Thanks to Music [complete]

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

"So what are you wearing for prom?"

Josh's question made even Mackenzie and Matt turn to stare at him. Keeping my expression completely neutral, I gave him a dry smile. "A suit and tie," I answered casually. "A three-piece suit and tie. What about you? How's that dress coming along?"

It was his turn to glare at me with a 'seriously?' look on his face. "Quite well, actually, it's backless," he retorted, mocking my sarcastic tone.

I laughed, while the couple sitting across the table chuckled quietly to themselves. Breathily, I answered his first question, "Either a red or purple dress. I don't know yet, they're both pretty. I really should decide soon though because they both come with different sets of accessories, makeup, shoes..."

As Mackenzie enthusiastically nodded and begun reminding me about calling her over to my place three hours earlier to dress up and everything, Matt and Josh exchanged the same dry look. "Girls," they said exasperatedly in a similar, sighing tone.

I nudged Josh forcefully, nearly throwing him off the seat as Mackenzie glared at a very apologetic Matt. "You wanna match?" I asked, correctly reading his thoughts as he grinned sheepishly at me and draped an arm around my shoulders.

"I'm coming in a deep red shirt with black linings," he informed me smugly, being rather descriptive. "So you come in your red dress. We can look like a couple."

"Oh, you'd just love that, wouldn't you," I replied dryly, shrugging off his arm and earning a mock look of shocked disappointment. "I'll think about it. I still have to get approval from my fashion advisor." Mackenzie shot me an excited grin of happy eagerness and sped off about how fantastic she was gonna make me look.

"Josh will have to fight to dance for his date!" she gushed out, earning herself a guffaw from her boyfriend and a hard, jealous glare from my new prom date, whose arm I clung on to, feeling much lighter, much happier than I have the past few weeks.

"Can you sing for prom?" Mr Daniels asked me with a hopeful smile on his lips and the same look in his grey eyes.

My eyes widened in shock, and I gaped at him for three long seconds that seemed to go on forever before turning red with realization and regaining my composure. Swallowing, I furrowed my eyebrows and tried the classic flattery tactic to get out of this. "But, sir, there are so many more...qualified students..."

"You almost won the talent show," he stated bluntly, interrupting me as he held a stack of papers in his hands and ligtly tapped the end on the table to arrange them neatly. "So, not really. What's the difference between then and prom?"

Admittedly, he had a fair point. But this was prom. It was different. Not to mention I was still a freshman here. There were bound to be pissed off haters in the crowd. At the talent show they wouldn't have been able to do anything because all the teachers were watching. At prom, they were all probably going to be drinking and getting tipsy. And have I mentioned it was prom?

Before I could answer, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Daniels and I looked up at the same time to see Julien standing in the doorway. While the teacher's response was a smile and a friendly 'welcome, Julien' to his obvious favourite student, I had to force a neutral expression on my face. My eyes were steely cold at him, who was still standing there uncertain. His gaze, however, was on me - regret, surprise, longing.

Nothing I was about to fall for anytime soon.

Mr. Daniels, blissfully ignorant, called him in with an excited wave of his hand. "Come in, come in!" he said almost impatiently.