“You know I said it’s true, I can feel the love. Can you feel it too?” Hoodie Allen blared through the speakers on my Macbook. I could feel my elation as I rummaged through my closet looking for my dress. It was finally here; the Homecoming dance. I’d waited months for this, and I was going with Jack, one of my best guy friends in the world. It was going to be perfect. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I slipped on my teal skintight dress. I smiled at my reflection in my bedroom mirror. The teal complimented my slightly tanned skinned perfectly, and accentuated my dark brown hair. I applied my makeup meticulously. As I fixed my hair, I made sure to leave no piece uncurled. I knew all eyes would be on Jack and I tonight, seeing as he was the head of the football team. I was pretty popular myself, but I was one of those girls who was friends with absolutely everyone. Being seen on the arm of the most popular guy in school was definitely going to be a bit intense, but we’d been best friends since kindergarten so I wasn’t worried. Slipping on my black stilletos, I heard my phone vibrate. I crossed the room to my white dresser and grabbed it up. It was a text from Jack saying he was about five minutes away. While I scanned my eyes over the message, another one popped in.
It was from Harry Styles, the boy I’d been working with on an AP History project. The text read, “Hey (Y/N), I finished up our poster. We should be ready to present Monday in class! By the way, hope you have a great time at the dance tonight and a great weekend! xx” I smirked as I took in the message. Collaborating with Harry on the project had been interesting. I was a little apprehensive at first, because he seemed painfully shy when it came to the opposite sex. But it turned out that he was anything but. We always had stimulating conversation when we worked together, and he was extremely polite and charming. There was just something about him… He’d treated me so well when we worked together, always asking how my day was going, making sure I was comfortable. It was a breath of fresh air to talk to a guy who obviously cared about my wellbeing and wasn’t just trying to make a move on me. I almost wish he would’ve at least tried something with me though. It was a little offputting, because I definitely thought he was attractive in a geeky sort of way. I continued to think about Harry and the text while Jack and I rode to the Homecoming dance. I felt bad because I could tell Jack was trying to make conversation but I was so…distracted. I snapped out of it, however, when Jack opened the door to the school and we stepped into our gym.
As Jack and I strutted into the gym, he kept a hand firmly wrapped around my waist. It felt like all the eyes in the room were on us. A mob of our mutual friends flocked to us, compliment our outfits and just positively gushing over how great the gym looked. They were right. Our stinky, old gym had been completely transformed. Streamers were spewed across the high ceiling, hanging from the rafters. Confetti was scattered all over the floor and Japanese paper lanterns twinkled from all the tables. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy as I took in our surroundings. Tonight was the night. Homecoming. Perfect.
Jack and I were engulfed by our friends and dragged to the dance floor. As the DJ cranked out a fast pop song, I danced crazily with my friends, giggling the whole time. I felt my body move in time to the music and I was overjoyed to simply be there. Perfect. I was shaking my hips and had my hands up, feeling the music, when I felt eyes boring into me with the intensity of their stare. My eyes scanned the room, trying to find who the culprit was. My eyes locked on Harry about two feet from me and my breath caught in my throat. He’d been the one gazing at me while I danced. He looked absolutely amazing in black dress pants, a black blazer and tie, and a deep purple dress shirt. I smirked as his cheeks turned a fire red. I waved at him and mouthed a “Hello”. He looked down and smiled at his feet before turning on his heels and walking out. Hmm… interesting. Maybe he was into me a little bit after all? As the first song came to a close, it was replaced by a sweet sappy one. Everyone started breaking up into couples so I turned to grab Jack’s arm, but he wasn’t there. I ran up to one of Jack’s football buddies, Ryan, and asked if he’d seen him. “Um yeah (Y/N), I just saw him run out into the hall!” Ryan breathed. Perplexed, I jogged out into the hall to find my date. I skidded to a stop in my stilletos when I saw Harry and Jack inches from each others faces.
