High school Story

Rally together

I open the front door... and I come face to face with a giant poster. On it, pictures of me and Maria together decorate the border. "This is so elaborate!" I say. The photos include me and Maria from Brian's pool party, homecoming committee, the pep rally, the night at Hearst... My eyes are drawn to the centre, where a simple phrase is written in huge, sparkly letters. 'Alexandria, Homecoming?' I look down and notice two feet poking out beneath the poster. They nervously tap the wooden floor of the porch. "Maria, is that you hiding back there?" I smile to myself.

"Who else?" Maria lowers the poster to her feet revealing her face. "So how about it, Alexandria? Will you go to homecoming with me?"

"Yes! I'd love to be your date!" I say.

Maria breaks out into a wide grin. She drops the poster and hugs me tightly.

"Maria, I'm happy too, but I think you're squishing our poster." I say.

"Oops" she says. Maria sets the poster to the side, and I take her hand, running your thumb over her knuckles. "I'm just so excited for the dance!"

"Any reason in particular?" I ask.

Maria takes a step closer to you, placing her arms on either side of your neck. "Well, now that you mention it... I like you, Alexandria. And I don't mean just as a friend."

"You would never believe it, but I like you like you too." I say. "There's no one else I would rather go to homecoming with." I wrap my arms around Maria's waist, reeling her in close. My lips inches away from hers, I close my eyes, and... the front door swings open, and my dad steps outside Maria immediately takes a step back from me, but grabs hold of my hand.

"Nice poster! I take by the hand holding that my little Alexandria-bear is coming home with you." My dad says.

"DAD!" I say facepalming myself with my free hand.

"Alexandria's not 'coming home' with me. Just my date for homecoming!" Maria adds.

"Well, you two will have a hot-diggity time! I remember back in my day..." Dad starts.

"Oh no. Not again" I say rolling my eyes.

"I know, I know. I'll spare the old geezer reminiscing about the good times. That's for another time! Along with the baby photos, of course." Dad says.

"Dad! Not those." I add.

"Come on, Alexandria. It's late. You need your beauty sleep to get ready for your big date." my dad says as he winks at me before heading inside. I turn to Maria, shaking my head.

"Sorry about that. My dad's a little... Well, he's my dad." I say.

"You think that's bad? I have two dads. So imagine all of that, but doubled." Maria and smliing.

"I don't know how you survive." I say surpirsed. "But my dad's right. I should head in. See you Monday?" I say smiling at Maria.

Maria gives me a kiss on the cheek. "You better believe it. That's when the real homecoming planning begins."

I grin "what have I gotten myself into?".

Thursday after school... I'm walking out of my last class for the day, when Maria runs up to me, panicked.

"Alexandria, It's a crisis! A homecoming catastrophe!" She says.

"Uh oh. What happened?" I say.

"I'm trying to make the dance perfect like it should be... But we only have enough money in our budget for one extra thing. I can't decide what's best." Maria says.