To Be Her First

Chapter 24 - Worst. Prom. Ever.

When the afternoon bell rang, David and Marcus fled seventh period like fugitives escaping from death row. When they finally slowed at the top of the empty senior's lot, Marcus shook his head. "I think we're the only upperclassmen who actually showed up and stayed all day."

David grimaced, thinking of his friends partying at the lake. "Don't remind me."

Half-way down the steps, David's cell phone rang. He looked at the unknown number and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dave."

He smiled at the sound of Journey's voice. "Hey, Journ. How's the lake?"

"Interesting." She sounded more chipper than usual. "How was school?"

He groaned. "Boring. Marcus and I were just saying that we were the only ones who bothered to show up." David reached the bottom of the steps. "What's up?"

She was giggling on the other end of the line. "Is it cool with you if I just meet you at prom?"

David stopped walking, and Marcus looked back at him. "What?" he asked her.

"I'll just meet you there. Go on without me."

He really didn't know what to say. "Uh, OK." His words sounded like more of a question than an answer.

"I'll be there by six," she said. "I'll meet you in the parking lot of the hotel."

David pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right, I guess."

"You're the best, Dave. Bye!"

She ended the call, and David stared at the phone in his hand. Marcus shoved his shoulder. "What was that all about?"

David looked at him. "She just blew me off."

Marcus's head snapped back. "She's not going?"

David started walking again. "Oh, she's going. She just wants to meet me there." He cursed and shoved the phone back into his pocket. "My mom's gonna be pissed. And I guess I need to cancel our dinner reservations."

Marcus looked at him sideways. "Does she know you put so much effort into this?"

David thought it was obvious. He shrugged. "It's prom. She should know, right?"

"Did you tell her?" Marcus asked. "Because when you asked her out, you made it sound like she was your last resort."

"No, I didn't."

Marcus laughed. "Yes, you did! She probably didn't know this actually meant something to you... because you're a dumb ass and all."

David frowned. "Sometimes I don't know why I'm even friends with you."

Marcus pointed at him. "Brother, you've got nobody but yourself to blame for this one."

It took David a half an hour to explain to his mother why she wouldn't be able to take pictures of him with his date to the senior prom. After hearing the whole story, she smacked him in the back of the head and agreed with Marcus that he was an idiot. It wasn't until the black stretch limo pulled up that David truly felt the weight of his stupidity. And it got even worse when he rode alone past Journey's house and on to the hotel.

The driver pulled up to the curb of the hotel, and a handful of his classmates were straining their eyes to see who was on the other side of privacy-tinted glass. He groaned and rolled down the window between him and the driver. "Can you just park, and I'll wait till my date shows up to get out?"

"Are you sure she's coming?" the driver asked.

"Yes." No.

The driver parked off to the side, giving him a clear view of the entrance. Justin pulled in driving his uncle's Mustang. He and Kara walked hand in hand inside. He half-expected Journey to be with them. She wasn't. Then, David slouched in his seat as Marcus pulled in with Lauren Ashburn in a rented Corvette convertible.

"Worst. Prom. Ever," he mumbled to himself.

Just when he thought his evening couldn't possibly get any worse, it did.

A shiny black Chevelle pulled up to the curb, and Steven Drake stepped out.

David's jaw dropped open as he watched Steven run around to the passenger's door and offer Journey his hand.

For a moment, David considered leaving. But then he saw her get out of the car.

Every girl in front of the hotel was wearing a floor length gown, every girl except Journey. Her short dress was white with black flowers that went up one side and over one shoulder. The waist was encircled with a black sash. Her sun kissed legs looked edible beneath her skirt, and he did a double-take when he realized she was wearing black heels.

It occurred to him that if he bailed, she would likely leave with Steven. That simply wasn't an option. So, David picked up her corsage, stepped out of the limo, and left his dignity on the back seat.

********

Author's Note:

***!!!***IMPORTANT: To Be Her First will be leaving Wattpad for a time. Please plan to finish reading prior to Feb. 25th, 2016. You can find the book on Amazon and all other retailers. It will soon be enrolled exclusively in the Kindle Unlimited Library!