After class, Mia and I walked to one of the picnic tables to wait for Payton. Some girls came up to us.

"Ugh, I cannot believe Autumn," a prep girl snarled.

"Yeah, we saw what happened out in the quad," a glee girl agreed. "It was so skanky, what she did. You don't mess with another girl's man."

"What is up with that chick?" a hip hop girl asked.

"She's a boyfriend stealer, that's what," a cheerleader girl scoffed.

"And have you seen those shoes she normally wears?" a movie star girl exclaimed.

"I know, right?" an actor girl replied.

"Even I wouldn't wear those!" a hipster girl laughed.

Mia and I sat there, sipping on smoothies and taking in the sound of sweet, sweet gossip. Why trash talk when you can get your friends to do it for you?

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Wes approaching. "Guys, we should be nice to poor Autumn," I asserted in my patented "sweet-as-honey" voice. "She's gone through so much, and we really should be there for her."

"You're so right," the cheerleader girl exclaimed.

"You have such a caring heart!" the glee girl agreed. "You totes deserve to win Prom queen."

"I'm going to start by donating to Autumn's charity," the movie star girl decreed. "I'll buy some Manolos and Choos for that poor thing."

Suddenly, a silence fell over my court. I knew who it was, but I pretended not to acknowledge it.

"Can we talk?"

It was a voice I knew too well. A voice that could persuade me to do pretty much anything… except forgive him right now.

"Wes, she doesn't want to talk to you," the cheerleader girl announced

"She's so upset," the actor girl agreed. "You were the love of her life!" Way to be overdramatic, I laughed to myself.

"It's best for everyone if you just leave," the hip hop girl intonated.

Wes looked at me, but my Gucci shades concealed my eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Mia pulled her Oliver Peoples sunglasses down and looked Wes in the eye.

"She's not going to talk to you today, so make like a Magic 8 ball and 'ask again later'," she remarked.

I felt bad, but at the same time, he had flirted with so many other girls. He had a history with Autumn, and had kissed the new girl, Koh, right in front of my face. He said it was for "the good of our school", but that didn't make it hurt any less.

Finally, Wes left. Again, Mia took one look at my face.

"Girls, it's time for some retail therapy," Mia announced. "We'll meet you all in front of Bloomie's in fifteen."

With that, my other friends left, and Mia and I were alone again.

"Are you okay? I know how hard it is," Mia murmured.

I smiled. "No, I'm totally golden."

"Don't bullshit me," she countered.

"No, I'm pissed at Autumn, and Wes has hurt me for the billionth time. Can't he see how Autumn is manipulating him? He's a master manipulator, and yet he's so clueless when it comes to Autumn! She's like his kryptonite!" I exclaimed, quietly.

"Oh, I see," Wes observed, coming from behind the prep hangout.

"Wes?!" I shrieked.

"I knew something was up with you this morning, and I knew you weren't going to tell me, so I had to do things my way," Wes said. "Can we talk now? 'Cause I've been meaning to ask my girlfriend something for a while now and I can't do it while she's mad at me." The corners of his lips rose to display his signature smirk.

I struggled to keep my solemn face intact, but dammit, his smile was truly irresistible, and I couldn't help it—I smiled back.

"Mia, can we talk in private?" he asked, flashing another charismatic smile at Mia. She looked at me, and when I gave her a slight nod, she left.

Wes sat himself on the picnic table and placed his hand on my knee.

"Now, what's this about Autumn?" he asked, his face serious.

"She's not over you," I disclosed. "And since day one, she's always been out to hurt me. I try so hard to be nice to her, but she takes everything out of context and acts so cruelly to me," I murmured, my eyes downcast.

Wes frowned. "Autumn's not like that," he assured. "I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding."

"Oh, whatever, I'm over it," I flipped my hair. It was hopeless to convince him about Autumn. "What did you want to ask me?"

Wes lowered his head. "I had it all planned out, but now all the band guys are gone," he said. "I was going to ask you to Prom. It was gonna be this whole spectacle, and I was gonna ask you in front of the whole school. I had flowers and everything."

I smiled. "Oh, Wes! That would have been amazing!"

"Yeah, but it's too late now. You already know, so it wouldn't be a surprise for you anymore." He frowned.

"I dunno," I smirked. "I mean, you haven't asked me yet." I looked up at him through my eyelashes.

Suddenly, his face got all serious. He got down on one knee and pulled out a small bunch of flowers out of his dark gray jacket.

"Will you go to Prom with me?" he asked.

I pretended to ponder his question for a moment. "Hmm… should I go with the jock who asked me last Wednesday, or the skater who asked me yesterday?" I tapped my chin mock-thoughtfully and then I looked down at Wes and grinned.

"Yes."

"What about the jock and the skater?" Wes teased.

"They weren't even an option," I sniffed. "There's just you. Only you." I kissed him on the cheek.

Then, my phone beeped. It was a text from Mia.

Mia: Where are you? Everyone's texting me. They're all at Bloomie's already!

Me: You know what? I don't need retail therapy today after all. I'll tell you all the details tomorrow at school. Have fun!

I put my phone back in my Céline bag and looked back to Wes.

"Let's go," I smiled up at him.

And everything was right again… until I noticed something.

"Wes?!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, princess?" he asked.

"What the hell are you wearing?!" My face was contorted into a perpetual expression of shock.

"Just a new outfit from my closet, why?" Wes asked. "You've seen me in it all day and you haven't said a word before," he noted.

"Wes," I began. "It's not the outfit."

"What is it then?" he asked, baffled.

I stared pointedly at his shoes.

"Huh?" Wes asked confusedly.

"Wes, you're wearing flip-flops." I sighed.

"Huh? What's the deal with flip-flops?" Wes asked. Normally, he was much more intelligent than the average guy, but when it came to fashion, he was totally clueless.

"On girls, they're okay if they're Havaianas or any other acceptable brand… but on guys? Never. Ever. Like, just don't. Please." I frowned, trying to burn the memory of his flip-flops from my mind.

"Okay," Wes assented. "But just so you know, my black Vans are in a dumpster headed towards who-knows-where."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Why?"

"It was during one of Payton's parties," Wes continued. "The one with that epic game of Truth or Dare where Sakura ended up licking a snail and I downed an entire garlic-Frosted Flakes smoothie? Yeah, well, when Julian and I were streaking around the block, my shoes slipped off and rather than going back and letting him win, I just went on. And I was too distracted to notice that I lost my shoes." He actually looked a little bashful.

"Oh," I replied. "So we're stuck with those flip-flops?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Wes nodded. "Until I can collect enough cash to buy a new pair of sneakers."

"That sucks," I sighed. Well, at least we were going to Prom together.