Gut Feeling

13 ~ cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not

cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not
('cause the drinks bring back all the memories)

~

The plan was pretty simple. I would drive to Simone's where we had dropped off our outfits for the dance and get changed. Then, I would drive my ass to the Spring Fling and Keith would drive Simone's ass.

Yes, I had, by some terrible twist of fate, lost the bet. Caleb was not entirely thrilled that I was perpetually broke, so I gave him a pack of Nerd's Gummy Clusters to compensate.

"Here." Simone handed me a pale pink long sleeved sweater-shirt with slight traces of peach glitter and a long black pencil skirt from behind the closet door.

I quickly changed into them, pulling my sleeves up so that they covered half of my palm. "How do I look?"

She came out of her closet in a sparkling tight-fitting maroon spaghetti strap dress running a deep v-neck. "You look so fucking hot right now, girl. How about me?"

I smirked at her. "Incredible. Keith is so screwed."

On Friday, she got him in the bag. She'd been dropping no-so-subtle hints, and then on Friday she decided to just bite the bullet and ask him out.

And for reasons unknown, he said yes.

Probably just for a quick fuck but I wasn't about to tell her what she already knew.

"You think so?" she asked and spun around with her arms spread out.

"I know so."

A smile spread across Simone's face before it faded. "You know, it's too bad that Caleb had to babysit Mason. I don't think he's been to a school dance either."

"Yeah, he hasn't. I asked him if he wanted to go. As friends. But he said he couldn't."

It was fricking awkward to ask him. Even awkwarder than the rizz episode, if possible. But with the dance looming, I was getting anxious. And I wasn't about to ask Levi, with girls practically throwing themselves at him. So I asked Caleb instead, and he respectfully declined.

Declining, I told myself, was different from rejecting. But it still stung.

I was good going solo. Going solo was always better, anyways.

"Are you sure you're fine going alone? I could probably hook you up with a blind date or someone." Simone offered, as if she were reading my mind.

No. I was not fine. This was supposed to be a dance.

But then again, no. I did not want to meet up with a stranger, even if it was just one night.

"Trust me, I'm fine." I assured her.

Going solo beat going with a stranger, at least.

It also beat the wrath of Veronica. She had the high school press system under her thumb.

Not that she had anything to do with my decision not to ask Levi.

Her or Savannah.

"Alright, I'll stop asking. Can I do your makeup?" she asked suddenly.

"Wha— no."

Simone went absolutely nuts with makeup.

"Please?" she begged.

But her puppy eyes just didn't hit as hard as Caleb's.

"No."

"Please?"