Dare || m.c.

➵ 4.6 - michael

Karen was in the process of opening a small box and pulled out something black, holding it out for Michael. He took it and looked at it in confusion until Karen said, "You can't wear a white tie with a white shirt, honey."

"Oh." Michael hadn't thought about how that might not look good. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. Now go get that dye out of your hair."

(this chapter is so hard to write)

Instead of just washing his hair, Michael took a shower. It was almost 4:45 by the time he walked out of the bathroom with jet black hair. He had a text from Jade asking what time they needed to leave, so he texted her back telling her to be ready by 5:45.

Michael took a minute to just about the situation he was in. Taco Bell girl from a couple months ago was now his girlfriend and he was going to prom with her. The same girl who'd called her an asshole more times than he would like to admit. The same girl who cried on his shoulder in the middle of the night when she had no one else to turn to.

He was so, so thankful.

Jade was everything he could ask for. Despite coming across as cold and brash, she was kind and gentle. Sometimes - no a lot of times - she was foul mouthed and witty, and at the same time, extremely smart and intelligent. She was brave and Michael admired that. Loved it. Loved her.

It was an overwhelming thought to have, but now he couldn't push it away. As he got dressed, all Michael could think about was all the things he loved about Jade. Her eyes, her freckles, her dark sense of humor, her love for One Direction, the sound of her voice, her compassion for others, her strength, her vulnerability. Everything.

A knock on his door made Michael jump. "Yeah?"

"Honey, it's almost 5:15. Are you ready?" Karen's voice drifted in.

"You can come in, Mom," Michael said, fiddling with his new black tie. The door opened and in walked his mother. "I'm having trouble with this thing." The YouTube tutorial hadn't yet made its way into his long-term memory.

"Here, give me it." Karen held out her hand for the tie and Michael gave it to her. Karen managed to tie it in less than a minute. "All done."

"Thanks."

Karen looked Michael up and down with affection in her eyes before she wrapped her arms around him. "You look great. I could cry right now."

"God, please no," Michael laughed, hugging Karen back tightly. "I'm not even done yet, Mom. My hair's still a mess."

"You have to leave soon," Karen chastised and let go of him. "Come on, fix it quickly. I need to take pictures."

"Okay, okay, give me, like, fifteen minutes," Michael said and went to work on his hair. It didn't take him fifteen minutes to make it look good; his hair was amazing. He had twenty minutes to kill and entertain his mother before he needed to leave.

True to her word, Karen took more pictures than Michael was able to keep count of. In the kitchen, on the couch, by the dining table, on the porch, in the backyard - it was insane and the list just continues. When he grabbed Jade's corsage from the fridge - yes, it was still in there - Karen reminded him for the tenth time, "Take pictures with Jade! Don't forget!"

As if he could forget something like that. As Michael walked the short distance to Ashton's house, he felt more nervous than he should have. He didn't like the butterflies in his stomach, but liked that it was Jade making him feel that way. Just as Michael made his way up the driveway, Ashton walked out the front door, looking all fancy with his hair combed back.