Chapter 14: Four for Four: Four Cubed
"Your date's here!" Dad hollered.
I smoothed out my dress and descended down the stairs, mentally preparing myself for the gorgeousness that is Alec. His jaw was slightly ajar, but then again, so was mine. Dad cleared his throat, causing our eyes to meet. I guess we were both too busy checking each other out.
"All right kids. Stand together for pictures. Yeah, right on the stairway. I like the wallpaper." I forced a smile, while Alec has his easy grin on. My homecoming pictures were going to rock this year. The only downside was that Alec was going to look better than me. Boo. "Keep your hands north of the equator, mister! Okay, that's a little too far up. Good, perfect. Don't let them stray! Charlotte, could you not smile like a donkey?" Dad! "That's better."
Was this how all parents acted on these kinds of things, or was it just my Dad? I hoped it was all parents because he was embarrassing me in front of Alec, although Alec didn't seem surprised by it. If he did, he didn't show it.
After posing for many pictures, Alec suggested that he could sign a few things. Dad jumped on that immediately, shoving item and paper after paper so he could autograph them. I'm sure Alec felt like a celebrity.
I told Dad that if we were going to eat dinner and be on time for the dance, that we needed to leave now. He grumbled and reluctantly let us go. Alec never did tell me what his plans were. I felt like everytime I was hanging out with Alec, we were eating. I felt like a fattie.
"We're going to that Chinese restaurant. You don't hate Chinese, do you?" Alec asked, suddenly looking very scared.
I smiled. "I like Chinese."
He let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness."
By the time we were done, my belly was sore from all the laughing I did. I was 100% sure that Alec didn't know, and will never know, how to use chopsticks properly. No matter how hard he tried, the noodles and clumps of chicken would end up slipping out of his grasp. He bitterly stabbed the chicken and slurped up the chow mein. I felt sorry for him and would sometimes feed him.
Luckily, the weather was suitable, unlike last year. Alec parked his car, and told me to sit there until he ran around and opened the door for me. He was a stickler for being a gentleman. "Seriously Alec, you don't have to do this. I can walk."
"My number one girl deserves to be carried."
I giggled. Number one girl. I liked hearing that. "Just make sure my dress doesn't ride up. I don't want anyone getting a peek of what's underneath."
"Is it just for me?"
I slapped his face gently. "Nope, it's for me. Just me."
"Killjoy."
Alec signed us in and we entered the school, which was a complete transformation from the bland cafeteria to a kind of hip dance floor. The lights were dimmed, except out in the hallway where the food and tables were. Lots of people were already dancing to Call Me Maybe. The dancing wasn't that creative-they were all basically doing the same thing. Bouncing, handing a fake number to someone, and pretending their hand was a phone.
I spotted Emma and ran over to her, spitting out compliments. She was wearing a black and gold dress, where the neck was kind of a see-through material. It accentuated her curves, and she just looked stunning overall. "Wow, you like amazing!"
She blushed. "Thanks! I knew that dress would look good on you."
"You're a lifesaver."
I saw Beckett stroll over and loop his arm with Emma's. I see they went together. I looked at Beckett, my eyes asking if he told her yet. Beckett shook his head slightly. "No, you're a lifesaver," Emma grinned. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to go dancing. A slow song finally came on."
I waved and turned to Alec expectantly. He grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Did you want to dance?" He held out his hand.
"How kind of you to ask," I said, daintily placing my hand on his.
We gravitated toward the center of the crowd. There was room there. The middle was the most cramped and the outsides just screamed loner. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I felt his arms slink around my waist. We rocked slowly back and forth, not attempting anything elaborate. Out of all the boys, Alec was my dancing partner. I murmured, "This is nice."
"Agreed."
So there we were, swaying to Never Say Never by the Fray. I wasn't sure if people actually talked when they were dancing, but I certainly wasn't going to say anything. The song ended and a 'grinding' song came on. Luckily, Alec thought that we should sit this one out. I gladly obliged.
"You know, homecoming is like a party celebrating you," I said.
"I've never really thought about it like that. But it's not just me-it's all the guys."
"But you're the star player."
"I wouldn't be the star player without my team." Alec was a good guy, being modest about their victories.
For the rest of the night, we were dancing, laughing, and just overall having a good time. Then Beckett, also our class president, went up on the stage and announced our homecoming queen and king. "Ladies and gentlemen, can I get your attention? Thank you. This year's homecoming king is...drum roll please...Lucas Chandler!"
Aw, good for him. I don't know if winning court was a dream of his, but he seemed pretty ecstatic as he made his way up to accept his crown. I never really saw him around tonight. I couldn't keep my eyes off him as he walked; that tux looked breathtaking on him. Beckett put the crown atop his head and Lucas turned to face the crowd, dimples showing.
"And our queen," he continued, "will be Charlotte Summers!"
My heart stopped. I got nominated as queen? Like homecoming queen, as in a popularity contest? That was unbelievable. Dorks like me don't win these kinds of things. That happened because of the game, no doubt.
Alec pushed me slightly. He shot me an encouraging smile as I stumbled towards the stage. I almost tripped on the stairs, to which Luke quietly laughed at. Beckett placed the plastic crown on my head. It felt like I was on top of the world, like I was the ruler. Who knew a toy crown could make you feel like that? Not me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your homecoming king and queen!" The student body erupted in applauses and cheers. Being so close to Luke raised my spirits. I couldn't get this silly grin off my face even if I tried. "Now for the spotlight dance."
We didn't really have a spotlight in the cafeteria. Someone just shone a flashlight on the general vicinity we would dance in. Luke carefully offered his hand and I took it. This felt so right. It's like our palms were made for each other. Too weird? He led us towards the center. "May I have this dance?" he whispered.
I nodded, my eyes glistening with happiness. My arms automatically went to the standard position and so did his. It was so much pressure dancing for the entire school to see and witness. Weren't people supposed to be jumping in now? Emma led Beckett out. She is an angel set from above. Slowly and slowly, more people trickled out, relieving me from the stress of pretending I was a good dancer.
"You know, I don't have anything to remember this moment by," Luke spoke. "I won't have anything to give you in ten years if you're mad."
"What makes you think that I'm not still mad?"
"Because you're sentimental like that. You can't stay mad at me for long, Charlie."
That was so true. He knew exactly what tugged on my heartstrings. "Can I just say how much of a girl you are?"
He chuckled. "What?"
"You kept all of that stuff-why?"
He shrugged. "I keep all of that stuff in a box."
"I can't believe you remember all of that."
"Of course I remember, Charlie. They remind me of you-us."
"So how long have you liked me?"
His eyes were shifted toward the ground. "A while," he admitted. "Like sixth grade."
I hit his chest. "You should've manned up and told me."
"Ow, that hurt."
I rubbed the spot in circles. "I'm sorry, little baby. All better?"
"Keep doing that."
"Nope."
I rested my face on his chest, hearing the thumping of his steady heartbeat. The A Team played softly in the background. "So we're okay?" he asked.
"We're more than okay. We're perfect."
"So if I asked you out on a date right now, would you say yes?"
I smiled coyly. "Why don't you try and find out?"
"Are you going to shoot me down like the time I asked you to be my girlfriend?"
I rolled my eyes. "Just ask!"
"Will you go on a date with me? Like a real date?"
Why he didn't ask me to just be his girlfriend, I'll never know. "Of course, but we can't tell anyone."
His face fell. "What do you mean?"
"Well not today! I'm kind of with someone else. I came with Alec, remember?"
"I was kind of hoping that you would forget about him..."
"I'm not just going to leave him dateless. That's rude!"
The song ended. "I guess this is where you leave me."
"Don't you have a date?"
"Well I was kind of hoping that after the whole apologizing thing that you would..."
"I'm sure there's a single girl out there that's willing to be your date for the rest of the evening."
"I just wished it was you."
I opened my mouth to apologize and maybe say something cute, but was interrupted by a loud Ian. "Hey kitten. You want to be the dairy queen to my burger king and then we can live in a white castle?"
I cracked up. It was so incredibly lame, it was funny. "Hi Ian."
"I'd like a dance, so how about it?"
I glanced at Alec, who was chatting with someone from his team. "Sure, I guess I could spare a song for you."
"Wonderful, bye Lucas."
Luke grunted and sulked away into the sea of people. Ian took my hand and we did this whimsical waltz type thing-it was unlike my past two dances. It was energy filled, but it was expected of him. I think we ran into a dozen couples. I sent them apologetic looks, Ian didn't. He kept right on twirling, as if we were the only ones left in the room.
We ended up right where we started, and I was out of breath. "Geez, what a dance, Ian."
He shrugged. "It was nothing, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. You know, I could make you pant if-"
"-we had a race?"
He grinned wickedly. "You wanna race down my hallway naked?"
I let go of his hand. "Thanks for the dance, Ian," I called over my shoulder, walking towards my date.
"Anytime, sweetheart."
"You're quite popular tonight," Alec remarked, pulling me closer to him. "But remember, you agreed to be mine for a day."
"How could I forget?"
"Good point, I am pretty awesome."
"Alright, let's get your dance in. Ian might come back and ask for another one."
We danced until my feet hurt. These heels were going to be the death of me. I was going to wake up tomorrow morning with ten thousand blisters on my feet. Just as we were about to take a break, Tyler tapped Alec's shoulder. "Can I cut in?"
"Hrmm, if Charlotte wants to..."
I sighed. I guess I could suffer through one more. "Sure."
We took the standard position, awkwardly rocking from side to side. His posture was stiff, like he didn't want to be dancing with me. "Hey Tyler?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know...you just seem uncomfortable. That's all."
"Being with the prettiest girl in school isn't exactly a walk in the park." I blushed, happy it was dark so he couldn't see it. "Are you still alive? You got a little quiet there."
"Yeah, I'm still here," I laughed.
"You're a horrible dancer."
"So are you!"
"I'm a bad dancer because I have a partner with two left feet."
"You're the one who has two left feet, not me."
"Get on my feet."
"What?"
"Get on my feet." I don't understand...He sighed and lifted me up. I could feel my heels sinking into his dress shoes, but I don't think he noticed. Either that or he really didn't care. "I'm going how to show you how this is done-Tyler Bradshaw style."
Let me tell you, it was a lot smoother than it was before. It was kind of fun, too. Not like Ian fun, we weren't disturbing other people, but it was like we were having our own little private moment. He lifted me up, so I wasn't even touching anything, just his arms. Wow, he was really strong. I could see the outline of his muscles through his suit. He made it seem so easy. But it looked like he was enjoying himself-a smile was on his face. That was a good sign.
The song ended, but I still had to talk to him about something. "Tyler, I know who it was."
Confusion flooded his face. "What are you talking about?"
"The guy at Ian's party, I know who it is."
"What are you waiting for? Spit it out."
"Ryan Boyer. Do you know who that is?"
"Maybe, but I can't see that I've seen him around school. Is he in our grade?"
I nodded. "I think so. The new girl, she lost her virginity to him."
"Then we definitely need to break him. Ruining my chances of winning," he muttered.
"It's not like I almost got raped or anything..."
"That too."
"You're horrible, Tyler."
He shrugged. "So I've been told. But you should probably get back with your date. I'll pick you up Monday."
Before I could tell him I didn't need a ride, he walked away coolly. Tyler's been my ride since Luke and I weren't on speaking terms and my stupid car is still being fixed. My dad's too lazy to wake up in the morning and needs it to go to work. Good ol' Tyler volunteered and I took it. It made my bet with Emma easier, but I wasn't sure if I could break him.
He was good.
Too good.