Life, Death, and Time - A Books Of Beginning Collection

Oneshot: Michael's Prom

Background: Takes place a handful of years after the series. This takes place in the month of May, when Michael is 17 (turning 18 and graduating later in the summer), Emma is 16 (turning 17 a few weeks before Michael turns 18), and Kate just turned 20 like a weekend before this takes place. Rafe is alive and 21, and he and Kate are engaged and living together while Kate goes to college. Michael and Wilamena still broke up after the black reckoning because of the long distance relationship, but still have kept feelings for each other over the years. Wilamena is good friends with the whole Wibberly family.

Content: Michael x Wilamena, romance, fluff, hijinks, family bonding, awkwardness, humor, Emma being Emma.

"Hey, dad?" 

"Yes, Michael?" Richard asked, looking up from the crossword puzzle he was working on. He found his seventeen year old son standing there, fiddling awkwardly with the hem of his shirt. Michael didn't meet his gaze, and Richard was quickly becoming worried. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just... well, can we talk about, you know... guy stuff?" 

"Of course," Richard said, somewhat awkwardly, motioning his son to take a seat across from him at the kitchen table. "Is this about shaving? I know that you haven't had any facial hair grow in, but some of us are just late bloomers and-"

"No! Dad, no!" Michael shouted, his face going red. "And can we please not mention that again? Emma would not shut up after she found out that she started shaving before me."

"Okay. Then what's this about, son?"

Michael shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well... uh... do you remember your high school prom?"

"Of course."

"How'd it go?"

Richard huffed a laugh, "not well. I did have a date, but she only asked me to go with her because the guy she liked had a girlfriend that he was taking. Except then her crush broke up with his girlfriend the day before prom because they got into some big fight, and she ended up ditching me a quarter into the dance and going to spend time with him. It was not the most enjoyable experience."

"Yikes," Michael admitted, pulling a face, "that does sound bad."

"Yeah," Richard agreed, "I should have done what your mother said she did for her prom, which was going with a group of friends. In all the pictures she showed me, she looked like she was having a ton of fun, while I just looked uncomfortable."

"Right," Michael said, "well, uh... the reason I ask is because my prom is coming up a week from tomorrow, and I already purchased two tickets, and, well... I asked a girl to go with me."

"You did! Oh, Michael, I'm so proud of you! How'd you do it? How'd it go? Who even is this girl, anyways?"

Michael sighed, "I just kinda asked her. In hindsight, I was really nervous and sweaty and it was not my best look. But, uh... her name is Aubree. Aubree Ackroyd."

"Hmmm... I don't remember you mentioning her. Is she the girl you sit next to in math class?"

"No, that's Iris. She and I are just friends. I'm not romantically interested in her at all. Aubree, on the other hand... I've liked her since the beginning of the school year, but, we, er, haven't really talked much."

Richard frowned, "you haven't? But then, how do you know you like her if you've hardly talked? That seems a bit confusing, don't you think."

"Yeah," Michael chuckled lightly, "but, well, I guess I don't know Aubree well. It's just... she's really smart even if most people underestimate her. She's not known around school for being, like, really good at science or history or English, but she is smart. She's good with computers, and she's at the top of our French class. She plays volleyball, and she's nice. She's always been really polite and nice to me and she's got a lot of friends because she's friendly. And she's really pretty."