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Senior prom. The last big dance, the last chance to dress up with your friends and show off your cute couple-ness.

And I don't have a date.

I have a dress. I have a limo. I have two tickets. I have an after-party to go too.

But I don't have a date.

And you know, doesn't it just make you want to scream? I mean, I knew Truman was trouble but I let him talk me into it. Just one date, he said. Prom. Let's go together, let's dance together, let's have fun together. He convinced me to buy the tickets, to rent the limo… He didn't have a job, after all, but I had been babysitting around the neighborhood. It doesn't make sense to me now… But it did then. Truman is very convincing, after all.

And then what happens? Do you know? I bet you can guess. He decided to go with Kendra instead. Kendra! Derek's ex, and my sometimes friend. What is that all about? She knew that I was going to prom with Truman, but when he asked her she just jumped at the chance.

So here I am, it's senior prom night. I had decided I would go by myself. But now, sitting in front of my vanity, with my hair up in curls and ringlets and shiny beaded clasps, I don't think I can go.

But really, it's not so much that Truman dropped me like a hot potato. He's not who I wanted to go with anyway. I just knew….

Can you keep a secret?

I've had a crush on my stepbrother since I met him. And I've always had this fantasy of going to the prom with him. And last year—well, last year was probably as close as I'll ever get. He did, after all, save my horrible prom. But I want to dance with him, to look deep in his eyes and know he feels the same way, to kiss him as the clock strikes midnight and prom ends. I want to have a romantic evening with the one person that will never give it to me.

And you know what I just decided? I'm going to prom. I'm going by myself, in my stretch limo, wearing my beautiful dress. And oh—it's so beautiful. Black and low cut, with silver glitter and sequins sewn along the neckline and along the slit that goes… Well, very high. It's actually a very daring dress, not something I'd normally wear. But, what better to catch the attention of that special someone?

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Senior prom. What's the big deal about dresses and tuxes, anyway? The whole thing is just to appease the women-folk so that they'll be happy, and we can get away with watching sports on television or going out with the guys for the next few weeks.

And my date sucks.

She's wearing an ugly dress (sparkling, pink, and floaty.) She made me rent the limo. She made me buy the tickets. You'd think she'd have at least been willing to go dutch, but no.

That's because my date sucks.

It just makes me want to scream. I don't know what possessed me to ask her—I guess I just needed a date. I mean, I knew she was a bimbo, but I let her hips talk me into it—she has nice hips. This is it, though. Just this one date, just this night. No more dates for her, she's boring. All she wants to talk about are the decorations, or who's here with who. I mean, seriously. Should I care? I don't. I don't care at all. It's just… she's very pretty, after all.

But you know what happens? Do you know what happens when you ask a girl out just because she's pretty? You end up bored. You end up at this stupid dance, tugging on your stupid tie, wishing some one would spike the punch or pull the fire alarm just to lighten the evening.

And really. Why did we have to get here so early? I mean, no one's here yet. Well, except Emily and a few other random, dorky couples. Who gets to prom before nine, anyway? Even Casey isn't here yet. If you get here at seven, like we did, it's even longer until midnight rolls around and you can go to the real party.

And this girl—did I mention she's not who I want to be here with? I mean, I really wanted to go with…

Can you keep a secret?

I've had a crush on my stepsister since I met her. She's beautiful and fun, intelligent, witty… Everything. And… I don't know. Derek Venturi always gets what he wants, and I've always wanted to dance with her at our prom. I mean, if I have to be romantic with some one, it should at least be with some one who means something to me, right?

So, here's what I decided. When Casey walks through that door tonight, I'm going to go straight up to her and ask her to dance before any of the losers who go to our school can. And I'm going to monopolize her evening. She's not going to dance with anyone else, she's not going to laugh with anyone else, she's not even going to look at anyone else. And at midnight—right at the stroke of midnight, when this magical night ends, I'm going to kiss her.

And then, maybe I'll tell her that the magical night doesn't have to end… Maybe we can extend it to magical days and weeks and magical months. I'll ask her to be mine, to be only mine, to forget about the consequences. What better way to get the best relationship of my life with that special someone?