Ally's heart bursted in her chest, she didn't expect him to say this at all. She was speechless but a storm was raging in her mind. He just said that he loved her. He loved her. A few seconds later a small smile crept up on her face as his words settled in her mind. The music in the background fainted since she couldn't think about anything else other than the three words that he had just said. They were playing in an infinite loop in her mind.
But she didn't have an answer to it. It was all too quick for her, she was sure she liked him more than it was possible to like someone. But did she love him? That question was still hanging in her mind. She didn't want to say something she didn't mean, but also she didn't wish to hurt his feelings. As seconds turned into minutes her silence prolonged and she was losing her calmness.
Then she heard him chuckle, a soft breeze grazed the side of her neck making her aware of his inevitable presence. He moved his hands in circles on her back, trying to relax her rigid posture. "Stop freaking out." He whispered in a soothing tone like he had peeked into her mind.
"It's okay. You don't have to say it back." He spoke confidently, trying to ease her nerves. He added very sweetly, "I'll wait for you."
She was amazed by his patience. Another smile came up on her face and she pulled away to look into his eyes. "Really?" She asked still smiling.
"Yes. Really." There wasn't a trace of anger or urgency in his eyes which testified his words. She thanked him for being so patient with her until she overcomes her fears.
His hands flowed to her waist pulling her closer and they rested perfectly on her back. She wrapped her hands around his neck as an immediate response. They were now silently swaying to the slow beats of the song. The lights were dimmed, a beautiful song played in the background and the setting inside the hall was perfect. She couldn't have asked for a better evening.
"Thanks, for coming with me." He said, looking down at her.
"No, thank you for making me do this. I never would've imagined prom could be this fun."
The song came to an end and the bright lights were back on and the couples around started parting. Before she could do the same, he bent his head to place a quick kiss on her cheek and hugged her. She was shocked by his sudden action and hearing him sigh loudly.
"I love you." He whispered.
She felt his hold getting stronger and tighter around her. She knew her reply. "I know you do." On the inside, she couldn't wait for the moment when she would reciprocate his words wholeheartedly without any fear in her mind.
*
After some more dancing and eating with her friends, it was soon time to announce the Prom King and Queen winners. Cameron was on the stage beside his two fellow contenders and the Principal. Everyone stopped their business and payed attention to the stage.
"My dear students, the moment we all have been waiting for has finally arrived. It's time to reveal the winners of the prestigious title of Prom King and Prom Queen of the year 2014 and 2015." All eyes were focused on the white envelope that the Principal slowly opened. She had no doubt about Cameron's victory but he was being too modest.
"And your Prom King is..." Every person in the room held their breath including Ally, although she was sure about the winner.
"Cameron Miller!"
The hall erupted with hoots and cheers. She watched him get wide-eyed by the result. He was simply never going to accept that he could actually win it. He walked to the Principal and a crown was placed on his head. A blue sash with the words- Prom King stitched on it, was carefully placed across his chest. Cameron smiled at the crowd and gave a smile to his friends and girlfriend. She felt very proud of his victory and lifted her hands higher so that he could see her clapping loudly. He noticed that and gave a big smile only to her. That gesture made her feel special and wanted.
"And now it is time to announce your Prom Queen..." Ally looked at the nominees standing on the stage. There was Rebecca and other two famous girls of her school.
"The Prom Queen is... Rebecca Scott!"
Again the people erupted in cheers and loudly applauded as she walked to get her crown and sash. Ally wasn't shocked at all to see Rebecca win. It was obvious because of her dominant and attention seeking personality. She looked beside her, Jake stood their smiling proudly at his girlfriend on stage, just like she was doing a few minutes ago. Then she realized something very important that she had been missing for too long. Everything that happened between Cameron and her the drama, the fight, the friendship and the love, couldn't have been possible without those two stupid people who messed up and sorted their lives. She wouldn't even be with Cameron if it wasn't for Jake breaking her heart or Rebecca tormenting her life.
She realized something very important that night, something that would inspire her always- Everything happens for a reason. It may not always seem like it was for the good but it helps to create something even great. Something that couldn't have happened if it wasn't for that bad day or incident. We just have to look for that 'something great' which we often ignore because we are too absorbed in focusing on the bad. We don't look at the bigger and seldom brighter picture. Sometimes, the good thing is too obvious but we choose to avoid it and get hung up on the bad thing. Like she was hung up on Jake when there was someone even better waiting for her- Cameron. Great things emerge out of adversities. A lesson she would never forget.
Cameron finished off his official dance with the Prom Queen and rushed to his friends. He had brought his big camera to capture every moment. He arranged his friends into different poses and clicked a few pictures. She was never comfortable in front of a camera, her face was naturally not photogenic no matter how pretty she looked. Today was no different, her smile looked weird in pictures and she wondered why does she even smile. Cameron joked about her discomfort but she laughed it off with everyone else.
"Dude, we need a group picture." Luke said retreating his hand away from Haley.
"Yes, this is gonna be so memorable." Becky shook with excitement. Ally hated that idea, she looked so ridiculous in pictures that she had begun to hate cameras. Also, she didn't want to look ugly beside Cameron.
Nevertheless, nobody heard her protests and he handed his camera to another classmate. She was standing in between Haley and Becky side hugging both of them. Beside Haley the three boys were pressed up on each other. She tried to smile without looking stupid and hoped it was not spoiled.
After the guy pressed the shutter button, everyone gathered around him to take a look at the picture. "It's excellent." Cameron commented. She peeked over his shoulder and noticed she wasn't looking half bad in that picture.
"Even you posed right this time, Parker." He remarked and her friends enjoyed another joke on her lack of confidence in front of cameras.
"Hey, you guys don't have a picture together right? Stand there I'll click it." Ryan suggested taking over the camera.
"No, Ry I think it's enough for today." She said fearing she would look stupid again beside him.
"Come on, just once." Ryan encouraged along with her other friends. It was like they had conspired to get a funny picture of her. She gave up and stood smiling beside Cameron who had an arm wrapped around her back. The button was pressed and she sped up to see the outcome.
As usual she was looking pathetic in that picture, her smile made her lips appear so much bigger. Her dress looked ill fitted which it really wasn't and she looked so short. And seeing it in his HD camera was ten times worse. "Ugh... Look at me and look at you." She said.
"It's okay. You don't look so bad."
"I'm never getting a picture again."
"Now, at least we have one picture together." Honestly pictures didn't matter to her, she believed in living in the moment. People get so busy in capturing every moment that they don't really relish their beauty as they are happening. And she wasn't one of those people.
Anyways, after their photoshoots, a few more dances, the prom fever was pretty much dying. People were leaving to after parties or to have sex or both and it was becoming boring. So, Ally and her friends decided to do something different that night. They decided to go up on the cliff and enjoy the silence of the night. Cameron strictly and angrily prohibited booze and allowed only fast food to be carried to the place but she convinced Ryan to at least bring a few beers.
Ryan and Becky's date were coming too and they all drove up to the cliff anticipating a quiet and romantic night under the stars. She got out of the car and stretched her arms out, inhaling the fresh air. The cold desert breeze calmed her tired senses and made her feel afresh. She sat on the hood of Cameron's car just like her friends were sitting on theirs.
He sat beside her and laid his head on her shoulder. "Aww... you're tired?"
"Mhm-hmm." He hummed adjusting his head.
"Ally! Here's your beer." Ryan called out to her sitting on the car beside her.
As soon as Cameron heard this, his head snapped to her direction. He was not happy and tired anymore. "I said not to bring it."
"I'm sorry okay but it is a prom tradition. What is prom without getting drunk?" She snorted taking the uncapped beer that Ryan passed to her.
"You never listen to me. And you drink way too much." He yelled and snatched away the bottle from her hand and threw it on the ground.
"Are you crazy? That shit is not cheap. But what do you know? You're way too rich to care about a $5 beer."
His tone softened a bit. "It's not that. Okay? I just care for you."
"Then please just let me drink three and I will stop."
"Just one. This isn't good for your health." He folded his arms across his chest.
"Fine!" She acknowledged his concern and even hid her smile beneath her dissatisfied and angry face. Of course,she couldn't let him win.
"Ryan! Give me another. This dumbass threw it." And she happily drank the burning liquid. Somehow it gave her strength and courage. Maybe it was a psychological thing or whatever the point was she felt more confident after it.
"You know, I'm not a gonna let you drink a lot." He loosely put an arm around her neck. "I love you and I don't want to lose you."
Everytime he says it she feels like he is saying it for the first time. Her heart stops just a little bit each time she hears it. "You won't lose me, Miller."
"College will be pretty difficult. We may not even get to see each other even if we live twenty minutes apart."
She tilted her head towards him and placed a sloppy kiss on his lips. "We can do it." She said her lips lingering over his and eyes deeply focused on him.
He rested his forehead on hers, "Are you sure?"
"Positive." She whispered and he attacked her with another kiss and she was forced to lean back because of his sudden intensity and passion. He was cupping her cheeks hard and it was becoming difficult to keep pace with him.
They heard a whistle and froze in their awkward position. "Guys,relax you're not meeting for the last time." Luke teased them.
She ignored her friends nonsensical comments and focused on kissing him. She was loving his controlling and powerful side and she didn't want to let his intensity go in vain. When she was finally able to keep pace with him, she pressed up to him and grabbed his collar.
Suddenly he pulled back and she heard him say, "You looked beautiful today." And she couldn't take her eyes off his plump lips screaming to be bit by her. Without any delay she pressed up against him again, after muttering a thank you.
This time though she hungrily moved her hand near the hem of his shirt, wanting more and more of his soft skin. A moan escaped his lips and he stopped moving at her touch. He opened his eyes, rested his forehead on hers and stopped her hand which was tugging hard at his shirt. "Stop." He whispered, all out of breath and still holding a sexy smile.
"Why?" She asked feeling rejected. Maybe it was the beer speaking and making her feel this way, but she really wanted to feel him tonight. She really lost this battle to her hormones which were raging to touch him. But only one beer couldn't do the trick, some part of her really just wanted to get in a secluded place.
"It's too early, Ally." He called her by her first name, that usually meant he was dead serious.
"Who cares?"
"I do. I'm kind of old fashioned." He whispered in a lower tone.
"So you'd only have sex if you're married?"
"No. But I like to give a relationship time so that we know each other very well. There's plenty of time for sex."
"First of all, are you sure you're a guy? And second, time is running out. Before we know it we'll all be packing up for college."
"I still don't want it to happen in a car. That's not how I pictured my first time with you. I want it to be special."
She was caught up on the words 'pictured' and 'special'. She was amazed that he thinks about these things. She never thought about it, she always believed it will happen naturally. How do you plan to have sex? For her, all this first-time-should-be-special was beyond crap. But she didn't want to break his happy bubble with the needle of her thoughts so she kept quiet.
"Okay. Fine." She removed her hands off his shirt and retreated to her position.
"Our first time would be very special." He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her into his chest.
"Yeah." She said.
"Guys! It's almost midnight. Shouldn't we leave?" Zack, the innocent geek, said from the end of the line of vehicles.
"Okay. But I just want to say something real quick to all of you guys." Luke started. Everyone gathered close to him in a circle. "I just want to thank you all for such an amazing year and an amazing prom. I would never forget this day."
"Yeah! Me too. Thank you, Vanessa and all of you for this beautiful night. We made a lot of memories this year. And I'll never forget you guys." Ryan declared pulling his date close to him.
"Okay. This is getting a little emotional for me." Cameron lowly said so only she could hear.
"A group hug?" Ally asked and without any hesitation all of them put their arms around each other. It was nice to have so many arms around her. Nice to know that she had so many friends. They were perfectly knit together.
Another takeaway from this memorable day was the closeness that had developed among them during this year. Even though they knew they were going separate ways after this they cherished each moment of the past year. There were no regrets, no paybacks and no I-wish-I-had-done-this. She would not change a thing that she did in this school year. In fact, she would make exactly the same mistakes, get her heart broken and fall for the right person again. Seeing the sad smiles on her friends' faces, she was positive they too wouldn't change a thing about the great moments they created together.
*
All of them decided to spend their night awake at a park. They didn't care about their couture tuxedos and dresses at that moment when they were together getting trashed in a public park. They wanted to do something other than the usual prom after party thing. And what could be better than spending the whole night with your close friends in a kids park.
The sand pit, the swings, the slides and the merry go round reminded her of her happy childhood days. When everyday was like spring, cheerful and blossoming, without any wary of the real world. She was lucky she only had happy childhood memories unlike some misfortunate people.
Ryan and Luke and surprisingly, Zack went and bought some real alcohol. They had a bottle of vodka, a bottle of rum and a few cans of beer that would suffice the gang. Of course, Cameron hated the idea but couldn't deny the majority. So, Cameron along with Vanessa would be sober and take care of their friends. A simple plan was set, drink and reminisce about the old days and be scared of the future.
It was almost one in the morning. The night was dark, cold and particularly mysterious. It safely held a lot of secrets in the chilly breeze, that could blow certain people if they are revealed. But most importantly, it carried an uncertain future which could turn either way for all of them.
The group was sitting on the sand pit except her and Cameron. They were sitting on the two swings that were beside each other. Comfortable silent wrapped around them like a blanket, both in their own meditation. She had a quarter of vodka left in the bottle loosely hanging on her palms. She took the first sip of the liquid left over by her other friends, gazing at the beautiful stars above them. "It's so beautiful." She murmured to herself.
"I know." He was quiet again but after watching Ally take another gulp he interrupted her trail of thoughts, "Ally, you have to stop with the drinks."
"Mhmm." She hummed along.
"You're not listening to me." He demanded getting serious again, "Look at me." She didn't.
He held one of her chains of the swing and twisted his wooden swing to face her. He repeated again and this time she traveled her gaze to his concerned laden eyes. "Why do you drink so much?" He asked placing his warm palm on her cheek.
"I don't know, I guess because it is fun to get extra courage." She chuckled.
"You don't need a drink to give you courage. I'm here to do that for you." And even though her brain was not functioning properly, his mere voice brought her back to her senses. Her eyes widened at how close he was, "Do you hear me, Ally? I'm always there if you look back. Giving you all the courage, power and strength that you want."
She nodded and he unlaced her fingers from the bottle. "That's better... you trust me?" He asked carefully placing both of his hands on her shoulders.
"More than I ever trusted on anyone." She honestly said gazing back at his deep pool of greens which seemed darker and deeper during the night. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and lovingly said, "That's what I wanted to hear."
Then he moved back to his position so that they were beside each other on the swings again. She had no bottle in her hand now but she felt more courageous and braver than any drink ever made her feel. His voice would forever repeat in her mind searching for positivity in the negativity.
He was gazing at the grass and swinging back and forth slowly. "You know, you're so much stronger than me." He surprised her with his words again. She attentively listened, "Like you feel so much but you don't ever say a word... Nobody could guess if you are going through a tough time or not. You didn't even cry during 'The Fault in our Stars'!" He added with a laugh.
"And you did. You're such a girl." She teased him.
"Don't turn this on me. That's a very sad movie. No, but seriously... You're a very strong person, Ally."
"Uh..." She had no words to say. Finally there was someone in her life who really knew about her inner self. "Thank you."
"You're an introvert. You feel a lot of things but you never express them." She was shocked by the accuracy in his words. "Like a coconut. Real hard on the outside but a softie with feelings and emotions on the inside." He precisely phrased like a palm reader.
"How do you know me so well?"
"What? Do you think only you observe people?" He mocked and she went silent again taking in his revelation.
But he continued without a halt, "When I first met you, you were this innocent girl who's kind of a geek. But you turned out to be completely different than these other girls. You're extremely funny, smart and easy to talk to. Unlike what others may say, but only I know how talkative you are."
She was flattered but since he was busy ploughing the ground with his eyes she smoothly said, "That's true. I don't talk this much with anyone. Not even Haley or Becky."
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that dress?"
"Umm... One or two times."
"I mean... I was just blown away by you. I never thought you'd suck up and wear a dress and come to prom for me since I know how much you hate prom and dressing up and stuff."
"I could do that much to see your million dollar smile." She said. Now, it was her turn to stare at the grass. She could feel his eyes burning a hole on the side of her neck.
"You think I've a good smile?"
She confidently lifted her head and said the first thing that came to her mind. "No, I think you have the best smile." He was blushing probably but she couldn't confirm it in the darkness enclosing them.
"Hey, Miller?" She called out and snapped his neck towards her, "I'll be there too, when you look back and need some courage or strength or motivation or just someone to talk to... I'll be there for you always." He had the most beautiful look in his eyes, a myriad of appreciation and love and respect. He had the kind of eyes you could get lost in.
And she guessed, she did.
-
A/N: Phew, so finally we've reached the end. What a crazy journey it has been. For anyone whom it may concern, some dialogues in the story are actually said by someone in real life who was a very close friend of mine. I mean the whole thing inspired me to write this so that I could finally share my story with someone and free myself of the burden I was living under. So thank you so much for bearing me, my poor grammar, punctuation. This story will always be very close to my heart. And I really hope it has inspired you even if just a little bit. Because I think my work would be successful only if it left an impression on your mind.
Thank you so much for this great liberating experience. And for reading this personal amatuer story of mine. I really love you guys!!
P.S- I'm gonna write an epilogue for this than it will officially end. I'm planning a sequel too. Stay tuned xo