Bottled Up

The End (is the beginning)

The End

Nate's POV

sometime after the incident

It was senior prom. I tied my dress shoes and ran gel through my hair. Looking in the mirror I nodded. My white button-up undershirt was uncomfortable, but it was only for one night. Grabbing my black jacket off my bed, I opened the door to invite my date inside.

She looked beautiful. A dress that came to her knee showed off her body, and the bright purple color looked nice against her skin.

What was I thinking? I sounded like some mushy romantic guy that actually cared.

"So I technically get two senior proms then." Trinity said. I rolled my eyes.

"No. This is, like... practice senior prom. I mean, I couldn't ask anyone but you to begin with."

"But we had to bend the rules."

"What else is new?"

She laughed and took my arm as my mom bombarded us for pictures. Cassidy snuck into one, I think. She drooled over Trinity's hair. It was straightened and curled up in a bun positioned to the side. A silver hairpin was tucked into the front with swirly designs fanning out. It matched the swirly, silver accents on her dress and shoes.

"C'mon. Let's go." I said, and we drove off.

~

I blinked the sleep from my eyes. Rolling to look at the clock, I groaned. 1:00 P.M. I had to get up and start thinking about getting ready. Senior prom was tonight.

I drug myself downstairs and ignored the comments from my family. Finally decided to get up? Well, you're up early...

I made myself a sandwich and got a shower, putting on sweatpants for the time being. My phone buzzed on my bed.

Imcoming call: ~ Trinity ~

I answered on the first ring. "Hey."

"Nate."

"What's up, Mrs. Williams?"

I heard her irritated sigh. "For once, could I call you and not be annoyed in the first five seconds?"

"I think it was the first three seconds, actually."

"That's a no then."

"What'd you want."

"Oh, I um, was just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?"

I sighed. "Wish I could, frizzy, but I've got prom tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Is forgotten."

"Seems like it."

"Well I'll let you get ready then."

I laughed. "By ready you mean me walking around without a shirt on right? Cause that's what I'm doing."

She groaned. I could see her rolling her eyes. "Have fun tonight."

"I'll try."

She hung up and I sighed. Time to put on the suit of death. With the term, I couldn't help remembering the boots of death at the ice rink. And the way I held her. And I remembered our kiss on the locker. And I remembered everything about Trinity Harpers, just making myself more and more disappointed by the second.

~

Another couple hours passed. It was seven - I was lounging on my phone, my tie hanging loose around my neck, my black jacket tossed over a chair.

"Nate!" my mom scolded. "You should be ready!"

I groaned but stood, the doorbell ringing as if on que. I opened the door to greet my date - Melody.

She had on a floor length, mermaid style navy blue dress. My tie matched the color. She smiled and walked in, tightening my tie around my throat. I grimaced and loosened it when she wasn't looking - it was digging into my scars.

Her hair hung in loose ringlets on her shoulders, most of it pinned back. Cassidy just smiled and nodded at her when my mom nudged her to be polite.

"Alright, picture time you two!"

She then proceeded to take around a million pictures. And then Melody and I were driving to prom. I did not feel as excited as I had in my dream. This was going nothing like my dream.

We pulled up to the auditorium and I helped Melody out of the car, taking care to help her smooth out dress wrinkles. She smiled at me.

"I appreciate you asking me Nate. I'd much rather go with a friend."

"We're friends?"

She gave me an evil look. "Yes. We are."

"Alright."

I gave her one dance, to a fast paced song. And then I slouched against the wall, my arms crossed for the majority of the prom. Boring. I wanted to leave, but I was Melody's ride home. And though I was not the most polite person, I had to at least be sort of decent.

"Not having a great time, huh?" someone asked. I didn't even look to see who it was.

"Horrible. You?"

"Well, considering I wasn't really invited, I can't say."

I looked down to find Trinity. My heart leapt into my throat and I grinned.

"What are you doing here, shorty? You look - you..." I stumbled on my words. Looking at my appearance to hers, I felt ashamed. My jacket was long forgotten on a chair somewhere, my tie barely hanging around my neck. My hair was rumpled from so many hand run-throughs. And then there was her.

Her hair was straightened, a silver pin holding it back on one side. She had on a short, red dress that flared out at her hips in puffy waves to her mid thigh. She had on black flats and make-up - make-up! Mascara and lip gloss and... wow. The most beautiful thing about her outfit was the necklace that hung from her burnt neck.

"You look gorgeous." I said. She blushed, under her blush. I smirked.

"Care to dance, my rule breaker?"

"But of course."

I led her to the dance floor and swayed her around with me to a fast song or two. We laughed and talked and drank the mysterious punch and danced and danced and danced.

Finally, when my thoughts started to get hazy, a slow song played. Trinity hooked her arms around me and we swayed to the music. My hand grazed her neck, running along the imprints on her skin. I had all but forgotten about Tucker, and had ultimatley forgiven him. The punches I gave him the first day back to school were enough, I think. And the week of detention on my part.

And here, on this auditorium dance floor, holding Trinity in my arms, I was totally blissful. When our slow song ended, she stood on her bare tip toes (her shoes had gone missing) and kissed my nose. I laughed and gave her a proper kiss. She giggled and started dancing to the next fast song, her dress falling in the front, the lack of straps making me nervous.

I picked her up around the waist, swinging her over my shoulder.

"C'mon. Time to go home."

I forgot about Melody. Surely she'd get home somehow.

Dropping Trinity in the passenger seat, I buckled her in and pulled up her top before driving away from the school. She giggled and said silly things after drinking about a gallon of the so-called fruit punch. I rolled my eyes and pulled up to her house.

"Goodnight, Trinity." I said, holding her around the waist. She seemed to snap out of her punch-coma long enough to look me in the eyes with a serious face.

"Goodnight, Nate. I love you, you know."

"I know." I kissed her forhead, then her nose, then her mouth. "I love you, too."