6x10

Prom may have been lame, but sitting on the sidelines of prom alone had to be even lamer, Piper decided after five minutes of watching her friends and teammates dance together. There was only one thing that could make her prom experience better: food.

As she contemplated her options at the snack table set up in the office, Finn suddenly appeared next to her and gestured out to Studio One. "Piper, care to dance?" he asked.

She glanced up at him and adamantly shook her head. "Oh, I don't dance."

"What are you talking about? You're a dancer!"

"I only do choreographed dancing," she said, turning back to the food.

She piled up some cheese and crackers on her plate and only looked up again when Finn started showing her his "choreo." He looked silly doing the Bus Driver, but she had to admit that Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box was kind of cute albeit nothing special.

She still refused to dance with him, but she could appreciate his willingness to look a little goofy since that was something she had seemed to lack as of late. Maybe she would humor him – just this once.

"I have a move for you," she said, interrupting his dancing. His eyes lit up with excitement as he waited to see her dance move. "It's called the Later Finn."

She handed her plate to him, which he took without question, then started backing away from him, holding up her arm and imitating a waving motion. "Later Finn," she called sweetly, still backing away until she was out of the office completely.

Maybe it was lame, but Piper couldn't help feeling a little proud of her "dance move." Considering she wasn't as witty as her siblings or their cousins, she thought that had been a pretty good joke on her part. A furtive glance over her shoulder revealed that Finn was grinning and nodding appreciatively, so he must have thought so too.

Even though she hadn't been standing for long, her feet were already sore from her heels. She knew she should have worn better shoes, but her heels had looked best with her outfit. As she moved to sit down again, the J-Troupers ran out of the office and started their own dance party on the dance floor. Piper smiled at their excitement as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. She was surprised to find that she had already been there for almost an hour. Her sister had sent her a series of text messages since dropping her off.

Of course Julia would text her just to tell her to dance with Finn. Piper glanced over to where he was now cheering on the J-Troupers with the other boys. He was clearly having the time of his life - the complete opposite of what Piper was doing.

How much longer until it was socially acceptable to text Julia and ask her to come pick her up?

When the J-Troupers' mini dance party came to an end, Eldon switched the upbeat music to a slow song, and the various couples took over the dance floor once more. Piper watched them all pair off and crossed her legs, bouncing her foot anxiously. If she hadn't danced earlier, she most certainly couldn't now.

If this prom had happened just a couple of months before, she would have dreamed of coming with Josh. She probably would have even asked him to prom herself. But it hadn't happened back then, and in hindsight, that was probably for the best. Would Josh have turned down her promposal just as easily as he'd rejected her in Studio A?

No, tonight was not the night to relive that memory.

But Piper's heart ached less when she thought of Josh these days (not that she thought of him often anymore). She was a firm believer that time healed wounds (James and Riley's relationship seemed to be proof of that.), but when Josh had rejected her, it certainly hadn't felt like she would ever recover from that pain and humiliation.

But somehow, she had, and now she was sitting at her prom, thinking about Josh and not feeling anything for him. Feelings were truly a fickle thing.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Finn approaching her until he was plopping down in the seat next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he sat. The slow song had ended, and the rest of the boys had started fist pumping in the middle of the dance floor to another upbeat song. Why wasn't Finn with them?

"You said you're not dancing tonight, so I'm not dancing with you," he answered simply, giving her a charming grin.

Considering Finn had been one of the most excited for prom, it didn't escape Piper's notice that he was the only one to check up on her since the party had gotten started.

"But," he continued to say, and she gave a short sigh, raising her eyebrows. Of course there had to be a catch. "I did show you some cool choreo, like the Bus Driver." He stood up again, starting to do the same silly dance move he'd done in the office earlier.

Piper watched him for a moment, trying to bite back a smile but failing. As ridiculous as he looked, it was clear he was having fun. It was boring sitting on the side all night. Maybe it wouldn't kill her to try to have at least a little fun.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she joined him in doing the Bus Driver and tried not to think about how anyone watching might judge her for looking stupid. Finn's face lit up as she joined him, and he nodded encouragingly as she tried to mirror his movements. "There ya go!"

After getting enough of the Bus Driver, she asked Finn to show her his other move, and he excitedly moved into Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box. It took a couple of tries, but Piper finally caught on to the hand motions, and soon, they were moving in sync. It was a completely ridiculous dance move, but Finn's enthusiasm was so contagious that Piper couldn't help but have fun with it anyway.

All too soon, the music changed again to another slow song, and they both halted their movements. "Oh, great, we can sit down now," Finn said, already starting to sit down again.

Before she could stop herself, Piper reached out and touched his arm to stop him. "No, it's fine. Why not? You're already here, right?"

"Oh, yeah, for sure," Finn agreed with a soft smile.

Piper wrapped her arms around his neck, thankful that she'd worn heels since he was so much taller than her, and his hands rested on her waist. He was sure to keep an appropriate amount of distance between the two of them, and Piper couldn't help but smile at him as they shuffled back and forth.

After all of her insistence that she wasn't going to dance with Finn tonight, here she was, dancing with Finn.

There were far worse ways to spend her Saturday evening, she supposed.

"What do you think of prom so far?" Finn asked as they danced, clearly uncomfortable with silence.

Piper debated whether to give him a sugarcoated answer or just tell him her honest opinion. Since she was already dancing with him, she might as well be honest with him, right?

"It's been kind of boring, but it's starting to get a little better." There seemed to be a hopeful look in his eyes as she asked him, "What about you? Everything you dreamed it would be?"

"Oh totally," he told her happily. "It's been a blast."

She could have assumed as much just from watching him with the other boys all evening, but she found herself genuinely glad that he was having such a good time, especially since he had been looking forward to prom so much. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about having fun from him. It was about time she stopped listening to her anxiety and let other voices help her out instead, wasn't it?

"Those J-Troupers were giving me a run for my money earlier. They're insane," Finn continued, and Piper laughed.

"Oh, I saw. Better be careful, or they might take your spot on A-Troupe."

"Tell me about it." He shook his head in wonderment.

When the slow song came to an end, Piper was surprised to find that she felt a little disappointed. She and Finn reluctantly dropped their arms and stepped away from each other, and she feared he might leave her to go rejoin the boys. To her relief, however, he stayed by her side, peering over the crowd of other dancers as the music started to fade out.

"I think Michelle and Emily are about to make an announcement," he told Piper, taking a step towards the gathering crowd. Her feet aching, Piper pulled off her heels and tossed them under her chair then followed after him.

Emily and Michelle announced Prom King and Queen together. Henry won Prom King, and Piper was thrilled for her friend. Considering tonight was all for him, it only seemed fitting that he should win the crown. Amy seemed like the obvious choice for Prom Queen since she was the mastermind behind the whole evening, so it came as a shock when Summer was crowned Prom Queen instead. Finn cheered for his friend, but Piper could only gape in surprise. She should have been happy for Summer, but Amy was going to be crushed that she didn't win.

As Henry and Summer danced together in the middle of the studio, Piper glanced around for Amy and noticed her slipping out the side door, unnoticed by the rest of their teammates. She took a step towards the door, intending to go after her best friend and comfort her, but to her surprise, Ty beat her to it. She froze as she watched Amy's date follow her lead out of the studio, her shoulders deflating. If Ty was going after her then Amy clearly didn't need her.

Reluctantly, Piper turned back and rooted herself next to Finn as Summer and Henry danced together, but she couldn't stop thinking about Amy. Why did it feel like all of this boy drama was putting distance between them? Piper wasn't even involved in the drama, but it was like Amy was so consumed by it that Piper had become a second thought in her mind. How was that fair? Piper had been the one to bring Amy ice cream and all the movies she could have possibly wanted to watch when she had been going through her break-up with LaTroy. Shouldn't Amy know by now that she would be there for her no matter what? Why did it feel like she was growing away from her all of the sudden?

Piper was so distracted by her thoughts of Amy that she completely missed the rest of Henry and Summer's dance. As the crowd started to disperse again, Finn turned to her and asked, "Care to keep dancing?"

"Um, that's okay. You keep having fun. I'm just going to..." She started to move back to her chair, her thoughts of Amy sucking any desire to keep dancing out of her.

To her surprise, Finn followed after her and plopped down in the seat next to her. She looked at him in surprise, her eyebrows raising. "Seriously, Finn, you don't have to sit here with me. It's okay."

"Nah, I'm kind of tired. Probably need a break," he replied, stretching his arms out in front of him then slouching back in his chair. Piper didn't believe him for a second, but she was inclined to let him stay if he really wanted to. Maybe his company would make her feel a little less lonely since she was evidently losing her best friend.

Would Ty even know what to say to make Amy feel better? Wasn't it his fault that Amy wasn't here with Henry to begin with? Ugh, nothing about this situation settled well with Piper.

But wait. Why was she letting Amy's drama bother her when she had just started to have fun? That was ridiculous. Amy's drama could wait until tomorrow to be worried about. In the meantime, Finn was sacrificing his prom to sit on the sidelines with her while she brooded. If he really thought she was worth sitting out prom for, she might as well give him a chance.

"So... What's been your favorite part of tonight?" Piper asked Finn over the music.

He glanced around the studio for a moment as if really considering her question then shrugged and answered, "Oh, I don't know. Probably just dancing with everyone."

"Because we don't do that enough already," Piper teased.

He chuckled at that. "Oh, definitely not."

Piper smiled, her eyes meeting his for a moment before she quickly looked away. What else could she talk to him about without giving him the wrong idea or making this awkward? He had a family, she was fairly certain. She could ask him about that.

Before she could pose her next question, however, Finn spoke up. "Hey, what's your beef with prom?" He asked it casually, but when she turned her gaze to him, he sat up a little straighter, his smile falling as if he had just decided that maybe he shouldn't have asked that. He quickly added, "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

She didn't think she'd ever seen him flustered, not even when she had rejected him time and time again. In a way, it was nice to know that maybe he wasn't always so confident. Finn was human too.

Shrugging, she told him honestly, "I just don't really think it's a big deal like people make it out to be. Prom King and Queen is a popularity contest, and it feels like there's this unfair expectation that you have to find a date and get dressed up and look perfect for this one night."

"But isn't that part of the fun? Getting dressed up and all that?"

"Sure, but there's too much pressure attached to it. It's why I didn't find a dress for tonight." That, and she hadn't had enough time, but he didn't need to know that.

"Well, I like the suit. I think it looks cool," Finn told her earnestly.

Piper smiled softly, glancing down at her outfit. Earlier that evening, he had given her a similar sentiment, and she had chosen to ignore it, afraid that acknowledging it would give him the wrong impression somehow. Now, however, she was inclined to accept the compliment. She'd already danced with him. What else did she have to lose?

Still thinking about her outfit, she told him honestly, "I threw this together half an hour before I left my house. This blazer's really old, and my sister found the bowtie in my brother's room by some miracle."

"Yeah, I stole this from my brother," Finn told her, shaking out his arms and glancing down at his own suit. "But he was never going to wear it. He doesn't like blue."

"Who doesn't like blue?" Piper asked with a sarcastic roll of the eyes. Blue seemed to be the one color that was universally liked.

"My brother," Finn repeated, his brows knitting together in confusion. Her sarcasm had clearly gone over his head.

"No, I got that. It was sarcasm," she explained, the corners of her lips twitching in amusement at him.

"Oh. Duh!" His face lit up with a grin, and half of a laugh escaped Piper's lips before she could stop it.

The more time she spent around Finn, the more she began to realize that she had seriously misjudged him. Finn was a total softie, and to be completely honest, she liked that about him.

As the night began to wind down, a final dance party broke out in the middle of Studio One, and Piper let Finn drag her into it with him. It was fun to let loose with all of their teammates, and when it was Piper and Finn's turn to be the center of attention, she pulled out her best party moves, including Big Fish, Little Fish, Cardboard Box.

When they moved to the side of the aisle the dancers had formed, Finn held up his hand for a high-five, which Piper met with no hesitation. As the dance party died down, Emily announced that there would only be a couple of more songs, and then prom would officially be over. Disappointment surged through Piper at that announcement. She hadn't intended to spend most of the evening with Finn of all people or to even have a good time.

Tonight had really taken her by surprise, to say the least.

"Ah man, my mom'll kill me if I don't get at least one picture tonight," Finn said to Piper as the dance floor started to clear around them.

"Well, we can't have that."

Piper grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the photographer. He appeared to be in the process of packing up his camera equipment, so Piper flashed her sweetest smile and the puppy dog eyes that James could never say no to as she asked him to take their picture. The photographer sighed and nodded, and the two of them grinned as they immediately began to examine the photo props.

"Oh, you have to wear this," Piper told Finn excitedly. Standing on her tiptoes, she draped a pink feather boa around his shoulders with a smirk. "It complements your jacket so well."

Any other boy on A-Troupe might have protested the boa, but Finn took it in stride, simply saying, "Oh totally," as he plopped a sparkly gold hat on her head. They picked up a few more props, including a pair of giant sunglasses for Finn and a sign with a fake mustache to hold in front of her face for Piper.

They took four pictures total, making goofy expressions and over-the-top gestures in each of them. When they were finished, the photographer printed copies for both of them to keep, looking more than ready to go home.

Piper studied the photos as they walked away and gripped Finn's arm excitedly. "These turned out so good!"

"Yeah, they did," he agreed.

It was at that moment that Piper realized she was gripping his arm and immediately pulled her hand away from him, giving an awkward smile as she immediately wiped her palm on her pants. Finn seemed oblivious to it, still looking at his own copies of the photos with a content smile on his face.

"Yo, Finn," Ozzy called, forcing his attention away from the photos.

"What's up?"

"I gotta go. I was supposed to be home, like, twenty minutes ago," Ozzy told him, seeming far too unconcerned for someone who was that late past their curfew.

Piper simply raised her eyebrows as Finn nodded. "Oh, okay." He must have been Ozzy's ride home because he turned to Piper and told her, "See ya Monday, Pipes."

"Oh, yeah. Bye," she called after him as he turned to leave with Ozzy. She was disappointed that he was leaving so abruptly, but it wasn't like she was going to stop him from getting Ozzy home.

With Finn gone, Piper decided she may as well head home too and sent a text to her sister asking her to come pick her up. While she waited for Julia, she spotted Amy sitting alone by the office and wandered over to her best friend. Amy looked up and gave a small smile as Piper sat next to her.

"So, first prom. What's the verdict?" Piper asked.

Amy sighed, glancing around the quickly emptying studio. After a contemplative moment, she answered, "It could have been worse."

Piper gave a wry smile, knowing that tonight couldn't have been what Amy had dreamed of when she'd first begun planning it. "You planned a really great night for the whole studio, Amy. You should be proud."

"I know," Amy said, glancing at her and giving another smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It wasn't perfect, but... That's okay."

"Yeah," Piper agreed quietly. She crossed her legs, glancing around the studio and wondering if she should bring up Prom Queen or not. Amy seemed to be in okay spirits now, so maybe it was best to just leave it alone.

"What about you? What did you think?"

Piper let out a deep breath, the corners of her lips twitching as she thought over her night. "I actually had a nice time," she admitted.