The (Not so amazing) adventures of Max

Thirty-Second Entry: The Dance That Never Was

Friday, October 13 - Late Night

I'm still in shock. Like, I honestly don't even know if what happened tonight was real. It's one of those moments where you look back, and you just don't believe it happened to you. And it's all because of a miracle. That's the only way to describe it.

So, it's Friday the 13th, and as I wrote earlier, I was about to give up. After everything, after all the failed attempts and awkward moments, I thought maybe this whole homecoming thing just wasn't for me. Maybe I was meant to sit at home, play video games, and laugh at my friends having fun at the dance without me. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could face another day of embarrassment.

But then something changed.

It started when my mom picked me up from school. She's usually the one to make the day seem better, even when things go totally wrong, and today was no different. She didn't mention the dance at all, just asked about my day. I didn't even want to talk about it, but somehow, it felt like I had to. So, I told her everything: how I tried to ask Alyssa out and kept failing, how my friends kept making jokes at my expense, how Mr. Dreadmore—of all people—actually showed some sympathy for me today.

"Max," she said after a long pause. "You can't just give up because things didn't go the way you planned. If anything, you should go to that dance. It doesn't matter who you're with. You deserve to have fun, too."

Her words felt like a slap of reality, but in a good way. It was like I had been so focused on the failure part, I didn't even stop to think that maybe this whole thing was just one big experience. Maybe the thing wasn't the date or the dance, but just showing up.

So I told myself, "You know what? Forget it. I'm going to the dance. Even if it's a disaster, at least I'll be able to say I was there."

I came home, changed into my suit, and stood in front of the mirror, feeling like a total idiot. It was way too late to ask Alyssa now—I had no hope of asking her, and anyway, I had resigned myself to going alone. Maybe I could find a way to survive the night without completely embarrassing myself.

As I was about to leave, the doorbell rang.

I figured it was one of my friends, probably Ben or Lo, asking if I was ready. But when I opened the door, I froze. Standing on the doorstep was Alyssa.

Yeah, you read that right. Alyssa. The one I'd been trying to ask out for weeks.

And before I could say anything, she just smiled at me and said, "Hey, Max. I know this is probably a long shot, but I've been thinking about it for a while. Do you want to go to the dance with me? I... I don't have a date, and I figured, well... why not?"

I stood there, completely speechless. I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor. Like, how was this happening? It felt like something out of a movie, but it wasn't a joke. This was real.

After a few seconds of awkwardly staring at her, I managed to mumble out, "Uh, yeah, sure. I mean, yeah, I'd love to."

Alyssa giggled, a sound I hadn't heard in a while, and said, "Great! Let's go before we miss all the fun."

And that was it. I mean, there was no big speech, no dramatic build-up—just me, standing there in a suit, completely stunned, as she pulled me into the car.

I honestly don't know how to explain it. It's like I got lucky all at once. I had all this anxiety building up about what a mess the night was going to be, and then, out of nowhere, everything changed. Alyssa—Alyssa of all people—asked me to the dance.

So now I'm here, sitting in my room, trying to process everything that just happened. I feel like I've just stepped into some weird, alternate reality. I went from absolute loser to actual date to the dance in the span of, what, a couple of hours? It feels unreal, like I'm still waiting for the punchline, but... there is no punchline. I'm actually going with her.

I've been staring at my phone for a while, waiting for something to go wrong. But so far, nothing has. No texts. No calls. Just me and Alyssa heading to the dance like everything is perfectly normal.

I still can't believe it.

Maybe I'll get to actually enjoy the night. Maybe I'll even have fun. Whatever happens, though, I'm going to remember tonight as the night I thought I'd be the biggest loser in school, but somehow, I ended up with a date to the dance.

I guess the moral of the story is: sometimes, things turn around when you least expect them. And maybe, just maybe, Friday the 13th isn't as unlucky as everyone thinks.

Here's to hoping the rest of the night lives up to this miracle.