The gym was almost unrecognizable will all the banners, streamers, and lights that decorated the space. The addition of the stage, where a hired DJ was currently talking to Principal Herrings, made it seem like a completely different room. If things went smoothly, I'd be up there later, accepting a crown and getting drenched in paint in front of hundreds of people.

I glanced towards the ceiling, where I could just barely spot the can of paint perched on the backboard of the raised basketball hoop. I was sure it wouldn't be the last time I'd check for it that night-- I'd been paranoid all day that someone would have found and removed it, and I was still nervous that it would somehow get messed with during the dance.

"You excited?" Roy asked, drawing my attention back to him. It was a wonder I even managed to get distracted in the first place-- he looked perfect. Still Roy, with messy hair and a contagious smile, but unfamiliar enough in his sophisticated outfit that I was finding it hard to look away. 

"Nervous might be a better word," I admitted. I'd been trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing, but every time I imagined the upcoming stunt my stomach churned and my body filled with worry. I kept reminding myself of what Maddie had done the night before and how much more daunting her task had been, but it didn't do much more than make me feel guilty.

"That's understandable." One of his hands moved to the small of my back, pulling me closer as a rowdy group hurried past us towards the dancefloor. My heart picked up speed, butterflies breaking out where his warm touch rested, lingering even after the group passed. "Just try not to think about it too much."

My face warmed as I realized that thanks to how close we were, I'd already stopped thinking about the challenge. 

"You know, I asked you here before The Seven sent that message." Roy stepped even closer as someone bumped into him from behind. It was hard to focus on what he was saying with him inches away, our proximity reminding me of the night where he'd kissed my cheek, the last time we'd been this close. "I know we have a lot to do tonight, but... I still intend to treat this like a date, If that's okay with you."

I nodded, grinning as the words traveled through the fog clouding my brain. "Of course."

Throughout the night, it was interesting to see Roy in his element. I knew he was popular, but the dance only made it more apparent-- I wasn't expecting so many people to say hi, or stop to chat with him. He introduced me to everyone who came by, and I wasn't surprised by the few people who asked what school I was from, or if I was new. They were all nice, and all the socializing managed to distract me from my nerves, which were split between Roy and the challenge.

We were hanging out at the food table, eating some of the snacks displayed across the red table cloth and joking with some of his friends about the out of place looking chaperones when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Delivery," Maddie said, slipping a stack of small papers into my hand. I was surprised to see how fast they were making the ballots-- her first stop hadn't been that long ago.

I smiled at her, happy to see a familiar face. "Hey, how are things going over there? My brother's behaving, right?"

She nodded, looking amused before her expression fell. She looked towards the entrance, where Ian stood. "Your brother and his friends are perfect. It's Ian who's giving me a hard time."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, silently asking for elaboration. From what I'd seen, it seemed like Maddie and Ian got along just fine.

"I'll explain later-- it's a lot. Anyway, there are about twenty ballots in that stack, so you'll need to take at least twenty out of the box."

I nodded. "Mrs. Thomas has been guarding it, but she keeps coming over here to get stuff to eat. I'll do it next time she leaves."

"I'll do it," Roy offered, catching me off guard. "Our plan goes out the window if you get kicked out of the dance."

"Good point," Maddie agreed. "I'm gonna head back now. We should have another stack soon."

I watched her walk back to Ian, not missing the way she walked right past him. I guessed whatever had happened really was a lot.

"That seemed weird," Roy remarked, eyebrows furrowed. He scanned the room, gaze settling on something in the corner. "Mrs. Thomas is talking to Mr. Lim-- there's no one at the box. I'll be back in one second, okay?"

I nodded, looking on as he snaked through the crowd. Suddenly I felt out of place, the thump of a new song mixing with my quickening heartbeat. I knew there was nothing to worry about--without Roy by my side, I was invisible-- but I still felt awkward as I stood alone in a room filled with couples and groups of friends.

I couldn't see him anymore, the sea of moving teens too dense to find anyone specific. Minutes passed and the fast, upbeat song was replaced with a melodic guitar, the slow opening notes doing nothing to soothe my stress.

He should've been back by now. I reached for my purse, wondering if he'd gotten caught toying with the ballots. As I searched for my phone, I felt a hand rest on my bare shoulder. My head snapped up and I swiveled around to see Roy, who smiled as his other hand extended in my direction.

"Will you dance with me?" He looked nervous, like he wasn't sure I'd say yes.

I felt my expression soften, my worry dissolving into butterflies as I nodded and took his hand. He led me to the floor, which had cleared out significantly once the slow song had started.

"I was worried-- I thought maybe you got caught," I said once we came to a stop. His hands went to my waist, resting against the black fabric. My whole body went hot, breath catching. I looked around for reference and reached up, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck, copying the other couples. 

"Sorry, I took a little detour on the way back." We began swaying back and forth, bodies moving in a loose circle. "I asked the guy to play something slow."

The admission only made me blush more as I bit back a smile. The fact that he was shyly averting his gaze, watching our feet and smiling whenever we caught each other's eyes, as if there was a chance that I wouldn't be swept off my feet by every part of the night, only made it better. It made me feel like somehow, Roy might've liked me just as much as I liked him.

"This is my first date," I admitted after a moment of silence.

"Really?" He almost looked guilty, swallowing heavily, eyes looking away again. "I'm sorry about how things have been going tonight." 

My brows furrowed-- I couldn't think of anything for him to feel sorry for. "What do you mean?"

"We haven't really had any time to ourselves. It's not how I planned it in my head, you know? Every time I think I'm finally getting the chance to talk to you, someone else is trying to get my attention."

"Roy," I shook my head, smiling softly, "I've been having a great time."

"Really?"

"Really."

He grinned, letting out a breath. "Maybe tomorrow we can do something with just the two of us. No friends or competition. Just... go see a movie, or get dinner or something."

"I would like that."

His hands shifted on my waist, smile fading as his eyes fell from mine, landing on my lips. We continued to sway, my pulse quickening, breath picking up. Roy blinked slowly, just barely shifting forward. Finally, we were back to where we'd been at his car in the woods, only now, there was no smoke cloud or loud crowd to get distracted by. 

There was just Ian, who was tapping on Roy's shoulder, tearing his attention away from me. 

"Sorry," Ian apologized, seeming to realize what he'd interrupted as he looked between me and Roy. "Uh... sorry-- I have more ballots."

One of Roy's hands left my body, taking the ballots and shoving them hastily into his pocket. Ian gave us a nod before slinking away, clearly not wanting to disrupt us anymore than he had to.

Roy let out a soft laugh. "Like I said, no time to ourselves."

"We're very popular," I joked, lifting a shoulder.

The song ended and a poppy, fast-paced melody filled the gym. The dance floor started to fill up again and Roy sighed as we removed our hands from each other. "I guess it's back to business."

♧

The next half-hour seemed to fly by, and before I knew it Principal Herrings was standing on stage in front of a standing mic. The music faded to a stop as the crowd chattered with excitement-- every head in the gym was looking at the stage.

I glanced towards the corner of the gym, where Maddie and Ian were standing by the switch used for lowering the basketball hoop into playing position. I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering to our contraption, which was barely visible in the dark room. It was simple, just a paint can sitting against the glass, tied with rope so it wouldn't fall onto my head-- we were reenacting Carrie, not Home Alone.

Roy and I stood towards the front of the crowd, closer to the edge of the stage. My stomach churned, heart pounding-- I thought I'd gotten over my fears, but imagining everyone staring at me the way they were staring at Herrings made me feel nauseated.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Herrings began, his deep voice echoing off the walls as it came through the speakers. "I want to thank you all for coming to this year's homecoming dance. Things haven't been ideal, lately, but I'm happy to see that some of our events can still be respected."

I shifted my weight from side to side, wishing this could just be over already.

"It's time to announce the results for homecoming king and queen!" He motioned to the folded envelope he was holding. "If your name is called, please come up on stage. As always, we'll start with the queen."

Roy reached for my hand, his fingers lacing with mine. I looked at him gratefully, unable to speak. He offered a smile and a reassuring nod of his head.

"This year's homecoming queen is..."

Roy gave my hand an encouraging squeeze. Herrings opened the envelope, eyes scanning the paper.

"Jade Walsh!"

My heart dropped to my stomach, body going numb-- we'd actually done it. 

The gym filled with uncertain murmurs. It took a few seconds before a couple of light claps started around the room, barely audible over the hum of confusion. I loosened my grip on Roy's hand, beginning to walk to the side of the stage, barely registering my own movements.

Roy didn't let go-- he held on to my hand, pulling me back to him. I turned to meet his eyes and he pulled me closer, closer, until there was no space between us. His free hand came up, caressing my neck, and I watched as his gaze followed its earlier course, stopping on my lips.

He leaned in slowly, giving me a chance to back away, but I stayed put, every part of me yearning for him to continue. The gym and the crowd may as well not have existed-- the only thing I could focus on was him. My head was spinning, body on fire as I closed my eyes. Then, his soft lips were pressing against mine.

My stomach flipped as his fingertips pressed into the skin of my neck, the heat of his mouth on mine making my blood run hot. It was only a second or two before he pulled away, a grin already planted on his face. "For good luck."

He let me go and I felt like I was floating, somehow feeling more at ease despite my unsteady breath and shaking hands. I could just barely feel myself smile as I turned, making my way to the stage-- my nerves were long gone, all replaced by the kiss and the million things it made me feel.