AN: Set after drabble 327.
Prompt: Cate Cassidy - "I didn't want to say anything before because I didn't want you to see me as a different person. Or in a different light. But maybe that's what's happened. Things... Things have been illuminated, and everything has changed." - 'Life UneXpected'
"You and Megan would have so much in common," Alan said, still trying to get me to agree to accompany his cousin to the end of the year Cotillion hosted by Dalton's sister school, Crawford County Day.
"Yeah, but Alissa is actually into music unlike Megan," David countered. He was trying to get me to escort his younger sister, a freshman, to the dance.
"Guys, I appreciate your help trying to set up a date but I'm not going to the dance," I told them, hoping to end the conversation.
"Did a family member die?" Thad asked. The questions, seemingly out of the blue, threw me.
"No," I replied slowly, wondering where this was going.
"Then you're going. It's Warbler tradition that we all go," Thad informed me.
"Yeah, they even make me go without a date," Eric said, from his spot on the nearby couch where he was reading a novel.
I looked to Wes, the only one in the room who knew the real reason I didn't want to go to the dance.
Next year's head of the council simply shrugged his shoulders. "It is tradition."
I sighed. I obviously wasn't going to get any help from Wes on this matter. Though as the older teen had been trying to get me to come clean about the reasons I had come to Dalton to the Warblers, I guess it shouldn't have surprised me.
"Look, guys, I don't want to ruin your tradition but I really don't want to go to the dance. The reason I came to Dalton is because of the last dance I went to. Some guys beat me and my. . . "
I paused, deciding on how I wanted to refer to Darren. It didn't take me long to decide that I wanted to be completely honest with them. To finally let them know who I really was and hope they still accepted me.
"My date up as we were leaving because they didn't like the fact that two guys were together."
"No wonder you keep turning down our set-ups with the girls," Thad said. "We should have guessed."
"Crawford Day has the same zero tolerance policy as Dalton. And you'll have us to watch out for you," David added.
I looked in Wes' direction. "I told you so," he mouthed to me.
Wes had been right, admitting to the Warblers hadn't changed me in their eyes. Or maybe it had, just not in the way I had feared. I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
"And now I have someone to go to the dance with," Eric piped up. "Just as friends of course," he added quickly. "But it will be nice to have someone to hang with after dancing with everyone else's dates gets old."
I couldn't help but smile. Maybe the Cotillion could be fun.