Not that good of a chapter..

It gets better..

I had exactly one week before the Homecoming dance. One week to steady my nerves for entering the gymnasium on the arm of the captain of the football team, one week to learn how to walk more than two steps in high heels without falling on my face, and one week to find a dress that looked decent on me.

I have little to no faith in my ability to radiate feminism. Fourteen years with a male best friend was probably to blame.

The second the final bell of the day rang I was clinging desperately to Leah's arm, begging her to come shopping with me.

"I can't today, Char. I have practice." She told me apologetically. I glared at her and threw myself dramatically against her locker.

"But you suck at volleyball." I whined. She pinched my arm, making me let out a horrendous squealing yelp, and turned around to make her way to the locker room. I shoved myself off of the wall and latched onto her waist.

"Charlotte!" She shouted, nearly stumbling into our English teacher.

"I'm desperate!" I cried, "You know I have zero fashion sense and even less common sense. I won't be able to pick a dress without you!"

Leah rolled her eyes but a smirk found its way to her lips, "Charlotte, you'll look amazing in anything. Besides it doesn't matter what you wear, you're going to be the center of his attention."

"Whose attention?" I feigned innocence, "Mr. Engle the band teacher? Or Pop'n'Fresh. Because I am so tryin' to get all up in his play dough."

"Dougie!" Leah shoved me, "You could go in a fucking paper sack and he still wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of you."

I felt myself begin to blush and turned away from her, "I still want to look good." I admitted shyly, "This is so stupid. But I just want to...ya know..." I trailed off.

"Want to what?"

I hesitated, debating whether or not the suffering I'd endure after uttering this sentence would be worth it, "I want to...take his breath away."

Leah's smile grew and she nudged me playfully, "You want to look sexy. You want to give him a boner."

"Ahhh, Leah!" I covered my ears and whined loudly until she stopped teasing me, "That was so vulgar." I murmured after uncovering my ears. She grinned at me and shifted the large duffle bag on her shoulder.

"Look, Char, I'd be more than ecstatic to go help you buy the sex dress of your dreams, but I really need to go to practice, because like you said, I suck at volleyball." She sighed and I pulled a grimace at her use of the term "sex dress".

"Lee, you're the Rachael to my Monica." I gave her the most piteous, pathetic puppy dog eyes imaginable, and all she did was snort at my audacity in using a serious and appropriate metaphor involving characters from Friends.

"If you can possibly find a way to suppress your insatiable need to panic until tomorrow, then I'll throw on my bling and we'll paint the mall neon."

I shook my head, "Wait, what?"

Leah fluttered her eyelashes at me and ruffled my hair, "If not, then take Danny. We all know he has a Queer Eye."

I furrowed my eyebrows and scratched my chin, putting on a very impressive look of Martin Sheen style contemplation before responding, "That's not a bad idea."

"Of course not." She pecked me on the cheek and started toward the gym, flipping me the bird as she did. I scowled after her, trying with every fiber of my being to curse her so she got hit in the head every five minutes with a volley ball.

I made it out to the parking lot before I even spotted Danny. When I did it was all I could do not to keel over with laughter. He was standing with Summer next to her car, with her purse slung over his shoulder and her books cradled in his arms. She wasn't unlocking the door or turning on the stereo or anything that required two hands, she was just standing there flirting with him, and from what I could see she wasn't even very good at it.

I watched her throw her head back and laugh manically at something stupid he had said, and then she reached out and swatted his arm playfully, nearly knocking all of her shit to the ground in the process. Danny teetered on one foot for a whole two minutes, on the brink of disaster, as she turned around finally to slide into her car. Then he set her things in the back seat and leaned in the driver's window to give, what I noticed, was a very passionate and long lasting kiss.

It was probably really juicy too.

The kind of kiss I was still waiting for from Dougie.

...or anyone for that matter...

As soon as Summer had pulled out of the parking lot, I made my way over to Danny.

"Danny the P-I-M-P." I did my best Snoop Dogg impression and jumped on his back.

"Get off of me you Hippo." He joked and spun around really fast, making me emit a very involuntary squeal and tighten my grip on his shoulders.

When he stopped and I slid from his back I immediately swung my arm around his neck and gave him a noogie. He swatted at my hands.

"No touching the hair!" He shouted, gripping my wrists and giving the crazy stoner eyes. I snorted with laughter.

"When the fuck did you start caring about your hair?"

Danny let go of my wrists and leaned down to adjust his hair in the reflection of a car window, "I don't." He insisted, "Summer said--"

"Whipped!" I punched him in the shoulder. He yelped and clutched at it, shooting me a glare.

"First of all, ow!" He shook his head at me, "And second of all, I am not whipped." He reached into his bag hanging low by his hip and pulled out his trucker hat, the one that was usually surgically attached to his head.

"Sure your not. That's why you let Summer tell you to remove this thing--" I rapped on the bill of the hat as he tugged it onto his head, "--even though we all know its your main source of brain power. Without it you can barely manage blinking and walking at the same time."

Danny leaned back down to check the exact tilt of his precious hat in the car window again before scolding me, "If you would ever shut the fuck up for more than two milliseconds at a time then you would have heard the entirety of my sentence."

"You make it sound like I'm always talking or something."

"Well, you are." He smiled, "I was trying to tell you that Summer said your sweater today really brings out the green in your eyes."

I smiled at the compliment, "Well you can tell Summer that I said thank you but I don't muff dive. I have a hard time holding my breath."

Danny's jaw dropped and he shoved me, "You're a disgusting excuse for a girl."

"True." I rose my forefinger in the air as if making a groundbreaking statement. "Which is why I went out of my way to ogle you and your butch snogging each other in the parking lot, so I could cordially invite you to go Homecoming dress shopping with me."

Danny stared at me for a long minute, "I'm not sure what part of that to address first."

"I find it's usually a good idea to start at the beginning."

"Okay." Danny took a deep breath, "My butch?"

"I saw you holding her shit." I shrugged, "You, my friend, are so the bitch in that relationship.

"And you want me to go dress shopping with you?"

"You're the Will to my Grace." I pride myself on being able to make sense of any situation using characters from long running sitcoms.

"I'm not gay, Charbear." Danny rolled his eyes.

"But you have a very compromising sense of style." I waited patiently for two heartbeats before hurling myself to my knees and wrapping my arms around his legs, "Please, Dan! I'm so lost and alone in the crazy mixed up world! The mall is no place for someone like me!"

"Fashion victims with big boobs and short abdomens?"

I ignored his comment and gave him huge, sinister eyes, "I'll buy you a smoothie."

Danny grinned down at me, "Alright, let's go shopping."

I stood up and threw my arms around his neck, "I promise I won't ever tell anyone you're addicted to animal porn ever again!"

"Wait, what?"

I let go of him, "Wal-Mart then?"

Danny stared at me, "You're joking, right?"

I just blew him a kiss and started toward his car. When we were both seated and he had begun to back out of his space, Danny turned to me, "Did you say you were ogling me and Summer snogging in the parking lot?"

"Don't get a big head about it, " I sniffed and tossed my feet up on the dashboard, "I ogle everyone when they snog in the parking lot."

----------------------------------------------

I stood in the tiny changing booth, staring at my reflection in the full length mirror, trying to decide on a scale of one to ten, just how much of a disaster it would be to go out in public in that dress.

"Charlotte?" Danny called from outside the door, "Come on, let me see it."

I tugged at the low neckline, so low it plummeted in between my breasts, and muttered a few curse words at how awkward my chest looked.

"No." I said back. There was a groan and Danny knocked on the door.

"Char, I'm here to help you, but I can't really do that if you won't let me see you in the dresses." He paused, "This is the third one and you still won't come out."

I pouted at myself and pulled aside the edges of the thigh high slit in the ankle length dress. I jutted out my leg and attempted a seductive pose.

"Charlotte." Danny said again. I sighed dramatically.

"I can't, Daniel, I look like an idiot."

"You're wearing the black one right?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's not possible."

His words made me smile and I reached for the doorknob, "You can't laugh." I warned.

"Cross my heart."

I sucked my lower lip into my mouth and pulled the door open. Danny stepped back and stared at me. His mouth hung open slightly and his eyes were so wide he reminded me of a chinchilla.

I grew self-conscious under his gaze and started to retreat back into the dressing room, but Danny reached out and grabbed my arm.

"You look..." He shook his head slowly, "Amazing, Charlotte."

Even though it was Danny, I was as red as a fucking tomato.

"Really?" I asked timidly, the grin on my face so big and tight I thought my face might split in two.

Danny nodded furiously, "I almost wish I had asked you." He laughed, "To get to look at you in that all night..." He trailed off and shook his head again, "Dougie isn't gonna know what hit him."

The smile on my face faltered, "But I'm not going with Dougie." I sighed, "Rosalie, his girlfriend is. I'm going with Drake. Everyone seems to be forgetting that. Even me."

Danny grabbed both of my hands and held them out so he could get a broader view of me in the dress, "A trivial catch." He smiled reassuringly, "She's only still a part of this because Dougie's too much of a pussy to go after what he really wants. He always has been. Sure he puts on that he's Mr. Charisma, but he's just as scared as the rest of us." Danny raised his eyes to meet mine, "Deep down, he's just a kid."

I turned around so he could zip it up the rest of the way, studying him in the mirror as he fumbled with the clasps and continued speaking, "As for Drake, " He bit down on his tongue, concentrating very hard, "You shouldn't date a guy with Dennis the Menace tattooed on his ass cheek anyway."

I frowned and turned around to face him, "For real?"

Danny smirked and shrugged, "Sometimes I do deals in the locker room with players after practice."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the image of Danny selling weed to a buck naked Drake. Especially when there was a little blond cartoon boy carrying a slingshot permanently imprinted on his butt.

I stared at Danny for a long time while he fussed with the rumpled waist of my dress. For being a lifelong stoner, born with a bong in his hand, he was unbelievably perceptive, and indisputably intelligent.

"There, " He stood up straight and stepped back to admire me one more time, "Of course, you can't wear the bright green bra with it."

I glanced down at the undergarment peeking out between the folds of my dress and laughed, tugging it around to cover it up. Then I looked back up at Danny and smiled, "Thank you."

He nodded, knowing full well that I didn't just mean for picking out the dress. Then I spun around and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Maybe he was right, I didn't look so ridiculous after all.

Danny dropped me off at my house after another hour of standing awkwardly outside the mall doors second guessing my purchase and pretending I wasn't hungry even though I was just because I was feeling self conscious about the whole dress thing.

I came frighteningly close to throttling Danny and making away with his pretzel.

He will never know how close he came to losing a hand.

It's probably for the best.

I crawled out of Danny's car, moaning with hunger pain and dragging my shopping bag along behind me.

"Go eat something, stupid." He shouted at me. I slid the rest of the way out the door and curled up in a ball on the sidewalk.

"I swear, I'm not hungry." I groaned. Danny revved his engine.

"Dougie's here."

I sat up with a bolt of sudden energy, my eyes wide like a deer in headlights, and almost squealed when I spotted Dougie's car in my driveway.

I jumped to my feet, taking a second to cringe at the loud, painful rumble of my stomach, "What are you waiting for?" I hissed at Danny, "Away with you!"

Danny reached into his glove box and tossed a package of sweet tarts in my direction. I barely caught them, shooting him a dirty look as they slipped through my fingers.

"Sure, throw candy at the fatty." I snarled, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"I figured the sugar would tide you over until you're alone so you'll fucking eat." Danny shook his head, "Do you have any idea how severely I'll murder your ass if you get all stupid and girly on me?"

I fluttered my eyelashes at him and peered down into my bag, "I!" I paused for dramatic effect, "Am a woman." Then I turned and started slowly for the porch, "So suck my balls."

"Go find Dougie." Danny chuckled.

"Okay."

"Peace out, Dr. Frank-N-Furter." Danny waved as he pulled away from the curb, and I waved after him with my middle finger.

I watched his car disappear around the corner before racing toward the porch. I leapt flawlessly over both steps only to crash full on into Dougie as he came out the front door.

There were a few painfully awkward seconds of full frontal body contact before we were both stable again.

Dougie smiled at me, an only slightly restricted laugh escaping him, "Hello, Starshine."

"Salutations." I slapped a hand playfully against his chest. Dougie stepped backwards slowly, still grinning at me, and sat carefully down on the porch swing.

"I heard you bought your homecoming dress."

"Sure did." I leaned casually against the railing adjacent from him.

Dougie cocked his head to the side, "Can I see it?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and glanced down into the bag I still clutched tightly in my fist, "Uh. . .no."

"Uh. . .why not?" Dougie mocked me.

I shrugged and moved the bag behind my back protectively, "I think it's bad luck or something."

"Danny got to." Dougie whined, looking very pathetically insulted.

I smiled at him sweetly, "Yes, well I haven't seen Danny naked."

"Oh and that makes a difference?"

"Theoretically speaking."

Dougie shook his head and sat forward on the swing, "First of all, we were eight."

I had to physically suppress the very animated grin that wanted to appear on my face.

"And secondly, " He continued, "That was an accident. I had no idea you were going to walk in."

"You were in my room, Dougie." I chuckled. He scooted forward further as he got more heated.

"Yea, but you were supposed to be at girl scouts." Dougie pointed accusingly at me.

"Oh come on, you knew I never actually went to girl scouts." I dropped the bag behind me and crossed my arms. Dougie scowled at me and sat back slowly.

"Touche."

"Besides you never really told me why you were naked in my room." I pointed out suspiciously.

Dougie shrugged and kicked his feet up on the railing, "It will forever be a mystery."

"But you used my favorite stuffed animal as a loin clothe!" I shouted with horrified recollection. Dougie smirked at me.

"It was really soft."

I shook my head at him, blatantly disturbed, "I can't even look at Baby Elton the Anteater anymore without seeing your scrawny body attached to him."

Dougie's smirk got worse and he plucked absently at the hem of his shirt, "I look a lot better naked now."

My head shot up and I tried to disguise the blush that I felt heat up my face. Our eyes met for a split second during which I noticed that Dougie was definitely blushing too, before we both looked away awkwardly.

Stop the unfair, dirty thoughts.

Nearly an entire minute passed by in excruciating silence when Dougie cleared his throat and spoke.

"Wanna hear something really sick?" He asked.

I looked up at him, thankful for the distraction and disregard of what we were both quite obviously thinking about.

"Sicker than you violating Baby Elton?"

"Very much so. Like twenty times sicker."

"I'm intrigued."

Dougie straightened himself up and smiled at me condescendingly, "I, Dougie Poynter, was nominated for Homecoming King."

I didn't mean to, but I snorted.

Dougie gave me a hurt look as I struggled to control my laughter, "Poynter, your pretends are getting less and less believable."

He sighed dramatically, "If only it was pretend."

I shook my head, "I refuse to believe you." I said stubbornly.

Dougie sat forward, his feet hitting the porch with a loud, indignant thud, "I will fucking show you the fucking ballot!"

Once again, I didn't mean to, but I snorted.

"Than fucking show me the fucking ballot!" I mocked him.

Dougie stood up quickly, visibly flustered, and dug through his pocket hurriedly.

"I will."

I watched him for a second, trying desperately to find the correct pocket, "It better not be on construction paper in green crayon.." I warned him playfully.

He glared at me and produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket, "Here."

I took it slowly and opened it. Indeed, it was a valid Homecoming ballot. And indeed, Dougie's name was on it. Right below Drake. I read it over three times before I believed it.

"I'm voting for you." I said finally. Dougie let out a groan.

"Don't vote for me."

I folded the ballot, "I'm doing it."

"Char, no, it's bad enough my name is even on that thing." He sighed, "I can't win."

I gave him an incredulous, sarcastic look, "Like my vote is going to make a difference."

Dougie sucked in a deep breath, "It makes a big difference to me."

I met his eyes and held them for a long time, carefully analyzing exactly what he meant by that and coming up with nothing other than the obvious.

"Please, Charlotte?"

I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes at his pleading puppy-dog look, "Alright, but I'm keeping this." I slid the ballot into my back pocket, "Besides, I'm sure the 4H candidate would appreciate my vote."

Dougie grinned, "Thanks."

"And hey, if you win anyway, we'll just switch clothes in the bathroom and I'll go up and give a speech for you." I added excitedly.

"Don't forget to thank the academy." Dougie leaned back opposite me.

I nodded, "And profess your undying love of all things Willy Wonka."

Dougie laughed, "I'd love to get my hands on a pair of those purple latex gloves." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"So you can spank the Oompa Loompas?" I asked, arching my own eyebrow.

"So I can spank Baby Elton." He corrected cheekily. My jaw dropped.

"Thats it, " I threw my hands in the air, "I am starting the Stuffed Anteaters Named After Gay Rock Icons Sexual Abuse Prevention Association."

Dougie chuckled, "SANAGRISAPA?"

"It's a mouthful." I thought for a moment, "We'll call it the Dougie Poynter Prevention Association for short."

"Ah yes, but then the world will know exactly how much you really do love me."

I opened my mouth to respond but changed my mind and looked down at my feet. After a second of silence I licked my lips and whispered, ". . . they could never know that."

Another beat of silence before Dougie followed with, ". . . ditto."

I looked up at him curiously. He was watching me the exact same way. There was something going on here, and I was getting more and more confused with each comment he made that held some other hidden meaning. Or maybe they weren't so much hidden as timid.

Dougie pushed off the wall and stepped closer to me, his hand coming forward to touch my cheek. I could feel him shaking nervously as his fingers brushed over my skin. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat as he leaned down toward my face. His lips hovered, so close I could feel them tickling against my own.

"Dougie. . ." I whispered, my voice scratching painfully as I forced it out. He didn't back off and he didn't get any closer, but he did take in a sharp breath.

"I have to go." He said. I could hear the same strangled will power come out as his breath cascaded against my face.

"Okay." I croaked back. Dougie's eyes scanned my face rapidly and his chest heaved in and out with each deep breath; it matched the eager but terrified rhythm of my own, and he was standing so close that we touched each time.

His head dipped a fraction of a centimeter closer, but still he didn't kiss me. Then he stood up straight and swallowed loudly, running a hand over his forehead.

"What?" I felt the sting of tears hit the back of my throat and my eyes. Why was he doing this? Getting so close but always holding himself back. If he wanted me the way I wanted him, why the fuck was he acting like this was so wrong? "What, Dougie?" I repeated.

He held his breath briefly before clearing his throat again and answering, "It's, uh. . my parent's anniversary." He said very softly.

My body slumped with a mixture of relief, shame and sympathy. Dougie was going through something terrible, and I was being selfish.

He nodded slowly and wouldn't meet my eyes, "My mom doesn't wanna be. . .ya know, alone."

I stepped forward and reached for his hand. It was trembling.

So was mine.

"Do you. . .want me to come with you?" I asked carefully. Dougie looked up, locking eyes with me.

And I almost died inside when I saw the tears gathering in the corners.

He just stared at me for the longest time, fighting back the sadness. Dougie was stronger than I could ever hope to be, but sometimes it's just too hard to force everything down.

His grip tightened on my hand as the tiny drops crept over his eyelid and began to slide down his cheeks.

Dougie stomped his foot and bit down on his lip, frustrated by his falling tears. My mouth fell open as a silent sob escaped me and I reached up with my free hand to wipe them gently away.

He struggled with words for a bit, stopping my hand with his and holding it against his face, "Yeah." He answered finally. I nodded slowly, mesmerized as the tears seemed to stop instantly.

Dougie sighed shakily and turned to step off the porch, still holding onto my hand with so much force that a fleeting worry of broken bones entered my mind, but I didn't say a word.

Because he needed me.

The remainder of that one week before the dance went by as fast as if it had only been one day. And because of all the really super Homecoming festivities, Dougie had been pretty much MIA since his nomination burped out of the P.A. Tuesday afternoon. So I hadn't really had a chance to see him let alone speak to him. Needless to say I was pretty much a walking ball of nerves.

Nerves and vomit.

Vomit that threatened to spew forth at any given moment.

Specifically the moment Drake caught my arm in the hallway and pressed a rather moist kiss to my right cheek.

I caught the vomit before it erupted out of my mouth, even thought it just might have been worth it to throw up all over his football cleats.

"So is tonight our first date? Or our second?" Drake whispered as he redirected me toward his own locker.

I tasted twice as much vomit that time.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, pausing to study the pained expression on my face. I covered my mouth and nodded. Drake barely missed a beat.

"I mean, I wouldn't necessarily count that party as a date. But we can't just ignore the fact that we've made out, ya know?" He smirked at me, and I swear to God my liver tried to crawl up my throat.

I managed to swallow everything and force a smile, but I knew that if I tried to say anything. . .well, there would be no salvaging the relationship.

Drake didn't really seem to notice as he tossed his books into his locker and threw an arm casually around my shoulders. We wandered down the hallway in silence, Drake greeting every single time worthy person to cross our path; and me praying nonstop for the apocalypse.

Then an angel dressed solely in black and red called my name above the sea of students, and I actually cried out with glee.

"Hey, Dougie!" I shouted back to him, bringing Drake to a halt in the middle of the stampede.

"Charlotte, come on--"

"Dougie, hey how's it going?" I asked breathlessly Dougie shoved his way over to us. He eyeballed Drake briefly before shoving his hands into his pockets and smiling down at me.

"It's going."

"Charlotte I have to get to practice." Drake nudged my side. I glanced at him over my shoulder but focused directly on Dougie as I responded.

"Ok so go. You don't need me to throw around a ball, do you?"

The look on Drake's face matched the look on a kindergartener's face when you're forced to tell them that you're all out of elephant shaped animal crackers.

"I just thought we--"

"Come on, do you really think watching you practice football is going to be at all stimulating for me?" I pleaded, although my plead was an awfully distracted one.

Drake opened and shut his mouth twice while I shot Dougie a flirtatious smile. He covered up a chuckle with a very lame sounding cough.

"Besides, " I spun around and placed my hands boldly on Drake's shoulders, "The big dance is tonight. I need all afternoon to get ready."

Drake looked ready to call my bluff (the snort from Dougie didn't help I'm sure) so I sucked in my pride and kissed Drake softly on the lips.

"You want me to look beautiful, right?"

Drake almost immediately broke out into a sleazy grin and nodded, "Alright go ahead."

Oh, you go girlfriend. I got him whipped.

"I'll see you later." I smiled and shoved myself away from him roughly, grabbed onto Dougie's arm and practically flew off toward the front doors. When we got outside Dougie stopped me and spun me around to face him.

"Slow down, Sparky." He laughed, "You won't miss your hair appointment."

I scowled at him, "Who says I have a hair appointment?"

He shrugged. That was all, and Douglas Lee Poynter disappeared.

He was silent for a minute, which was awkwardly too long a time span, but what he broke that silence with was decidedly more awkward. More simply put; that apocalypse I was praying for, well it quite possibly came and went during this sentence.

"Did you have to kiss him?" He asked me. I stared at him, blinked at him, narrowed my eyes at him. Then I retorted with a confused and strangely insulted, but always effective:

"What?"

Dougie just looked at the ground and shook his head, "Nevermind."

I stared at him incredulously, "No, Dougie, tell me what."

Dougie still didn't look at me as he carefully stammered a response, "I just. . .I mean we. . " Then he stopped and looked up at me beseechingly. I held his nervous frustrated gaze for a long time before relenting.

"Yeah."

He seemed to relax a little and turned to survey the emptying parking lot.

"So what time is that hair appointment?"

I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless, "Five thirty." I answered sulkily, "And I really don't want to go."

Dougie chuckled and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "You'll survive, trust me. Besides it's not like they can do much to improve your do."

"Oh, Dougie, no flattery please, I already love you."

"Your hair is so straightened it'd take eight gallons of hair spray to hold a single curl."

I snatched up a few strands of my blond hair and peered at the split ends staring back at me, "And now I forget why I thought conditioner was a waste of money."

"Not to mention time better spent lathering your breasts." Dougie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I dropped my hair and fluttered my eyelashes at him.

"We aren't all as endowed as you."

Dougie shook his head, "I'd say we're pretty equally endowed. Just in different places." And although his tone was playful, I swear I caught his eyes drifting below my collarbone.

I couldn't even try to stop my flustered laugh.

But, once again, Dougie abolished the awkwardness as well as slammed us right back where we started, "So I assume Leah is the mastermind behind your very first hair-dressing experience?"

I shook my head, "Actually Danny made the appointment. But Leah did say that it was unnatural for an eighteen year old girl to be a salon virgin."

Dougie nodded, "I myself was deflowered years ago."

"Not surprising." I muttered. He shoved me gently, his hands still deep inside his pockets.

A familiar gesture that had somehow turned shy over the past few weeks together.

"So. . ." He said softly, "Do you wanna hang out and I'll drop you off at five thirty?"

I grinned and looped my arm through his, thankful for the contact as well as the idea of simply spending time with him at long last.

"Hellz yeah."

Dougie and I spent two and a half hours listening to my parent's thirty something year old vinyl records and trying to figure out which songs best described our affection for pudding, or at least our passion for movies starring one or more of the Baldwin brothers.

Then at five twenty-six he left me standing on the sidewalk outside a very frighteningly upscale looking salon with nothing but a charming smile and a vague promise of seeing me later. It was vague because I don't think either of us was so sure that I wouldn't have an anxiety attack sometime between our parting and the looming dance.

I'd never been one to do high school sociality exceptionally well.

Come to think of it I'd never been one to do sociality in general exceptionally well.

But I waited semi-patiently nonetheless, in an unbelievably comfort-wise deceiving red leather chair, for Leah to arrive and strap me into the spinning seat that quite terrifyingly resembled an electric chair.

"Hey, Chae, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised you showed up." Leah greeted as she slid through the door. I swiveled sideways to face her without taking my eyes off of the humming hair dryers.

"There is no way in hell that I am putting my head in there." I warned her. In response, Leah smiled, genuinely amused, and walked to the front desk to check us in.

Nearly an hour and forty-five minutes later, I paid a shocking amount of money to the hairdresser that will forever remain undisclosed, and tiptoed out of the salon.

"Charlotte." Leah laughed, "What the hell are you doing?"

I lifted my hands above my head to guard my expensive curls as I ducked carefully into her car, "This mound of dead cells and hairspray cost me a whopping amount of money that, frankly, I was saving to rescue the Beatles music from Michael Jackson. I will be taking zero risks from this moment on."

"You have way too much free time." Leah mused as she started the car.

"And you have way too much pink nail polish, but you never hear me complain, do you?"

She ignored me and we made our way back to my house to squeeze into our dresses.