Beauty and the Dork

First Dance

I trotted to her front door and knocked on the door twice. I wiped my clammy hands on my pants. The door swung open and Mr. Patterson stood there, grinning at me.

"Mr. Munson! Come on in!" he greeted, pulling me in. I smiled at him as I walked in, and Mrs. Patterson cheered when she saw me.

"Wait until you see her, Eddie, she looks beautiful!" she announced, crossing to me for a hug. I swallowed hard and she pulled back, brushing my shoulders. "And look how handsome you are!"

I flushed but smiled wider.

"Margie – your date's here! I want to take pictures!" her mom called, turning away from me and yelling up the stairs. I heard Margot call back and got even more nervous. I tried to pay attention to what her mom was saying, but was too distracted by my nerves. I heard her door open and turned to the top of the stairs.

"Hi, Eddie," Margot greeted, her eyes crinkled. I think my heart had stopped. She padded down the stairs, and my mouth dried.

She looked incredible in her dress – it hugged her and was off her shoulders, showing off my favorite spot on her. Her hair was swept up on one side, curled and cascading down on the other side. She clicked up to me in a pair of heels, and I noticed how pretty and dark her makeup was.

"You look incredible," I finally breathed out, wanting to get my hands around her, but conscious enough that her parents were right there. She flushed and grinned wider.

"So do you – I like how we match," she replied, reaching out for my tie and tugging on it. I smiled at her, but we were quickly brought out of our bubble with the click and flash of a camera. Margot groaned. "Mom, just ask us!"

"I can't help it, you guys are precious!" her mom gushed. Margot rolled her eyes and smiled at me.

"Take some pictures with me?" she asked. I nodded - she didn't need to ask me twice. I was desperate for proof of this night, so I would have taken photos for hours. I pulled her into my arms, and she set her hand on my chest, turning to her mom and smiling brightly. I smiled at the lens, spots forming in my eyes at each flash.

Margot finally waved her hands.

"Okay, okay – you took, like, forty! We've got to go," Margot insisted, hugging her parents and kissing them goodbye. I said goodbye to each of them, but as we were walking out, Margot's dad stopped me, holding onto my shoulder. He looked me straight in the eyes,

"I like you, a lot, Mr. Munson. And I know you care for my daughter. But I wouldn't be a good father if I didn't do the whole scare-the-shit out of you bit. So, be respectful, take care of her, and make sure she has a good night."

I felt color drain from my face and nodded furiously. He smiled widely and clapped my shoulder.

"You two have fun – love you, little elf!" he called out to Margot. I stumbled out after her and when I heard the door close, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close.

"You look amazing, Go," I complimented. She smiled brightly and leaned into me.

"You do, too, Sir Tiebaut," she replied. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to my face, kissing her hard. She set her hands on my chest delicately, making my heart ick up, and I pulled back.

---

Eddie looked so good in his suit. I was always drawn to him, watching him when he didn't think people were looking at him, but in his suit, I couldn't stop staring at him. He kissed my forehead and moved his hands down to my waist, getting a wicked glint in his eyes.

"This dress is even better than I remember," he said quietly. I grinned and kissed him quickly.

"Yeah?" I asked, my heart picking up as he wrapped his arms around the small of my back and pulling me closer. He nodded and kissed my neck softly.

"Access to my favorite spots," he whispered, making me marble mouthed. He pulled back and helped me into Shelob, beaming at me as I buckled in. He raced around to his side and as soon as he got in, he lunged back over to me, kissing me hard and catching me off guard. I felt like I was going to float away, absolutely smitten with my boyfriend. He started the van up and took my hand as we drove away.

"Are you excited for your first dance?" I asked, kissing his knuckles. He turned red and smiled.

"Nervous," he answered. I beamed at him.

"Nothing to be nervous for – I'll be there," I quipped.

"Yes, but now the other guys will be even more jealous of me when they see you in that dress," he replied knowingly, winking at me. My stomach flipped and I kissed his knuckles again.

"I can't imagine what the girls are going to think once they see you in that suit," I flirted back. His smile grew and he squeezed my hand.

"Well, they're going to be disappointed – I've only got eyes for one girl," he said. My heart skipped and I sighed happily.

This was worth it.

Eddie pulled into the school parking lot and parked carefully. He made me stay in the van while he ran around to my side. He opened my door and took my hand, gingerly helping me out.

"Maybe we could sneak around tonight," he whispered, setting his lips on my ear. I grinned and wrapped my arm around his waist. He pulled me close to him and kissed my temple softly.

"For someone who broke up with me because I kept making us sneak around, you sure do like to make us sneak around now," I teased. He had a pained expression for a moment and my stomach dropped. "Eddie, I was just teasing – I didn't mean it."

He shook his head and smiled.

"I know – I just really hated that time," he said quietly. I nodded and kissed his jaw.

"I promise to never do that again if you do, too," I replied. He beamed at me.

"Done and done, princess," he quipped. I kissed him, each of us suspended in our bubble for a moment.

"Margot! Wow, you look great!"

We turned, me still wrapped in Eddie's arms and the two of us close. Chrissy and Jason were by the entrance to the dance – Chrissy was in a pretty, powder blue dress that went past her knees. Jason was in a gray suit with a bowtie that matched her dress. They were both smiling at us, nervous and awkward.

"You both look great, wow!" Chrissy continued. Eddie's arm tightened around me, and my stomach dropped.