Once Upon A Rodeo

10: Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare

The picture spread like wildfire. By the time Monday morning rolled around everyone knew Landon and I were together. So I was bombarded with questions all day long. Questions of how we got together, how the date went, how good of a date was he, how long has it been going on, if we are going to homecoming together, and how excited I am for it.

I only answered one question untruthfully. I said I was "so excited" about going to homecoming when really I was having an internal temper tantrum. Screaming, and kicking, and scratching, and trashing. But it was expected of us to go, and so we would.

There were only two good things that came out of that morning. The first was that Brittany had a lot of questions to ask about Landon and I. Landon was ecstatic when I told him. "It's working! She's jealous," he told me with even more confidence in the plan. The second was that Travis was out of town, competing in a last minute rodeo. He was away from all of the talk, though I'm not to sure that he even likes me anymore. Even if it does hurt my pride to think that he could have had very little feelings for me and I was easy to forget, I couldn't help think it was a possibility. A possibility that made me sick, but a possibility nonetheless. Another good thing about him being away was we couldn't perform our date gone wrong pantomime in theater, which I was very unprepared for.

Landon and I went on two more "dates" before he asked me the inevitable. Because even when you're dating someone it can never be assumed that you'll be going to homecoming together, the boy still must ask the girl to be his date. But if another boy is to ask a taken girl to be his date because her boyfriend hasn't asked her yet it is spat upon. Another rule is that the boy can't casually ask the girl to the dance, he must make some grand gesture, though this rule can be ignored it is preferable to most. Landon followed all the rules. His band was playing at our towns only restaurant like every other Friday night. I came to watch like I usually do. They played Sweet Annie, and he asked me when the song was over. I was as red as a tomato. I was embarrassed. I was put on the spot and the whole town was there since the Landon Bradshaw Band tends to draw a crowd. I said yes, of course. It is what is expected, proper, and right. And all though I hate the idea of dancing, fancy dinners, dresses that you'll only wear for one night, and listening to what you absolutely have to do according to society, I hate being gossiped about even more.

Soon after I got asked Bethany, Brittany, and Jenna were asked. Jay asked Beth by writing on her driveway with chalk that read "Homecoming? Yes- Smile. No- Backflip. -Jay". Ramsey asked Brittany by delivering a pizza to her door that said inside the box said "I know this is cheesy but will you go to homecoming with me?" and how can a girl say not to pizza? Landon wasn't the happiest person to be around the day he found out about it. And just as Landon predicted, Travis asked Jenna. He made her cupcakes that spelled out "Homecoming?" with a "Yes" and a "No" cupcake to give back. She was ecstatic. I was happy for her, I really was, but I just didn't want her to get carried away and get the wrong idea.

Once all four of us were asked, Jenna started planing a shopping trip to get dresses for the dance. Which is how I spent my Saturday. I picked them all up and drove the hour and a half drive to downtown, where we went from store in the mall to store trying to find a dress.

"So Brittany," Bethany drawled not looking at her friend but at a dress on the rack. "Are you and Ramsey like a thing now?"

"If by a thing you mean boyfriend and girlfriend, then no." She replied coolly and held up a short red strapless dress. "What do y'all think of this one."

"Cute. Try it on." Jenna said dismissively. "But don't avoid the topic here. Has he not asked you to be official?"

She turned her back to us. "He's asked."