I heard the crash as my head bounced off the dash board. It was my
22 birthday. Nothing bad was supposed to happen to me, or at least that's
what I thought. I felt the blood flow down my face as I drifted off into
the unconscious world of a permanent dream. My life began to go through my
mind. It seemed to start with what seemed to be the most important nite of
my life. The last formal of my high school life, a week before graduation.
"T!" I heard him call for me, but I didn't care. I tried to ignore his yelling as I finished my make-up for the nite. "T!" There he was, calling for me again. He was on his way up, he always did that. My brother, so predictable, he'd call for me twice from downstairs, and then start on his way up to my room. I gave myself a smile in the mirror, looking at my bright white teeth and large smile. My long wavy blonde hair was pulled up into a bun with curls hanging down around my face.
'I'm definitely related to my brother!' I laughed to myself.
"Tiffany Amber Copeland!" he yelled as he pounded on my door.
I rolled my eyes as I began my silent count to 5 before he'd storm inside my room. '1....2....3.....4....5!' I stood up quickly with a smile on my face as he threw open the door.
"Come on Tiff! Jesus, he's....whoa," he said as he stood in my doorway. I wore a simple light blue dress with glitter all over it. It had a thin halter strap to go around my neck. It fell down my 5'7" body loosely to my feet that had clear strappy heels on them. A diamond anklet hung on my ankle and glistened in the light. I had on my silver little sister necklace that he had given me for my birthday in October and large silver hoops in my ears.
"Are you just gonna stand there staring at me, or are you gonna actually say something?" I asked placing my manicured hands on my hips. He gave me a sweet smile as he walked closer to me. "Adam, earth to Adam!" I laughed as he put his hands on my shoulders softly. I looked up at him as he leaned down to kiss my forehead.
"You look beautiful." He continued to stare at me for quite sometime, then grabbed my glitter blue bag, and linked his arm with mine. "You're gonna be the belle of the ball."
"Adam, it's the high school formal! Not Cinderella!" I laughed as we walked down the stairs together. A bright light caught us in the act of smiling and laughing as we walked arm in arm together. "MOM!"
"Sorry dear, but you look so beautiful, and then your brother right by your side," my mom said with a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Oh mom!" Adam laughed as we reached the bottom.
"MATT!" I exclaimed as he walked into the entrance way from the living room. His dark brown hair was pulled back tightly in a pony tail and he wore a pair of faded blue jeans and white wife-beater. "What are you doing here?"
"I came with my brother and thought I'd hang out with yours to watch some movies till you two got back," he answered pulling me into a hug.
"So, where is he?" I asked. He came into the entrance way wearing a totally unexpected outfit. I fully expected him to be wearing his normal tattered and torn blue jeans, scuffed up black boots, a tar heels jersey, and baseball cap. Instead he wore his reddish orange colored hair in a ponytail much like Matt's with a nice black tux. Of course he had to be a little different so he wore a white wife beater under the coat. I let out a quiet laugh and smiled at him.
"Wow T. You look great," he said as I walked towards him. He took my hand in his and slid a corsage on my wrist.
"Thanks, you too. It's different to see you so dressed up!" I laughed.
"Well, it's not everyday you get to take you 18 year old best friend to her last school formal!" he laughed.
"Jeffrey, no drinking around my daughter," my mom said firmly.
"Of course not Ms. Copeland. I haven't turned 21 just yet anyways," he laughed.
"Will you two be going to any parties afterwards?" mom asked.
"I doubt it mom. If we do, I'll call to let ya know," I said as she took a picture of Jeff and I.
"Jeff, man, take care of my little sister. Protect her man," Adam said shaking Jeff's hand firmly.
"No worries man! She's in good hands." Jeff put his arm tightly around me and smile.
"Bye! Have fun with those videos!" I said as Jeff and I walked out of the house into the warm June nite.
"Your car or mine?" Jeff asked looking from his rented Taurus to my newly washed blue mustang convertible.
"Well, we could show up in your rental and make me look like a total geek. Or show up in my mustang and look like the stars of the dance," I smiled as I handed him my keys. He let out a chuckle and opened the passenger door for me.
"Are you nervous about graduating next week?" Jeff asked as we made our way towards the school.
"No way! Not at all! I get to spend the summer with you guys on the road and then go off to college," I said happily.
"You are coming? I asked Adam but he never said anything. That's great Tiff," he said excitedly.
"Yeah, maybe I can talk you into dying my hair?" I asked slyly.
"I don't think so T!" he laughed. "Adam would kick my scrawny white ass! And you've got such beautiful hair anyways."
"Thanks," I said shyly.
"Tiff!" I heard a girl's voice behind me as Jeff and I walked into the decorated gym together. I smiled as I turned around to face my best friend.
"Hey Kara!" I said as she embraced me in a hug. "Kara, this is my friend Jeff. Jeff this is my best friend Kara."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Jeff said politely.
"Tiff, is this the guy that's in like every picture you own from your time spent at the WWF?" she asked curiously as we all sat at a table.
"Yeah, the one and only Jeff Hardy," I laughed.
"How awesome is it that you're up for queen?!" she said excitedly.
"It's cool, I guess," I replied shyly.
"You are? You never told me that!" Jeff said hurtfully.
"Yeah, I really just didn't want to tell anyone. Cause I'm not gonna win."
"Yeah ya are girl! Who else would?! Not that slut Mackenzie!" Kara said as her date walked up to her.
"I thought I heard your voice from over there!" he joked before kissing her cheek.
"Nick, this is my friend Jeff. Jeff this is Kara's boyfriend Nick," I said.
"T, I didn't expect you to be here. Kara told me you weren't coming!" Nick said as he sat at the table.
"Excuse me?! And where would you get an idea like that?!" I exclaimed.
"Well, when I asked you who you were bringing with you tonite, you told me it was a surprise. So I figured that was your way of saying, I don't have a date so I'm not goin," Kara explained.
"You dip shit!" I laughed.
"I don't understand why no one asked you. I mean you are hot! You're like miss athleticism!" Nick laughed.
"Miss athleticism? You never told me you played sports!" Jeff said with a shocked tone.
"Oh she's in so many sports!" Kara laughed. "Captain of the cheering squad, captain and star pitcher of the softball team, one of the star soccer players, AND a gymnast!"
"Jesus! Where do you find time to do anything?!" Jeff wondered. "No wonder you're in such awesome shape."
"She wasn't always in such great shape!" a girl laughed evilly from behind us.
"Hey Michelle," I said angrily.
"Hey Tiffy. Aren't you gonna introduce me to your "date"?" she laughed.
"No," I said bluntly. Jeff looked over at me as I stared at the table cloth.
"I'm Jeff," he said extending his hand out to her.
"I'm Michelle. It's nice to meet you," she said seductively.
"Michelle, why don't you crawl back in the hole you came from!" Kara yelled. Michelle rolled her eyes and walked away with her nose stuck up in the air.
"Bitch," I muttered.
"So, are you two goin to Marc's party after the dance?" Nick asked.
"No way! I hate that ass! Why would you think we'd be goin to that?!" I asked harshly.
"Just curious, sorry," Nick apologized.
"Did you see who he's here with?" Kara asked secretively.
"No, should I have?" I asked.
"He's here with the school slut," she answered.
"Fits. All he wants is a good fuck after anyways," I said.
"Who's Marc?" Jeff asked curiously.
"Ya see that guy over there with the slutty looking girl?" Kara started. Jeff looked to where she pointed and nodded. "That's Marc. Marc was Tiff's ex-boyfriend. They dated for 6 months."
"Okay Kara. That's enough," I interrupted.
"Well, he all of a sudden dumped her," she continued seeming to ignore me.
"Kara!"
"I guess he just wanted her to sleep with him."
"KARA!" I screamed.
"But she wouldn't," Kara said slowly.
"Kara! Jesus, you didn't have to tell him my whole life story!" I exclaimed crossing my arms over my chest.
"I think that's great that you didn't give in to him. That's something very special you should keep," Jeff said seriously as I began to laugh.
"Oh, don't think I'm a virgin. Despite what Adam may tell ya, I'm not the innocent little thing he thinks I am!" I laughed.
"Oh, sorry to jump to conclusions," he said.
"That's okay. I mean, I just had a bad experience with the first time," I said quietly.
"Yeah, her ex dumped her right after they had sex," Kara blurted out.
"Thank you Kara!" I said with an eye roll. "So, yeah, he dumps me the day after. So, I won't have sex with anyone. I guess I think it's because I wasn't good enough for him or something. I don't know. Just don't say anything to Adam. He still thinks I'm an angel."
"I'm sure it wasn't because you weren't good enough. You'll find that special guy," Jeff said patting my back gently.
"I thought I had," I whispered to myself as I looked at Marc dancing with Mackenzie. I must have gone into my own little world cause when I came too, Michelle was talking to Mackenzie quietly. She pointed over to me and both began to laugh.
"What do you suppose they're saying?" Kara whispered to me as she looked over at them.
"I don't think I wanna know," I said just as the two girls began to walk towards us.
"Oh no. Here comes trouble," Nick muttered. Jeff looked over at him and tilted his head to the side.
"Tiffy, I didn't expect you to be here," Mackenzie said with a bitchy tone.
"Sorry to disappoint you," I said roughly.
"You must be Jeff. Michelle here was just telling me that you were the one that got paid...oops, I mean asked to come here by Tiff," Mackenzie said.
"Actually, she didn't pay me. I offered to take her," Jeff responded protectively.
"Oh!? That's a shocker. Cause rumor is that she was goin around bribing guys to take her," Mackenzie said.
"She doesn't need to bribe guys, unlike you! I mean, how many guys have you had to sleep with just so they'd do your homework?" Kara asked.
"Whatever Kara. Anyways, Jeff, would you like to see some old photos of Tiffy? When she was 15? Bet you've never seen her like this!" Mackenzie laughed as she pulled out a few photos.
"You bitch," I cried as I tried to rip them out of her hands.
"Oh come on now Tiffy! There's nothing to be embarrassed about! So you were a little over weight! There's nothing wrong with that," she laughed as she handed Jeff the pictures.
"Mackenzie, what's goin....oh, hey, T," Marc said walking over to us.
"Oh hey Marc! Mackenzie's just showin Tiff's date, Jeff, some old pictures of her," Michelle replied as I looked at the floor embarrassed.
"What pictures?" Marc wondered as he looked at the look on my face. "Mackenzie, you didn't!"
"Oh come on! He's gotta know what kind of cow she used to be!" Mackenzie laughed.
"No, that's cruel. Mackenzie, stop being a bitch!" Marc said taking the pictures from Jeff and ripping them up, throwing the pieces on the floor.
"UGH! Whatever Marc!" Mackenzie said snobbishly as she pulled on his arm to lead him away. He looked back at me and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I just gave him a shrug and shook my head.
"What was that all about?" Jeff asked.
"Okay, so a few years ago, I was a little over weight," I said with a smile.
"I don't wanna sound rude or mean, but from those pictures, you looked to be a little more than a little over weight," Jeff said softly.
"Okay, so I was very much over weight!" I exclaimed. "But I started working out with Adam whenever I could and began eating right, got involved in sports, and now I'm like this. I lost 100 lbs in 2 years."
"That's great. You look incredible," Jeff said with a smile.
"Thanks, and I feel it. If it wasn't for Adam getting my ass in gear I wouldn't look like this now," I laughed.
"Oh, he had some help. By that dork of a friend he has," Kara laughed.
"Oh come on, you like Jay and you know it!" I laughed.
"Okay, maybe a little," she admitted shyly.
"Attention! Attention kids! It's now time to announce the King and Queen," the principle announced.
"You've got it girl. Totally in the bag!" Kara said to me. I smiled at her and shook my head.
"The King of the 1998 Senior Formal is.....Marc Nickels!" Marc punched the air as he walked towards the stage, slapping hands with a few of his fellow football teammates. The principle put the crown on his head, a sash across his body, and gave him a scepter. He gave everyone a large smile and a cocky nod. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The Queen of the 1998 Senior Formal is......TIFFANY COPELAND!!!" My eyes grew wide with shock as Jeff wrapped his arms tightly around me.
"I told ya so!" Kara laughed as everyone stood to clap. I walked towards the stage and faced everyone as a tiara was placed on my head. I was given a single red rose and had a sash placed across my chest.
"Now the king and queen will have their spotlight dance." I looked over at Marc as he took my hand. I handed my rose to Kara as he handed his scepter to Mackenzie. The floor cleared to give us room as a white light was placed on us. I looked up at him as he placed his hands softly on my hips. I wrapped my hands around his neck as the song began.
"It's fitting that this song would be the one to play, huh?" I joked as Mariah Carey's "When I Saw You" played.
"Yeah, the first song we ever danced to," he said softly.
"Yeah, we had our first kiss to this song," I said as my eyes began to tear up.
"Oh Tiff, I'm sorry," he said sadly. I let a tear slip down my cheek and he wiped it off with is hand.
"For what?" I asked.
"Everything. For breaking your heart. For what Mackenzie just did to you. Just for everything," he said looking down at the floor.
"Well, I can't say that you didn't hurt me when you broke up with me. It really hurt. I mean, it was like meant to be. The head cheerleader dating the captain of the football team. It's like a story book romance. Like a fairy tale. But fairy tales aren't real, are they?" I said sadly.
"No, they're not."
"And it took me 17 years to figure that out. When you came a long and ripped me apart."
"I didn't mean for that to happen. That was one of the things I loved about you," he said.
"Marc, I skipped traveling with my brother to be with you this summer. Do you understand what that means to me?!"
"I know, I'm sorry. T, you don't even understand how sorry I am!"
"Marc, I'm still in love with you!" I exclaimed.
"I know T, I know." That was all he could say. I was stunned. The song ended and we continued to stare at each other.
"Asshole," I finally said as I walked away. I rushed right past Jeff, Kara, and Nick and went straight outside. I sat on the curb and held my head in my hands as I began to cry.
"Hey, you can't cry. You're queen. You should be in there havin a good time," I heard Jeff say. He sat next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I placed my head on his shoulder and cried as he rubbed my back. "What happened?"
"I was stupid enough to tell him that I was still in love with him," I cried.
"That's not stupid at all."
"He just said that he knew. That was it. Not, I love you too or I wish I could say I love you but I don't. He just said he knew," I said.
"Do you wanna go home?" Jeff asked as Selena's "I Could Fall In Love" began to play.
"No, Jeff will you dance with me?" I asked with my make-up running down my face. He smiled and wiped my cheek before helping me to my feet. He lead me into the gym and pulled me close to his body. "Thank you for coming with me."
'I could only wonder how Touching you would make me feel But if I take that chance right now Tomorrow will you want me still? So I should keep this to myself And never let you know
I could fall in love with you I could fall in love with you'
"It was no problem. I wanted to come," he smiled as I rested my head on his chest.
'And I know it's not right And I guess I should try to do what I should do But I could fall in love Fall in love with you I could fall in love with you'
"I really mean it. If you hadn't, I would be goin solo," I laughed.
"I'm sure you had plenty of offers!" he said.
"No, I didn't. But I would have turned them down anyways, just to have you be with me!" I said. He smiled at me and shook his head.
'I could fall in love with you I could fall in love with you I could fall in love I could fall in love With you...'
"Tiff, are you alright?" Nick asked as he and Kara walked over to us. I took the rose from Kara and smiled.
"I'm fine. Well, now anyways," I responded.
"Well, Queen T! What are ya planin on doin after the dance?" Kara asked making us all laugh.
"How about make our last trip to Christophs?" I suggested.
"What's Christophs?" Jeff asked.
"It's our place!" Nick laughed.
"It's a little diner. We started goin there during sophomore year on Friday nites. It's really great," Kara said.
"It's like Denny's," I explained.
"OH!" Jeff said with a laugh.
"I'll go grab Jake and Maria and then we'll go," Kara said running off.
"We'll go wait for ya'll in the parking lot. We took my car," I said as Jeff and I headed out the door.
"T, are ya leaving?!" Marc yelled to me.
"Yeah, why do you care?!" I exclaimed.
"I just thought maybe we could have another dance," he said softly.
"Why? So you could hurt me some more? I don't think so!" I said as I followed Jeff to the parking lot.
"Does Adam know about Marc?" Jeff asked as I sat on the hood of my car.
"He knows that we were dating for 6 months and then broke up. I didn't go into details with him and don't plan to," I said as he leaned against the car.
"He's gonna be so happy to hear that you're queen," Jeff smiled.
"Yeah, him and Jay both," I laughed.
"You're already like a princess to him. He never shuts up about you. But come to think about it, neither does Jay!" Jeff laughed. "They both seem to be attached to you."
"I guess that's a good thing considering that he is my brother!" I said.
"True, but you guys get along so well. I've never heard you guys fight. I mean look at Matt and I. We love each other but at the same time we wanna kill each other. You two don't have that!"
"Oh believe me when I say there have been plenty of times where I've wanted to kill that brother of mine. He can be such a jerk at times. Especially when it comes to me dating," I laughed. "But we are very close. It's kinda hard for us not to be. He's had to be my big brother, my best friend, and father all in one."
"Ready T?!" Kara exclaimed as she, Nick, Maria, and Jake ran towards us. I nodded and jumped into the driver's seat.
"Buckle up Jeff, you're in for one wild ride!" Nick laughed as I let the top down. Jeff raised his eyebrows but took Nick's suggestion and tightened his seat belt. I waited for everyone to get in their cars before taking off like a bat out of hell. I popped in some Metalica and lead the way goin at about 95 mph.
"Holy shit!" Jeff yelled. "Slow down! You're gonna kill us!"
"Oh come on Jeff!! Where's your adventurous wild side?!" I laughed.
"Right now, back at the school!" Jeff joked. I continued to laugh as I looked behind me to make sure everyone was still behind me as I pulled onto the interstate.
"How's he doin?!" Kara yelled over at me as Nick pulled up beside me.
"He's a little shaken! He's not used to our wild antics!" I laughed as Nick pulled back behind me.
We pulled into the parking lot with our music blaring. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked out the window at us. I waved to one of the waiters as he shook his head at me. We walked in and took our normal seats at a round booth in the corner.
"Tiff, why are you here on your nite off?"
"Luke, it's our last nite to be here as a group. After graduation I go off with Adam and then off to Brooklyn man!" I said excitedly.
"Sweet. It's not gonna be the same around here without. Ya know, entertaining us with your singing," he laughed.
"Hey, don't knock on my singing. You couldn't hit a right note if you tried," I joked.
"True. And I wasn't knocking it. You're very talented," he said. "What can I get for you wild children?"
"Wild children? This coming from the one known for the lab explosion 3 years ago!" I laughed.
"Hey, wasn't my fault!" he said.
"Oh sure!" Maria and Kara laughed together.
"We'll have the normal, man," Nick said.
"What's the normal?" Jeff whispered to me.
"It's a chocolate shake, cheese fries, and pepperoni pizza," I explained.
"Oh, okay. That sounds great," Jeff smiled as Luke took the menus from us.
"Tiffany! You gonna sing for us tonite?!" one of the customers asked from across the room.
"Sorry Mr. Kent. I'm off tonite," I smiled.
"When's your last nite?" he asked.
"Next Wednesday," I said as he frowned.
"We're gonna miss you. You'll have to promise us that you'll come back to us," he said.
"I can't stay away from this place for too long! Don't worry, I'll give you guys a show that you'll never forget!" I laughed.
"What do you do here?" Jeff asked.
"I'm a waitress," I laughed.
"A waitress with a kick ass voice," Jake said as Luke came back with our shakes.
"Not really," I smiled.
"Dude, this chick has an amazing voice. You should hear her! She sings and the whole place goes quiet. She gets amazing tips," Luke laughed.
"I've actually never heard you sing," Jeff said.
"Really? That's surprising. I do it all the time," I laughed.
"Is that what you're goin to school for?" Jeff asked curiously.
"No, she's gonna be some big music producer," Maria said with a smile.
"Really?" Jeff said.
"Yeah, music's my life. And bein able to make it would be the best thing for me," I explained.
"Brooklyn, New York, huh?"
"Yeah, the city. I can't wait. It'll be a big change from where I'm at now," I laughed.
"Adam must be goin crazy," Jeff laughed.
"No, he's calmer than my mom. She's the one spazing out," I laughed. "She's scared about me goin to New York. She's such a loon."
"If I was her I'd be worried too. She's losing both her kids," Jeff said.
"It's not like we'll never come home," I said.
"Maybe, but you have to remember that Adam is movin to Florida and will probably be getting married eventually to Alannah. Then you'll be in New York and will eventually find that guy and maybe even move in with him then get married and have kids," Jeff said.
"Whoa. Dude, I'm 18. I don't plan on getting married any time soon," I laughed as Luke set our food down.
"Well, ya know what I mean. My Dad's goin through that now that Matt and I are never home. He's worried that I'm gonna get married some time soon," Jeff started. "But I'm only 20. I'm not stupid enough to get married now."
"That's what I'm tryin to tell ya!" I laughed.
"Guy's, this was great! Too bad it's the last time, huh?" Kara said sadly.
"Oh no, here she goes," Maria joked.
"It's gonna be so sad not to see your faces around," Kara said starting to get all teary eyed.
"WE LOVE YOU KARA!!" Maria, Nick, Jake, and I exclaimed pulling ourselves into a group hug.
"I'll see ya guys. Jeff and I should probably be getting back to my house. They're all probably wondering what's goin on," I said as Jeff opened the passenger door for me.
"See ya lata Queen T," Jake said as they all laughed.
"It was nice to meet you Jeff," Kara said as they all got into their cars.
"Your friends are really great," Jeff said as we started our way home.
"Yeah, they are pretty great. I'm gonna miss them. Especially Kara. She's been there for me every step of the way. She's my partner in crime," I laughed.
"You seemed pretty close," Jeff said.
"Hey, where's my tiara?" I asked.
"Probably flew off your head when you were speeding down the highway with the top down," Jeff laughed.
"No, I don't even remember leaving with it on my head," I said.
"I don't know T. Maybe you left it at school. You can always get it Monday," Jeff said.
"Yeah, you're right," I sighed as I leaned my head against the head rest and slept the rest of the way home.
"Tiffany, we're home," Jeff said nudging me softly to wake me. My eyes opened slowly as I stretched. I smiled at him as he took my hand. We walked into the house to find all the lights on and a movie blaring from the living room.
"Guess Adam and Matt are still awake," I laughed as we walked in the living room.
"You're back!" Adam said excitedly as he jumped up to give me a hug. "Have a good time Queen Tiffany?"
"It could have been better," I said before it actually hit me that he knew I was crowned Queen. "How'd ya know?!"
"Marc was by and said you left this at school," my mom said holding up the tiara.
"I was lookin for that," I said shyly.
"Why didn't you tell us you were up for Queen?!" Adam demanded.
"Just didn't want to get mine and your hopes up, I suppose," I answered.
"This is great Tiff. You deserve it," Matt said hugging me.
"Did Marc say anything?" I asked.
"He just told us you left it at school and to tell you that he loved the dance you two had tonite. And that he wants to hang out with you before you go, so we told him to call you," Adam said proudly.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.
"I thought you'd be happy. Sounds like he still likes you," Adam said.
"Shit," I said before running up the stairs and slamming my bedroom door shut.
"Dude, you shouldn't have told him that. A lot of stuff went down at the dance. Not good," Jeff said.
"Like what?" Matt asked.
"I can't say. Just trust me when I say that what happened was bad." Jeff walked to the couch and sat down.
"Should I go talk to her?" mom asked.
"No, mom, maybe I should go. It could be some stupid brother thing that I just pulled," Adam said as he headed up the stairs.
I had changed into a pair of netted shorts and a short tank top before flopping down on my bed and crying into my pillow. I heard Adam start walking up the stairs, but I didn't get up to let him in my room. I just laid there with tears plopping onto my pillow.
"T! Can I come in?" Adam asked knocking on my door. "T, I can hear you crying in there. Let me in!" His knocking got harder. "Nevermind, I'll let myself in." He walked into my room and shut the door behind him. He sat on my bed next to me and rubbed my back gently like he used to when I was 5. "T-Bird, come on. What happened?"
'T-Bird,' I thought, 'he hasn't called me T-Bird since I was like 10 and flew off things.'
"You can tell me. I may be your big brother with the power to kick people's asses, but I'm also your friend."
"Marc and I danced tonite," I started but got too choked up to continue.
"Shhhh.....take your time. It's okay, I'm not goin anywhere's."
"I told him that I was still in love with him," I choked out.
"And?"
"And he said that he knew. That was it. That he knew that I was still in love with him."
"I'm sorry. He obviously isn't good enough for my baby sister." I rolled over and pulled my head onto Adam's lap. "Why did you guys break up in the first place?"
"I told him I wouldn't have sex with him and he was cool with it at first, but then it just got him, I guess."
"Good! I'm glad you didn't sleep with him. He's obviously an asshole that doesn't deserve to take my T-Bird's virginity," Adam said proudly.
"Oh puh-lease Adam! I'm not a damn virgin. Jesus," I blurted out.
"What?"
"I'm 18 years old. You can't expect me to be a virgin forever. I know I'm your little T-Bird and what not, but I'm also not as innocent as you think I am!"
"What are you telling me?!"
"Now ya think I'm so sort of slut or something. Well, I'm not. I've only had sex once and I'd rather not go into it. But you seem to have it in your head that I'm some little angel princess that can't do any thing wrong. Well, Adam, guess what, I can! And I do!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."
"Don't get me wrong Adam. I love that you treat me that way, but you also need to know the truth. I love our relationship, the way you baby me as your little sister, the way I treat you as my big brother, the way we are together. You are the only man I've ever had in my life that has been there for me from the very beginning. And I know that it's my fault that Dad left us. I just wasn't good enough for him. But for some reason I'm good enough for you."
"Tiff, don't ever say that! You aren't the reason he left. He was the reason he left. He wasn't good enough for you or me or mom."
"Adam, just face it. If I had never been born, he would still be around. He couldn't handle having two kids. And having a girl was just too much for him."
"Bull shit! Don't say that ever again! I can't imagine being without you. I love you T. You'll always be in my life. You'll always be with me. I love you with all my heart and even though Alannah and I are getting closer and I must admit that I'm thinking about marrying her, you will always be the number one girl in my life. Don't ever forget that."
"I love you Dumb-dumb," I laughed.
"I love you too T-Bird." He kissed my cheek and helped me pull my hair out of its bun. He lead me over to my vanity and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I looked at it in the mirror and laughed.
"Dude, don't ever touch my hair again!" I joked as I studied it. It was off to the side and slightly low. Pieces of my hair flew around my face in a messy tangle.
"Sorry, I tried my best!" Adam laughed.
"Go get Jeff. He can fix it," I said seriously.
"Excuse me?"
"He's a wiz with hair," I laughed. Adam rolled his eyes and walked down to get Jeff.
"Oh man! What the hell happened to you?!" I turned around to see Jay standing in the door way of my room.
"Adam."
"You let him touch your hair.....AGAIN?!" Jay joked.
"What can I say? It's the curse of the blonde hair," I laughed.
"How was the formal?" he asked pulling me into his body, hugging me tightly.
"It could have been better," I answered.
"Jeff was a good boy?" he asked.
"Yes, Jeff was a good boy," I laughed.
"Ya know, if ya needed a date ya could have asked me. I'm a legend at that school," Jay said smugly.
"A legend at what? Being rejected by girls more than anyone else?" I joked.
"Oh and like you're Miss Popularity! You couldn't even get a date for the formal."
"Don't go there Resso. Seriously, you don't wanna go there," I said with a straight face.
"Sorry, I was just messin with ya."
"I know, but it's not a good time to be doin that to me right now," I said.
"HOLY SHIT!! What did you let Adam do to your hair?!" Jeff exclaimed as he walked in my room followed my Adam.
"Hey now, it's not that bad!" Adam argued.
"Well, I thought he was gonna put it in a pony tail, but as you can see I was wrong," I laughed.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk," Jeff said with a laugh as he fixed my hair into a proper pony tail.
"Jeff Hardy, the hair stylist. Now that's a scary thought," Matt laughed from my doorway. "I thought you might wanna put this on your shelf someplace." Matt placed the tiara carefully on a shelf with all my gymnastic, cheering, and softball awards on it. He hung up my dress nicely and placed the sash over it.
"Thanks Matt," I said turning around in my chair. "Anyone up for a movie?"
"Actually, I just stopped by to say hi," Jay said.
"Dude, can we crash at your place?" Matt asked.
"Sure," Jay replied.
"I'm goin to bed. Sweet dreams T," Adam said kissing my cheek as he followed Matt and Jay out of my room.
"Well Jeff? What do ya say?" I asked with a smile.
"I'd love to. Heathers?" he asked as we walked downstairs together.
"Sure," I answered as he popped the tape in the VCR. He sat next to me on the couch and I laid down with my head in his lap. "Are you coming to graduation?"
"If I can get the time off, yeah. I'm gonna try my hardest," he said stroking my hair softly.
"I'd really like for you to be there," I said with a yawn.
"Me too T," he said softly, kissing my cheek as I fell asleep.
A/N: Well, this is the second story I'm writing. I had a concept and thought I'd run with it. So as you can tell, I am. Lol This story is gonna be kinda short (hopefully). I wanna make it into like segments or something. Kinda goin through certain special points in Tiffany's life. But like I said, this is the second story I'm writing, so if ya'll are free go check that one out too. It's called Runaway. And I'm gonna warn ya now. It's REALLY long. Lol I'm on like the 55th chapter, I think. Lol Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Leave me a review to tell me what ya'll think!
A/N2: I also wanted to say that I'm not from Canada so I don't really know much about the place. I heard that schools in Canada didn't have proms so I thought a prom like formal would be cool. I don't know if they have em or not. So if you're Canadian, please don't yell at me for getting anything wrong!
"T!" I heard him call for me, but I didn't care. I tried to ignore his yelling as I finished my make-up for the nite. "T!" There he was, calling for me again. He was on his way up, he always did that. My brother, so predictable, he'd call for me twice from downstairs, and then start on his way up to my room. I gave myself a smile in the mirror, looking at my bright white teeth and large smile. My long wavy blonde hair was pulled up into a bun with curls hanging down around my face.
'I'm definitely related to my brother!' I laughed to myself.
"Tiffany Amber Copeland!" he yelled as he pounded on my door.
I rolled my eyes as I began my silent count to 5 before he'd storm inside my room. '1....2....3.....4....5!' I stood up quickly with a smile on my face as he threw open the door.
"Come on Tiff! Jesus, he's....whoa," he said as he stood in my doorway. I wore a simple light blue dress with glitter all over it. It had a thin halter strap to go around my neck. It fell down my 5'7" body loosely to my feet that had clear strappy heels on them. A diamond anklet hung on my ankle and glistened in the light. I had on my silver little sister necklace that he had given me for my birthday in October and large silver hoops in my ears.
"Are you just gonna stand there staring at me, or are you gonna actually say something?" I asked placing my manicured hands on my hips. He gave me a sweet smile as he walked closer to me. "Adam, earth to Adam!" I laughed as he put his hands on my shoulders softly. I looked up at him as he leaned down to kiss my forehead.
"You look beautiful." He continued to stare at me for quite sometime, then grabbed my glitter blue bag, and linked his arm with mine. "You're gonna be the belle of the ball."
"Adam, it's the high school formal! Not Cinderella!" I laughed as we walked down the stairs together. A bright light caught us in the act of smiling and laughing as we walked arm in arm together. "MOM!"
"Sorry dear, but you look so beautiful, and then your brother right by your side," my mom said with a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Oh mom!" Adam laughed as we reached the bottom.
"MATT!" I exclaimed as he walked into the entrance way from the living room. His dark brown hair was pulled back tightly in a pony tail and he wore a pair of faded blue jeans and white wife-beater. "What are you doing here?"
"I came with my brother and thought I'd hang out with yours to watch some movies till you two got back," he answered pulling me into a hug.
"So, where is he?" I asked. He came into the entrance way wearing a totally unexpected outfit. I fully expected him to be wearing his normal tattered and torn blue jeans, scuffed up black boots, a tar heels jersey, and baseball cap. Instead he wore his reddish orange colored hair in a ponytail much like Matt's with a nice black tux. Of course he had to be a little different so he wore a white wife beater under the coat. I let out a quiet laugh and smiled at him.
"Wow T. You look great," he said as I walked towards him. He took my hand in his and slid a corsage on my wrist.
"Thanks, you too. It's different to see you so dressed up!" I laughed.
"Well, it's not everyday you get to take you 18 year old best friend to her last school formal!" he laughed.
"Jeffrey, no drinking around my daughter," my mom said firmly.
"Of course not Ms. Copeland. I haven't turned 21 just yet anyways," he laughed.
"Will you two be going to any parties afterwards?" mom asked.
"I doubt it mom. If we do, I'll call to let ya know," I said as she took a picture of Jeff and I.
"Jeff, man, take care of my little sister. Protect her man," Adam said shaking Jeff's hand firmly.
"No worries man! She's in good hands." Jeff put his arm tightly around me and smile.
"Bye! Have fun with those videos!" I said as Jeff and I walked out of the house into the warm June nite.
"Your car or mine?" Jeff asked looking from his rented Taurus to my newly washed blue mustang convertible.
"Well, we could show up in your rental and make me look like a total geek. Or show up in my mustang and look like the stars of the dance," I smiled as I handed him my keys. He let out a chuckle and opened the passenger door for me.
"Are you nervous about graduating next week?" Jeff asked as we made our way towards the school.
"No way! Not at all! I get to spend the summer with you guys on the road and then go off to college," I said happily.
"You are coming? I asked Adam but he never said anything. That's great Tiff," he said excitedly.
"Yeah, maybe I can talk you into dying my hair?" I asked slyly.
"I don't think so T!" he laughed. "Adam would kick my scrawny white ass! And you've got such beautiful hair anyways."
"Thanks," I said shyly.
"Tiff!" I heard a girl's voice behind me as Jeff and I walked into the decorated gym together. I smiled as I turned around to face my best friend.
"Hey Kara!" I said as she embraced me in a hug. "Kara, this is my friend Jeff. Jeff this is my best friend Kara."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Jeff said politely.
"Tiff, is this the guy that's in like every picture you own from your time spent at the WWF?" she asked curiously as we all sat at a table.
"Yeah, the one and only Jeff Hardy," I laughed.
"How awesome is it that you're up for queen?!" she said excitedly.
"It's cool, I guess," I replied shyly.
"You are? You never told me that!" Jeff said hurtfully.
"Yeah, I really just didn't want to tell anyone. Cause I'm not gonna win."
"Yeah ya are girl! Who else would?! Not that slut Mackenzie!" Kara said as her date walked up to her.
"I thought I heard your voice from over there!" he joked before kissing her cheek.
"Nick, this is my friend Jeff. Jeff this is Kara's boyfriend Nick," I said.
"T, I didn't expect you to be here. Kara told me you weren't coming!" Nick said as he sat at the table.
"Excuse me?! And where would you get an idea like that?!" I exclaimed.
"Well, when I asked you who you were bringing with you tonite, you told me it was a surprise. So I figured that was your way of saying, I don't have a date so I'm not goin," Kara explained.
"You dip shit!" I laughed.
"I don't understand why no one asked you. I mean you are hot! You're like miss athleticism!" Nick laughed.
"Miss athleticism? You never told me you played sports!" Jeff said with a shocked tone.
"Oh she's in so many sports!" Kara laughed. "Captain of the cheering squad, captain and star pitcher of the softball team, one of the star soccer players, AND a gymnast!"
"Jesus! Where do you find time to do anything?!" Jeff wondered. "No wonder you're in such awesome shape."
"She wasn't always in such great shape!" a girl laughed evilly from behind us.
"Hey Michelle," I said angrily.
"Hey Tiffy. Aren't you gonna introduce me to your "date"?" she laughed.
"No," I said bluntly. Jeff looked over at me as I stared at the table cloth.
"I'm Jeff," he said extending his hand out to her.
"I'm Michelle. It's nice to meet you," she said seductively.
"Michelle, why don't you crawl back in the hole you came from!" Kara yelled. Michelle rolled her eyes and walked away with her nose stuck up in the air.
"Bitch," I muttered.
"So, are you two goin to Marc's party after the dance?" Nick asked.
"No way! I hate that ass! Why would you think we'd be goin to that?!" I asked harshly.
"Just curious, sorry," Nick apologized.
"Did you see who he's here with?" Kara asked secretively.
"No, should I have?" I asked.
"He's here with the school slut," she answered.
"Fits. All he wants is a good fuck after anyways," I said.
"Who's Marc?" Jeff asked curiously.
"Ya see that guy over there with the slutty looking girl?" Kara started. Jeff looked to where she pointed and nodded. "That's Marc. Marc was Tiff's ex-boyfriend. They dated for 6 months."
"Okay Kara. That's enough," I interrupted.
"Well, he all of a sudden dumped her," she continued seeming to ignore me.
"Kara!"
"I guess he just wanted her to sleep with him."
"KARA!" I screamed.
"But she wouldn't," Kara said slowly.
"Kara! Jesus, you didn't have to tell him my whole life story!" I exclaimed crossing my arms over my chest.
"I think that's great that you didn't give in to him. That's something very special you should keep," Jeff said seriously as I began to laugh.
"Oh, don't think I'm a virgin. Despite what Adam may tell ya, I'm not the innocent little thing he thinks I am!" I laughed.
"Oh, sorry to jump to conclusions," he said.
"That's okay. I mean, I just had a bad experience with the first time," I said quietly.
"Yeah, her ex dumped her right after they had sex," Kara blurted out.
"Thank you Kara!" I said with an eye roll. "So, yeah, he dumps me the day after. So, I won't have sex with anyone. I guess I think it's because I wasn't good enough for him or something. I don't know. Just don't say anything to Adam. He still thinks I'm an angel."
"I'm sure it wasn't because you weren't good enough. You'll find that special guy," Jeff said patting my back gently.
"I thought I had," I whispered to myself as I looked at Marc dancing with Mackenzie. I must have gone into my own little world cause when I came too, Michelle was talking to Mackenzie quietly. She pointed over to me and both began to laugh.
"What do you suppose they're saying?" Kara whispered to me as she looked over at them.
"I don't think I wanna know," I said just as the two girls began to walk towards us.
"Oh no. Here comes trouble," Nick muttered. Jeff looked over at him and tilted his head to the side.
"Tiffy, I didn't expect you to be here," Mackenzie said with a bitchy tone.
"Sorry to disappoint you," I said roughly.
"You must be Jeff. Michelle here was just telling me that you were the one that got paid...oops, I mean asked to come here by Tiff," Mackenzie said.
"Actually, she didn't pay me. I offered to take her," Jeff responded protectively.
"Oh!? That's a shocker. Cause rumor is that she was goin around bribing guys to take her," Mackenzie said.
"She doesn't need to bribe guys, unlike you! I mean, how many guys have you had to sleep with just so they'd do your homework?" Kara asked.
"Whatever Kara. Anyways, Jeff, would you like to see some old photos of Tiffy? When she was 15? Bet you've never seen her like this!" Mackenzie laughed as she pulled out a few photos.
"You bitch," I cried as I tried to rip them out of her hands.
"Oh come on now Tiffy! There's nothing to be embarrassed about! So you were a little over weight! There's nothing wrong with that," she laughed as she handed Jeff the pictures.
"Mackenzie, what's goin....oh, hey, T," Marc said walking over to us.
"Oh hey Marc! Mackenzie's just showin Tiff's date, Jeff, some old pictures of her," Michelle replied as I looked at the floor embarrassed.
"What pictures?" Marc wondered as he looked at the look on my face. "Mackenzie, you didn't!"
"Oh come on! He's gotta know what kind of cow she used to be!" Mackenzie laughed.
"No, that's cruel. Mackenzie, stop being a bitch!" Marc said taking the pictures from Jeff and ripping them up, throwing the pieces on the floor.
"UGH! Whatever Marc!" Mackenzie said snobbishly as she pulled on his arm to lead him away. He looked back at me and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. I just gave him a shrug and shook my head.
"What was that all about?" Jeff asked.
"Okay, so a few years ago, I was a little over weight," I said with a smile.
"I don't wanna sound rude or mean, but from those pictures, you looked to be a little more than a little over weight," Jeff said softly.
"Okay, so I was very much over weight!" I exclaimed. "But I started working out with Adam whenever I could and began eating right, got involved in sports, and now I'm like this. I lost 100 lbs in 2 years."
"That's great. You look incredible," Jeff said with a smile.
"Thanks, and I feel it. If it wasn't for Adam getting my ass in gear I wouldn't look like this now," I laughed.
"Oh, he had some help. By that dork of a friend he has," Kara laughed.
"Oh come on, you like Jay and you know it!" I laughed.
"Okay, maybe a little," she admitted shyly.
"Attention! Attention kids! It's now time to announce the King and Queen," the principle announced.
"You've got it girl. Totally in the bag!" Kara said to me. I smiled at her and shook my head.
"The King of the 1998 Senior Formal is.....Marc Nickels!" Marc punched the air as he walked towards the stage, slapping hands with a few of his fellow football teammates. The principle put the crown on his head, a sash across his body, and gave him a scepter. He gave everyone a large smile and a cocky nod. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The Queen of the 1998 Senior Formal is......TIFFANY COPELAND!!!" My eyes grew wide with shock as Jeff wrapped his arms tightly around me.
"I told ya so!" Kara laughed as everyone stood to clap. I walked towards the stage and faced everyone as a tiara was placed on my head. I was given a single red rose and had a sash placed across my chest.
"Now the king and queen will have their spotlight dance." I looked over at Marc as he took my hand. I handed my rose to Kara as he handed his scepter to Mackenzie. The floor cleared to give us room as a white light was placed on us. I looked up at him as he placed his hands softly on my hips. I wrapped my hands around his neck as the song began.
"It's fitting that this song would be the one to play, huh?" I joked as Mariah Carey's "When I Saw You" played.
"Yeah, the first song we ever danced to," he said softly.
"Yeah, we had our first kiss to this song," I said as my eyes began to tear up.
"Oh Tiff, I'm sorry," he said sadly. I let a tear slip down my cheek and he wiped it off with is hand.
"For what?" I asked.
"Everything. For breaking your heart. For what Mackenzie just did to you. Just for everything," he said looking down at the floor.
"Well, I can't say that you didn't hurt me when you broke up with me. It really hurt. I mean, it was like meant to be. The head cheerleader dating the captain of the football team. It's like a story book romance. Like a fairy tale. But fairy tales aren't real, are they?" I said sadly.
"No, they're not."
"And it took me 17 years to figure that out. When you came a long and ripped me apart."
"I didn't mean for that to happen. That was one of the things I loved about you," he said.
"Marc, I skipped traveling with my brother to be with you this summer. Do you understand what that means to me?!"
"I know, I'm sorry. T, you don't even understand how sorry I am!"
"Marc, I'm still in love with you!" I exclaimed.
"I know T, I know." That was all he could say. I was stunned. The song ended and we continued to stare at each other.
"Asshole," I finally said as I walked away. I rushed right past Jeff, Kara, and Nick and went straight outside. I sat on the curb and held my head in my hands as I began to cry.
"Hey, you can't cry. You're queen. You should be in there havin a good time," I heard Jeff say. He sat next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I placed my head on his shoulder and cried as he rubbed my back. "What happened?"
"I was stupid enough to tell him that I was still in love with him," I cried.
"That's not stupid at all."
"He just said that he knew. That was it. Not, I love you too or I wish I could say I love you but I don't. He just said he knew," I said.
"Do you wanna go home?" Jeff asked as Selena's "I Could Fall In Love" began to play.
"No, Jeff will you dance with me?" I asked with my make-up running down my face. He smiled and wiped my cheek before helping me to my feet. He lead me into the gym and pulled me close to his body. "Thank you for coming with me."
'I could only wonder how Touching you would make me feel But if I take that chance right now Tomorrow will you want me still? So I should keep this to myself And never let you know
I could fall in love with you I could fall in love with you'
"It was no problem. I wanted to come," he smiled as I rested my head on his chest.
'And I know it's not right And I guess I should try to do what I should do But I could fall in love Fall in love with you I could fall in love with you'
"I really mean it. If you hadn't, I would be goin solo," I laughed.
"I'm sure you had plenty of offers!" he said.
"No, I didn't. But I would have turned them down anyways, just to have you be with me!" I said. He smiled at me and shook his head.
'I could fall in love with you I could fall in love with you I could fall in love I could fall in love With you...'
"Tiff, are you alright?" Nick asked as he and Kara walked over to us. I took the rose from Kara and smiled.
"I'm fine. Well, now anyways," I responded.
"Well, Queen T! What are ya planin on doin after the dance?" Kara asked making us all laugh.
"How about make our last trip to Christophs?" I suggested.
"What's Christophs?" Jeff asked.
"It's our place!" Nick laughed.
"It's a little diner. We started goin there during sophomore year on Friday nites. It's really great," Kara said.
"It's like Denny's," I explained.
"OH!" Jeff said with a laugh.
"I'll go grab Jake and Maria and then we'll go," Kara said running off.
"We'll go wait for ya'll in the parking lot. We took my car," I said as Jeff and I headed out the door.
"T, are ya leaving?!" Marc yelled to me.
"Yeah, why do you care?!" I exclaimed.
"I just thought maybe we could have another dance," he said softly.
"Why? So you could hurt me some more? I don't think so!" I said as I followed Jeff to the parking lot.
"Does Adam know about Marc?" Jeff asked as I sat on the hood of my car.
"He knows that we were dating for 6 months and then broke up. I didn't go into details with him and don't plan to," I said as he leaned against the car.
"He's gonna be so happy to hear that you're queen," Jeff smiled.
"Yeah, him and Jay both," I laughed.
"You're already like a princess to him. He never shuts up about you. But come to think about it, neither does Jay!" Jeff laughed. "They both seem to be attached to you."
"I guess that's a good thing considering that he is my brother!" I said.
"True, but you guys get along so well. I've never heard you guys fight. I mean look at Matt and I. We love each other but at the same time we wanna kill each other. You two don't have that!"
"Oh believe me when I say there have been plenty of times where I've wanted to kill that brother of mine. He can be such a jerk at times. Especially when it comes to me dating," I laughed. "But we are very close. It's kinda hard for us not to be. He's had to be my big brother, my best friend, and father all in one."
"Ready T?!" Kara exclaimed as she, Nick, Maria, and Jake ran towards us. I nodded and jumped into the driver's seat.
"Buckle up Jeff, you're in for one wild ride!" Nick laughed as I let the top down. Jeff raised his eyebrows but took Nick's suggestion and tightened his seat belt. I waited for everyone to get in their cars before taking off like a bat out of hell. I popped in some Metalica and lead the way goin at about 95 mph.
"Holy shit!" Jeff yelled. "Slow down! You're gonna kill us!"
"Oh come on Jeff!! Where's your adventurous wild side?!" I laughed.
"Right now, back at the school!" Jeff joked. I continued to laugh as I looked behind me to make sure everyone was still behind me as I pulled onto the interstate.
"How's he doin?!" Kara yelled over at me as Nick pulled up beside me.
"He's a little shaken! He's not used to our wild antics!" I laughed as Nick pulled back behind me.
We pulled into the parking lot with our music blaring. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked out the window at us. I waved to one of the waiters as he shook his head at me. We walked in and took our normal seats at a round booth in the corner.
"Tiff, why are you here on your nite off?"
"Luke, it's our last nite to be here as a group. After graduation I go off with Adam and then off to Brooklyn man!" I said excitedly.
"Sweet. It's not gonna be the same around here without. Ya know, entertaining us with your singing," he laughed.
"Hey, don't knock on my singing. You couldn't hit a right note if you tried," I joked.
"True. And I wasn't knocking it. You're very talented," he said. "What can I get for you wild children?"
"Wild children? This coming from the one known for the lab explosion 3 years ago!" I laughed.
"Hey, wasn't my fault!" he said.
"Oh sure!" Maria and Kara laughed together.
"We'll have the normal, man," Nick said.
"What's the normal?" Jeff whispered to me.
"It's a chocolate shake, cheese fries, and pepperoni pizza," I explained.
"Oh, okay. That sounds great," Jeff smiled as Luke took the menus from us.
"Tiffany! You gonna sing for us tonite?!" one of the customers asked from across the room.
"Sorry Mr. Kent. I'm off tonite," I smiled.
"When's your last nite?" he asked.
"Next Wednesday," I said as he frowned.
"We're gonna miss you. You'll have to promise us that you'll come back to us," he said.
"I can't stay away from this place for too long! Don't worry, I'll give you guys a show that you'll never forget!" I laughed.
"What do you do here?" Jeff asked.
"I'm a waitress," I laughed.
"A waitress with a kick ass voice," Jake said as Luke came back with our shakes.
"Not really," I smiled.
"Dude, this chick has an amazing voice. You should hear her! She sings and the whole place goes quiet. She gets amazing tips," Luke laughed.
"I've actually never heard you sing," Jeff said.
"Really? That's surprising. I do it all the time," I laughed.
"Is that what you're goin to school for?" Jeff asked curiously.
"No, she's gonna be some big music producer," Maria said with a smile.
"Really?" Jeff said.
"Yeah, music's my life. And bein able to make it would be the best thing for me," I explained.
"Brooklyn, New York, huh?"
"Yeah, the city. I can't wait. It'll be a big change from where I'm at now," I laughed.
"Adam must be goin crazy," Jeff laughed.
"No, he's calmer than my mom. She's the one spazing out," I laughed. "She's scared about me goin to New York. She's such a loon."
"If I was her I'd be worried too. She's losing both her kids," Jeff said.
"It's not like we'll never come home," I said.
"Maybe, but you have to remember that Adam is movin to Florida and will probably be getting married eventually to Alannah. Then you'll be in New York and will eventually find that guy and maybe even move in with him then get married and have kids," Jeff said.
"Whoa. Dude, I'm 18. I don't plan on getting married any time soon," I laughed as Luke set our food down.
"Well, ya know what I mean. My Dad's goin through that now that Matt and I are never home. He's worried that I'm gonna get married some time soon," Jeff started. "But I'm only 20. I'm not stupid enough to get married now."
"That's what I'm tryin to tell ya!" I laughed.
"Guy's, this was great! Too bad it's the last time, huh?" Kara said sadly.
"Oh no, here she goes," Maria joked.
"It's gonna be so sad not to see your faces around," Kara said starting to get all teary eyed.
"WE LOVE YOU KARA!!" Maria, Nick, Jake, and I exclaimed pulling ourselves into a group hug.
"I'll see ya guys. Jeff and I should probably be getting back to my house. They're all probably wondering what's goin on," I said as Jeff opened the passenger door for me.
"See ya lata Queen T," Jake said as they all laughed.
"It was nice to meet you Jeff," Kara said as they all got into their cars.
"Your friends are really great," Jeff said as we started our way home.
"Yeah, they are pretty great. I'm gonna miss them. Especially Kara. She's been there for me every step of the way. She's my partner in crime," I laughed.
"You seemed pretty close," Jeff said.
"Hey, where's my tiara?" I asked.
"Probably flew off your head when you were speeding down the highway with the top down," Jeff laughed.
"No, I don't even remember leaving with it on my head," I said.
"I don't know T. Maybe you left it at school. You can always get it Monday," Jeff said.
"Yeah, you're right," I sighed as I leaned my head against the head rest and slept the rest of the way home.
"Tiffany, we're home," Jeff said nudging me softly to wake me. My eyes opened slowly as I stretched. I smiled at him as he took my hand. We walked into the house to find all the lights on and a movie blaring from the living room.
"Guess Adam and Matt are still awake," I laughed as we walked in the living room.
"You're back!" Adam said excitedly as he jumped up to give me a hug. "Have a good time Queen Tiffany?"
"It could have been better," I said before it actually hit me that he knew I was crowned Queen. "How'd ya know?!"
"Marc was by and said you left this at school," my mom said holding up the tiara.
"I was lookin for that," I said shyly.
"Why didn't you tell us you were up for Queen?!" Adam demanded.
"Just didn't want to get mine and your hopes up, I suppose," I answered.
"This is great Tiff. You deserve it," Matt said hugging me.
"Did Marc say anything?" I asked.
"He just told us you left it at school and to tell you that he loved the dance you two had tonite. And that he wants to hang out with you before you go, so we told him to call you," Adam said proudly.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.
"I thought you'd be happy. Sounds like he still likes you," Adam said.
"Shit," I said before running up the stairs and slamming my bedroom door shut.
"Dude, you shouldn't have told him that. A lot of stuff went down at the dance. Not good," Jeff said.
"Like what?" Matt asked.
"I can't say. Just trust me when I say that what happened was bad." Jeff walked to the couch and sat down.
"Should I go talk to her?" mom asked.
"No, mom, maybe I should go. It could be some stupid brother thing that I just pulled," Adam said as he headed up the stairs.
I had changed into a pair of netted shorts and a short tank top before flopping down on my bed and crying into my pillow. I heard Adam start walking up the stairs, but I didn't get up to let him in my room. I just laid there with tears plopping onto my pillow.
"T! Can I come in?" Adam asked knocking on my door. "T, I can hear you crying in there. Let me in!" His knocking got harder. "Nevermind, I'll let myself in." He walked into my room and shut the door behind him. He sat on my bed next to me and rubbed my back gently like he used to when I was 5. "T-Bird, come on. What happened?"
'T-Bird,' I thought, 'he hasn't called me T-Bird since I was like 10 and flew off things.'
"You can tell me. I may be your big brother with the power to kick people's asses, but I'm also your friend."
"Marc and I danced tonite," I started but got too choked up to continue.
"Shhhh.....take your time. It's okay, I'm not goin anywhere's."
"I told him that I was still in love with him," I choked out.
"And?"
"And he said that he knew. That was it. That he knew that I was still in love with him."
"I'm sorry. He obviously isn't good enough for my baby sister." I rolled over and pulled my head onto Adam's lap. "Why did you guys break up in the first place?"
"I told him I wouldn't have sex with him and he was cool with it at first, but then it just got him, I guess."
"Good! I'm glad you didn't sleep with him. He's obviously an asshole that doesn't deserve to take my T-Bird's virginity," Adam said proudly.
"Oh puh-lease Adam! I'm not a damn virgin. Jesus," I blurted out.
"What?"
"I'm 18 years old. You can't expect me to be a virgin forever. I know I'm your little T-Bird and what not, but I'm also not as innocent as you think I am!"
"What are you telling me?!"
"Now ya think I'm so sort of slut or something. Well, I'm not. I've only had sex once and I'd rather not go into it. But you seem to have it in your head that I'm some little angel princess that can't do any thing wrong. Well, Adam, guess what, I can! And I do!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."
"Don't get me wrong Adam. I love that you treat me that way, but you also need to know the truth. I love our relationship, the way you baby me as your little sister, the way I treat you as my big brother, the way we are together. You are the only man I've ever had in my life that has been there for me from the very beginning. And I know that it's my fault that Dad left us. I just wasn't good enough for him. But for some reason I'm good enough for you."
"Tiff, don't ever say that! You aren't the reason he left. He was the reason he left. He wasn't good enough for you or me or mom."
"Adam, just face it. If I had never been born, he would still be around. He couldn't handle having two kids. And having a girl was just too much for him."
"Bull shit! Don't say that ever again! I can't imagine being without you. I love you T. You'll always be in my life. You'll always be with me. I love you with all my heart and even though Alannah and I are getting closer and I must admit that I'm thinking about marrying her, you will always be the number one girl in my life. Don't ever forget that."
"I love you Dumb-dumb," I laughed.
"I love you too T-Bird." He kissed my cheek and helped me pull my hair out of its bun. He lead me over to my vanity and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I looked at it in the mirror and laughed.
"Dude, don't ever touch my hair again!" I joked as I studied it. It was off to the side and slightly low. Pieces of my hair flew around my face in a messy tangle.
"Sorry, I tried my best!" Adam laughed.
"Go get Jeff. He can fix it," I said seriously.
"Excuse me?"
"He's a wiz with hair," I laughed. Adam rolled his eyes and walked down to get Jeff.
"Oh man! What the hell happened to you?!" I turned around to see Jay standing in the door way of my room.
"Adam."
"You let him touch your hair.....AGAIN?!" Jay joked.
"What can I say? It's the curse of the blonde hair," I laughed.
"How was the formal?" he asked pulling me into his body, hugging me tightly.
"It could have been better," I answered.
"Jeff was a good boy?" he asked.
"Yes, Jeff was a good boy," I laughed.
"Ya know, if ya needed a date ya could have asked me. I'm a legend at that school," Jay said smugly.
"A legend at what? Being rejected by girls more than anyone else?" I joked.
"Oh and like you're Miss Popularity! You couldn't even get a date for the formal."
"Don't go there Resso. Seriously, you don't wanna go there," I said with a straight face.
"Sorry, I was just messin with ya."
"I know, but it's not a good time to be doin that to me right now," I said.
"HOLY SHIT!! What did you let Adam do to your hair?!" Jeff exclaimed as he walked in my room followed my Adam.
"Hey now, it's not that bad!" Adam argued.
"Well, I thought he was gonna put it in a pony tail, but as you can see I was wrong," I laughed.
"Tisk, tisk, tisk," Jeff said with a laugh as he fixed my hair into a proper pony tail.
"Jeff Hardy, the hair stylist. Now that's a scary thought," Matt laughed from my doorway. "I thought you might wanna put this on your shelf someplace." Matt placed the tiara carefully on a shelf with all my gymnastic, cheering, and softball awards on it. He hung up my dress nicely and placed the sash over it.
"Thanks Matt," I said turning around in my chair. "Anyone up for a movie?"
"Actually, I just stopped by to say hi," Jay said.
"Dude, can we crash at your place?" Matt asked.
"Sure," Jay replied.
"I'm goin to bed. Sweet dreams T," Adam said kissing my cheek as he followed Matt and Jay out of my room.
"Well Jeff? What do ya say?" I asked with a smile.
"I'd love to. Heathers?" he asked as we walked downstairs together.
"Sure," I answered as he popped the tape in the VCR. He sat next to me on the couch and I laid down with my head in his lap. "Are you coming to graduation?"
"If I can get the time off, yeah. I'm gonna try my hardest," he said stroking my hair softly.
"I'd really like for you to be there," I said with a yawn.
"Me too T," he said softly, kissing my cheek as I fell asleep.
A/N: Well, this is the second story I'm writing. I had a concept and thought I'd run with it. So as you can tell, I am. Lol This story is gonna be kinda short (hopefully). I wanna make it into like segments or something. Kinda goin through certain special points in Tiffany's life. But like I said, this is the second story I'm writing, so if ya'll are free go check that one out too. It's called Runaway. And I'm gonna warn ya now. It's REALLY long. Lol I'm on like the 55th chapter, I think. Lol Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Leave me a review to tell me what ya'll think!
A/N2: I also wanted to say that I'm not from Canada so I don't really know much about the place. I heard that schools in Canada didn't have proms so I thought a prom like formal would be cool. I don't know if they have em or not. So if you're Canadian, please don't yell at me for getting anything wrong!