My (Not So) Charmed Life

A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

The day of the dance I was crazily restless. I was bouncing around in my seat and the people on my classes probably thought that I really needed to pee. When I got home, I was on the verge of a full on meltdown. I'd never gone to a dance with a date, much less out to dinner with said date. I didn't know what to say or how to act. I stood in front of my mirror, switching my hairstyle using magic, going from a cool up do to wavy to stick straight. By the time I managed to get my dress on and makeup done, I only had a few minutes before Ryan was supposed to pick me up.

I went to stand by the door and as the minutes crept by, my fear that he was going to stand me up increased. But at five minutes to seven, a sleek black car made its way down the block and into my driveway. I peeked through the blinds as a suit-clad Ryan made his way to my front door. I jumped away from the blinds, hoping that he hadn't caught me watching him, and desperately hoped that he would buy the story that I'd fed him yesterday and play along.

My doorbell rang and I waited a moment or two before answering it, not wanting to seem to eager. He looked even better up close, the black of his suit contrasting well with the olive color of his skin. His hair was slicked back into a perfect quiff, and I was almost speechless.

"Hi, Liza. You look great." I stared down at myself and then back at him, thrilled at how the dress had sparked a compliment. I stammered out a "you too," and invited him inside. My mom and dad were sitting on the couch pretending to watch the TV show playing, but I knew that they were waiting for me to introduce Ryan to them.

"Mom, dad, this is Sam Collins. Sam, these are my parents." Wow, could I possibly sound more awkward?

My father looked gruffly at Ryan before gesturing for him to take a seat and then without warning, launched into a series of questions concerning practically every aspect of his life. Amazingly, Ryan seemed to pull off the charade effortlessly.

I'd told him that my parents didn't allow me to date yet, after assuring him that I didn't think that this was a date, and asked if he could pretend to be a different person and pretend to be more on the nerdy side. He seemed amused when I asked, but thankfully didn't question it. He told my parents that he was on the chess club and on the debate team, and I was surprised at how perfectly he pulled it all off.

By the time I managed to get past my mom, who had insisted on taking over a dozen photos of us, it was closer to 8 than 7. We drove to the restaurant and I almost squealed with joy when Ryan pulled out my chair for me to sit down and tucked it back in when I was settled. I had never been on a proper date before, but being treated like a princess was beyond cool.

We both ordered the fettuccine alfredo and I grimaced when I realized how difficult it would be to eat neatly. I didn't relish the idea of getting creamy white sauce all over my pretty dress. But Ryan solved that problem too, showing me how to fold my napkin just so, so that I wouldn't have to worry about ruining my clothing. The fettuccine was delicious and we kept a conversation going without any awkward silences.

I discovered that his pet peeve was the word "moist," he had a dog named Cici before he moved and had to give her to a friend, and that he really liked Indian food. In turn, he learned that the word "pudding" would make me laugh, no matter how serious the situation, I had done ballet for five years when I was younger, and that I had an unhealthy obsession with Goldfish snack crackers. I felt more and more comfortable as time went on, and by the time the check came, I had almost completely forgotten that I was on a date with one of the best looking guys in school.

Before I could freak out about paying the bill, he stuck a card in the little folder and handed it back to the waitress and smiled at me.

"You didn't think I'd let you pay, did you?" He said, chuckling. "Just because you don't seem to think that you're on a date, it doesn't mean we both do."

And as I sat there with my mouth gaping, he gathered my clutch and jacket and held his arm to me. I slid my arm into the crook of his elbow and got up, stumbling only the smallest bit in my heels. As we walked out to the car, I couldn't keep the grin off of my face.

We managed to keep the conversation going until we reached school, and when we parked, he came around to the passenger side to open my door and help me out. I hooked my arm through his elbow as we made our way inside the building, smiling for our couple's picture right outside the gym door. My arm tingled where it came into contact with his as they wrapped around my front in that classically ridiculous pose, and I smiled brightly as the camera clicked.

We settled down at a table with Shira and her date, Joey, and sipped from champagne flutes of punch that Ryan had handed us. Ryan struck up a conversation with Joey about the swim team's progress this year while Shira and I commented on the other girls' dresses. Lacey waltzed by our table with a guy from Madison Prep, another school in the area, trailing after her like a puppy. She gave me a glare that could have frozen fire as she went, and I was reminded at how foolish I'd been to think that she'd be halted in her hatred of me by Ryan.

After a little while, Ryan turned to me and asked me if I'd like to dance. I nodded and got up, grinning widely at Shira who gave me a quick thumbs up. Ryan led me to the dance floor in the middle of the gym and looking to me for permission, placed his hands gently on my waist and shoulder, swaying slightly. We moved to the music and I was overcome with happiness. I'd never slow-danced with a boy before, and the feel of his hands on my body felt perfect.

I allowed myself to get lost in the relaxing music and almost jerked in surprise when Tommy Rogers, the school DJ, put on a Katy Perry song. Shira and Joey joined us, and we screamed loudly and jumped around to "T.G.I.F" while Ryan laughed.

A few songs later, I was exhausted, and Ryan led me over to the punchbowl to pour me another glass. Shira appeared at my side and elbowed me, gesturing to the bathroom.

"Hey Ryan, I'm gonna borrow Liza for a few minutes, okay?" Shira said. Ryan smiled at us.

"Girl time? Haha, I get it. I'll see you in a few," he laughed, and gestured to where Joey was sitting, letting us know that he'd be over there when we got back. Shira led me into the bathroom and leaned onto the sink, smiling at me.

"So?" She said, drawing the word out expectantly. I blushed, and wrung my hands.

"He's so great. Like I know I hated him when he first got here, but tonight is amazing!" I wished I could tell her why I'd hated him at first, but that wasn't my secret to tell.

"You guys look good together," she noted. I grinned and turned to look at myself in the mirror.

I reapplied my lipstick and went back to the table, shimmying my hips to Alesso's "We Could Be (Heroes)" as I went. Ryan got up to dance with me, and a few songs later, the event was over. As we walked back to the car, Ryan took my hand into his.

"This was fun," he murmured.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."