Setting Up For a Fall

Chapter Three - Aimer

Jeremiah ended up hanging out with his jock friends and dancing with other girls who went solo to prom.  He forced himself to have a good time, it was his prom after all, and not one spoiled brat girl was going to ruin it for him.  He would take a glance at Skye whenever he was on the dance floor; she really looked radiant and stood out in the sea of girls in frilly pink cupcake dresses or body skimming dark and provocative dresses that showed off too much cleavage for a school sponsored event.  She had the simplest gown there, but she was the most beautiful in his eyes.  She kept true to herself, she didn’t try for anything too over the top glamorous.  She looked comfortable and happy, and that was what made her radiant. 

He didn’t get to have his second dance with Skye until towards the end of the night.  Once again she was the one to ask him for a dance, and he quickly obliged, leading her to the middle of the dance floor once more.  The upbeat song that played made way to a slow love song, and it was too late for either of them to back out.  The best friends stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do, when Jeremiah placed a hand on her waist and took her hand in the other, placing her one hand on his shoulder.  They swayed slowly, their bodies at an arm’s length’s distance, both of them quiet, just looking at each other in the eyes. 

“So I see you’re finally having fun,” she was the first to break the silence between them to ease the tension.

“Yeah.  I decided not to let a spoiled princess ruin my night,” he said with anger and annoyance evident in his voice.

“Good!” she patted his shoulder with the hand already resting on it.

“I wish I hadn’t been so slow, though.  I should have made a pact with  you when senior year started that no matter what, we would be going to prom together.  I could have gone with you and had a great time from the very start of the evening.”

“Oh stop it,” she chuckled at him, changing her position so that both of her arms were now around his shoulders.  “I think things worked out for the best, don’t you?  You with your friends, me with Aaron.”

He placed his other hand on her waist and instinctively pulled her closer to him.  “S, don’t you know that I always have the best time with you?  My best days are days spent with you.”

“I know, but this is prom…” she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“And that’s why I should’ve spent it with you,” he told her honestly.

“Jer, if we went together, it would’ve been awkward,” she looked away from him and trained her gaze down to the ground, biting her lower lip in the process.

“Why’s that?” he tilted her chin back up so she can face him.

“Because.”

“Great answer,” he teased her.

“Okay, you know what, I guess it’s confession time.  Once upon a time, I had a crush on you, okay?  Who wouldn’t?  And it’s not such a surprise, every girl in this school has had a thing for you at one point or another.  But I guess we work better as friends, and I’m happy for that.  You are my best friend, and if we had gone to prom together as each other’s dates, I don’t know, maybe I’m just a little nuts, but if we went together, I might have read too much into it; that instead of just two best friends going together, I might have thought it to be something else, and that would have been disastrous.  It would have been embarrassing for me, especially since I know you’ll never see me as more than a friend.  Gah, I’ve already said too much,” she looked down again.