My Loving Hope

Chapter 3

So, I made my way to the dance by way of an extended cab limo with a super hot date- kidding! I got to the dance with my dad driving me in his bright white minivan. All by myself; no friends, no date, just my dad. But despite that, I couldn't wait to get inside because I knew that this would be the night that everything changed for the better. Walking inside the school, I paused in the doorway to admire the paper stars hanging from the ceilings and walls. A miniature solar system of planets in the form of disco balls hung down from the gym ceiling, while the school band members alternated between playing live music and having the band director play music off of her phone.

But none of it was as impressive as the group standing in the middle of all of it; the popular kids. All of the girls standing around in short, tight black mini dresses and the guys hounding them like animals. The worst part about it, was that the girls led all of them on and didn't intend on being with any of them. While I was contemplating all that, Drew came up behind me and gave me a huge hug. Then he surprised me, before letting go, he leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Then he grabbed my hand, spun me around, and we started dancing and talking.

He looked amazing in the standard black suit with a red rose in his lapel. It was strange almost, the way that he was looking at me; like I was the only girl in the room. I decided to ask him about it, and he shrugged but didn't say a word in response. We spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and generally just having an amazing time. Neither of us noticed the circle of girls with red punch that had formed around us. Right after the band director announced that it was time for the last slow dance of the evening, the girls decided to tighten their circle and make their move. As Drew and I danced, both with our eyes closed, the girls took their glasses of punch and spilled every last drop of it on the two of us. We both were soaked from head to toe in the sticky punch that someone had spiked, so we both reeked of alcohol.

The entire room stopped and it was so quiet that you could've heard a pin drop. At least, until the girls started laughing; the other students followed their lead until the principal walked in. He had seen the entire thing from the security cameras he was watching, and he wasn't happy. The girls responsible were all escorted out of the dance and were suspended from school for two weeks. It almost would've been comical had Drew and I not been soaked in punch and alcohol. As it was, and as we were, we both were forced to leave the dance, which, in a way, was a blessing. Drew had driven his car to the dance, so he drove us to the store, grabbed a couple rolls of paper towels, a case of water, and a dozen donuts before taking off again to the park near his house.

The moment we got there and sat down on the bench, I broke down. I couldn't stop crying because those girls had ruined the most perfect night I'd had in a long time. The whole time, Drew just sat there comforting me and trying to make me laugh. When I finally stopped crying, he asked me why I was crying, so I told him. He just looked at me like I was dumb, normally this wouldn't have phased me, but for some reason it bothered me, so I finally decided to ask him what his problem was. He grinned and said that they hadn't ruined the night yet, then, slowly, he started leaning in, and that's when I realized what he meant. We had still gotten to have an amazing night together, we spent the entire night together, and he was about to give me my first kiss. I honestly could not have hoped for a better first kiss. He was sweet and gentle and it was just a peck, but it meant more to both of us than anything more than that would have. It meant that we had crossed the line of just being friends, and there is no going back to the way things were once you blur that line.

Needless to say, things were never the same after that night. If we were inseparable before that moment, I don't know what you'd call us now. It physically hurt to be away from him for more than a few hours at a time. We texted all day everyday, and both changed our schedules for second semester so we'd have every class together. Some would say that we became a little obsessed with each other, but what else would happen, falling in love with your best friend? I can't believe that I can actually say that, I'm in love with my best friend. Guess I got pretty lucky.