Chapter 26

Saturday, May 18

5:30pm

It's the night of prom. Dick is in the living room waiting for Kori. He is dressed in a suit. The door opens and Logan walks in. He is wearing jeans, a light gray dress shirt and navy vest.

"You're wearing jeans to prom?" Dick asks.

"Raven and I aren't going to prom," Logan replies.

"What? But I thought she bought a dress for prom when the girls all went shopping a few weeks ago."

"She did. She just got one that could be worn for other occasions as well."

"So where are you guys going tonight?"

"We're going out for dinner, then I don't know what we're doing. Raven was in charge of that. I was only in charge of dinner."

"Does Kori know you two aren't going to prom?"

"I haven't told her. I'm guessing Raven didn't tell her either. Otherwise she would be trying to get us to go."

"Why aren't you going?"

"Dances aren't really Raven's thing."

"Well, have fun tonight. We'll be home late."

"Not getting a hotel room, as is typical on prom night?"

"I think 'stereotypical' is a better word. And no, we are not."

"I guess you don't really have to since you've already slept together. It's not as big of a deal." Before Dick can reply, the door opens and Kori and Raven walk in. Kori is wearing a long dark pink dress with an applique bodice ( /catalog/product/view/id/90743/s/dress-s10203/category/141/). Her hair is in a braided updo. Raven is wearing a long navy blue dress with a modified halter neckline ( . ). Her hair is loosely curled and pulled back into a low ponytail.

"You both look beautiful," Logan says.

"Thank you, Friend Logan," Kori says. "You both look good as well. But why are you wearing jeans to the prom?"

Logan glances at Raven then looks back at Kori. "We're not going to prom."

"But you are both dressed for it," she says, confused.

"We're going out but not to prom," Raven says.

"But you bought a dress and we helped each other with our makeup tonight," Kori argues.

"I didn't want to disappoint you earlier," Raven says.

"But why are you not going?" Kori asks.

"I don't like dances," Raven says.

"But Friend Logan does," Kori points out.

"He's okay with not going," Raven replies.

"But—"

"Kori," Dick says, "they don't have to go if they don't want to. And they don't need to have a reason for it."

Kori sighs. "You are right. I'm sorry, Friend Raven, for so many questions."

"You don't need to apologize, Kori," Raven says. "I should apologize for not telling you in the first place."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Friend Raven. Have fun with Friend Logan tonight."

"See you guys later," Dick says. He and Kori walk out of the room. Logan turns to Raven.

"Well that went well," Logan says.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," Raven replies.

"You really do look beautiful."

Raven smiles. "Thank you. You look good too."

"I feel underdressed compared to you. I should go put on dress pants and a jacket."

"You are fine in what you are wearing."

"So what do you have planned for tonight after dinner?"

"I was thinking we could go out to your secret spot and stargaze there. It's supposed to be warm tonight too so we could just stay up there for the night."

"Sounds good to me. I'll have to go pack a bag of some extra clothes. And I'll have to load up my truck with a tent, blankets, and pillows."

"I've already got a bag packed for me. I also have the tent, some pillows, and some blankets set out. It's all in my room. We just need to put it in your truck."

"Let's go grab that stuff and put it in my truck then I'll pack my bag." They go up to Raven's room. They grab the tent, blankets, and pillows and take them down to Logan's truck. They put them in the bed of his truck and Logan covers the items with a tarp. They then go back upstairs, Raven to her room and Logan to his to pack a bag. Logan packs a bag of some extra clothes. He goes over to his closet and pulls out a dark orange tie that he puts on. He puts on his shoes and grabs his bag then goes to Raven's room. She is putting on her shoes. She grabs her bag and walks out of the room with Logan. They go down to the garage and get into his truck. Logan drives them to Zianos for dinner. They are seated at a table and order their drinks and some breadsticks.

"Why'd you put a tie on?" Raven asks.

"I told you I felt underdressed," Logan says. "I think the tie helps a little bit."

"I told you that you were fine. But the tie does look good. Adds some color without standing out too much."

"Thanks. What are you going to order?"

"I'm not sure yet. The lasagna sounds good but so does the chicken Alfredo."

"I think I'm going to get the chicken parmesan." The waitress comes back with their drinks. They place their orders for their meal and their waitress brings their breadsticks a few minutes later. Their entrees arrive ten minutes later. They eat their dinners then decide to split a dessert of a chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate. When they finish, Logan pays their bill and they leave the restaurant. Logan drives them to the parking lot of his secret spot. He parks near the hidden trail.

"I'll get out and you can change out of your dress," Logan says.

"Let's dance first," Raven says.

"I didn't bring the radio this time."

"That's okay. I've got music on my phone." They both get out of the truck. Raven starts playing music on her phone. Logan smiles when he recognizes it.

"You put the CD I made you on your phone?"

"Yes. Now I can listen to it whenever I want." She sets the phone on the tailgate of the truck. Logan takes her hand and pulls her close to dance. During one version where there are vocals, Logan leans his head down by Raven's ear and sings softly.

"Every night in my dreams,

I see you, I feel you

That is how I know you, go on.

Far across the distance,

And spaces between us,

You have come to show you, go on.

Near, far, wherever you are,

I believe that the heart does go on.

Once more, you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on."

Raven smiles and wraps her arms around Logan and leans her head on his chest. "You have a good voice."

"It's not great by any means."

Raven looks up at him. "It's not bad either. You can sing to me anytime."

"I think it's just because of the song that you like my voice."

"Believe me, if you singing ruined the song, I would tell you to never sing again."

Logan laughs. "Now that, I do believe." They dance through the end of the next version of the song then Raven turns the music off.

"I'm going to change out of my dress then we can go up to your spot."

"I'll start grabbing the blankets and pillows." Raven gets into the cab of the truck and changes from her dress into sweats and a t-shirt. She pulls on a sweatshirt as well and puts on tennis shoes. When she gets out of the truck, Logan has uncovered the tent, blankets, and pillows. He has everything packed in a way to make it easier to carry. He takes off his vest, tie, and dress shirt so he is only in a t-shirt. He puts them in the truck, puts his bag on his back, and locks the cab of the truck. He grabs the tent and pillows while Raven grabs the blankets. They go up the trail to the wall of rocks. Raven holds the pillows while Logan climbs up the rocks. He sets his bag and the tent in the clearing on the other side of the rocks then climbs on top of the rocks again. He sits on top and Raven tosses him the pillows then the blankets, which he puts in the clearing. Raven climbs up the rocks to Logan. They both then jump down the other side into the clearing. They set up the tent then put their bags, pillows, and blankets inside. Raven lays one blanket on the ground outside of the tent and they both lay on it, looking up at the stars.

"It's so peaceful out here," Raven says softly.

"Yeah it is," Logan says. "It's nice to get away from the busyness of the city and the Tower. I love our friends but it's nice to have some quiet times."

"Agreed." They lay in silence for a while. Eventually Raven breaks the silence. She leans up on one arm and looks down at Logan. "Thank you for showing me this place all those months ago."

"You're welcome. If you think about it, this is kinda where our relationship really started. This is where we started becoming close."

"The only thing I would change is the circumstances that brought us close."

"I wish it didn't happen either but I also think that if it didn't happen we wouldn't be as close as we are and I don't think we would have started dating."

Raven thinks about it. "You might be right about that. I didn't start having feelings toward you until after we started telling each other our secrets. Or at least I didn't realize I had feelings toward you."

"Everything happens for a reason. Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it's not how hard you can hit. It's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's how much you can take, and keep moving forward."

"Are you becoming a philosopher now?"

"Definitely not. That's a quote from a movie."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Logan grins at her.

"You know I like movies."

"Yes, I do know that. And I know that you quote movies all the time too. They just usually aren't that serious."

"It happens on occasion."

"Very rare occasion." Raven leans down and kisses him. Logan kisses her back. Raven has one hand on Logan's chest. As their kiss intensifies, she moves her hand down his chest to the hem of his shirt. She slides her hand under his shirt and moves back up his chest, pulling up his shirt. She keeps lifting it up and Logan pulls back from the kiss to pull off his shirt then resumes kissing Raven. She moves one leg to the other side of Logan so she is now on top of him. Logan starts kissing Raven's neck and rolls them over so he is on top of her. He moves his right hand from her waist and slips it under her shirt to rest on her bare skin. He strokes his fingers across the bare skin of her waist and slowly slides his hand higher. He lets it rest on the bottom of her ribcage. He traces his kisses back up her neck and jaw to kiss her lips again. Raven moves her hand to his under her shirt. She traces her fingers against the back of his hand then grabs his hand and moves it higher. She puts his hand on her left breast and lays her hand against his. He hesitates then tentatively squeezes her breast lightly. She moans and arches her back, pushing her breast more firmly into his hand. Feeling more confident, he squeezes her breast a little more firmly and traces his fingers over it and along the edge of her bra. Raven removes her hand from his and moves it up into his hair. Logan rubs his thumb back and forth over the front of her bra cup, through which he can feel her nipple harden. Raven moans again and pushes her hips against his. Before they go too far, Logan removes his hand from her breast and softens their kisses. He takes his hand out from under her shirt and puts it on the ground next to her and pushes himself up so he is not pressing into her anymore. He kisses her one last time then lifts his head from her. He moves off of her and sits next to her as she sits up. Her lips are swollen from their kissing and his hair is messed up from her hands in it. Their breathing returns to normal and Logan puts his shirt back on.

"Thank you," Raven says. Logan looks at her, confused. "For stopping," she clarifies. "If you didn't stop, we might've done more than either of us is ready for."

"It was hard to stop," Logan says.

"I could feel how hard it was." Logan looks at Raven shocked and sees her trying to suppress a smirk.

"You are spending too much time around Jenny." Raven laughs. Deciding that they should go to bed, they move into the tent and situate the blankets and pillows into a makeshift bed. They lay down, cuddled together.

"So was this better than going to prom?" Raven asks.

"So much better," Logan replies. He kisses her. "Night Rae."

"Good night." They both close their eyes and fall asleep with smiles on their faces.