Thorne rang Kate's door bell and tugged on the sleeves of his plum suit. He straightened his black tie and hoped that he didn't look too ridiculous. Having had a significant growth spurt in the last year and a half and deciding to take Kate to Homecoming at the last minute, he had not had the time to find something suitable to wear to a dance. His mom had come to the rescue that morning and pulled out a garment bag from the very back of her closet, revealing the purple suit.
Thorne gawked, but his mother had simply giggled and said, "It was the 80s. Just be glad it isn't lime green and made of crushed velvet."
Having no other choice, Thorne took his dad's old suit and tried it on, surprised that it fit so well. He chose a crisp white shirt and black tie and hoped that under the dim lights of the dance, he wouldn't stand out too much. He had suggested going to the dance in a dress shirt and slacks, but his mom had shot that idea down and insisted that he really should be wearing a suit when he was crowned Homecoming King. Thorne had scrunched up his face, but had taken the garment bag from her all the same.
Muffled voices behind the door snapped Thorne to attention and five seconds later, Kate opened it. She was wearing an emerald green dress made of chiffon that stopped just above the knee. Her thick brown hair fell in waves and was pinned back from her face with a scattering of pearl studs.
At that moment Thorne realized that he had only seen Kate in t-shirts and jeans before then, and he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at how nice she looked all dressed up. "You look great."
Kate took a moment to grin at him. "Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself."
Thorne flushed.
Flustered, he pressed a clear plastic box into Kate's hands. "I got that for you."
Kate looked down and let out a chortle. "Thank you. It's beautiful." She lifted the white orchid corsage from its bed of green tulle and slipped it onto her wrist. She made a small twirl in the doorway. "Well, what do you think?"
"I think my date is going to be the prettiest girl at the ball."
Kate laughed in response, deposited the empty corsage box on the table by the door, and followed Thorne to his car.
By the time they got to the school, the dance was in full swing. They saw some stragglers in the hallway, but for the most part, it had seemed like most of the school was already in the gym and on the dance floor. It was easy to spot Wolf, who was massive and stood taller than anyone else in the room. They made a beeline towards him and the refreshment table.
"Wow Kate, you look great!" Scarlet greeted them as they got closer to the group, which was hovering over the punch bowl. "And you clean up pretty nicely, Captain."
Thorne blushed while Wolf grinned and Cinder almost snorted out the punch she was drinking. She smiled apologetically at him while she dabbed at her chin with a napkin.
"Sorry, I just can't get used to you being called Captain, but you look great!"
Thorne smiled and patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "I don't think I can get used to it either." His eyes swept the group. "So where's…Kai?"
Cinder waved a hand in the air like she was shooing a fly away. "Oh, he's talking to Principal Vargas about the court ballots."
Thorne nodded.
"And Cress is on the dance floor somewhere," Wolf offered before stuffing a mini-cupcake into his mouth. Scarlet reached up to wipe a smear of icing off the corner of his upper lip and he grinned appreciatively.
Thorne smiled to himself as he watched the tender moment.
"Come on, let's dance." Kate tugged on Thorne's elbow and before he could tell her that he didn't know how to dance, she was dragging him away from Wolf, Scarlet, and Cinder. He gave them a pleading look for help which they merely responded to by waving him off.
Thorne stood in the crowd of people and tugged self-consciously on the tie that had taken him fifteen minutes to knot perfectly. Kate started to wiggle her shoulders and he vaguely remembered hearing that particular song on the radio when Cress played DJ in his car. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she threw her head back with a laugh. Kate grabbed Thorne's hands and swung his arms back and forth.
"Come on! You gotta loosen up!" she called above the blaring of the music.
Thorne continued to let Kate swing his arms about and even found himself laughing as he hopped in one place. Kate nodded encouragingly and he ventured his own attempts at shoulder wiggling. When Kate was satisfied that he wouldn't run back to the punch bowl if she let go of his hands, she finally did and taught him some more adventurous dance moves.
"This one's called Walking the Dog," Kate called out to him. She proceeding to stick her arm in front of her and sway it back and forth as if she had an imaginary dog attached to a leash.
Thorne nearly doubled over in laughter and tried it himself. Soon, they were merely miming menial tasks while shuffling their feet. Kate was showing off a move she dubbed Grocery Shopping, where she pretended to take canned goods off a shelf and place it into an imaginary shopping cart in front of her, when a voice from behind called out to them.
"Great moves!"
Thorne spun around to see Cress and Kinney edging towards them. He instantly felt the heat rising up on his cheeks.
Cress was wearing a blush pink matelassé dress that pinched delicately at her waist and flared out, stopping at her mid-thigh with scalloped edges. It reminded him of the bouquet of roses he had given her, what felt like decades ago.
"Cress…you…you guys look great," Thorne said, flicking his eyes towards Kinney who had been bold enough to wear a black suit with a black tie and black dress shirt. He was the embodiment of cool and Thorne couldn't help but feel more self-conscious.
"You two look great, too!" Kinney offered an enthused smile when Kate stepped next to Thorne.
"That's a beautiful corsage, Kate," Cress said, eyeing the flower on Kate's wrist.
Kate brought it up so Cress could inspect it further. "Thanks. Thorne got it for me."
Cress nodded as she touched a finger to one of the delicate petals and gave Thorne an approving smile and wink.
"So where did you learn your dance moves from?" Kinney asked them. A big grin spread across his face.
Thorne blushed while Kate laughed. "Come on, I'll show you."
Kinney shrugged and followed Kate to a spot on the dance floor that had more room for maneuvering. Thorne had to laugh when she started to show off a move that they had just come up with which they dubbed The Washing Machine.
Cress smiled as she watched them. "So, are you having a good time?"
Thorne turned towards her and found her looking at him intently. "I am, actually. Thanks for asking me to come. I—I mean, not that you asked me to come, but…you know what I mean." He fidgeted with the sleeve of his suit jacket again. "The thought never even occurred to me to go to Homecoming."
Cress tilted her head as if she were studying him and then she smiled. "I'm glad you came. Do you wanna dance?" She held out a hand to him and he grabbed it.
"I have to warn you. I'm not very good at it."
Cress laughed. "It's okay. I'm not either." She winked at him, but he didn't think that was at all true.
The music changed to a happy pop song that Cress seemed to love because her eyes grew wide and she began jumping up and down. Unlike Kate, Cress didn't make up any ridiculous yet highly entertaining dance moves. Instead, she grabbed both of Thorne's hands and pulled his arms back and forth as she twisted on the spot and tossed her hair back. The energy exuding from her was contagious and soon Thorne was swaying to the music with her and even twirled Cress around a couple of times.
Once, Cress attempted to give Thorne a twirl of his own, but their height difference did not permit it and he nearly toppled over, the both of them sharing a laugh.
"Is your suit…purple?" Cress asked over the music as she placed a hand onto his shoulder to steady him.
Thorne chuckled nervously and nodded. "Yeah."
"I like it! It looks good on you!" she called out before Thorne had a chance to explain, and he grinned despite his embarrassment.
When the final notes of the song died out, Thorne twirled Cress one last time and exhausted, she fell into him, a giggle bubbling up from her. Cress lingered for the briefest of moments, but before they could move, the lights around them dimmed even lower and a slow song began to play.
Thorne expected Cress to pull away then, but when she didn't, the heat began to rise on his neck. With her arm wrapped around him, he could smell the familiar floral scent that lingered in the air around her and when he looked down, he wasn't surprised to see that the embroidered pattern all over her dress was a collection of swirls in the shape of roses. Thorne's chest tightened and without even realizing it, his hand came up to find her waist, then rested gently on top of her hip.
As if Thorne's touch sent a shock of electricity through her, Cress took a step back and looked at him wide-eyed and almost embarrassed. She quickly schooled her features and a sly smile spread on her face. She held her hand out to him for the second time that evening. "Carswell Thorne, would you do me the honor of this dance?" Her eyes twinkled under the rotating starlight of the gymnasium and Thorne had to smile back.
Again he took her hand, this time gently, letting Cress's delicate fingers slip into his. She took a half-step towards him, but she didn't lean into him as she had done before. Even though she rested her free hand on his bicep, she kept a respectable distance between them and her eyes focused on a spot just above his shoulder.
They swayed there for a moment, neither of them looking at one another. Thorne gulped, finally venturing a glance down. Maybe he had just been imagining it, but he felt an energy in the air, as if there were unspoken words floating between them, waiting to be said out loud. Thorne couldn't bring himself to say anything, afraid of shattering the fragility of their newly mended friendship. Instead, he let his gaze linger on Cress's freckles and remembered the time he had traced his fingers across her skin.
"Mind if I cut in?" Kinney's voice, although barely audible over the music, startled Thorne. He looked over to see Kinney smiling, his eyebrow raised in good-natured amusement. Kate simply looked apologetic.
Thorne dropped his arms immediately. "Of—of course." He took a step back just before Kinney swooped in between them. Thorne let Kate softly tug him away, but before they could get very far, the song ended and a spotlight lit the stage that was set up for the DJ.
Principle Vargas tapped on the mic that was positioned in the center of the platform to get everyone's attention. "Good evening, everyone. I hope you're all having a good time."
Around Thorne, everyone clapped and cheered.
"It's time to announce this year's Homecoming Court. Without further ado, here's your class president, Kai Prince." Principle Vargas stepped aside and Kai waved to the crowd while everyone cheered, a thick red envelope in his hand.
"Hello, hello. How is everyone doing tonight?"
The whole gym erupted in another wave of cheers.
Kai feigned confusion and leaned into the mic, asking again, "I don't think I heard you. How is everyone doing tonight?!"
Again, the crowd whooped and hollered and Thorne couldn't help but bark out a laugh and join in all the clapping. He ventured a glance over to Cinder who, along with Scarlet and Wolf, had made her way over to stand with Cress. Cinder simply shook her head, but laughed all the same.
Finally satisfied, Kai waved the envelope in the air and made a big show of opening it. He cleared his throat. "Okay, East Commons High School. Your Homecoming Princess this year is…Blakely Shannon."
Everyone cheered as Blakely made her way onto the stage, practically skipping until she got to Kai. The student body vice president, a junior with jet-black hair and glasses named Torin, placed a silver tiara on top of Blakely's hair while Kai handed her a bouquet of flowers. She waved her hand at her face, trying to keep her tears at bay, and threw a thumbs up at her friends who were hollering near the front of the crowd.
"Next up, your Homecoming Prince is…Jules Keller."
Jules pumped his fist into the air and climbed the steps of the stage, two at a time. As he made his way to Kai, he was doing a dance move that Thorne assumed was the current trend because the crowd cheered even louder. Kai shook Jules's hand and Torin placed a crown on his head.
"Now, for your Homecoming Queen, please join me in applauding—" Kai looked down at the next card in his hand and smirked. "Crescent Darnel!"
Thorne clapped so hard, his hands started hurting. He watched as Cress jumped with excitement and turned to hug her friends. She looked around for him, but he was too far away. She grinned and waved at him and his whole chest felt warm as he waved back to her.
Thorne watched Cress make her way on stage and give Kai a great big bear hug as he kissed her cheek. She was beaming when Torin placed the golden crown on her head and Thorne's chest began to tighten. Kai was going to announce the Homecoming King next and Thorne was surprised to see that he was nervous. He wiped his palms against his pant leg and couldn't help but feel the fluttering of butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He must have been fidgeting because Kate tugged on the hem of his jacket sleeve and he appreciated it when she didn't let go.
"And finally, your Homecoming King is…"
Thorne could hear his pulse pounding in his ears and he began to chew on his bottom lip. Why was he so nervous?
It seemed as though Kai was looking at the notecard in his hand for an eternity. He finally cleared his throat, smiled, and announced, "Liam Kinney."
The crowd cheered and Kinney made his way onto the stage. He stopped to pull Cress into a kiss before moving on to take Kai's offered hand.
Thorne simply stood there frozen in place, his eyes falling to the ground. He didn't win. Of course he didn't win. He had known all along that he wasn't going to win, so why was he was so disappointed?
Maybe he wanted to believe Cress when she had told him that he was the hero in his movie. Shouldn't heroes win Homecoming king? And if he didn't win, what did that make him?
Thorne felt a hand slip into his and then Kate's voice close to his ear. "Do you wanna get out of here?"
He nodded.
As Kate led Thorne through the crowd, he looked up to the stage one last time and his eyes briefly met Cress's before he turned to walk away.
The cool night air against his face was a relief and the lapping of the water against the edge of the lake eased his mind. Thorne had driven Kate to the park before he had even realized where they were going. It made sense and now that they were sitting on his bench; he was glad his body knew what he needed because his mind was mush.
"Are you okay?" Kate asked tentatively.
She had been quiet since they had left the school and Thorne suddenly recognized how much of a feat that was for her. He turned to smile at her appreciatively.
"Yeah. I'm just…I didn't think I was going to win, but maybe deep down I still wanted to. It's stupid."
"I don't think it's stupid at all. It's okay to be disappointed."
"It's just a plastic crown." Thorne kicked a pebble by his foot and watched as it skidded across the grass, disappearing into the darkness. He hesitated before speaking again. "I thought that if Cress was queen and I was king, maybe…" Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, causing it to spike in all directions.
Kate laid a comforting hand on Thorne's shoulder.
"I've made up my mind about a hundred times to let her go and every single time I do, I look around frantically for a sign from the universe, telling me I was making the wrong decision. But, the complete opposite has happened. I am just reminded that we don't belong together."
Kate let out a soft sigh and squeezed his shoulder.
"She deserves a king and I'm, well…" He looked down at himself. "Not."
Kate wrinkled her nose. "Hey now. Don't say silly stuff like that. You're amazing. You're smart and you're sweet—"
Thorne snorted.
"There's nothing wrong with being nice! And you're also funny and cute!"
Thorne's lips twitched into a smile and he turned towards her. She was so close and before Thorne knew what he was doing, he was leaning into her. His lips brushed softly against Kate's and he heard a small intake of breath. He paused for the briefest second when his self-consciousness took over, but he ignored it and pressed further. He wanted to not feel sad anymore, wanted to feel that giddiness that always threatened to bubble over whenever he was near Cress, except with someone else—someone who wanted to be with him. But as he kissed Kate, he didn't feel anything.
Thorne felt nothing.
Not only was Kate not kissing him back, she sat there frozen, and it quickly dawned on him that Kate was simply trying to be nice. She hadn't come on to him. She had never tried to come on to him. And, possibly worse of all, was the fact that he was kissing her because he thought that's what he was suppose to do.
He pulled back suddenly, eyes wide and horrified as he met Kate's and she looked nearly as bewildered as he felt.
Thorne buried his face into his hands and groaned. "Oh spades and aces and stars. I'm such a moron! I'm so sorry Kate. I didn't mean to…I—aces what is wrong with me?!" He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration and looked up at Kate, defeated. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I feel like such a…a…cad!"
Kate shifted. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it."
Thorne grimaced. He knew her words were meant to be comforting, but they made him feel even more horrible. "It's not okay." He finally looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
To Thorne's utter relief, Kate didn't look upset. She simply gave him a sympathetic smile and repositioned herself so that she could look out onto the lake. They sat in silence for a short time and Thorne was gathering up the courage to ask Kate if he had royally screwed up their friendship, when Kate finally spoke up.
"You still have feelings for Cress and that's okay. You loved her—love her—but maybe the reason why you haven't gotten over her yet is because you haven't allowed yourself to." Kate paused, perhaps giving Thorne a chance to chime in with a defense, but when he didn't, she continued. "I like hanging out. Really, I do! But, maybe you've been using this time to distract yourself. Maybe you've been avoiding having to deal with your feelings. I get it, it hurts. It's okay to be sad and confused, but maybe you need some time to allow yourself to feel those things."
Thorne chewed on his bottom lip as he listened to Kate. With every word, he felt his chest tighten and grow warm with anxiety, but at the same time, the logical part of his brain knew she was making perfect sense. Kate was right of course, and for the millionth time during their friendship, Thorne had to be grateful for her.
"You're amazing. And you're right. And I'm sorry."
Kate hopped up from the bench and held out a hand to him. "Come on, you can buy me an ice cream to make up for it."
Thorne slowly allowed himself a grin and placed his hand into Kate's, letting her pull him off the bench.
AN: As always, thanks to my beta, lettered, for being so wonderful. Also, a special thanks to zissa for listening to be complain about this chapter while I was writing it and being beyond encouraging.
