I sit here during lunch at my favorite table with my three best friends Sarah Marks, Treyson Madison, and Lewis Peterson. I love them, and they’ve been my friends for as long as I can remember. I’m talking to the man of my dreams, Trey, the person I’ve had a crush on for almost all of high school. I’ve always liked him, even when we first met and I felt that spark of feelings that you feel when you like someone. It’s nice being able to talk to him more because lately Sarah seems to hate me, and I don’t really understand why, but she does and it hurts. She’s not acting normal, it’s like she’s hiding something from us. It’s weird when your best friend since childhood is beginning to resent you.

Trey smiles, showing off those pearly whites. I can almost see the twinkle on his front teeth as they reflect off of the light. He picks up my tray and carries it off to the cafeteria. I smile, thinking he likes me back, and maybe he does. It almost bothers me how he seems so oblivious to how I feel. I spend every night wondering if he feels the same way, but he has no idea how hard it is to breathe around him. I almost feel like his presence takes my breath away. Every once in a while when we walk to class together and his hand barely touches mine, I nearly suffocate.

I can remember when I first met him. Back then, I was the kind of person who didn’t need anybody and kept to myself. I didn’t even think I needed Sarah around, but I kept her there for safekeeping like her presence brought some kind of comfort. When Trey came along, part of that girl left me and I realized that having people around wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought. Part of that girl still lies within me; the part that keeps to herself. I still have immaculate grades and could easily do anything I want to with the rest of my life. It’s senior year, and despite my grades, my future place in society hasn’t yet revealed itself to me.

When Trey and I met I knew in my heart that this was fate in one way or another. During the hardships of middle school, Trey always helped me with my homework, and I give him a lot of credit for the way my grades look now, but he always had to leave early to take care of his dad; a soldier who lost his legs fighting in Afghanistan. He only has his father because his mother passed away when he was little. It’s sad, but I think that’s what makes him such a compassionate person. And compassion isn’t too easy to find in guys these days.

It’s about noon and I’m at my locker getting stuff for AP-English as Trey walks over and stands next to me, his elbow against someone’s locker door.

“Hey, Trey.”

“You know, Prom is only a day away and I still don’t have a date. I put this this off way too long. It’s getting to me, James. I need a date.”

“What? I would think the coolest guy in California would have a date to the Prom,” I gasp, laughing at him a little.

“I’ve been waiting to ask this special girl, but I don’t know if she’d go with a guy like me,” he jokes, walking with me. "I am pretty intimidating, you know."

“I thought you were thinking about going with that girl in your chem class,” I say. I do not like the girl he’s thinking about taking, she’s snooty, and always has this attitude with literally everyone she talks to. It makes absolutely no sense. I think her name is Georgia, or Penny or something like that.

“Nah, I realized who I really wanted to go with a couple weeks ago,” Trey tells me after a few seconds. "It’s really bugging me that she doesn’t know, but I don’t know how to tell her. I’ve known her my whole life, and I’ve always had these feelings for her, ya know? It’s so frustrating. I don’t even really know if she likes me. It’s like one minute she’s in love with me and the next she want nothing to do with me."

“I know exactly how you feel, but who is this lucky girl?” I ask, getting anxious.

“James, how can you not know what I’m trying to say? Am I not being obvious enough? I would’ve thought that a girl in the running for valedictorian would’ve figured this one out.We should go together,” he smiles, his face a little pink from embarrassment and fear of rejection. I laugh because he calls me James, his nickname for me since the eighth grade.

“Wait, us? Like as a couple?” I ask, just to make sure I’m hearing him right.

“Totally," Trey smiles, "we’ll make it official. They’ll call us Treymie!"

“Are you serious?” Is this even happening? I’d slap myself to make sure I’m not dreaming but that would probably freak Trey out.

“Do I look like I would lie to you right now?” I stare at his face and shrug.

“Guess not.” Trey sticks out his hand and I grab it. I can’t lie because I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I found out boys weren’t covered in the childhood epidemic of cooties.

*

I sit in class imagining myself in the Prom dress that I’ve always dreamed of. It’s weird how some girls treat Prom, it’s almost like getting married, but excluding the getting married part. I’ve never actually imagined myself going to a dance. I’ve always stayed home and studied because, and I quote "you won’t get into college with a D in Calculus." Tonight, I’ll have to go shopping, and then tomorrow will be a day of preparations. I can’t wait to tell mom, she’ll be so happy for me. I think she’s always wanted me to stop studying for once and go do something that doesn’t involve school. Even so, I don’t regret not going to dances before this one because I chose to stay home, so my college life should be very fun. That’s after I figure out what I’ll be doing in college.

We’re reading Of Mice and Men in AP-English this semester and I finished the classic a week ago, so I don’t have anything to do but get ready for prom. Once the bell rings for school to be over, I gather up all of my belongings, rush to my locker and then outside to Trey’s Chevy Camaro. I love that car of his. As usual, Trey is waiting, leaning casually against the black of his car.

"Wanna go somewhere?" he asks, standing straight as I approach him.

“I guess,” I shrug, “where are you taking me?”

“The mall and maybe some dinner,” he says, walking around to his car.

“Sounds good enough for me,” I say, climbing in. I quickly text my mom and tell her where I’m going so she doesn’t worry why I’m not home. Then, Trey drives off and soon we’re heading to the mall, where I assume we’ll be getting some essentials for prom.

A short fifteen minutes later we arrive at the mall, and we walk in holding hands. I can finally breathe and I feel as though everything I have ever wanted has finally been handed over to me. Now, I just need to get accepted at a really nice college, and my dreams will be made. “You know,” Trey says, his voice reaching inside of my thoughts. “Jamie, I’ve always had a feeling that you had a crush on me.”

“I still do,” I confess, “I’ve always had feelings for you. Besides, what kind of girl doesn’t crush a little on her best guy friend?” We walk over to Prom Palace, a store in the mall that’s only open at this time of year. I see him consumed by a beautiful royal blue prom dress. It’s strapless and its color absorbs me, entrances me.

“You’d look amazing in that!” Trey gasps. I blush and he lets go of my hand to get a better look. “This is the dress, I just know this would look good on you,” he says, grabbing it and handing it to me. I take it and walk into a dressing room to try it on, and when I do it’s a perfect fit. I walk out feeling like Cinderella when she walks into the ball and catches the attention of the prince. The back of the royal blue dress is lace and I can feel my long blonde hair between my shoulder blades, and touch the small of my back. In the dress, I feel the hopes and dreams of my childhood all coming together. It’s finally like I’ve always dreamed. I can barely grasp the fact that all of this time Trey has had the same crush on me.

“God Jamie, you look like a princess. You have to wear that. You’ll be the prettiest girl there,” he says.

“You really think so?” I ask, looking at it on me. It fits me beautifully, almost like it was made for me.

“With your hair in curls,” he smiles, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. “You have no idea how long it has taken me to finally conjure up the courage to do that.” I blush and turn around, facing him.

“You have no idea how long I’ve  been dreaming for you to that,” I say.

“Well, I’m glad I could make all of your dreams come true,” he laughs lightly, nudging me to the dressing room. I take it off and walk out, ready to get out of here and eat something.

“Yeah, so you like it,” Trey asks, "the dress, I mean?" 

“Yeah, I love it,” I tell him. 

"Okay, I’ve got it covered then," he says, taking the dress from me. 

"What are you doing?" I ask, laughing a little. 

"I’m paying for the dress," he shrugs.

"This dress is almost two-hundred dollars, Trey, you are not paying for this, you and your dad can’t afford this dress," I argue.

"Jamie, don’t worry about it, I’ve got it, okay?" He walks off with the dress before I can say anything in protest. I roll my eyes, it almost feels like he’s throwing around money that he doesn’t have. The Trey that I know wouldn’t pay two hundred dollars for a dress. I sigh, choosing to brush it off and let it go. 

*

In my opinion, dinner is the best part of the night. We go to a Chinese Buffet and we eat the foreign food for about a half an hour. “Sorry for earlier, I tend to go a little out for these things," Trey whispers, insecurely. 

“It’s okay,” I smile, “what do you mean you go a little out for these things?”

“I don’t know, I guess I just take these things too seriously. I really like you Jamie. I think I’ve liked you longer than I’ve realized,” he says, a smile forming at the edge of his lips, and a pink flush appears on his cheeks. I feel like we’re in a movie right now, like all of this is a dream put onto a screen. He knows just how to get me. 

The rest of the night flies by in a series of laughs and conversations about the past. By the time we decide to go home, my cheeks are flushed and tears from laughing so hard peek out of my eyes. It’s been a night to remember for sure.

When we get to my house, the two of us get out of his camaro and say goodnight to each other. I hug him tightly, taking in the nights wonder in a single embrace. Afterwards, I walk inside and watch him get into his perfect car, and wipe his perfect hair out of his perfect eyes through the window. Then, he gets in his car and drives away down the road without looking back. As I watch him leave, I wish I was in the car with him just so I can spend another second with him.

After checking around the house to see if anyone is home, I decide that it’s best to go to bed. Besides, I have a big day tomorrow. Tomorrow could be the day that Trey and I finally get together, officially, all of the strings attached, and no one taking him from me. Wiping the leftover tears of laughter from my eyes, I walk up the stairs and crawl into my queen sized bed and fall into dreamless sleep.

I feel like the luckiest girl alive when I’m with Trey. He knows me, and I know him. The entire time we were at the mall I wondered how I held in those three words I’ve been holding in since the day we met. I feel like my emotions for Trey are unconditional, and that there’s nothing he can do to make me stop feeling this. I can’t help but think back to the first day when we met.

We were nine years old, and he was the new kid in the third grade. I was just sitting there working on this cursive handwriting assignment for class, when Trey asked in a shy voice: “Can I sit with you? The other seats are taken.” I hadn’t looked at him up close yet, so when I looked up from writing the letter o, I smiled because even then he was cute. He smiled at me and I patted the seat next to me in a gesture for him to sit. When he sat down I asked him what school he went to, and he said in the same shy voice: “I was home schooled.”

I don’t know, but it was something about how shy he was that drew me to him. I guess being shy shows sensitivity and vulnerability and that kind of stuff is important. It could’ve been the strange, mysterious feeling he carried with him back then. Later, when we grew closer, he told me that his mother was killed, but I didn’t know what to say, I just thought that he was just scared and confused. He carries a backpack of secrets on him, I think, but I like to think that I’m the one who he has told everything to. He just makes me feel so special that I never want to leave his side. 

*

I wake up with a feeling of accomplishment on my shoulders. The day goes by slowly as I wait for four o’clock to come around. I fill in the time doing productive things, like studying for my calculus final and doing the laundry. I spent at least an hour staring at the beautiful dress that Trey bought me. I just want to put it on and wear the princess feeling it resonates.

Finally, feeling like I’m Cinderella off to the ball, I dart for the bathroom and start the water for a shower. After I’m done, I climb out and leave my blonde hair down to air dry for a few minutes. I wrap a white towel around me and start my makeup. I know for sure that Trey doesn’t like it when girls pile eyeliner and mascara on their eyes, so I’m careful not to go overboard on the makeup. My mom always tells me that the secret to wearing makeup is to look like you aren’t wearing any, so I try to keep that in mind. Then, after finishing that, I blow dry my hair and then curl the bottom so that my hair looks natural, but worked. Next, I slip into the strapless royal blue prom dress that has been eyeing me since I hung it up. To finish, I stand in front of the mirror and put on the necklace that my mom got me for my sixteenth birthday. It’s the letter J on a silver chain, I think my mom bought or had made when I was little.

I brace myself before going down the stairs. I remind myself to savor all of my time with him, because only God knows if this is some dream of mine. Guys don’t pay much attention to girls like me, and Trey has never shown me any special attention. I take a deep breath and glance at the clock on my nightstand, it’s five thirty when I hear the doorbell ring. With confidence, I walk to the stairs and the sight that I first see brings a smile to face. Trey looks even more stunning in the evening light than he did last night in Prom Palace. His face is chiseled and his slick light brown bangs are combed over his head bringing out his hazel brown eyes. It only takes him a second to realize that I’m ready, and when he does, a smile as wide as the wingspan of eagle spreads across his face. “You look like a princess Jamie,” Trey sighs.

“I feel like a princess,” I laugh, my fingers toying with my dress.

“Come on, let’s take some pictures outside. It’s beautiful out at this time of day,” my mother says. I finish my way down the stairs and the group of us walk out to the yard. Trey takes my hand in his, and the feeling makes me feel so tense that I’m afraid to speak. He leads me out to the center of the yard and my parents stand on the porch. I never thought I would be going to prom, let alone going with Trey Madison.

“You look…amazing,” Trey whispers to me, his hand still entwined in mine.

“Me? Have you looked in the mirror?” I ask, "Mr. Handsome."

“Say prom!” my mother squeals in her English accent. Trey squeezes my hand in excitement and we both smile. “Two more!” she says as she snaps the next dozen. Mothers, I think to myself, they are so cliché.

“Alright you two,” my father says, awkwardly. “The hotel is about a half an hour away. You better get going.”

“But we just got started,” my mother pouts.

“Honey, can’t you see that they are dying to get to the hotel? Let the two kids have their fun,” my father argues.

“We were taking pictures Harry. Prom pictures.”

“We should get out while they’re distracted,” I whisper to Trey.

“Good plan,” he laughs, quietly. I smile as the two of us sneak off to Trey’s car. I can hear my mother in the background.

“Guys!” she exclaims, I imagine her hands slamming against her hips out of frustration. “Where you going? Ugh! Be safe! Have fun!”

Trey and I laugh as we climb into the vehicle. I straighten up my dress, careful not to ruin any of my work.

“Your parents are really something huh, James?”

“Don’t act like you aren’t use to it. We’ve known each other since the third grade,” I say.

“You got that right. Gee, can you believe that we’re graduating in just a few weeks? I can’t."

“No. It seems like just yesterday we were passing crayons back and forth,” I reminisce.

“Jamie, that was yesterday.” The two of us just laugh, ignoring the awkwardness between us.

After about twenty minutes of making small talk, we arrive at the hotel that is hosting the prom this year. The second that we park, Trey runs out and opens the door for me. I smile as he links his elbows with mine and we walk into the hotel. I just want to sing Mary Poppins "Step In Time". There are already a few people dancing, some of which are our friends. “You want to go talk for a bit?” he asks shyly, like he’s holding something back.

“Sure, that sounds alright,” I smile, but I’m kind of sad that he didn’t ask to dance right away. The two of us walk over to Sarah and Lewis who went as a couple. Trey starts a conversation with them, but I just stand idly by listening to the pace of the music as it increases and decreases. I wonder if he’s even thinking about dancing, but why would Trey even bother taking me unless it was suppose to mean something? Why would he offer to pay for my dress, and my ticket unless this meant more to him? The two of us have been friends forever, so what if after all this time he’s had feelings for me and just never said anything? I’m not expecting him to fall in love with me, but it would sure be nice. I use to think that best friends only fell for each other in romance novels, but after last night I feel like it happens for real too. I’ve always wanted to be more than friends with Trey, but he’s never seemed interested in me until now.

“I’m going to get something to drink,” Trey says, interrupting my jungle of thoughts. “You want anything?”

“No, that’s okay. I think my mom told me not to drink the stuff here,” I say, attempting to seem funny. He just smiles and walks away with a shrug.

“So what’s the deal with you and him? You two together now or something?” Lewis asks me when Trey is out of hearing range.

“I don’t know,” I sigh, looking at Trey as he pours himself a glass of punch. “I think he just brought me as a friend.”

“Oh please,” Sarah remarks, “if he had brought a friend then he would’ve asked me.”

“What’re you saying?” Lewis asks her directly. “Do you think Trey likes Jamie?”

“Likes? I think the guy’s in love with you. The way he looks at you is the same way Lewis here looks at me.”

“You really think so?” I ask as Trey starts walking back.

“Watch this,” Lewis says as Trey returns to our group.

“What’re you guys talking about?” he laughs, sipping his drink.

“Nothing,” Lewis smiles widely. “Hey Sarah, want to dance?”

“I’d want nothing more,” she winks at me, and then walks out to the dance floor. An awkward silence falls between Trey and I. I look down to the floor and then look back up at him. He sets his drink down on a table and smiles.

“Jamie? Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?” he asks while bowing down and letting out his hand.

“Of course I would,” I smile. He takes my hand and intertwines our fingers then leads me to the dance floor. It’s when we’re here that I finally notice how big the ballroom is. Fancy chandeliers hang from the white ceiling, and the wallpaper looks like fancy loop-de-loops between beautiful flowers. There are portraits of men wooing women and fruit hanging from trees. The place is beautiful, like a piece of history is painted on the walls.

Trey’s hands move to my waist, and almost naturally my arms lie gently on his shoulders. The music dies to a slower song, and I keep stepping on his feet, but he just smiles like he doesn’t care. He keeps a gentle grip on my waist and I set my head on his chest, and we rock back and forth to the beat of the music.

Then, in the middle of our moment, his phone rings. I knit my eyebrows together and step back a little so he can answer. He frowns and takes his phone out of his pocket. “Hello?” he answers. I stand there kind of upset that he didn’t have his phone off for such an event. “Hold on. Jamie?” he asks pressing his phone against his chest to block sound.

“Yes?”

“This is really important. I have to go, but I’ll be back to pick you up.” Really? He’s leaving me at prom?

“Oh, okay,” I say. Trey smiles sadly and then exit’s the dance floor. I walk off and sit down in a seat at one of the tables. I keep expecting Trey to walk back in, but he doesn’t. I wonder why he had to leave during prom, and so early in the night.

After about twenty minutes of waiting for him to come back, I assume that he’s going to be longer than a few minutes. I sigh and stand up when Lewis comes over to me. “What’s happening Jamie?” he asks casually as he sits down. I sit down beside him and look down at my dress.

“Trey left.” I knew I should’ve just stayed home.

“Really? So did Sarah. Apparently her mom gave her a curfew for tonight. It’s already ten.”

“Really? She must be worried about Sarah getting drunk or something,” I say. Lewis doesn’t say anything, so a comfortable silence falls between the two of us.

“You know what I thought was weird about us? Your last name is Lewis and my name is Lewis. Strange huh?” he laughs, awkwardly.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “You want to dance?”

“I was just going to ask you the same thing.” Lewis smiles and lets out a hand for me to grab. I take it and he takes me out to the dance floor.

The two of us dance for an hour, and we talk about Senior Year. We talk about how it’ll be weird not to come back here. We talk about how lame it was for Sarah and Trey to leave Prom. Pretty soon it’s midnight and I have to be home by twelve thirty, so when the clock has struck twelve fifteen Lewis takes me home in his beat up Chevy that he calls Vicky. The car ride is silent until we say goodbye when he drops me off.

“Thanks for the ride, Lewis,” I say, climbing out of his car.

“It was a pleasure dancing with you, Jamie. I had a wonderful Senior Prom.”

“Yeah, me too. Tell me if you hear anything from Trey. I’m worried he got lost or something, he got a phone call right in the middle of a dance.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Lew,” I say closing his door and walking into my house. My mother is laying on the couch sleeping, and when I shut the door behind me she wakes up.

“Did you have fun with Trey?” she asks, sleepily.

“No. He left early because of some phone call,” I say.

“Well that’s too bad,” she yawns.

“You should go to bed,” I tell her as I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a small cup of iced tea.

“I was waiting for you,” she says sitting up.

“You didn’t have to wait up, mom.”

“I wanted to. How did you get home?”

“Lewis brought me home, I guess Sarah’s mom gave her a curfew so she left about the same time Trey did.”

“Well did you and Lewis have fun then?” she asks as she joins me in the kitchen.

“I guess so. Neither of us can believe it’s Senior year though,” I tell her. "I can’t believe I won’t be coming back to high school."

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Have you thought anymore about college?”

“No. I don’t even know if there’s anything out there for me, but I know how important it is that I go. I want to but like I said, there’s really nothing I’m good at,” I explain.

“There’s something out there for everyone, Jamie,” mom says, putting a gentle hand of my shoulder. “Go on to bed. You look tired.”

“Alright, but you go to bed too. No staying up late and waiting for dad to get home.”

“He doesn’t get off of work until seven, but okay.”

“Goodnight,” I say.

“Goodnight.” I walk up the stairs and into my blue bedroom. I slip out of my dress and hang it up in my closet. I kick my blue heels into a corner and collapse into my bed after putting a loose shirt on.

*

I wake up on Sunday morning wrapped in a bundle of warm blankets. I open my eyes to see my mother standing in the doorway. “What time is it?” I ask her.

“Oh it’s about noon…”

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner mom?” I ask, sitting up.

“Because you looked upset last night, and you didn’t get home until twelve thirty, so I figured you were tired,” she says, walking in and sitting on my bed. “I came in to wake you up because Sarah wants to hang out with you.”

“Can I take a rain check? I feel like crap.”

“I’ll call her back and tell her, but anyways there’s pancakes and bacon downstairs.”

“Thanks,” I say as she walks out. I climb out of bed and walk into my bathroom where I strip and jump into a hot shower. I brush my teeth, get dressed and then head downstairs.

While shoving bacon and buttery pancakes into my mouth, I wonder about prom. I don’t entirely remember everything, except for Trey leaving and Lewis and I dancing. I think Joey Tyler and Georgia Jones won Prom Queen and King. I can’t find a reason for Trey leaving, so I call him for an answer. His phone rings three times before going to voicemail.

“Getting a hold of Trey?” my dad asks, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Voice mail,” I say with a mouth full of fluffy pancake.

“Oh. Your mom told me about him leaving. You’d think he would’ve called and told you why,” dad says with a weak smile.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I can’t believe he left.” Dad just nods and sips his coffee. I start thinking about what I’m going to do with the rest of my day. I guess I could go to the mall or hang with Sarah or Lewis. “I think that I’m going to call Lewis and see if he wants to hang out at the mall or something.”

“I think you should do that,” mom says as she walks in. “I figured you would eventually do that, so I didn’t call Sarah.”

“You know me so well,” I say.

“Well a mother should know her daughter.” I smile and get up from the stool, leaving my plate sitting on the counter. I take my cell phone out of my pocket and call Lewis. It only takes two rings for him to pick up.

“Hey, Jay,” he answers.

“Hey Lewis, you want to hang out at the mall? I’m bored.”

“Can Sarah join us? She’s with me now.”

“Yeah, of course,” I tell him, but I’m unsure about Sarah going. The only reason I say yes is so she doesn’t think that I’m trying to get with Lewis.

“Awesome. I’ll pick you up in ten.”

“Cool,” I say and then we hang up.

In ten minutes, I meet up with my two best friends in Lewis’s beat up Chevy. On the way to the mall, we jam out to an oldies mixed tape that Lewis made for Sarah. It takes only a few minutes to get to the mall, so there wasn’t much jamming.

“Have you gotten a hold of Trey yet?” Sarah asks me.

“No. I tried calling him earlier but it went straight to voicemail.”

“That’s not like him. He never told you what was happening?”

“He just said that he had to go and that he’d pick me up later. He didn’t even do that,” I explain.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sarah says, reassuringly. “Maybe he’ll call you later or something.” Maybe.

We spend a few hours in each store that mall has for us. I buy a few t-shirts and shorts for the summer, but the entire time I can’t stop thinking about Trey. I can’t stop wondering where he is, what he’s up to, and why he never answered my call.

“You alright Jamie?” Lewis asks me when we sit down in the food court for a late lunch.

“Yeah I guess,” I shrug. “I’m just worried about Trey that’s all.”

“Yeah I was thinking about him too. It bothers me that he wouldn’t call you or tell you anything,” Sarah says. I try to ignore the look on her face when she says this. Her eyes are squinted and she sounds like she means everything that she says, but the look on her face says otherwise.

“Well hopefully he calls you or something, so don’t shut your phone off,” Lewis says with a sad smile. “Well we should get going, I guess. Miss I have a curfew has a curfew.”

“It’s not even five yet, Lewis,” Sarah growls.

“Still,” he smiles. We all stand up and follow him out to his car.

*

The rest of the week seems to fly by like a silent train. Nothing really good or bad happens, and Trey still doesn’t text or call. I sit at lunch with Lewis and Sarah like usual, but it’s uninteresting without Trey. It’s like the only guy I ever had feelings for is gone, it’s like he’s missing or something.

After school, I walk home and then borrow the car from my parents. I decide that since Trey’s been gone for an entire week that I should stop by his house and see if he’s sick or something. Trey only lives about a mile and a half from my house so it takes about ten minutes to get there.

I park the car in front of his house, and turn it off. I look around for Trey’s car, but when I don’t see it I just assume that it’s in their garage. I get out of my car and slowly approach the front porch. I think the last time that I was here Trey and I were studying for the calculus exam. I notice that his father has planted some flowers since then. It must be hard to get out much being in a wheelchair like his father.

When I step onto the front porch, the front door swings open almost like they’ve been expecting me. “Why hello Jamie,” Trey’s dad says as he wheels himself in front of the door.

“Hey, Mr. Madison,” I say. “Is Trey around? I’ve noticed that he hasn’t been around any.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to tell you Jamie but Trey went missing prom night. I filed a police report the day after. I’m surprised the police weren’t at your house asking questions.”

“He’s missing?” I ask.

“Yeah, since prom night.” Mr. Madison looks up at me, but the look on his face isn’t worried or concerned. I feel like there’s something he’s not telling me.

“He got a phone call during prom and he left early, do you know anything about that?” I ask him. His eyebrows knit together and he purses his lips.

“That’s not like Trey. He was awful happy when he left to pick you up. Did you two have a good time while he was there?”

“Yeah. I’m going to head home now, so my mom doesn’t worry.”

“Well you don’t want that. I’ll call you if he comes by, Jamie,” he tells me.

“Thanks Mr. Madison.” I turn around and head back to my car. Trey is missing, huh? I guess I’ll have to give my friend Bailie a call.

When I get home, I instantly head up to my bedroom. I sit down at my desk and open up my laptop. I log onto my IM and message my long time best friend, Bailie Richardson.

THEBRAINS: Hey

THEDETECTIVE: Hey what’s up?

THEBRAINS: Can I ask you for a favor? It’s important.

THEDETECTIVE: Depends what you want

THEBRAINS: Trey, the guy that I like, went missing during prom

THEDETECTIVE: Wasn’t prom a week ago?

THEBRAINS: Yeah, so he’s been missing a week

THEDETECTIVE: And you want me to look into his investigation?

THEBRAINS: please? I know you can’t always do those things so it’s OK if you can’t but I’m really worried about him

THEDETECTIVE: Yeah, do you have any info I should know about?

THEBRAINS: He got a call and had to leave during our dance

THEDETECTIVE: He didn’t say anything about the call to you?

THEBRAINS: No, he just said that he’d pick me up later and he never did

THEDETECTIVE: Alright Jamie I’ll look into it and then get back to you

THEBRAINS: OK thank you so much Bay

THEDETECTIVE: No prob. ttyl

THEBRAINS: Thanks again bye

I don’t feel much better after talking to her, but I can’t tell if it’s because of Trey or because I haven’t seen Bailie in so long. She graduated a few years earlier than me, and went on to bigger and better things. She’s a detective for the FBI, but that’s all I know. She can’t tell me what she really does because of some rule, I guess. Still, she’s always been my best friend even before Trey, and I miss not seeing her everyday.

I log off of the messenger and walk downstairs and into the living room. My mom was sitting down on the couch watching some crime show, so I join her. “I went to see Trey today.”

“You did?” she asks pausing the television.

“Yeah, his dad said that he went missing prom night.”

“That’s terrible darling,” she says. “Is there an investigation?”

“I guess so, I mean that’s what his dad said.”

“Well that’s just strange,” she says as she turns on the program. “Don’t forget that your father and I are going to Nevada to see your aunt. We’ll be missing your graduation, but Sarah’s mom is taping it, so make sure you get the tape after graduation. I am sorry about that, you know how sick she is.”

“Got it, and I understand,” I say, getting up from the couch and walking over to the kitchen. I grab a water from the refrigerator and head back upstairs where I change into some gym shorts and lay down for bed.

The weekend fly’s by with no information from Bailie about Trey. I’m a senior so I get off a week before everyone else, and the week without school is the week where I decide what to do with my life. From Monday to Wednesday my parents nag me about college, but I try to tell them that I don’t know what to go into. My father tells me that I’m just preoccupied with Trey being missing, but I’m serious when I say that that’s not it. My entire life has been nothing but preparation for something, but until now I’ve given no thought into what to do. I want to do something cool, something that I won’t tire of. My grades are good enough that I was going to be valedictorian, but Sarah passed all of her final exams with an A, and I ended my senior year with and A- in calculus. My government teacher from last year told me that I’d be a great president, so I could always go into politics. The thing about that is that I don’t think I would be happy with that kind of life. I mean, the last thing I want is half of America talking about me behind my back. I’ve heard the things my mom has said about America’s government and our politicians, so I think politics would be a turn for the worst. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they pester me to go into medicine. I hate medicine.

*

I wake up in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I don’t why, but something compels me to get up and go out the balcony in my bedroom. I crawl out of bed and go to my bathroom to splash some water on my face. When I walk out, I check my IM’s and when I see that there’s been no messages from Bailie, I go to the balcony. I stand there looking out at the country behind our house. In this light, the sun’s getting ready to rise just under the tree tops. I can see a few deer grazing in the fresh field, I can still hear the sounds of night echo from the forest.

“Jamie,” says a voice from behind me. I jump, turn around and see Trey standing right in front of me. I’m speechless, but I manage to say his name just below a whisper. Trey pulls me into a hug and grips me tightly like he may not ever let me go, but I don’t want him to. I want to feel him there, I want to know that he’s standing in front of me, holding me.

“You never came back,” I tell him, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I don’t force them in, but I let them loose and onto his shoulder.

“I know,” he says to me, his lips pressed against my head. “I’m so sorry Jamie. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I say, still wrapped in his arms.

“It does matter Jamie. I should have come back, but I didn’t. You need to know that I’ll never leave you again. I’ll never let you go it alone. I promise.” Okay, I think. I believe you Trey. I’ll always believe you.

*

“Trey get up,” I say in a sweet-as-can-be voice. “It’s graduation day, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Alright,” he says, sitting up.

“You can go downstairs and make yourself something to eat if you want,” I tell him. “My parents had to go out of state today.”

“That’s weird,” he says, “but okay.” I get out of bed and walk over to my bathroom. I get undressed and hop into a warm shower that wakes my senses up. I get out after making myself smell like flowers and sunshine. I wrap myself in a towel and go out to my bedroom. Luckily, Trey has gone downstairs, so I search my closet privately for something nice to wear. I end up settling for a pair of dark colored skinny capri’s and a ‘class of 2012’ t-shirt. I walk to the bathroom and change, do my makeup lightly, and brush my teeth.

After getting dressed I go downstairs to find Trey dressed and ready to go. He’s made me a bowl of Lucky Charms, so I eat it quickly and then Trey and I go out to his car. “Where were you anyway?” I ask as I climb in. Trey get’s in, but stays silent as he starts the car.

“I had to go somewhere, and then I got lost. I couldn’t figure out how to get back here soon enough,” he says. He seems upset that I asked, so I keep quiet the rest of the way there.

We walk into the gym, find our class and put our caps and gowns over us. “How do I look?” Trey asks, gesturing towards his silver, gold, and blue cap and gown.

“You look great,” I smile.

“You too. I like how the girls have sparkly caps and the boys don’t,” he laughs.

“Come on, I think we should go find Sarah and Lewis. They’ll be glad to see you,” I say, taking his hand. He links our fingers and then we walk through the crowd of our peers until we find Sarah and Lewis.

“Oh, hey Jamie,” Lewis says when he sees me. “And Trey. Look Sarah, it’s Trey.”

“Where have you been?” she asks him. I watch Trey’s facial expression turn from happy to sad. It’s almost like that group of words has changed him.

“I got lost,” he shrugs. I squeeze his hand to let him know it’s okay, but I don’t think it matters.

“For two weeks?” she pesters.

“For two weeks.” Trey seems angry at the question. 

“Okay!” Lewis says, obviously trying to change the tone. “I think everyone’s lining up. You guys ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I smile. Probably looking like a gospel choir, we all get in alphabetical order and line up in front of the auditorium. Mr. Marks, our principle walks up to the stand in front and says a few words on our behalf. He’s been our class’s principal since middle school, so I don’t blame him when he gets teary eyed. I pay little attention to the words he says, but I focus mostly on Sarah who is apparently the smartest person out of our Senior class.

Finally he calls up Sarah. She stands up, pats out her gown and straightens her cap so it sits perfectly on her head. She takes Mr. Marks place at the stand and starts her speech. “Just years ago we were Freshmen looking for a place to fit in... We were looking for our classes and we were looking pretty stupid to the Seniors back then.... We’re the seniors now.....” I zone out not wanting to listen to her, and in a matter of minutes she finishes. Everyone claps, and Mr. Marks comes back up to the stand.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen I give you the graduating class of 2012! Grace Brooks...Samantha Carrie...Mary Edwards, Jonathan Faith, Jamie Lewis, Trey Madison...Lewis Marshall, Eliza Miles... Clarence Price, Michael Price...John Red, Jacob Roll, Sarah Ross...Duane Ross, Christopher Stephens...Malachi Swiss, Doug Train...Alexander Ule...and Micah Williams.” One at a time, we all get up, shake Mr. Marks’ hand as he hands us our diplomas and tells us congratulations. When we all return to our seats, we stand up and throw our caps into the air. It’s like one of those moments when you just want to jump into the air and stay there, like in the movies.

*

After graduation, Trey takes me out for a picnic. We eat pasta salad, and sandwiches. After our picnic in the park, we go to Trey’s house. The whole ride there, Trey is fidgety and weary of something. He doesn’t speak, but he lets me out when it’s time. I hold his hand as we walk up to his front door. He knocks three times before his dad yells “I’m coming already!” from inside.

“Be cool,” Trey says.

“It’s your dad, Trey,” I tell him. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He doesn’t approve of us dating.”

“We’re dating?” I ask, surprised. Trey smiles and looks down at his feet.

“What else would you call us?” he laughs. Before I can say anything else, Mr. Madison opens the door. He looks up at the two of us and raises and eyebrow.

“Well, you found him,” he laughs with a cough.

“Actually, he found me,” I say.

“Well, come in,” he says, rolling his way out of the door. Before I walk in, my phone buzzes in my pocket.

“Hold on, I’m going to take this call,” I say.

“Okie dokie,” Trey says closing the door behind him. I take my phone out of my pocket and answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jamie it’s Bailie.”

“Oh! Hey, I meant to tell you earlier that Trey’s back. We uh, kind of found each other,” I say.

“Oh, well that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she says, sounding weary of something.

“What about it?” I ask.

“You asked me to look into his investigation, right?”

“Yeah,” I say, wondering why she sounds so tense.

“Well, I was doing just that and I found absolutely nothing. Jamie, there are no Trey Madison’s in California, and the one that’s your friend never went missing,” she explains.

“Never went missing? That’s impossible Bay. He was gone for two weeks, and his dad told me that he filed a report. Well, he implied that he did,” I tell her.

“That’s impossible Jay,” she says. “If his dad really filed a report, then it would be in the computer.”

“Okay. I’ll ask him about it,” I lie. I don’t want to ask about Trey being gone and then Trey feel like I don’t trust him. That’s the last thing that I want. All I want is for him to be happy with me.

“I have to go Jamie, I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay, thanks again for helping me out.” We hang up and I shove my phone back into my pocket. I push our conversation out of my head and walk into the house. “Sorry about that,” I say with a clumsy smile.

“It’s fine James, I think I want to go now,” Trey says with a scowl directed at his father.

“Okay,” I say, dragging out my words. Trey takes my hand and leads me out the door and to the car. I get in, put my seatbelt on and then wait for Trey. He’s standing outside of his door looking at his house. I can see his dad sitting there in his wheel chair, staring back at us. Finally, Trey get’s in and starts the car. “What was that about?” I ask as he pulls out of his fathers driveway.

“Nothing,” Trey says, trying to seem calm, cool, and collected.

“Trey.”

“Nothing Jamie. Don’t you trust me?” he asks, looking at me as we reach a stoplight. I knit my eyebrows together as he looks at me for those short seconds.

“Of course, always.”

“Okay. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” I say, trying not to seem worried about him even though I clearly am.

“There’s this new Italian restaurant opening tomorrow, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? I know you have this thing for Italian foods, so I just thought you would want to.”

“I’d love to!” I say, almost screaming it. Trey laughs and we continue to drive home.

*

Trey drops me off at my house and then leaves. I almost ask him to come in, but I feel like that would make me seem clingy. Also, part of me wants to be alone so I can pick out a dress to wear tomorrow night.

I walk into my lonely, empty house and set my purse on the counter. I realize that I forgot my graduation cap and gown in Trey’s car. I laugh at my forgetfulness and walk into the kitchen. I take some leftover pepperoni pizza from the fridge and then walk upstairs. As soon as I make it to my bedroom, I sit my pizza down on my blue desk and open my closet door. I step back and take a look at my clothes. There’s two homecoming dresses, my prom dress and then a few dressier shirts that I couldn’t put into my dresser. I push aside every article of clothing until I find the perfect thing to wear.

The dress is a dark blue cocktail dress that I totally forgot about. I remember when mom and I were in the mall and she had me try it on. I kept on telling her that I was too chubby, that something that pretty would make me look ugly. I remember walking into the dressing room, taking my clothes off, and pulling the dress over me. I had stared at myself for the longest time. The dress had covered me from my chest to the top of my knees, and the midsection had a sparkly cross close to the side. I fixed my hair so I looked presentable and walked out to my mother who was waiting impatiently. “Awe honey you look amazing. As we Brits say, you look brilliant.”

“Really?” I asked in disbelief.

“Absolutely. Go on and take it off, we’ll get you some heels and buy it.” I smiled so wide that my cheeks hurt for the next hour.

I doubt that I’ve grown much since I was sixteen, so I search my closet and find the matching blue heels. I don’t bother with going to my bathroom, or closing the door. I just strip down and slip the dress over me. I slip the heels on, and reluctantly I walk to the bathroom. I fix my hair with my fingers and then stare at myself.

The dress fits perfectly.

*

I wake up at ten, despite the fact that I went to bed before dark. I get out of bed, walk over to my desk, and then log onto my IM’s. I have one from Sarah telling me about her after graduation party, and one from Trey that says:

ITSYABOYTREY: Hey babe, I’ll pick you up at six ☺

I smile and type:

THEBRAINS: K, see you then ☺

I log off and go downstairs, walk into the kitchen, and pour myself a bowl of Lucky Charms. I sit on the couch and watch the news. The reporter talks about a possible group of terrorists planning to overthrow the American government. I roll my eyes and turn the channel to some cartoon. News these days, I think to myself, drugs, murders, bad news, and now terrorists.

For the rest of the day, I pick up around the house, shower, and do my hair. I put my dress on and spare myself the pain of heels for the next fifteen minutes. It feels like years are passing as I wait for Trey. I make sure that I don’t eat so much lunch that I would have to eat a small dinner, so he better hurry before I start finishing all of the leftover pizza.

Finally, I hear a knock on the door and I almost trip as I go to answer it. I pull the door open and come face to face with Trey Madison. “Ready?” he asks.

“Yeah, just let me get my shoes on,” I smile. Trey walks in and shuts the door. I slip my heels on and go to grab my wallet but he stops me.

“You won’t be needing that. My dad gave me his credit card for tonight. I told him it was special and he offered to pay for the whole thing” he explains.

“Well that was nice of him,” I smile. Trey suddenly looks like he remembers something and he pulls a rectangular box from his polyester dress pants.

“I almost forgot,” he says, opening the box revealing a golden necklace that has my entire first name hanging from it. “I got you this while I was gone. I thought you might like it. I was just going to put the letter J on it, but then I remembered that you already had that.”

“It’s perfect,” I breathe. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Here,” he smiles. “Let me put it on.” I nod and lift up my blonde curls for him. Trey hooks the necklace around my neck and I let my hair down. “Beautiful. You look beautiful.” He says it so smooth and genuine that I’m forced to believe him, even if I hardly believe it.

Trey takes my hand and escorts me out to his Camaro, and opens the passenger seat for me. He shuts the door and walks around the front of the car and gets in the drivers seat.

“So, what’s this new Italian restaurant called?” I ask.

“Antonello Ristorante,” he says with a fake Italian accent.

“Didn’t you take Italian sophomore year?” I ask.

“Yeah, I remember you were so mad at me because I took Italian with Mrs. Abelie, and you had to read Les Miserables,” he laughs.

“I was mad because you had a fun teacher and les was miserables.”

“You’re too much Jamie,” he laughs again.

“Let’s listen to music,” I say.

“Well, normally I would but we’re here so there’s no use,” he says. I smile and he parks the car. He get’s out, opens my door and walks me up to Antonello Ristorante. We get to the front and meet a man who stands in front of the door.

“Reservation?” he bellows. The man is rather tall and wears a black suit and tie.

“Trey Madison,” Trey smiles.

“Reservations for two?” asks the man as he stares at his clipboard.

“That’s us,” he says.

“Right this way, Mr. Madison,” the tall man smiles. He leads us into the building, and from there a shorter man dressed in the same clothes takes us to a table. Trey pulls a chair out for me and sits down across from me.

“Good evening, Mr. Madison, I’m Angelo and I’ll be your waiter. What would you and your lady like to drink?” asks the short man. Trey purses his lips and glances at me.

“Water is fine, thank you,” he says.

“Would you like a lemon in that, sir?”

“Sure.” The waiter nods and walks off.

“This is awful fancy, Trey,” I say looking around. The restaurant has tinted lighting and a pearl shade of white covering the walls, chandeliers dangle from the high ceiling threatening to fall onto the dark, hardwood floor.

“It’s perfect for tonight,” Trey says.

“Why? What’s tonight?” I ask, but before Trey can answer, Angelo returns with our lemon water. He hands us menus and stands by waiting on us.

“I’ll be having the Cioppino, hold the scallops and clams,” Trey says. It takes me a few more minutes to find something that looks good. I skim over dishes that contain garlic or anything that could make my breath smell bad. I show Trey the picture, because I saw in a movie once that the man is suppose to order for the woman. He smiles and nods. “The lady will be having the Rotelle.”

“Hold the vodka cream sauce,” I say. The waiter smiles, nods and walks away.

“What, no vodka?”

“Trey, I’m not twenty one yet,” I laugh lightly.

“Don’t worry about that, I’m good friends with the owner, Giovanni.”

“You know who owns this place?” I ask in awe.

“Sure I do. The two of us went to preschool together before I was home schooled. We’ve been friends since.”

“If you’re friends with him enough to know that he won’t call the police for underage drinking, then why haven’t I met him yet? Or even heard of him?” I ask, laughing a bit.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter Jamie. Gio and I aren’t that good of friends.”

“I see,” I say. Trey stares at me as we wait for our dinner. He stares with a cheeky smile towards my lips. I blush and act like I don’t notice.

“You look so beautiful,” he says to me. I feel the pink rise to my cheeks and I laugh. You’re so weird, I think to myself, so, so, weird.

“You look pretty striking yourself,” I say.

“I tried,” he says, embarrassed. “I was at the mall until closing looking for something perfect.”

“You look great Trey.” He smiles and the waiter comes out with our dishes.

“The lady’s Rotelle, and the man’s Cioppino,” he says.

“Thank you,” Trey says.

Trey and I eat in silence, occasionally exchanging remarks on how the food tastes. After about half an hour, Trey sits his silverware down and wipes his face. “Okay,” he starts. I stop eating and put down my eating utensils. “Jamie, we’ve known each other since the third grade. To be honest, it took me four years, seven months, and sixteen days to gain the courage to ask you to prom. The minute I asked, I knew that you were the one. I know for sure that you’re the only person on this earth that will love me for who I am, and I want you to know that I’ll love you for you. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life that I know it’ll take the rest of it to prove to you how much you mean to me. I guess what I’m doing a poor job at asking is…well. Jamie Anne Lewis, will you let me show you how much you mean to me by marrying me?” Trey pulls out a fold-open jewelry box that I assume contains a ring. He opens it up, and smiles widely. “What do you say James? Will you marry me?” I feel my eyes uncontrollably open to the widest they can open, and my mouth part slightly.

“Trey, I,” I get out. I know what to say, but something doesn’t let me say it. “Yes,” I say, shakily. “I’ll marry you.” My answer surprises Trey so much that he takes my hand into his and leans over the table and plants a soft kiss on my lips.