Monochrome beat (boyxboy)✔

Beat 31

Jax's POV

Thursday

O: I am begging you with every fiber of my being. Even my nonexistent leg.

For three days straight Orlando asked me to go to prom with him. He wouldn't talk about anything else except prom. Every message from him either had him begging me or some cheesy pick-up line that was supposed to be funny. Not all of them hit the mark, but he kept them coming. I wasn't sure if his goal was to make me laugh or annoy me. Either way, none of them was going to work.

It came as a shock to me that he was asking me out to prom. He'd of course not directly asked. According to him, he needed someone to rescue him from the torture of prom. Of all people he'd thought of me.

Admittedly I found butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the idea of going to prom with Orlando. I was very much aware we had a connection, and though I tried hard to convince myself it was fleeting, it wasn't. Orlando had come to mean more to me than anyone in my life. He was my anchor, but most importantly, he made me smile. We could talk about silly things, make up stories, sing out loud and have meaningful conversations too. I liked him more than I should have. I possibly more than liked him.

It was for that reason and more that I couldn't go with him to prom. I needed to wean myself off him. I knew he was just asking me out as a friend. There was nothing more to it. Like he'd implied, he needed someone to make it bearable.

I also couldn't go because I was afraid of crowds. I'd slowly learned to be among people and not want to just bolt and hide, but I wasn't sure I could handle a high school prom full of teenagers in a small space. My anxieties would creep up and I would end up embarrassing Orlando.

O: We can just stay for 30 minutes

The sound of my phone vibrating caught my aunt's attention. It had been vibrating nonstop she just couldn't ignore it. She was in the kitchen making dinner and I was in the living room writing my homework. Digger hadn't been home since the Sam incident.

"I doubt you are doing much homework with your phone vibrating so much. Who are you talking to?"

I put my phone back on the table guiltily. "I'm just downloading some stuff."

"You don't seem pleased with your downloads," Janice commented.

"Lots of errors," I continued my lies.

My phone vibrated again and I picked it up.

O: Jax, there's only one day to go before prom. Please say yes.

J: I don't have anything to wear.

The reply was lightning fast.

O: The dress code is formal.

J: What makes you think I have formal wear?

O: Because you went to Garrett's prom. Same dress code.

I groaned. He was right. I regretted ever telling him about Garret's prom. Garret and I had been dating, so there had been no need to invite me. I thought it would have been nice for him to ask me, but Garrett had been planning our outfits the moment the date was announced. I'd always thought he'd take one night off college to be at my prom. Of course that had gone down the drain the moment he dumped me.

J: I left those clothes back in Longstate view.

O: Tomorrow is still a day. We can go shopping.