy, almost translucent waterfall, slightly dragging behind me. An elegant gold rope that resembled the braids in my hair accentuated my waist and made it look tinier than usual. That was accessorized with gold dangling earrings, gold bangles that strapped up my arm, and gold Jimmy Choo heels. Earlier that day, most of the girls also went to a tanning salon to get a little bronze. Only Kesha, Kath, and I objected to it. Because I didn't have a tan, that made my skin look paler than usual, making me look somewhat like a porcelain doll.
I remembered stepping into my room when I finished getting dressed and every girl staring with hanging mouths at me. Always the nice hostess, I'd allowed everyone to dress before me, so I was the last one to be finished. When the other girls entered, everyone cheered and hooted sexual innuendos (playfully, of course), making us all crack up.
But they didn't say a single word when I came in.
"What?" I questioned, rubbing my hands down the dress. "Does it look weird? I didn't try it on when I bought it because I didn't have that much time… but I fell in love with it anyway. I--I have another back up dress in my closet if this looks horrible on me. Don't--"
"Jennifer, are you freaking kidding?" Suzie spoke up first, eyes wider than saucers.
"Do I look that stupid?"
"Far, far from it." Lonnie said, flattening her silverish dress to her legs as if suddenly she were self-conscious.
"Jennifer"--why was everyone calling me by my name now?--"you look like a goddess." Lisa said quietly. "You could be Aphrodite, the way you look. No, no… not Aphrodite. An angel! You look like an angel."
"Have you seen yourself?" Kesha asked curiously.
I shook my head sheepishly, embarrassed by their praise. "No, I wanted to hear the feedback first."
"You should definitely look at yourself right now." Hollie told me, taking my hand and pulling me to the mirror. I stood in front of it and sucked in a deep breath. I wasn't expecting to look so… lovely. It was like another person staring back at me in the mirror. I could see why Lisa said I looked like an angel.
"Wow." I said to myself, making everyone else laugh.
"Yeah, wow is right." Kath whispered before shaking her head. "Ned's going to go mad. Mad, I tell you!"
After that, the laughs picked back up and continued up until Hollie made her announcement.
She stared at me with a pout. "It's not cliché! It's going to be amazing, you know? Totally romantic. It's the freaking Hilton!"
We all laughed. "Hollie," Kesha started, "haven't you and Xavier already done the deed?"
Hollie shrugged. "Yeah, but it'll be different tonight. I can feel it."
"I hope you have fun, then!" Suzie said enthusiastically. "Because… well, I was thinking that maybe Coco and I should, you know, make love, too. It's the end of the year, and who knows how much longer we have together?"
"All summer?" I offered.
"No, not all summer." Suzie frowned as she told us, "He got an internship at the University of Florida and is going down there a week after graduation to start. We have one week together before he has to leave me. I just wish we had more time, guys. We just got together."
"Oh my God!" We all said together, disbelief on all of our faces. She was right--she really didn't have much time left. I couldn't imagine not being able to spend my last summer before college with Ned.
Suzie nodded. "I didn't want to tell anybody because it's so depressing talking about it. But, I figured I'd tell you tonight since nothing can bring me down now! I'm too excited! And tonight, I'm pretty sure it's going to happen."
I heard all of their chatter and couldn't believe what I was hearing. It shocked me mostly because my mind was in the exact same place as theirs. I wanted to make this night special--memorable. And what better way to make it that incredible than to give a part of myself to Ned that he'd never experienced before?
"GIRLS! THE BOYS HAVE ARRIVED WITH THE LIMO!" The parents shouted downstairs. All of our parents had driven over to wave us off. Afterwards, they probably would all stand around and converse about how quickly we'd grown and blah, blah, blah!
It was nice, though.
All of us started squealing excitedly, but Suzie stopped them and asked, "Okay, what order are we going down the stairs in?"
"Whatever order we go, make sure that Moze is last." Kath spoke up quickly. "It's your house, so we'll save you for last. The best for last."
Everyone quickly agreed, which made me smile at them appreciatively. After that, the girls all got in order and descended the stairs as if they were in a beauty pageant. We could hear the camera flashes and the coos from the parents.
After Lisa took her turn down, it was my turn. For some odd reason, I was really nervous. It wasn't because I was afraid I'd trip and fall down the steps or because everyone may stare up at me in stunned silence again, but because Ned's reaction was going to mean the world to me. It would determine the issue I was weighing in my head. It would determine whether or not I would go through with it or not.
"Moze? Are you up there?" My dad called expectantly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here. Just…" Without another thought, I began my slow walk down the stairs, keeping my eyes on my long gown that trailed behind me. When I hit the last step, I finally looked up to see everyone staring at me in that stunned silence that happened upstairs.
The parents, Cookie, and Logan all wore adoring smiles. The boys stood awkwardly, not knowing if they were allowed to look at their girlfriend's friend the way I'm sure they wanted to. And Ned…
My breath hitched when my eyes landed on him. He looked absolutely debonair in his classic black and white tux. It was so unlike him to even dress up for prom. The past two years he'd gone, he always managed to wear some disco-like outfit. But now… my God, he looked stunning.
The camera flashes broke me out of my fascination with my boyfriend, and I smiled sheepishly into the lens. I took my final steps down and Ned stepped forward, just as nervous as me. It was a really intimate and out of character moment, and it was weird that everyone was witnessing it. But I didn't hear or see any of them. My eyes were only on Ned.
"You told me that you'd be wearing white with gold things… I mean, um, accessories, so…" He stopped talking and pulled a box from behind him. It was my corsage. A perfect, white corsage with a gold middle.
"Ned." I said, barely above a whisper. I held my wrist out as he slid it on. After that, he held my hand up to his lips and left a lasting kiss there, his eyes never leaving mine.
"You look…" He said, shaking his head as no words came from his mouth.
"Is it your turn to make up a word?" I asked with a slight giggle at our inside joke.
He quietly laughed, too, and placed another blazing kiss on my hand. Quickly, though, after realizing we had an audience, he released my hand, though he did brush his fingertips across my cheek. "When I find the word, I'll get back to you."
I grinned now, playing with the corsage that sat on my wrist.
"Okay, kids. I want pictures!" Mrs. Bigby said now.
For the next twenty minutes, the parents took so many pictures, the flash from the camera kept flicking in my head long after pictures were taken. First, we had to pose along the stairs three times: all the boys, all the girls, then the couples. After that, we took individual couples pictures. Then, after those pictures, they had us take pictures with our parents. Ned's mom and dad stood behind him while my parents stood behind me. This continued with all the other parents, as well. Finally, we took a group picture before they agreed to let us go to our dance.
With grateful waves and byes, we hurried to the long stretch limo, where everyone instantly started cheering and chatting. Xavier popped a bottle of champagne and started pouring glasses for everybody.
But Ned and I were across the limo from everyone else, quietly looking at each other as if we had seen the other for the first time moments ago. Unlike the blatant make-out session that Xavier and Hollie were involved in, we subtly touched one another--like how our fingertips continued to make contact--and found that twice as intimate as anyone else.
"Hey! Look up Ned and Moze!" Lisa called.
We snapped our heads up at the same time and she snapped the photo, smile on her face the whole time. "You guys look really cute, by the way."
We smiled in unison but didn't say anything. Ned reached over and grabbed my hand while his other stroked my cheek again. "Exquisite."
"Is that the word?"
"It's the only word I can think of for now. My mind is blank. I'm sure I'll find something more descriptive later."
Sighing intently, I relaxed into his caress and closed my eyes, despite the loud noise in the background. "You look exquisite, too."
"I am nothing next to you. I probably don't even deserve to be taking you to prom."
I opened my eyes at his words. I leaned forward and cupped his face in both of my hands. "Ned, do not say that. You are the only one who could ever take me to prom or to anywhere else. Haven't you realized that I'm all yours yet, numbskull?"
He didn't crack a smile. He reached his hands up and wrapped them around my own. "I really love you. The only way I can go to sleep at night is if you're the last person on my mind. Do you know how much I love you?"
I kissed his hand. "Yeah, I do."
He brought his face to mine and we shared a sweet kiss that made my knees feel like jelly.
"Are you two just going to stare at each other all night?" Leo shouted over the music to Ned and me. "The parties over here! Come join!"
Kesha playfully hit him for interrupting our romantic moment, but we didn't mind. It was actually good that Leo interrupted our moment before the both of us got carried away right there in that limo.
Prom was a hit. The hotel we had it in allowed two camels to stand at its entrance. I wasn't surprised to see the younger girls scantily clad in dresses that you'd wear to an informal event. However, the older girls, who knew and understood how significant this last dance was to our high school lives, dressed in classier dresses. And, I must say, my entire group looked the best.
After we took the typical prom pictures with the camels under a banner that read Arabian Nights, we entered the scene, which was electric with dance fever. All of us girls immediately hit the floor and just danced around like it was no one's business, just enjoying the time we had with each other.
The boys quickly ran up and took their chance to whisk us away and have their own dances with us.
Needless to say, the night was perfect.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please!" Mrs. Bridges and Mr. Rodriguez said into the microphone. As the music faded, everyone moved closer to the platform that our teachers stood on. "Is everyone having a good time?" She shouted out, receiving an exhilarated response. "Great, great. I have some great news for you guys! Now, it is the moment that you all have been waiting for! It's time to announce prom king and queen!"
I sighed and stared up at Ned, who had his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "I do not feel like going up on that stage."
"Why?" He asked.
"Because I don't want to leave your arms."
He kissed my neck tenderly. "Do you think I feel like going up there either? I'm very comfortable right here."
"Would the Prom Court please come up on stage?" Mrs. Bridges requested.
Ned took my hand and led me up onto the stage. He stood over where the nominees for Prom King were. Alongside him were Seth Powers, of course, and another basketball player named Matthew Killicks.
I took my position between Missy Meanie and Suzie Crabgrass.
"Our second runner up for prom king is… MATTHEW KILLICKS!"
Loud cheers exploded for the notorious and huge jock, who pumped his fist in the air excitedly.
"Our second runner up for prom queen is…" Mr. Rodriguez tried not to cringe when he announced in a somewhat dull voice, "Missy Meanie."
All of Missy's friends cheered for her. Every person afraid of her cheered for her even louder.
"And now for the Prom King and Queen." Mrs. Bridges tittered excitedly. Wasn't it ironic how the exes were up for candidacy for the titles? "Would Ned Bigby and Seth Powers step forward, please?"
The two boys stepped forward, and I couldn't even peel my eyes off of Ned as he smiled to himself at the cheers that the two received from the many girls. I couldn't hold the smile, either. The girls loved my boyfriend.
"It was close, I must say. But your 2009 Prom King is… SETH POWERS!"
The crowd went wild at this news, his basketball buddies hollering extra loud for him. Before Mrs. Bridges put the crown and sash around Seth, she went to Ned and put a sash on him that read Prom Prince. After that, she crowned and sashed Seth as King.
"Would Suzie Crabgrass and Jennifer Mosley step forward?" Mr. Rodriguez now asked.
We took a step forward, gripping each other's hands.
"And your Prom Queen is… JENNIFER MOSLEY!" He exclaimed (yes, he actually exclaimed).
Suzie hugged me closely before Mr. Rodriguez put a sash on her that read Prom Princess. Right after, he put the sash that read Queen on me and placed the tiara on my head.
"Would everyone clear the dance floor as the Queen and King share the traditional dance?"
Everyone hooted and hollered, and we heard quite a few remarks about it being the Battle of the Exes as Seth and I made our way to the floor. My eyes landed on Ned, who smiled at me. I knew that two minutes into the song, he and Suzie would join us before the regular music was played again.
Seth placed his arms on my waist while I put mine on his neck. He smirked. "What do you know? Even when we're not a couple, we still get stuck together."
I laughed. "Weird, huh?"
"Even though both of us have different partners to waltz with, they always will see us as the perfect couple, won't they?" Seth pondered.
"We were together for a good while. They saw us as the model couple."
He didn't say anything as he simply stared down at my face. "You know… you are, with no competition, the most beautiful girl here tonight. Ned is lucky to even get to escort you. He's double lucky that he gets to be your best friend, and even luckier that he gets you as his girlfriend."
Again, I laughed. "Seth, stop it."
"It's the truth. I just… you know…" He didn't have to finish his sentence. I knew what he was talking about. If I hadn't been in love since I first saw Ned, I wonder how my relationship with Seth would have been. Obviously, the guy would have treated me well given the opportunity. But I'd never given him that. Like he said, he was unfaithful because of the obvious feelings I had for my Ned.
"Who knows what would've happened. But we have to remember that everything does happen for a reason." I said as an explanation. "And we have more than most exes have: friendship."
By this time, Ned and Suzie were out on the dance floor, probably having a similar conversation.
"I'm glad that I got that." He whispered, his eyes bright as if he were remembering something. "Make sure that next year I'm over your house for Thanksgiving. I think your Aunt Greta has a crush on me."
We both laughed at his words. "Yeah, she's definitely hot for you. Whenever I talk to her, it's all about you, Seth. She's probably signing the divorce papers just so she can have a chance with you."
He grinned. "Tell her I already got the engagement ring."
The song ended and we stepped away from each other. "Thank you for that dance, madam." He said with a smirk.
"No, thank you… for everything. You've helped me a lot, Seth, believe it or not."
"I definitely believe it." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I'll catch you later."
He walked off and right there in clear view was Ned, looking at me with that damn passionate stare as if I was the only person in the room.
My skin blazed as he walked over and stood in front of me, eyes never leaving mine. Only a foot away from each other, I felt my hand twitch involuntarily just because of his closeness. The lack of contact was disturbing.
He noticed and smiled, taking my hand in his. "The tiara fits you, honey."
He called me honey again. This time when he did it, I felt a thrill that started from my toes and swirled up to my head, making me dizzy with happiness. "Thank you." I had no clue what to say next. I just wanted to be in his arms again, so I lifted my own arms around his neck and pressed against him. Instinctively, his arms went around my waist, holding me tightly to him.
We didn't dance. We didn't move. We just stood in our embrace, our eyes connected. Words were pointless. We could read everything in each other's heated gaze.
This can't be real. This can't be real. This can't be real. That's all that ran through my head as I experienced this extreme love and this extreme bliss. It was unrealistic how real this love I felt for Ned was. He was The One. Ned Bigby was my one and only. There could never be another. And looking into his eyes, I knew he felt the exact same way.
"This is unreal." I whispered in his ear.
He kissed me gently right below my earlobe. "I know. This feeling doesn't happen in real life."
"But it is." I breathed. I brought my hands to his face and said, "I have something to tell you, Ned."
"What's that?"
I let my lips sit a mere centimeter away from his before murmuring, "I want you to be my first… tonight."
His eyes widened and he backed his head away. "Tonight?"
"Yeah, tonight. I never want to forget this night."
He again pulled away. "That's a big decision, Jennifer. Are you sure you want to do it so soon?"
"As long as I'm with you, I know I'll be alright."
He pushed my hair behind my shoulder, his fingers brushing across my collarbone and sending chills down my spine. "I want you to be sure when you make this decision. I don't want you to regret losing something so important."
I grinned. "But it's with you. I want you to be that guy, no matter what happens to you and me in the future. If we don't settle down and get married one of these days, then I want to remember that it was my best friend who I shared that special moment with."
I didn't like the way he was looking at me, as if I was making the biggest mistake in my life. It was like he didn't want to be my first; it seemed that he didn't want me.
"No, no, no." He suddenly said. "Don't even think that I don't want you. I can see it all over your face. How bad I want you is what I'm scared of. If you only want to do it because you know I do, I don't want you to do anything."
"Ned," I whispered, "I want to because I trust and love you."
He looked into my eyes trying to find any reason not to believe me, but when he smiled and said, "I'm all yours," I knew everything was perfect.
The after party was incredible! Everyone who was at prom headed over to a low budget hotel for some unsupervised fun where many promiscuous acts took place and a lot of drinking was partaken in. Ned and I, however, stayed away from all the alcohol and hard core partying. We wanted to be completely sober later tonight when we planned to make love for the first time.
So during the after party, I tried to keep my excitement at a minimum and instead just had fun with my friends and boyfriend. But around two in the morning, I looked to Ned and shot him a ready look.
Quickly, we told our friends that we were ready to leave. None of them were, so we agreed to send the limo back to pick them up.
The road home was a calm one where I laid in Ned's lap as he stroked my hair, both of us anxious for what was soon going to happen.
We got out of the limo, thanking our driver, and then hopped into Ned's car. He drove quickly to the empty beach. He parked and grabbed all of the blankets he always kept in his car. Taking my hand, he pulled me out of the car and guided me along the beach. I watched as he spread three of the four blankets onto the sand, leaving the third to cover us when we were…
My breath hitched at the thought of the two of us having sex here at the beach; the very spot that my love for Ned manifested itself again.
He took off his necktie and stared up at me. "The tide is pretty calm. The water shouldn't reach us right here." He explained. When I still didn't move, he stood up and said, "Hey, if you changed your mind, it's okay. We don't have to, you know?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I know. And it's not that. I just… this is so surreal. Everything is just perfect. So perfect."
He pulled me down onto the blanket and I lay on my back, my hair splayed all around my face. "You're perfect." He traced his finger down the swoop of my nose to the curve of my lips. "You look like an angel laid out here like this."
Embarrassed, I turned my head to the side and smiled. His flattery was a good way to my heart. "Ned, shut up."
"It's the truth. How did I get so lucky?" He took advantage of my turned neck and buried his head into the dip of my shoulders, leaving tender kisses down to my collarbone. I took in a sharp breath, not expecting the electric currents that shot into my body at his mere touch.
He leaned up for a moment and took off his jacket, and shortly thereafter his shirt. A couple of buttons snapped in his haste. I put my hands on his chest. "Slow down, Ned. There's no rush."
He smiled. "You're right. We have plenty of time."
At his words, I thought about the entire summer that Ned and I had before us. Thought of the possibility that we may be going to college with each other. Thought of all the time we'd have in the future.
"I'm sorry." I said as I sat up. "I--I thought I was ready, but I'm not."
He got up as well. "Do not apologize."
"Yeah, but I got your hopes all up and now we're not even going to do it."
"My hopes were not all up. I just want to make you happy." He kissed my cheek. "And we have so much time together, Moze, it's ridiculous. Suzie was telling me how she and Coconut Head only have until a week after graduation. We have months with each other before we have to leave each other."
I sat up even straighter now. "Wait… we may go to the same college. We both got accepted to Washington University in St. Louis. Who knows how that will work out?"
"Not now. Not tonight." He quietly hushed that topic of conversation. "Let's just… lay here until the sun rises."
We curled into each other underneath the thick blanket, my eyes already drifting closed.
"I thought of something better than exquisite." Ned said quietly.
My ear was pressed to his chest and the rhythm of his steady heart was like a lullaby. His voice pulled me a step away from unconsciousness. "What's that?"
"Dangerously beautiful."
I laughed, at his words, my eyes closing again. "Yeah, that's perfect."
::End::
We may not have physically gone to that special place, but mentally, we were there. We'd always been there; we just now realized that it was where we belonged together.
But after such a perfect night, we would have to face the problem the both of us had been avoiding so much. We had to discuss our college plans.
A/N: HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THIS CHAPTER!! Again, sorry for the wait and I'll get back soon with a new chapter! REVIEW and MUCH LOVE!