It's Always the Quiet Ones [ON HOLD]

Chapter 2 - The Boy Who Waited

Scott Miller often considered his life story to mimic the Ugly Duckling. He'd been a cute kid, sure. But when puberty hit during middle school, he began seven years of torture. No one was outwardly mean to him, of course. He was considered the nice, quiet kid, but he played sports and went to parties, so he wasn't a total outcast. He didn't cause trouble for the teachers, he had no mortal enemies, and he had the two best friends any guy could ask to have; but he had a terrible case of acne, he was shy, and most girls didn't want the quiet, reserved guy as their boyfriend.

He'd be lying if he said it hadn't bothered him when Dallas and Ricky started getting girlfriends. They were considered really attractive by the girls in school, and Dallas and Ricky always picked girlfriends who were super nice to Scott. They'd usually had really good taste in girls, actually, and both guys had a trail of girlfriends from middle school to college.

Scott, on the other hand, was the guy that girls considered to be a "good friend". He'd heard the speech more times than he cared to mention, but truthfully, it would have only bothered him coming from one girl. He'd been smart enough to never approach her, though, so she'd never had the chance to tear his young heart to shreds.

Lana Parker had been Scott's dream girl since the sixth grade. She was loud and bubbly. She was the opposite of him in every way, but her vivacious approach to life was magnetic. He'd been too shy to approach her in middle school, and by the time high school came, she'd already begun dating Andrew Cortes. The guy had been an absolute jackass, and Scott could never figure out why girls went gaga over him. He'd watched from the sidelines for three years as Lana had repeatedly forgiven Drew for his indiscretions and manipulative behavior.

Only once had he dreamed that Drew's manipulation might work in his favor. It was during their junior year, and Scott's friend Ricky was dating Lana's best friend Michele. When Ricky mentioned that Drew was refusing to take Lana to prom, Scott had been baffled. Who wouldn't be proud to take Lana Parker to prom? Ricky explained that Drew said he "didn't do prom", and Lana was planning to go alone.  Michele hated this, so she'd had the bright idea that Scott could take Lana and they could double with Ricky and Michele. She'd already pitched the idea to Lana, who had actually agreed after running the idea by Drew. Again, Scott was shocked that Drew would allow someone else to take Lana to prom.

Michele forced Scott to actually ask Lana, as if it were a date. The entire conversation had been surreal, especially the part where Lana had said yes. Ricky had teased Scott that he finally had his chance to steal Lana from Drew, and Scott stupidly allowed hope to blossom.

Prom came, and Lana had looked breathtaking. She had worn a long, eggplant purple gown. Her chocolate brown tresses were pulled into some sort of messy bun that displayed her elegant neck. She had worn simple, tasteful diamond earrings with a matching necklace. And she had worn the wrist corsage that Scott had spent two hours choosing at the florist. She was more beautiful than he could have imagined. Sitting in the limo, she had given him her undivided attention. Her dark blue eyes had sparkled with mischief as she told him stories of her and Michele getting into trouble at a George Strait concert. He could almost imagine what it would be like if she were with him like that all the time. He'd shower her with attention and gifts. He'd make sure she knew how special she was to him. He'd make her laugh every day, because her laughter was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

When they exited the limo at their prom, the enchanting bubble of ignorance that he'd been enjoying was suddenly burst. As they entered the ballroom, he heard Lana's sudden intake of breath. Her face looked stricken, and sudden anger sparked in her eyes. Following her gaze, he located the cause of her distress. Standing at the edge of the dance floor, surrounded by a gaggle of flirtatious girls, was none other than Drew Cortes. Scott knew what truly stung, though, was the girl hanging on his arm. Drew had brought another girl to prom, and not only that. He brought Candy, his most recent indiscretion.