Connected (Troyler AU)

Magic in the Air (Chapter 3)

Tyler's POV

The night started off great, but quickly took a sharp turn towards hell.

After my skype session with my interenet bestie, I took another solid hour to style my hair, a feat which others would probably find both impressive and disturbing. But how else was I supposed to make my hair look perfect for my dream date? By the time I was finished getting ready, not a hair was out of place, my quiff reached the heavens, my outfit was perfectly put together, and though I looked absolutely flawless (if I do say so myself), I was shaking with nerves. For the next hour I roamed around my house, biting my nails, checking my hair every few minutes, and feeling like I may throw up on my picture perfect date when he arrived.

I was told I was getting picked up at 7, and with each minute that ticked by the jitters that had been spreading throughout my body multiplied. 2 weeks before the dance, Darren, who I had had a not so small crush on since sophomore year, had asked me to go with him, and I nearly had a heart attack before I could say yes. He was popular, extremely hot, and was not only on the football team but also could sing like an blessed angel from heaven. I had a particular weakness for men in tight pants with good voices, so Darren was pretty much my definition of dream boy. And who was I? Some loud theater kid with blue hair. To be honest, I wasn't even sure why he liked me in the first place, but I wasn't about to let myself throw away a miraculous opportunity.

To add to my anxiety, I had never even been to a dance before. My school only had a prom for juniors and seniors, so I had no clue what to expect. I could only pray to Beyonce that I wouldn't screw it all up.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and I screamed so loud that my mother came running down the stairs in a panic. Shit, he probably heard me too. Way to start the date of great, Tyler. Make him think you're a psychopath.

"TYLER ARE YOU OK??" my mom managed to get out as she tripped over various objects in her effort to rush towards me. "Is anything broken? Did someone from One Direction propose to you?"

"No Mom," I sighed in exasperation, but couldn't help smiling at her slightly. "The doorbell just surprised me. My dates here, that's all. How does my hair look?" I turned towards the mirror hanging on the wall, checking my hair one last time.

"Your dates here?! I have to get the camera!" she screamed, running back up the stairs. "And Tyler, let him in already!"

"Please don't get the camera!" I begged, but she was already lost in pursuit of it. Shaking my head, I stumbled over to the front door, somehow managing to open it without hitting myself in the face. 

"Hey," I managed to get out. At least I hope it was hey, and not some unintelligible noise. I was absolutely stunned by the beauty of the boy standing in front of me. Tall and just a little tan, with dark hair styled into perfect waves and a navy tux, he looked like he had stepped out off the front page of a magazine. Suddenly, I felt super self concious. There was no way I could ever look like that.

"Hey," he said back, his lips curling into a perfect half smile. Surprisingly, he sounded as nervous as I felt. Maybe this would be ok after all. "You want to get going? We're already a little late."

I was melting into the ground, but somehow I won the struggle and collected myself, at least externally. We almost made it out the front door before I heard a victorious scream from the steps.

"YES! I found the camera! Tyler, don't you dare step out of this house before I get a picture of you and your charming date."

I blushed, but introduced him anyways, because it seemed like the polite thing to do. "Mom, this is Darren. Darren, my mom, Jackie." He smiled at her in greeting, and I nearly thought she'd explode with excitement. "Um, can you hurry up, mom? We're kind of in a rush."