by RH Tucker
Natalie smiles at me, acting as if everything is fine, but I feel weird. Like I’m splitting up her and her friend. “Nat, if you want to drive with them, it’s cool.”
“Sam, stop that.”
“I’m just saying, like, I get it. I won’t get offended or anything.”
Her lips curve into a smirk. “If you keep this up, I’m going to make sure I enforce my dad’s rules on you,” she remarks, walking over to our car.
Wait, what? “Are you talking about the holding hands one or the kissing one?”
Looking over her shoulder, she gives me another smirk. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Chapter 10
Natalie
“So, no glasses?” I ask Sam as we sit at our table, waiting for our food.
I have to confess, when I saw Sam standing at my door, my immediate thought was that he looked incredibly dapper. His hair is still parted to the side, but he’s not wearing glasses. And as much as I now like and am comfortable with them on him, without them and in the tuxedo, he looks hot. I noticed a little stubble on him throughout the week, but tonight he’s clean shaven, and when he was smiling as we took pictures, I realized he wasn’t wearing any braces either. I wouldn’t tell him this, because knowing us it’d probably come off like I’m comparing him and lead to an argument, but he would fit right in with my friends.
“Nope,” he answers, rubbing his eyes. He’s done it a few times already since we’ve been at the restaurant, and while we were riding in the car, too. “I’d been planning on not wearing them tonight since it’s prom. They’re just trial lenses I got from my doctor. I’ll probably throw them away after tonight and go back to my glasses.”
“I like them.”
“Yeah, but they irritate my eyes.” He rubs his left eye again. “That’s why I’ve always worn glasses.”
“Oh, sorry. I meant your glasses.” I give him a small smile.
“Really?” he asks, perking up a little.
“Yeah, I’m used to seeing you with them. The contacts are nice, but your glasses suit your better.”
“Thanks.”
“And no braces anymore either, I see. Careful, Sam. I’ll start to think you’re trying to give yourself a makeover to impress me.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, because a makeover is the only way you’d be impressed by me.”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant.”
A silence falls over the table. He looks down at his glass of water, and I stare at my bread plate, now littered with crumbs. The steakhouse we’ve come to is fancy, and this should be a nice dinner before the dance, but everything’s felt off.
After the scooter ride yesterday, I talked to Mia and told her I really didn’t have a problem going to prom with Sam. She double checked with me all day today and again before we went our separate ways after the pictures. I told her I couldn’t do that to him after he went out of his way to ask me. But the truth is, Sam’s been nothing but sweet to me this entire week when he’s had no reason to. He’s been there for me. And what he said is true. He’s growing on me. But tonight, I can tell he’s holding back. He’s had no problem telling me what’s on his mind before, but he seems nervous tonight.
Quinton clears his throat, reaching for his drink. His eyes meet mine for a moment before he averts them. Kelsey is sitting next to me. She leans a little closer. “Natalie, I love your dress.”
“Thanks,” I reply. “Yours is really pretty.”
Kelsey’s dress is a shimmering emerald gown that has a high low hem, falling just above her knees. It has a scoop neckline with a black floral lace that sits over the top, covering her shoulders. She doesn’t seem to wear much makeup at school, but she’s wearing light lipstick and a blush over her cheeks tonight. And I’ve only ever seen her wear her dark hair up in a bun, usually with a pencil through it, but she’s curled it and it falls just over her shoulders. With a little glittery eyeshadow, she looks amazing.
“Thank you,” she answers before another round of silence falls over the table.
Thankfully our waiter arrives and starts setting the plates down. Quinton starts up a conversation about movies and TV shows, and I participate here and there. Him and Sam joke around, quoting movie lines and I see how close of friends they are.
After dinner, Sam and I are both in the backseat of the car as Quinton drives. I still haven’t brought up my last comment, but I want to.
“Sam, I didn’t mean what I said to sound like you need to change to impress me.”
“But I didn’t impress you when we were announced as prom court couples. Why would I now?”
“It’s different now. I know you better.”
He eyes me carefully, as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m telling him the truth. I am. I hope he sees that. But I also know exactly how I’ve treated him this past week. I wonder if that’s too much to overcome and have fun tonight.
“Okay,” he finally says. “You look really pretty, by the way. I wasn’t sure how to say it before because I didn’t want to make it awkward.”
I give him a grin. “Telling your date that she looks pretty will never make it awkward.”
He flashes me a smirk and then catches me off guard by reaching over and giving my hand a squeeze. “I’ll remember that.”
When we get to the dance, there’s already a line forming to take proper prom pictures, so we all get in line and wait for our turn. Quinton and Kelsey are in front of us, and as we slowly creep to the front where the cameraman is stationed, Mia and Logan walk in.
“Natti!” Mia screams like she hasn’t seen me in a week, even though it’s barely been over an hour since we left my house. “How was your dinner?”
“It was good,” I answer and glance back at Sam, giving him a smile.
“Oh man!” Mia says excitedly and then leans to whisper in my ear. “Dustin was at the dinner with us.”
“Yeah, Mia. I figured he would be.”
“No,” she whispers lower, “without Emily.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I guess she bailed on him because Darius asked her at the last minute.”
“What a bitch,” I groan out.
“I know! So you know what that means?”
I know exactly what she’s going to say it means. I glance over at Sam, who’s not being nosey in the slightest, but instead joking around with his friends, as we slowly crawl to the front of the picture line.
“Mia, no.” I look back at her, shaking my head. “I can’t ditch Sam at prom.”
“Nat, this is Dustin we’re talking about. The guy you’ve been lusting over.”
“I know, but still. I came with Sam. He’s nice, and funny. Plus, I’ve actually had a good time so far tonight. And if all of that wasn’t reason enough, Dustin didn’t ask me. He might or might not have known I wanted to come to prom with him, but he still hooked up with Emily and asked her. So, what? Now I’m supposed to just ditch the guy I came with and run off with Dustin because he’s riding solo?”
Mia stares at me. “You’ve really had a good time tonight?”
“Yeah,” I reply with a chuckle. “I mean, there was an awkward moment, but it seems we always have awkward moments. Plus, Sam’s … cool.”
“You did not just say Sam Patterson is cool.”
“I did.” I laugh a little harder now. “Not in a Dustin or President McHottie kind of way. But in his own way. He’s nerd cool.”
Her eyes narrow, mouth hanging open. “Nerd cool? Did they roofie you at dinner?”
Now I let out a hearty laugh. “No.”
“Hey, Nat,” Sam calls out to me. He’s waiting at the front, calling me over to take our picture.
“I gotta go, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.” She eyes me suspiciously as I walk over to Sam.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“Okay, next up,” the photographer shouts out, and we take our place in front of him. “Okay, get a little close
r.” I press my back against Sam’s chest, and I giggle when I feel him tense up. He keeps his arm on the side, then picks it up and awkwardly places it on my shoulder, before taking it off. I have to giggle again. “All right, bro, I’m doing you a favor here. Put your arm around the lady.” Sam gives me a glance, biting his bottom lip. He wraps his arm around me, and I place my hand over his.
“Okay, hold it there,” the photographer says, pointing his camera at us. “Keeping holding.”
I glance up at Sam, who returns the same expression to me, both of us giving each other a smile.
“Almost got it,” the photographer says. I look back at the camera and feel Sam laugh under his breath. He doesn’t feel as tense now.
He leans closer to my ear. “Is it me, or is he taking a long time?”
“No, he is. Maybe this is his first gig?” I whisper back.
“There it is! Smile!” he shouts out and takes our picture. Looking up from the camera, he looks at Sam, giving him a wink. “First dates can be a little nerve-racking, so I figured I’d let you two get comfortable for a second.”
Sam and I both glance at each other and I can only hope I’m not blushing too much. Thankfully, Sam seems to be just as embarrassed.
“Q and Kelsey already went inside to the dance floor. Would you like to dance?”
He holds his hand out to me, and the nerves melt away. It’s a combination of how proper his posture is, his bright new smile, and that cemented, parted-to-the-side hairdo that seems to be growing on me as much as everything else that involves him, that makes me smile as I take his hand. “I’d love to.”
Chapter 11
Sam
Back in sixth grade, I hated my mom. Okay, I didn’t literally hate her, but I was furious at her. Halfway through sixth grade, my parents urged me to do something other than homework and video games. They wanted me to do some kind of sport, but sports have never been my thing. Ever. So, my mom decided that if I wasn’t going to do some type of extracurricular activity in school, she’d have me do something outside of school. Her poison of choice? Dance.
To say it was weird and embarrassing to be the only boy in a dance class, in middle school, would be an understatement. We studied ballroom dance, jazz, hip-hop, and even tap dance. Yes, I know how to tap dance. Only my closest friends know this, but I’ve continued to take the classes over the years. Of course, I’d never dance for school functions. Running chess and debate was already nerdy enough for me. But it did end up sticking and I actually really like it. So as much as I ignored my mom after those first few weeks of classes back in middle school, now I’m thanking her to high-heaven.
“I can’t believe you can dance this good,” Natalie giggles close to my ear, as the last song we dance to comes to an end.
“If they play some swing music, I can throw you around a little,” I reply with a laugh.
“Are you serious?”
I rub my stomach. “How do you think I got abs? It certainly wasn’t from moving my rooks around in chess club.”
“I knew you had abs!”
I raise an eyebrow at her that says Oh, really? She slaps a hand over her mouth, turning beet red.
I’m not able to tease her because Mr. Garrison calls everyone’s attention. “Okay, everyone, just a few more minutes and we’ll be announcing—”
“No!” Yvette rushes over to him, cutting him off.
“Looks like it’s about that time,” I say to Natalie. She’s holding her hands together, nervously rubbing her fingers. “You okay?”
“What?” She meets my eyes, and I point to her hands. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. I mean, I know I’m not gonna win, but it’s still nerve-racking. It’d be cool if I did, though, you know?”
I smile and wrap my arm around her, giving her a hug.
It’s funny, when the night started, I was nervous about telling her how gorgeous she looked, but ever since the picture and all of the dancing, my comfort level around her has been rising higher and higher. And she seems to be more comfortable around me. I’ve even let my mind drift to the thought that maybe, just maybe, we might share a kiss tonight. But I quickly try to suppress the idea. It’s nice just being at prom with her and having fun.
“Nat, it’d be awesome if you win. But if you don’t, you’re still amazing. Remember that.”
She stares up at me, bringing a hand to my chest. A soft, endearing smile crosses her lips. “Thank you, Sam. For everything. I know my words always come out the wrong way with you, so don’t freak out on me, but I didn’t know how this night was going to go.” I raise an eyebrow as she chuckles. “But I’m glad I’m your date. Win or lose the crown, this prom has been great.”
“I’m glad you’re my date, too,” I reply, closing the distance between us.
We continue to gaze back and forth, and my mind wanders to kissing again. Should I kiss her right now? Will she be mad if I do? Before I can make any type of decision, we’re interrupted once again by Mr. Garrison.
“Okay, we’ve waited as long as we can,” he says. “It’s time to announce the king and queen. I’d like to ask everyone who is on the prom court up to the stage, please. We’re starting with the girls this year, as we’re still looking for one member of the guys’ court.”
I glance around the dance hall, wondering who he’s talking about, and scan for the members of the guys’ prom court. Matt isn’t anywhere.
Oddly enough, I’m not nervous like I was during the prom court announcements. The girls’ court stands in front of us, the teacher in the middle, and I see Natalie standing there. Still beautiful. Still smiling. If I was anyone else at this dance, I might entertain the thought of there being the slightest possibility of me being crowned prom king. But I’m not anyone else. I’m the joke vote. Still, I do hope Natalie wins.
“This year’s vote was one of the closest votes for queen we’ve had at Woodbridge in a number of years.” Mr. Garrison holds an envelope. “There were only fourteen votes separating the winner from the runner-up.”
The crowd quiets down, everyone staring intently at Mr. Garrison. “This year’s prom queen is … Yvette Morales!”
Everyone erupts into cheers. All of the girls on the court applaud for her, as Yvette excitedly walks over to the teacher. Natalie looks over at me and shrugs. I smile back at her, giving her a wink.
The DJ playing music starts to quiet it down once again, and everyone waits for the king to be announced. Natalie knows I’m the joke vote, but she still grins and crosses her fingers for me, making me laugh.
“Okay, and now for the prom king.” Mr. Garrison scans the room again. “Um, Mr. Hillard, if you’re out there, your presence is requested.” Chuckles echo in the dancehall. I look around again but still don’t see Matt anywhere. I know I saw him earlier, so I’m just as confused as everyone else. “This year’s prom king is … Matt Hillard!”
There’s a small round of applause followed by loud whispers. Everyone is turning their heads, scanning for Matt. Then, a set of doors open and Matt walks in.
The DJ begins playing the music again, and everyone applauds. The courts disperse, while Yvette grabs the crown from Mr. Garrison and runs over to Matt.
Natalie walks over to me. “Well, at least we were on the prom court.”
“You were on the prom court,” I correct her. “I was the joke vote, remember?”
Frowning, she grabs my hand. “Sam, don’t say that.”
“It’s cool, Nat. It’s not like I didn’t know.”
“No, I know, but still. You may have been the joke vote,” she makes air quotes, “but you’re not a joke. A nerd, sure.” She smiles, and I let out a laugh. “But you’re not a joke. I don’t care how you ended up on the court, I’m glad you did. And that we were a court couple.”
“Okay, I know you’re making that part up,” I say, still laughing.
“No, I’m not.” She swats my arm.
“Sure, Ms. Don’t Even Think About It,” I reply, quoting her first words to me when we were
announced at the pep rally.
“Oh, right.” She cringes and looks away. “About that—”
“Natalie,” a voice calls out.
We both turn to the side and see Dustin approaching.
“What do you want?” she asks.
“I just …” He pauses, looking over at me quickly, before returning his attention to her. “Sorry you didn’t win.”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
“Can we talk?”
Natalie looks over at me, and I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her response. She doesn’t answer though. She’s staring at me, almost as if she’s waiting for me to say something. I give a slight shake of my head, unsure what to say, and then shrug my shoulders.
“I don’t know. We were just about to dance, right?” She takes hold of my hand.
“Uh …”
“Please, Nat. I just got some stuff I want to say.”
Natalie looks at me again. Why is she waiting for me to answer for her? “It’s cool,” I finally say. “I’ll just be over there with Q and Kelsey.”
“You don’t … you don’t want to dance or …”
“Or what?” I lift my shoulders again. “It’s fine, Natalie. Go.”
She frowns before looking over at Dustin. He extends his hand to her. Turning to me one more time, she hesitates a moment longer, before taking his hand and they walk away.
Walking over to Quinton and Kelsey, I pull up a chair and let out a defeated sigh.
“Dude, what the hell are you doing?” Quinton snaps at me, Kelsey standing next to him.
“What?”
“You just let her go off with him? Go fight for her?”
“Fight for her? Really?”
“Yes, really. She’s your date, Sam. Not his. This isn’t how your story is supposed to end.”
“Enough, Quinton!” Both he and Kelsey recoil. We’ve gotten into arguments, but they are far and few between. Still, my yelling doesn’t stop him from shaking his head. “This isn’t a movie, as much as you want it to be. This is the real world. And in the real world, the nerd doesn’t get the girl.”
