Chapter Thirty-Three : where's prince charming?
Paige
"So my dad called and asked if I could come do a christmas eve dinner with his family," Parker commented parking in the parking lot for the school dance.
Mason dressed me once again in something more me and did my makeup. Making me look like a snowflake he called me but I know he didn't mean it in the actual term of snowflake. Or at least I hope not. My dress looked as if you'd find it in a fairytale. Mason told me he took Parker with him to find a matching tie and a corsage.
"Are you going?" I asked.
"I don't know, I mean me alone. I don't know if I have the patients for that," he shrugged his shoulders.
"I think it'll be good," I responded, "I mean he's trying, he's trying to be there in your life again."
"It took him this fucking long, he probably looks at me with the same diagrace as he does my mom," Parker laid his head on his headrest and looked forward.
Part of me was going to regret saying this but the other part of me knew that not trying to be there would be a mistake, "I'll go with you."
"Nowhere in our agreement does it say you have to," he looked at me.
"I want to be there," I looked him in the eyes no matter how much I wanted to look away. That him holding my eyes with his own terrified me. It made me feel things I didn't think I was capable of feeling.
"I'll let you sleep on it and decide when you clearly don't know what your agreeing with," Parker started to get out of the car and I grabbed his arm.
"Parker I'm going," and he looked back at me trying to figure me out before closing the door again so it was just the sound of the heat on blast.
"You really want to do this?"
"What else is there to lose?"
"Haylee never," he sighed unsure of what to say.
"Haylee never what? You usually aren't the one to bring her up so I know it's something you want to say."
"No, forget it. It's not important," Parker got out of the car in a hurry and I opened my door before he could. He grabbed the door for me and held his hand out for me to take.
I felt myself smile, "I still can't get used to that," I responded as our hands touched.
"You still try to race me to the door though," Parker responded once I stepped down from his truck and he pulled me closer to him to shut his truck door.
"Now Parker smile as if Paige said something funny," Mason called out and we both looked to find him with a camera.
"Mason what are you doing?" I asked walking towards Mason who was still taking shots.
"I saw you guys talking and Brooks is trying to figure out his tie so I thought why not, these could be bombass pictures and they are! I'll show you once I edit them though, the color blue on you two are beautiful!"
"Your lucky Parker doesn't hate you, most guys wouldn't like that you're my best friend," I nudged him.
"Parkers a different breed I'll give you that," Mason smiled. "I'll show you my favorite picture I got of you two and then I'll send the rest later," Mason turned his camera at me after a silent moment of trying to find it and it was when Parker and my hand touched as I was getting out of the car and it caught the change in my eyes when I touched his hand, did Mason see that. Did Parker see that?
"Paige, can you put my phone and keys in your weird purse thing," Parker came towards me and Mason looked offended.
"Mason! Don't correct him, just let him have this one," I opened it and Parker threw his phone and keys in it.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood!" Mason said as he looked back at his car, "I will see you two in there," before he turned around and went to his car to figure out the whole Brooks situation.
"What's it even called?" Parker asked me to take my hand.
I shrugged my shoulders unsure myself, "I don't know, I stopped him because he'd go on a long rant about whatever this thing is and I'm saving both of our ears."
"Isn't it a strapless purse?" Parker then said.
"A clutch actually," Madi appeared in front of us as we entered the doors with Malcolm next to her.
"I see you're still in the presence of our lives," I looked behind her then to see if there was any way out of this encounter only to find Haylee. I wasn't sure who I'd prefer.
"You look beautiful Paige," Madi smiled at me like she was actually going to change.
"Thank you, Mason dressed both Parker and I. Well he helped with Parker's tie and corsage."
"Not the corsage, I did that all on my own. He really tried to tell you he got it?" Parker then asked.
"I wasn't really listening, he goes into full detail about everything and I was trying to study for a test that hour," I then admitted.
"Malcolm and I tried to match as much as possible, he only just asked me yesterday but I think we did good with the maroon. What do you think?" she then looked at me.
"What would I know, if you don't mind I'd like to get to the dance," I grabbed Parker's hand and pulled him away from the two of them.
"You'll never forgive her will you?" Parker then asked once we got to the gym doors.
"It's like looking at a bomb, I know she's ticking and yet the one person who can detonate it is letting it tick. I'm not going to pretend to like her or accept that she's there. I won't let her ever think I like her as a person, especially for Malcolm," I walked in but Parker pulled me back to him and I looked at him.
"He loves her," he lowered his voice so it was only the two of us.
"And you loved Haylee, love doesn't mean you stop doing what'll be healthier for you."
"He just wants you to give her another shot and you keep shooting his hopes down when you tear her down like that," he pushed a strand of hair that must have fallen from the bun Mason had done thirty minutes ago.
"I'm getting a drink," I muttered, walking away from him and going to grab a drink to try to remove the guilt Parker had placed in my head.
"You look," Mateo looked down at me and then back up before looking into my eyes, "Parker is lucky."
I smiled, "you don't think I look too fairytale?" I smiled and he shook his head.
"No, you look beautiful Paige."
I turned around to find Parker but he wasn't at the door anymore, "thank you Mateo. Have you happened to see Parker? I just left him at the door not even a minute ago."
"No, I was meaning to talk to him," he cleared his throat.
"Well if you see him tell him I'll be sitting over there," I pointed to the table Mason got at.
"I will," Mateo nodded as I walked over to the table and Mason and Brooks were heading towards the dance floor.
"Where's Prince Charming?" Mason asked stopping Brooks.
"Probably in the bathroom or something, he'll be back though," I smiled and Mason nodded before taking Brooks hand and heading out to the dance floor.
One song led onto six and I started to wonder what had happened. I tried to call him but found his phone and keys in my clutch.
Maybe if I went and looked for him and so I did, I did a lap around the gym twice, asked a couple guys who got out of the bathroom if they had seen Parker in there and they said no, I wandered the halls searching for him but he was nowhere. The football field! I walked out there to find the gates locked and at this point I had spent more time searching for Parker than enjoying my time with friends.
I went inside hoping that he was there but found an empty table again, I was stressed. Where did he go, I turned around once or twice, losing my mind. He can't just have left, I have his keys.
"Paige," Mason grabbed my hand and looked at me worried.
"I can't find him," I looked at him worried, "I looked everywhere, and the dance was almost over, I didn't get to dance with him."
"Brooks and I will look for him," Mason reassured, "we'll find him so he can give you one last dance okay?"
I nodded before realizing something, I spotted Noah flirting with some freshman a couple feet away from me and his date was nowhere to be seen.
Before I could press for information Mateo stopped me.
"Dance with me," Mateo held his hand out for me and I hesitated. The one person to know where Parker was, was standing right there but on the other hand Mateo who was here and asking me the one thing I've been wanting to do this whole time was asking.
"Gladly," I took his hand as a slow song started to play.
"Mason told me that Parker's M.I.A."
"I spent most of my night looking for him," I said as more people started to crowd around us and Mateo pulled me closer to him with both hands on my waist.
"Parker wouldn't just disappear like that though," Mateo tried to reassure my doubts.
"He would if it was Haylee who lured him out."
"You still think he's in love with her, and tonight makes that true?"
"Where else would he be Mateo, I have his phone, his keys, what else could be holding him up?"
"I don't know, all I know is Parker wouldn't miss the last dance with you. He respects you the same as you respect him," Mateo mentioned.
"So, enough about Parker and I. Where's your date?"
"That's right you weren't exactly there at the movie night, she ended up interested in Noah," he smiled at me like that didn't bother him but I knew it did.
"What is it with these girls and Noah? I just don't see it," I shook my head.
"Noah can have a charming personality if that's what he wants you to see," Mateo commented.
"That's not charm, that's fraud. You have a charming personality, Noah is just desperate."
"I saw him hitting on you at the party, I was going to step in but I didn't want Parker getting the wrong impression plus it looked like you handled it."
"Do you think he doubts you still?" I found myself asking.
"I mean, if I were him and found out that he was talking to you and interested I'd doubt him. Parker knows I'm attracted to you and I think he wonders if you pursued me where my loyalty would lie. In a friendship or a relationship. I'm not saying you would but Parker probably has to think like that because he's dealt with it all through his last relationship right?" Mateo looked at me for an answer and I nodded.
"I couldn't and would never do what Noah did," Mateo said as the strand of hair Parker had pushed back previously fell down.
"So if Parker and I did end things," I realized how disrespectful that was to ask so I stopped myself.
"If that ever did happen, I'd need him to tell me it's okay to pursue you," he tilted my head up to look him in the eyes.
"What if he did spend the whole time with Haylee?" I then found myself asking and I wiped a tear away from my eyes hating the thought of it, "I mean what do I do then?"
"What you think is right," Mateo pushed the stand of hair behind my ear before catching a tear and letting his thumb linger on my cheek before removing it.
"Thank you for dancing with me, it is the last dance after all. Mason couldn't even give me my wish," I looked over my shoulder to find people sneaking out early.
"Parker would never intentionally hurt you Paige and you know that," Mateo spun me around and placed his hands on my waist again.
"You still think so highly of him," I smiled, "I sometimes wonder what side of you he showed."
"The side that I know loves and adores you, even when you aren't there he talks about you with love I hardly see. He doesn't disrespect you and he never has. Now he complains about something you do that pisses him off yeah but I've never heard a degrading thing come out of his mouth especially about you."
A/N- I know it's late, I came down with COVID and I honestly got so confused as to what day it was! Anyways here you guys go! Love you and thank you for continually supporting ILYILYT, I definitely loved writing this story and I'm glad to see the feedback it well deserves!