Demons

Chapter 50

LACEY'S POV

"Okay, on a scale from one to ten, how excited are you for prom?" I swung Ava's arm almost out of her socket as we made our way through the halls for lunch.

"Ten being the best?" She asked and I nodded. "Then, I would be five."

"What? Why only a five?" I stopped and looked at her with concern.

"Because you aren't going to be there dancing along with me all night. Believe me if you were there, I would be a ten right now." She answered truthfully and I shook my head in disapproval.

"Ave, this is supposed to be a fun night for you!"

"And you too! Come on, Lace, can't you just come?" She pleaded.

"No, Ave, you know I can't. Harry obviously isn't my date anymore and as much as I like hanging out with you and Louis, I don't think I should spend my prom night third-wheeling." I explained and she frowned, pulling me into the lunch line.

"What about Damian? He could be your date!" She suggested and I bit my lip.

"I know he offered but I said no. He was so happy to be going out with Janelle Jones; I can't ask him to give up a date with his dream girl for my happiness in one night." I said and she groaned, irritated.

"Since when does Damian have a dream girl?" Ava snorted, rolling her eyes.        

"Apparently since he met Janelle," I laughed and she groaned. "Plus, I don't have a dress or anything. I am not prepared and it's tomorrow night."

"You do have a dress. Zayn's?" She asked and I thought I saw hope in her big eyes, which I was about to squash.

"I am planning on giving it back to him tomorrow. Or maybe I will just return it and give him the money he spent on me. I feel so horrible using a dress he bought for me after our fight." I said, handing the chef the money for my lunch.

"Or you can use it for that one night that he intended and we can find you a date right now!" She had a Eureka moment.

"Ava! I'm not going to go to prom with some random guy! I was going to go with my boyfriend, but then that ended. Prom is supposed to be something you want to remember, and I would have wanted it to be with someone special to me." At this Ava finally gave up. She put up a good fight, but I was way too stubborn.

--

"Hey, how are you doing?" Aaron cornered me as I walked into the kitchen at Rusty's, trying to find the tea bags.

"What? I'm – uh, I- I'm fine. Prom isn't that big of a deal anyways." I stuttered, remaining completely nonchalant.

"What are you talking about?" He looked at me like I was insane, and I realized that he wasn't referring to prom and I was an idiot.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" I averted his eyes as I continued my search for the tea bags, trying to cover my stupidity.

"I'm talking about you and Zayn." He said slowly, as if I were hard of hearing or a three year old.

"Oh, right." I nodded dramatically, and went about my work.

"Lacey, you realize you didn't actually answer my question." He chuckled, pulling out the tea bags from the one last cupboard I had left to look in.

"Well, there's not much to say. It's been a week, we haven't talked at all, and I still feel like shit about it." I groaned, finally dragging a chair next to the 'preparations' table and sitting down to talk.

"Tell me why you can't talk to him?" Aaron asked, sitting on the seat across from me.

"I can't because I don't want to push him too hard to where I'll be pushing him inevitably away instead of back to being friends with me again." I explained and Aaron only nodded at my words.