I felt her release her grip on my shirt as I skated us back to the hotel. I quickly turned around, hoping she hadn’t stacked somehow. With Chloe’s coordination, I never knew. She had one foot on the ground, the other on the board, her gaze fixed through a window and into a store. I flicked the board up and held it as I walked over to her. “Chloe?”
She didn’t respond.
I followed her gaze into the store; it was a clothes store full of formal wear. Her brow furrowed as she watched a group of girls talking and laughing, dressed in what looked like prom attire. “It’s a little late for prom,” I said.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. She frowned and looked down at the ground. “I’ve never been to a prom.”
“Yeah? That’s not surprising.”
She looked up at me. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “You’re not exactly the prom type. I just don’t see you getting your hair done and getting all dressed up to spend a night out with your friends, you know? You didn’t even really have friends.”
She nodded, but her frown deepened and tears started to fill her eyes.
“What’s wrong, babe?”
She shrugged. “I guess regrets are useless in times like these.”
“You want to go to prom?”
“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I’m just being stupid. Let’s go.”
She pushed off the ground and attempted to skate away, but I grabbed on to her arm to stop her. “Wait here, okay?”
She started to speak but I was already stepping into the store.
I made my way over to the girls, who smiled warmly when they saw me coming. “Are you girls going to prom?” I asked them.
They nodded in unison. “Kind of,” one of them said, stepping forward. “It’s not a school one. We kind of just organized it because we all go to small schools and didn’t really have a decent prom. Plus, all our boyfriends are in college and couldn’t make it, so we’re just having a big ol’ fake one in my barn.” She paused for a beat and eyed me curiously. “Why?”
I smiled. “My girlfriend, Chloe,” I pointed to her watching us from the other side of the store window. Their smiles widened. “She’s never been to a prom. You think you might be able to make room for two more?”
“That’s so sweet,” one of the other girls said.
“I’m Jasmine,” the girl hosting the prom said. “Send your girlfriend in. We’ll take good care of her. I promise.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “What time does it start?”
“Eight.”
“Perfect.”
I headed back out and dragged Chloe into the store. The girls introduced themselves, all while Chloe stood by awkwardly, almost shyly.
“You’ve never been to prom?” Jasmine asked her.
Chloe just shook her head. Jasmine clapped her hands. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Chloe looked up at me, chewing her lip, her eyes unsure.
“I’ll pick you up at your room at seven thirty.” I kissed her cheek and walked out before she could protest.
A half hour later she texted me: All these girls jog. You know what that means, right? It was nice knowing you, Blake Hunter.
Chloe
The girls weren’t serial killers, like I’d first suspected. They were actually really nice. I was afraid they’d be a bunch of Hannahs, but I was so wrong. It didn’t take me long to find a dress, and once I had, the girls helped with the shoes and accessories. I was the first to admit that I was way out of my element. Jasmine’s mom owned a salon two doors down from the clothes store and was able to fit me in last minute to get my hair, nails, and makeup done. It had been awkward at first, but then I decided to let myself have this one moment, before it was all over.
Later, I kicked my legs back and forth as I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Blake to knock on the door. My light-purple dress shifted with each kick. I looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. He would be there any second. My palms sweat from the nerves that were wreaking havoc in my mind. It felt like a first date, or what I assumed a first date would feel like.
I exhaled loudly, stood up, and started pacing the floor, then I went to the bathroom and checked my hair, now formed into loose curls, which cascaded down my shoulders. I checked my makeup, and then I started pacing again. I did this four more times before there was a knock on the door.
“Shit.” I brushed my hands down my dress and checked in the mirror again, then I swallowed my nerves, placed a hand on the door handle, inhaled and exhaled a few calming breaths, and finally opened the door.
He was wearing a tux, perfectly fitted to his broad shoulders. He held a white corsage in one hand, the other hand in his pocket. His head was bent, looking down at the ground. Then, slowly, his gaze started to move up. My entire body heated up as his eyes kept trailing higher until they finally landed on mine.
He blew out a forceful breath and shook his head slowly. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to become more beautiful, but I was so wrong, Chloe.”
I smiled at his words, trying so hard to avoid tears of happiness.
A slight smile graced his face as he lifted the corsage. “I got you this.”
I raised my hand for him. “It’s beautiful,” I told him.
He shook his head. “No, Chloe. I don’t think the word beautiful should ever exist unless it’s used to describe you,” he mumbled, his eyes narrowed, concentrating on securing the corsage on my wrist. I waited for him to straighten up before stepping forward and kissing him. I felt him smile against my lips, and then he pulled back, the smile still in place. He held his arm out, bent at the elbow, waiting for me. “You ready, girlfriend?”
My smile matched his. “Yes, boyfriend.”
I stopped us in front of his car, but he just laughed. “We’re not taking the car,” he stated, before pulling me with him around the corner and to the front of the hotel where a stretch limo was waiting.
I gasped, long and loud. “Blake!”
He linked his fingers with mine and continued over to the limo. “It’s not prom without a limo.”
Blake
I laughed as I watched her fiddling with all the buttons in the limo. She squealed when she found the one that operated the sunroof. She spent a good few minutes standing there, with half her body sticking out.
She slumped down on the seat next to me and sighed. “This is so exciting for me.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell,” I laughed.
She threw an arm over my waist and moved closer to me. “What do normal teenagers do in a limo, then?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You really wanna know?”
She nodded.
I leaned in and kissed her neck, then placed my hand on her thigh, slowly shifting her dress higher until my fingertips skimmed her skin. “Fool around,” I murmured against her skin.
She laughed and pushed me away, her nose scrunched in disgust. “I don’t like pre-me Blake Hunter,” she said.
I chuckled. “I don’t think I do, either.”