|Steph|
Steph jams her phone in her pocket after checking it once her car is in park. She rips the door open and starts making a beeline towards their usual meeting place in front of the steps. She can’t shake the giddy feeling surging through her veins and also a little worry. Pete’s hoco proposal continues to live rent free in her mind and doesn’t fail to bring a smile to her face. But, several of her messages that she sent last night are still unanswered. Seriously, that nerd should’ve replied by now.
Of course, that worry is all for nothing because as soon as she maneuvers around a few students, she spies Pete and her other nerds along with Caitlyn, all chatting. As she walks closer, the “chatting” seems more like a massive rant, coming from Caitlyn.
“To be completely real, Mama Mia f*cking sucked.” Caitlyn huffs out a breath, looking pissed off. “You are so lucky you couldn’t get tickets.”
“I know, I know.” Ruth pats her arm. More amused than anything at her girlfriend’s annoyance. “You’ve already said it like a million times now, babe.”
“And I’m saying it again! It was completely disappointing!”
As Caitlyn continues on with her tirade, Pete notices Steph’s approach and completely lights up. She can’t fight the stupid grin that slides onto her face. The things that nerd does to her. He’s currently wearing his argyle sweater and not going to lie, she kind of misses the bowtie.
“Hey Steph!” Pete says as she sits down next to him.
“Hi Pete.” She clocks the Starbucks drink in his hand. “What, you had time to grab a drink and not enough to reply to my texts?” She lays it on with some sarcasm.
“What?” His eyes go wide as he scrambles for his phone to check. “Oh sh*t, sorry Steph. I meant to, but I kept getting sidetracked this morning.” He immediately sends a quick response.
“I think I’ll get over it.” She leans forward and plants a kiss right on his forehead. She smirks as she sees the moment his brain short circuits for a moment as he turns red. Her smirk fades once she sees that some lipstick stayed behind. She quickly tries to wipe off as much as she can, but some residue continues to cling on. Oh well, Pete doesn’t seem to mind.
“Ooooooooooooo!” Her little bubble is popped as she turns to Richie, Ruth, and Grace all crowded together, occasionally making kissing noises in her direction.
“Get a room, you too!” Ruth shouts a tad too loud.
f*ck. How did she already forget that they were never going to let them live this down, especially after how they were acting in the group chat last night? But, really, it doesn’t bug her as much as she thought. If they’re not making fun of at least one of them, it’s not really their friend group. And, regardless, it’s worth it if Pete gets to be by her side.
But, Pete is obviously a bit more annoyed. He groans. “Can we just, not? You guys didn’t act like this when Ruth and Caitlyn got together and started doing couple-y sh*t.”
“Because me and Caitlyn didn’t f*ck around. As soon as we knew we liked each other, we got straight to the point and started f*cking around in other ways.” She waggles her eyebrows at Caitlyn who rolls her eyes at her antics.
“And, your relationship is practically the foundation of this entire friend group and it took until yesterday for it to happen.” Grace sits up straighter. “We’ve been watching you two dance around it for months!”
“Me and Ruth literally bonded with Grace over it in the library, when we still barely knew her! Even then we still f*cking saw how you two looked at each other!” Richie points directly in their faces. “And then you had the nerve to deny it!”
“So, yeah, I think we’ve earned at least a little bit of teasing.” Ruth leans towards Richie and Grace as they nod.
Pete hmphs, not having a good comeback, because they do bring up some pretty valid points. Steph also never realized how true Grace’s point is. If Steph never asked to cheat on Pete’s quiz, would they be together or even be friends? It’s strange to think about where her life would be, but she would rather not go down that rabbit hole. Thinking about butterflies and their effect on sh*t can get pretty all-consuming.
Their chatter builds back up again as Ruth prompts Caitlyn to continue her complaining. Steph loves a good rant, especially since this one takes the heat off of Pete and her for a moment.
Her complaining of the lackluster performance from the actors also gives Steph the chance to say to Pete, “Hey, I’m sure they’ll eventually let up, it might just be a few rough days.”
“Hopefully, but who really knows with these people.” He jabs a thumb in their direction. “It really sucks that they get to be right, but-” He gives her his classic fond look “-it’s worth it.”
Pete echoing Steph’s own thoughts about the situation prompts one of their lingering looks. Steph has no clue how she was able to push back on this for so long, but now that the floodgates are open, she wants to-
Max slams his bag on the ground as he sits next to them. “Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?” He fakes concern before he smirks. Steph hears the others giggle.
In the most casual tone she can, “No.” She does narrow her eyes though.
“Okay.” Max eyes them suspiciously, but then turns to the rest of the group. “Did you guys hear about Peanuts? I can’t believe that little dude survived that big of a fall.” He shakes his head. “You wouldn’t think sh*t like that could happen in Hatchetfield.”
“It was the only notable news story today, of course we heard about it,” Pete says incredulously.
Max narrows his eyes at Pete. “Fine, whatever, next time I won’t share any cool sh*t I learned. Sorry that I think Peanuts deserves that squirrel house.” In a rather loud stage whisper to Steph, “How the f*ck do you put up with this guy?”
“It’s easier than putting up with you.” Steph pushes him away.
Max rolls his eyes before he shifts his focus to talk to Richie and Grace, who are more inclined to listen about Peanuts, despite both of them knowing everything about it.
As the time before class starts to run out, Caitlyn turns to all of them. “What are you guys doing for hoco?”
All six of them stop their conversations and furrow their eyebrows. Once again, Steph is reminded of how sh*t they are at making any plans. She knew she was going with Pete and she supposes that was enough for her. They all look at each other, a little lost.
“sh*t, we have no plans set right now, but my Dad’s not going to be around that night. So, we could get ready at my house or something.” Steph shrugs. “Take some pictures and then head over there.”
Ruth turns to Caitlyn. “I guess that’s what we’re doing.” She gestures towards her. “You’re welcome to join, unless you already have plans.”
“Me and my friends already have a whole thing, but we can totally meet at the dance.”
“Oh? Is that a promise?” Ruth smirks and leans in closer.
Caitlyn leans in as well. “You know it!” She kisses Ruth on the cheek before dashing away with a “see you later!”
Ruth sighs dramatically and leans over onto Richie, who shoves her off. Her happiness continues to persist regardless.
“So, we’ll meet at Steph’s a few hours before and then go to the dance?” Grace turns to Steph.
“Yeah, unless someone else has a better idea.” No one does as they shake their heads.
“We could also go to Pasqualli’s too.” Max shrugs.
Pete perks his head up. “Oh, are we allowed to go there now? You’re not going to, I don’t know, beat us up in the parking lot?”
Max scowls. “No…”
Pete tilts his head in mock curiosity. “And, why is that?”
“Because you like us,” Ruth says teasingly as she sits back up.
Richie and Grace both go, “oooooooo” like before in the same teasing tone.
Max crosses his arms. “No!” But how he says it betrays his real feelings. He leans in closer to Ruth, Richie, and Grace and loudly whispers, “Guys, we are supposed to be doing this sh*t to Steph and Pete, not me!”
As if just remembering, they all swivel their heads towards the couple and grin deviously. f*ck.
***
“I’m telling you, it was f*cking crazy!” Ruth gestures wildly. “And, then all of you guys were just there, like you didn’t do anything, but for some reason it was important that I knew you were there. I don’t know, when I can remember them, my dreams are always crazy.”
“I get that, I don’t usually have dreams, but when I do, they’re always so vivid. Like I’m really there or something. I also had one last night” Grace furrows her brows. “All I can remember is being in the woods and something…howling. It was so odd.”
“Weird.” Ruth turns to Steph. “What about you, did you also have a weird ass dream last night?”
“Huh? Oh, no, I never remember my dreams or maybe I just don’t have any.” Steph shrugs. “I probably don’t get a deep enough sleep to even have them in the first place.”
The trio continues their path through Lakeside mall. Steph is pretty sure that one of those dress shop boutiques is around her somewhere. She really should have looked up the name, but she was so certain she remembered where it was. Her father had taken her a few years ago as a way to have some “father-daughter bonding.” Steph very well knew that it was all a publicity stunt and her Dad had to practically beg her to look happy. Bribes had to be involved.
The only reason Steph would dare step foot there again is because all three of them desperately needed some hoco dresses. Nothing in Grace’s closet was nowhere near suitable and Ruth doesn’t have any because she’s never been and, honestly, they both deserve a nice dress.
Steph checks her pocket for like the millionth time. Pete and Steph made plans to match at the dance, God, who is she? , and he lent her the bowtie he’s going to wear so she can find a dress that matches closely. Steph just knows that her past self would be so embarrassed by her current behavior, but what does she know anyway? She still jams the bowtie back in her pocket before Ruth and Grace can see. While their teasing has thankfully died down, they can still be insufferable when they choose to be.
Finally, she spots the familiar frilly writing and pastel colors that mark the entrance to the clothing boutique. The inside has a pleasant floral scent and the whole store is full of racks of literally any type of dress she could think of. A few tables displaying jewelry are set up and small changing rooms are located towards the back. There are several groups of teens on the same hunt for hoco dresses. It’s not overly crowded though. A cheery employee lets them know that they can ask for any assistance if they need it. Then, they’re off to browsing, mainly looking for something eye-catching rather than anything in particular. Steph tunes back into the conversation Ruth and Grace are having.
“What are you telling your parents anyway? There’s no way they’d approve of you going.” Ruth continues to search through the racks.
“They certainly don’t, they were complaining about it all this morning.” Grace admires a green dress before slotting it back in. “I just told them I have an ‘emergency bible study’ that night as a form of protest to the dance and they were more than happy to allow me to go.”
“That’s good, but it still feels weird that you’re even going. The last time I heard you talk about hoco was when you were trying to get it canceled last year.” Ruth grabs one to try on later and continues the search.
“Right, your campaign!” Steph stops pursuing as she thinks of the sign Grace toted around. “Putting the asterisk instead of the ‘o’ was f*cking hilarious, I think I laughed every time I saw it.”
“Thank you, I thought it was clever and got straight to the root of my campaign. I put so many hours into it, all the flyers and hounding people for signatures, and it truly went nowhere.” Grace shakes her head, clearly reminiscing. “I honestly can’t believe I’m going either, but I’m excited. I’ve always wondered what they were like and now I finally get to see it.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high, it’s still a school dance, but we can still make our own fun.” Steph grins as she runs through another set of dresses with no dice.
Steph approaches a rack with all red dresses and tries to covertly slide the bowtie out to do some comparisons. Not that one. Not that one. Definitely not that one. And…oh, actually that one’s pretty close. She takes the bowtie out all the way and, sh*t, it’s a perfect match. She grabs the dress and it’s pretty cute, the perfect length, and has some nice sleeves.
Ruth gasps. “What is that?!?” As Steph looks up, Ruth is pointing at the bowtie, smiling. f*ck.
“Nothing,” Steph stammers as she jams it back into her pocket, blushing as red as her dress.
“Oh, are you and Pete going to match?” Grace asks teasingly.
Steph crosses her arms. f*ck, why is this getting under her skin? “Yes…”
Ruth and Grace both look at each other. “Awwwwwwww.”
Steph is now starting to understand how Pete was feeling before. “Seriously, why do you guys keep doing this? It’s not as funny of a bit as you think it is.” She aims to sound mature, but even she can hear that she sounds like a petulant child.
They glance at each other again while grinning. Oh great, they think they’re hilarious.
“Well, first of all-” Ruth raises her finger “-it is funny.”
“And, second,” Grace continues, “it wouldn’t be as funny if you two didn’t get so embarrassed.”
Steph knows her face is still bright red. “Whatever.”
“It is very sweet though, me and Caitlyn have already planned a pink and red theme. And-” Ruth pulls out a dress with a brighter hue of red than Steph’s with a flared skirt “-I think this one is the one.”
“That really suits you, I love it!” Grace then turns to Steph who still can’t shake the blush crawling on her face. “And, I’m glad you and Pete got together, truly we’re all very happy for you, and I’m sure we’ll get bored of it eventually.”
“Sure.” Steph eyes them suspiciously. She knows exactly how well her friends are at holding onto something, but she lets it slide, for now. “Anyways, are we ready to try stuff on now?”
Grace’s features pinch in distress. “No, I…I don’t know what I’m looking for. There’s too many options to choose from, I have no clue where to begin.”
“Try just going with what you like. Don’t think about what your parents would approve of or what anyone else likes. Choose something that, I don’t know, speaks to you.” Ruth stands next to Grace and starts helping her look.
“Also, don’t make this into a big deal because, trust me, it’s not.” Steph recalls how completely unserious the previous year’s dance was. Most of the guys barely put in an effort. “There isn’t a wrong dress.”
Grace nods like she was given some truly sage advice and glances at all the dresses more thoughtfully. She slowly meanders the shop with Steph and Ruth at her heels. They give opinions when prompted, but they mainly let Grace make the final say. After a bit, her eyes zero in on one with blue ruffles near the top. It’s obvious that she already likes it.
“What do you guys think about this one?” She turns, clearly hoping for a positive response.
“It’s great!” Steph smiles at her. It’s a bit longer than a traditional hoco dress, but she can’t deny how well it seems to suit Grace.
“And, the back is open too! Look at you going all out.” Ruth is smiling too.
“I like it too, I think I’m ready to try on stuff.” Steph can easily pick up on the rush Grace is currently feeling. It always feels incredible when she does something that explicitly goes against her father’s wishes.
Their try on session has the same vibes as one of those montages that are usually in sh*tty movies that she constantly makes Pete watch with her. But, she can’t deny how fun it is. They go one at a time, show off their dress to the others while they cheer and prompt them to give them a twirl. They’re all giggles and draw some dirty looks from the other shoppers, but they could give less than a f*ck about them. Steph is happy to overlay a sh*tty memory with this one.
|Pete|
Looking in the mirror, Pete adjusts his bowtie and allows one more pass through his hair. To the best of his knowledge, he looks pretty presentable. There’s an inkling that can’t seem to help but lash out. What if he’s not good enough for Steph?
Okay, that’s f*cking stupid. Steph knows what she f*cking wants. And, if she didn’t learn how big of a loser he is over these past few months, then that’s on her. He’ll probably still always have doubts about himself, but he’ll never doubt Steph. She’s too smart for that.
Just as he gives himself one more glance, to double check that he doesn’t look horrible, Richie’s elbow jams into his side.
“Dude! Watch it!”
“Sorry.” Richie does have the decency to look apologetic. Pete can now see that it was an accident, but these days, he can never be too sure. “My bad.” He’s currently trying to make his hair look presentable, but it looks as stupid as ever. But, that’s just how Richie likes it.
Pete shuffles over slightly to avoid any more rogue limbs. He’s crammed into one of the bathrooms in Steph’s house with both Max and Richie. The girls are in Steph’s bathroom. While the Lauter house is absolutely massive, like seriously massive, Pete still wishes this bathroom was just a little bigger. The three of them have been getting in each other’s ways the entire time they’ve been in here.
“f*ck. I chipped a nail.” Richie brings his hand up to his face for closer inspection. “Great, that’s just my luck.”
“Dude, no one’s going to notice.” Max glances over at the damage. “See, that’s like nothing. Besides, the lighting in there is going to be sh*t. Half of the gym lights are on because they don’t anyway to f*ck in a corner.” He returns back to the mirror to finish gelling his hair back.
After Pete smooths down his tan vest one last time, he fully turns to the other two with a flourish. “Alright guys, how do I look?”
They give him a cursory glance and nod their heads. “Not bad,” Max says as he straightens out his own blazer.
“You look great.” Richie then makes a grab for Pete’s tie which he dodges. “I can’t believe you’re matching with Steph.” Great, they’re back to this sh*t. Max and Richie both wiggle their eyebrows at him.
Pete removes his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Can we just stop with these jokes, just for tonight please? I don’t want to f*ck this up.” He puts his glasses back on and points at them. “And, let’s not act like you two aren’t literally matching right now?”
The two pause and look back and forth between what they’re each wearing. They’re both wearing blue. Richie has multiple shades on his wildly patterned collared shirt and Max’s blazer and dress pants are the same dark blue shade. Richie turns back to Pete, already with a comeback. Before Pete’s attention can focus on Richie, he catches a glimpse of Max. He’s still looking back and forth between him and Richie with a blush forming on his face. Huh.
“Oh really Pete, we’re matching just because we have completely different shades of the color blue? Are we matching with Grace too? Because we all decided to wear the same extremely common color?” Richie crosses his arms.
Max seems to have come back to his senses as he backs up Richie with a “Yeah!”
Pete rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Just, please, lay off.”
After a reluctant pause they both say, “Fine.”
And, he’ll take it. With both of them at his heels, they all exit the bathroom and go to check on the girls.
“Took you guys long enough, jeez! What were you even doing in there for so long?” Ruth crosses her arms as the three of them rest against Steph’s living room couch.
“I think Richie spent most of it trying to fix his hair.” Max lunges forward to ruffle Richie’s hair.
With a faster speed than Richie’s ever had, he grabs Max’s wrist before it can reach him. “Don’t you even dare.” He glares without any heat, but he does start to raise his other hand.
Max immediately picks up on what Richie has in mind and grabs his wrist. “Don’t even think about it.” They continue to stare at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Pete loses interest in whatever they’re doing as his eyes zero in on Steph. She looks so beautiful. Hair set in perfect curls, black eyeliner ending in a sharp point, her dress that actually exactly matches his bowtie, and some white boots. He is stunned for a few beats, completely awestruck.
“Wow, Steph, you look f*cking incredible.”
Steph breaks out into her signature grin. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She adjusts his bowtie. Suddenly, she claps her hands together. “Okay, now before we miss out on the good lighting, let’s take some pictures!”
She latches onto Pete’s hand and makes a beeline towards her backyard. He can just hear Grace and Ruth get Max and Richie to step away from each other. Their footsteps trail behind them.
He really should have anticipated how seriously Steph would take this. She really does love her phone and all of her pictures. How she continues to have enough storage for them all is completely beyond him. As soon as they all step outside, she takes control of the situation and starts arranging them all together. Richie steps in to help, with all his film knowledge, and the pair of them in no time find a good spot to set up Steph’s phone and order all of them together by height.
They get several group shots of all of them. They even recreate the High School Musical pose from the posters with Richie and Ruth already knowing exactly who each of them would represent. It takes a few tries to get their jumps to sync up, but they eventually get it. Steph grabs several candids and she makes sure Richie takes a few of just Pete and Steph in those cheesy poses he’s always seen but never done.
Steph scrolls through what they already got. “Oh sh*t, we’re exactly half blue and half red. I didn’t even notice until now. How about we get some shots of all blue and then all red and then we can go?”
Pete doesn’t miss how Grace, Max, and Richie all stiffen at that and stammer out a “Yeah.” But when he looks back, they all look completely composed. Maybe he was just seeing things.
With those last shots taken, they pile into Steph’s new car. While her father may be a complete dick, it is nice to now have a car that the group can use. When he gets his license, he sincerely doubts he will be able to get his hands on a nice enough car that can fit all of them. He can see the relief on all of them now that they no longer have to cram into the back of Ted’s sh*tty car. Now, they get to completely spread out with the two back rows.
They roll up to Pasqualli’s pretty shortly after. It is already very busy. Not surprising because this place is mainly known for being the spot the cool kids go before homecoming. Thank f*ck they decided to get a reservation.
Pete turns to Max. “Just double checking, but you’re fine if me and all of us, you know, nerds go to Pasqualli’s. I really don’t want to encroach on your territory here.” Pete fights a smirk.
Max grits his teeth and glares. “Yes, it’s fine and you don’t need my permission.”
“Oh, so we’re cool enough to go now?” Richie adds, but he can’t choke down his laugh.
“Don’t worry guys, he seems fine with it.” Ruth wraps her arms around Pete and Richie. “Besides, he already showed us his-” She starts to get louder “-secret skate-”
“Shut the f*ck up!” Max finally breaks. He does look around anxiously though, genuinely scared someone may have heard and found out about his super secret spot. Even from all the way across the parking lot, Pete can still make out the poorly hidden duffel bag sticking out of a bush. He can hear Steph and Grace laughing in front of them.
As soon as they make their way in and wait for their table to be ready, Pete, Richie, and Ruth all look around in awe. They never even dreamed of actually being able to set foot in Pasqualli’s, but here they are now. It looks like any basic Italian place, but it feels so much more special than that. Something finally completely settles within Pete, he’s not the loser he always thought he has anymore.
He’s able to fully soak this moment in. He eats some honestly pretty mediocre, Italian food with a gorgeous date and his close friends. Of course, they continue to make digs at Max that he tries to take in stride. He only gets pissed when they try to bring up his secret spot. It feels good to laugh in a place that used to be completely off limits.
***
All six of them stroll the rest of the way into the gym. Pete takes a moment to just breathe it all in. He’s not quite sure what he was expecting, but it’s still completely underwhelming. The prestige of homecoming built up in his head after he wasn’t able to go last year, but he was all excited for…this?
Max was right about the sh*tty lighting, most of the lights were off, but some still remained on which ruins any vibe they were hoping to cultivate. Banners, streamers, and balloons were halfheartedly put up and Pete can’t even begin to decipher what the theme could possibly be. A DJ is already throwing on some songs, but most of them are pretty dated. Only half of the crowd is dancing. The few brave friend groups are dancing around in the middle while the rest stay on the outskirts. Only a few of those on the sidelines have the courage to even dance a little. There is a little area set up for photos, which is nice, but the same level of effort that went into the decorations went into them. Overall, it’s pretty sh*tty.
One look down their line makes it apparent that the same thoughts are going through Ruth, Richie, Grace’s minds. Max and Steph look at them amusedly. It’s not like they didn’t try to warn them not to have high expectations, but it seems they all still had their expectations rather high.
“Wow…I don’t even know what to say.” Pete shakes his head.
“Yep, it’s a sh*tshow.” Steph grins.
They step away from the entrance, more students are already trying to flood their way through. Already, they all start to complain about all the little details, a game quickly forms of trying to find the saddest looking decoration.
Ruth suddenly perks up and starts waving erratically. “Caitlyn! Over here!”
Caitlyn lights up as well and dashes over to them, with her theater friends in tow. She’s wearing a flowy, light pink dress. Ruth meets her in the middle where they embrace and kiss. They immediately start gushing about how beautiful the other looks. Okay, maybe he understands a little why his friends were so on Steph and Pete.
Both of the friend groups start to converge and give each other friendly greetings.
“Oh, hey Trevor.” Richie has a sh*t eating grin on his face.
Pete can just make out Trevor flushing, already looking annoyed. He’s holding hands with, oh right, Rudolph, that Swedish exchange student. Pete can clearly remember Richie excitedly telling everybody about meeting the guy that Trevor was mysteriously texting. Pete doesn’t know Trevor terribly well, but, you know what, good for him.
Eventually Pete is pulled over towards the photo-ops. Steph, of course, is happy to have more pictures. After the casual ones they took before, they decide to do more cheesy poses with serious expressions on their faces. Steph and Pete take a couple like they’re at prom with Steph wrapping her arms around Pete from the back. Pete can’t hardly hold a straight face at the absurdity of it all.
Caitlyn and Ruth do the normal couple poses, looking in awe of each other the entire time. And, then they get all their friends together to do more group shots.
Soon enough, some of the others deem it time to hit the dance floor. All the theater kids immediately run out there with Ruth already starting to break it down. Max drags a slightly reluctant Grace and Richie behind them. It doesn’t take too long for them to loosen up though. With their groups entering the middle, a few others finally get enough courage to join. The crowd of dancers no longer looks so pitiful.
It’s only him and Steph on the sidelines.
“I should warn you, I’m a terrible dancer.”
Pete pushes his sleeves up a little. “Then let me take the lead, I think I still have a few moves up my sleeve.” Pete grabs onto her hand.
“Right, Mr. Tap Dancer, how could I possibly forget?” She stares at him fondly.
“You can’t make fun of my tap dancing anymore, if you want me to help you through this.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Surrounded by his friends and alongside Steph, Pete doesn’t feel embarrassed. Even though a large chunk of the school is watching, even though they keep stepping on each other’s feet, even though the song choice isn’t the best. He still actually has a sh*t ton of fun. It never really mattered where they were, as long as they were together. The crappy atmosphere does nothing to bring down their moods.
“Alright Nighthawks, let’s slow things down a bit and slightly bring down those lights. It’s time for the couple’s dance,” the DJ says into the mic as he starts to play a slow song. The lights dim a tiny amount.
Most of the people immediately split off from the dance floor, including most of their friends, but a few more couples end up joining in. Pete sees Ruth and Caitlyn, Trevor and Rudolph, and even Kyle and Brenda all nearby.
Before Pete can ask if Steph even wants to do this, she places her hands on his shoulders. She looks at him expectantly until his hands go around her waist.
“Okay, I think I can handle this.” Steph gives him a soft smile as they begin to sway back and forth.
“Yeah, even you can’t mess this up.”
She smacks him lightly, clearly in jest. “Shut up.”
“I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“You know, I always thought this part of the dance was stupid, but-” She stares right into his eyes. He could really get lost in hers. “-I think I just needed to find the right partner.”
A stupid smile slides onto his face. It always means the world whenever Steph lets herself be a little sappy. Everyone fades from his field of vision, all he sees is Steph, like they are the only two people left in the world.
Steph and Pete are too wrapped up in each other to notice their friends on the sidelines, staring out a little too longingly at all the couples. They’re thoughts can’t help but drift to the ones they would love to ask, but not right now. They have all the time in the world, they can stand to wait a bit longer.
“Jeez, how long does this part even last? It feels like we’ve been doing this for ten minutes.” Pete is getting real tired of just swaying.
“I have no clue, but they always love to drag this part out.”
As if the DJ could personally hear their gripes, he says, “Let’s bring the energy back up with a Hatchetfield classic!”
The opening notes of “The Best of You” ring out and a cheer goes through the entire crowd, the first time all night. All the people that were a little too hesitant to dance race out onto the dance floor. It’s practically packed now. They link up with the rest of their friends and, just like at the Honey Festival, they start to get completely immersed in the song.
I never wanted to love you, like I do
Pete points directly at Steph before pointing at his friends as the song continues. Together, they sing along to the lyrics and do the silly dance along with everyone else in the crowd. The awful decorations and the horrible lighting do nothing to dim the light surrounding all of them. Pete lets himself break out into the biggest smile as he simply has fun with his friends and the one he cares about the most.
Everything’s good.
|Steph|
Steph’s hand rests comfortably in Pete’s hand as they continue their walk. While the dance was still going, she was able to convince Pete to duck out a bit early. Her friends can wait a bit before she gives them a ride home. Don’t get her wrong, she had more fun than she ever thought she could have, but tonight wasn’t just about attending a dance. It was to spend time with Pete on their real first date. She really is such a sap.
They find themselves a little ways out, by the football field. A cool breeze blows through, but Steph feels so buzzed that she can hardly feel it. She can faintly hear the music still playing from the school, but, for the most part, it’s just the two of them out here. Far from any teasing or looks from what felt like the entire school, Steph can feel herself begin to relax.
“You know I had a really great time tonight.” Pete closes his eyes to the breeze before turning to look at Steph.
“Oh, you’re using that line are ya.” She giggles as she ribs into his side. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
Pete huffs with a smile. “I’m trying to be nice here, besides, it’s true. I never thought I would’ve been able to go to homecoming with someone as great as you.”
“I think I could say the same to you.” She unlinks their hands so she can loop their arms together. “I’m glad all your tapdancing finally paid off. Who knew Peter Spankoffski had such killer moves?”
“Well, someone had to pull all the weight, it’s not like you were giving me much help.” He quirks an eyebrow at her.
“Hey, I’m well aware of my sh*tty dance skills and I did warn you.”
“You certainly did and you weren’t lying. But, I don’t think I would want any other partner.”
She smiles at the echo of her previous words. “Pete! You can’t keep doing this to me!” He really is irresistible in that dumb bowtie. “How’d I get so lucky?”
“I don’t know, right place, right time.” He shrugs, but Steph can’t deny how true it feels. Sometimes it really does feel like they were destined for each other.
They continue making their rounds, just basking in the company of only each other. It’s not long before she stops to stare at the sky above. Stars dot across the whole sky with a spotlight of moonlight shining down on them. She really needs to look up more. Pete follows her lead and they exist in the silence. Their breaths are the only noise permeating the air.
“Uh, Steph?”
She takes an extra beat of gazing at the stars before turning to Pete. “Yeah?”
“What do you say to, you know, keeping this going beyond tonight?” Steph easily picks up on the nervous tremble in his voice. If only he knew how misplaced it was.
“Are you asking if I’ll be your girlfriend?” She says with a smirk.
The tension leaves his shoulders. “Yes.” All the gravity in the world rests behind that one little word.
“Of course I’ll be, you nerd.” She loses the joking tone and turns more serious. “I honestly love spending time with you and I would truly be honored to continue doing so. You mean a lot to me Pete.”
Pete doesn’t respond, instead he gently cups her face, running a thumb across her cheek. He’s looking at her with stars in his eyes, brighter than the ones above them. His brows raise the smallest amount in question as he starts to lean in. Steph readily nods.
When their lips meet, they fit perfectly together. Like this was really always meant to happen. Steph doesn’t think a kiss has ever felt more right in her entire life. Everything was always leading to this. Her hands find his face and she only brings him closer. He tastes like the sun, shining brightly down on her. She would give anything to hold onto this moment forever.
The only issue is that he’s starting to back out far too soon. Her hands slide down until she grabs at his vest. While suspenders would be ideal in this situation, she makes do with what she has. She pulls him in even closer, he comes back willingly. She deepens the kiss, guiding him through the whole process.
When they finally need to come up for air, they still remain close. Sharing this one breath. Their eyes open again and lock. She can tell her eyes are twinkling just as bright as his. They both are flashing giddy smiles before they go back in for more.
She can’t imagine anything more perfect.
