I stared into the mirror and frowned. I looked like an idiot. All dressed up and no damn date. I was pathetic, and Christina was going to have so much fun with it.
“You look stunning, sweetheart,” my mother said, indicating to my white, Grecian-style dress as she poked her head in my door.
“Thanks.” I gave her a half-hearted smile and slipped on my shoes.
“You’re doing the right thing. Poor Indie.” She shook her head sympathetically.
Indie had called me an hour earlier in tears because Jayden had suddenly called and told her that he couldn’t take her to prom or see her again. Her hair was done, her makeup was done, and she’d even bought herself a beautiful dress just for the night. She was devastated. And in true Indie style, she was more determined than ever to attend the dance solo and have the best night of her life. Hence, I was currently getting ready to go with her. Dateless. Alone. Stag. Pathetic.
“I know.” I grabbed my bag, fluffed my hair, and plastered a fake smile on my face. “Come on before I change my mind.”
My mother dropped me off at the entrance to the school gym and assured me that I would have a fantastic time, even without a date. I wasn’t convinced. I just nodded and shut the door.
Indie was meeting me inside. As I made my way up the wet pavement to the gym doors, the music echoed through the schoolyard, the bass vibrating against the glass windows. Inside looked just as I’d imagined. Balloons and flowers in white, red, and gold were on every table, streamers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and glitter floating in the air.
I spotted Indie on the dance floor. I was surprised. I thought she’d have been waiting at a table or by the buffet stuffing her face. As I got closer, I realised she wasn’t dancing alone. She had her arms around a guy’s neck, and it wasn’t Jayden. It was Lincoln. His hands rested on her hips as they swayed to the music together.
“There you are, Indie,” I said when I reached them, giving Linc a strange look. Why was he at our high school dance, and why was he dancing with Indie? It didn’t make sense.
“Bailey, you made it.” She let go of Linc, threw her arms around my neck, and squeezed me tight. “I’m dancing with Linc. Can you believe it?”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head and glanced back at him. He smiled and politely said hi before excusing himself to go get some food.
“What the hell, Indie?”
“I don’t know what happened. This is like a dream come true,” she gushed, grabbing my hand and leading me over to a table. “I was at home upset because Jayden turned out to be a jerk.”
“There must have been a reason that he stood you up, In. He’s a great guy, I swear.” I felt the need to stick up for Jayden because I knew he wouldn’t have done that to her without a valid reason. He wasn’t a douche like Chace. He was sweet, caring, and kind. Not a jerk.
“Whatever. He stood me up, so he’s a moron,” she continued with a wave of her hand. “So I was at home upset, and Linc found me crying on the stairs after I’d called you. I told him what had happened, and he told me to man up and fix my make-up because he was making sure I didn’t miss out on my senior prom. He showed up half an hour later looking like a Greek god in a suit,” she said, “with this.” She waved her hand in front of my face and showed me the purple flowers tied delicately around her wrist.
“That’s great, Indie. I’m glad you’re happy and having a good night. With Linc, nonetheless.” He actually looked out for her, so it honestly didn’t surprise me that he would do this for her. That was just the way he was with her. I noticed Linc approaching with two plates of food in his hands. I tried not to laugh as all the girls stopped dancing to watch him walk by. Even I had to admit how good-looking he was, and when he spoke, his voice just made a girl tremble. I understood Indie’s obsession completely.
He set a plate down in front of Indie, who smiled brightly up at him. No way was she getting over her infatuation any time soon. Linc looked guiltily at me. “Sorry, didn’t grab you anything but I can.” He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb to the buffet table and shrugged.
“I’m fine. I’m just going to go for a walk.” I smiled and pushed away from the table, leaving Indie to revel in Linc’s attention for one night.
I wandered around the gym watching the couples dancing and smiled and waved at the people who still surprisingly sought my attention. I wished Ryder were there with me. It would have been a perfect night if he were. Instead, I was alone and pathetic.
Greg and Lizzie waved me over from where they were dancing under the disco ball, but I shook my head. I didn’t want to be their third wheel.
“Told you that you’re pathetic.” Christina’s voice sounded from behind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face her and Chace. Her red and gold mermaid dress matched the gym decorations perfectly. “Couldn’t even get Ryder to take you to prom?”
“Shut up, Christina. I’m not in the mood to listen to your crap.” I sighed and rubbed my temples as though a migraine was forming.
“You’re dateless at prom. How sad. You should have just stayed home.” She laughed and wrapped her arm around Chace’s waist. Even he had a smirk.
“Got something to say, Chace?” I couldn’t help it. I felt like encouraging him.
“Just that I told you you’re boring and predictable and even Ryder would get sick of you. I was right.”
A few months ago, his words would have hurt me, but I couldn’t have cared less what he thought now. I rolled my eyes and noticed that a few people had stopped dancing and were staring and pointing in the direction behind Chace and Christina. “Whatever, Chace. Best of luck for prom king and queen.” I smiled brightly and pushed my way directly between them. I didn’t want to listen to them any longer.
That was when I saw him.
“Ryder,” I whispered and stopped in my tracks. He was leaning up against the wall looking calm and relaxed in black pants, a white shirt half-buttoned, and a bow tie that was untied and hanging loosely around his neck. He was running his hands through his hair and chewing on his lip ring. Oh, I’d missed him doing that. He lifted his head, and a smirk instantly formed on his face when he saw me standing there watching him.
Pushing himself off the wall, he started walking toward me.
“What are you doing? Go!” Indie called from somewhere to my right. That was all I needed to snap me out of it. I practically ran the last few steps to Ryder, closing the distance between us as fast as possible by jumping into his arms as we met in the middle of the dance floor. Thankfully, he caught me.
“I’ve missed you too, love,” he whispered into my neck, still laughing. My legs instantly wrapped around his waist, the thigh-high split in my dress exposing more leg than appropriate for a school prom, but I didn’t care. My arms were around Ryder’s neck. Threading my fingers into his hair, I pulled his head back, forcing him to look at me briefly before bringing my mouth down to his.
Ryder’s arms tightened around me, pulling me closer to his chest as our lips moved together, slow and gentle at first, but I quickly found I wanted more. I hadn’t seen him, touched him, or kissed him for two months. I didn’t want slow and gentle. I wanted to make up for our time apart. It seemed Ryder felt the same. I felt his tongue press against my lips, which parted of their own accord, allowing him to sweep his tongue into my mouth. I lost all sense of where we were as Ryder explored every inch of my mouth like it was the first time.
“Well, as much as I want to continue watching this love fest.” Indie’s voice interrupted us, making me remember we were in the middle of the dance floor at school. I reluctantly pulled away from Ryder’s lips, and he moved to set me down on my feet, but I clenched my legs around him tighter so that he couldn’t put me down, meaning he had to turn us both to face Indie.
“You two might want to get a room before you give the entire senior class a live show.” She smirked and started walking back toward Linc.
“Welcome back, Ryder,” she called over her shoulder, just barely loud enough to be heard over the music.
“Sorry I’m late,” Ryder whispered against my lips.
“You made it, and that’s all that matters.” I smiled at him, happy that he was there. That he was home. “Where were we?” I said and leant in to kiss him again, but he pulled away and loosened his grip on me.
“Getting out of here, Bailey.” His voice was deep—husky.
He cleared his throat and pushed me away slightly. My lips curved down, and my eyebrows pulled together in disappointment. I didn’t want to let him go just yet, but I unhooked my legs from around his waist and slid down his long body until my feet touched the ground. I heard Ryder’s sharp intake of breath before he cleared his throat again and cupped my face in his hands.
“Let’s go now,” he said through his teeth and reached down for my hand. Grabbing my wrist tightly, he practically dragged me to the door, but we were stopped by Principal Stevens.
“Not so fast.” The balding fat man put a hand out to stop us. “The presentation is about to begin.” He indicated to the stage behind us.
It wasn’t until we turned back around to face the gym for the announcement of prom king and queen that I realised the entire room had stopped to watch us reunite. Well, that was embarrassing.
“Come on then,” Ryder groaned as he tipped his back and looked up at the roof. He led me back into the centre of the dance floor, where Indie was laughing with Linc.
“Didn’t get very far, did you?” She smirked as we came to a stop beside her.
“Stevens made us stay for the crowning.” I leant into Ryder’s chest, his arms snaking around my waist, holding me tight.
We stood and watched the stage, waiting as the music died down and the lights dimmed. I felt Ryder’s breath against my shoulder. I smiled as I enjoyed being back in his arms. Two months was too long.
A spotlight appeared on stage, and the crowd went silent. I could just make out Chace and Christina standing at the front as close to the stairs as possible with proud smiles on their faces. You’d be forgiven for thinking they had already been crowned king and queen, that’s how big their smiles were.
Principal Stevens made his way to the centre of the stage, and everyone clapped and cheered. I never understood the excitement of the crowning. It just seemed trivial to me. All I really wanted to do was leave with Ryder.
After a brief speech thanking the prom committee for the decorations, it was finally time for the announcement. “Blah…blah…blah…” Ryder whispered in my ear as Stevens spoke. It wasn’t even a real prom.
“This year’s prom king is…” Stevens paused dramatically and waited for the drum roll. Chace and Christina were bouncing on the balls of their feet in anticipation. “Mister Ryder Jones.” He clapped, and suddenly there was a bright white spotlight shining directly on us. Ryder’s arms tightened their grip on my waist.
“What the fu—”
“You won.” I turned to smile at him. He looked down at me with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. The students around us were whistling and clapping.
“I didn’t want to win.”
Indie was cheering and clapping beside us. Stevens was calling Ryder’s name out and trying to encourage him to get up on the stage.
Pressing my hands to his cheeks, I leant up on my toes and whispered against his lips. “You beat Chace.”
“I beat Chace.” His frown disappeared, and a sly smile formed on his face. “Hell yeah.” He pressed his lips to mine briefly before releasing me and practically running up to the stage, where he took a bow and waved to Chace before blowing a kiss in my direction. I had to laugh. He was so happy once it dawned on him that he’d stolen the crown from Chace.
Indie’s arm wrapped around my waist, and she rested her head on my shoulder as she laughed at Ryder. Chace’s face was priceless. He was bright red, and I swore I could hear his teeth grinding from the back where I stood. Christina was trying to comfort him, but even she was pissed. If looks could kill, Ryder would have been a dead man.
“Okay. And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for. This year’s prom queen is…” Another dramatic pause and drum roll. Christina straightened up and pushed Chace aside, making her way to the stairs in preparation for her name being called.
“As if she’s going to be crowned Her Whoreness.” Indie scoffed beside me. “Get ready, Bailey.” She winked.
No way. There was no way I would win. I wasn’t even in the running.
“Bailey Mitchell,” Stevens all but shouted into the microphone.
I stood completely still, dumbstruck as the crowd stared at me, clapping and cheering. I watched Christina as she screamed and stomped her foot. She actually stomped her foot like a petulant child.
“You won,” Indie squealed, jumping up and down beside me.
“How? Why?” I couldn’t deny that I was happy about beating Christina, but it just didn’t seem right.
“Come on, B.” Ryder’s voice sounded over the speakers. I looked up at the stage to see him smiling and waving me over.
I took a step forward, and the crowd of students parted to let me by. The sound of their clapping and cheering was drowned out by the sound of blood rushing to my ears. I won. Somehow, I’d beaten Christina. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or flip her my middle finger. So I stood tall and made my way up onto the stage with Ryder, where he stood smiling with Principal Stevens.
Stevens shook my hand and placed a cheap plastic gold crown on top of my head before ushering me over to stand beside Ryder, who winked and linked his fingers with mine.
“I present you this year’s prom king and queen,” Stevens announced, waving his hand around in our direction. Streamers and balloons fell from the ceiling above us, and the crowd went crazy. They were clapping and cheering and whistling. It was surreal. Ryder pulled in close and pressed his lips to the side of my face, which just made the noise even worse.
I glanced down at Chace and Christina and laughed as I watched them bickering. They were both red in the face. Chace was waving his arms around, and Christina was still stomping her foot. It was hilarious.
“And now for the dance,” Stevens said over the microphone. That song from Dirty Dancing began to play—“I’ve Had The Time Of My Life.” Could they get any more cliché?
“We have to dance?” Ryder’s eyes were wide when he turned to me, his lip pulled between his teeth.
“Uhm…I guess.” I hated dancing, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and waited for his hands to finally rest on my hips, his fingers digging into the skin slightly. He looked nervous. Ryder Jones, nervous. Who would have thought? “It’s just you and me, Jones. Forget about them,” I whispered.
Indie yelled some crude remark that I didn’t quite catch, but Ryder laughed. “You, me, and Indie, you mean,” he said and began to sway on his feet.
“Yeah.”
We danced slow, just swaying to the beat until the song ended. The cheers from the crowd had long since gone silent, except for the whistle coming from Indie. Chace and Christina had disappeared. Probably left to sulk.
“Can we get out of here now?” Ryder asked.
“Please.”
He grabbed my hand and all but dragged me off the stage and across the dance floor. I barely had a chance to shout a goodbye to Indie before we were out the door and running to Ryder’s car. Not that she would have noticed by then anyway, as she was too busy swooning over Lincoln.
Ryder didn’t speak as we left the school grounds. His shoulders were stiff and hunched, and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.
“Ryder?” I reached across and touched his arm while trying to work out what had him so tense and worked up. He was all right at the dance five minutes ago.
“Just give me a minute, Bailey, please.” I sat in silence while he drove us around town aimlessly. I didn’t think he knew where he was going or what he was doing. He looked lost. It wasn’t long before I realised we weren’t even in town anymore. Where was he taking me? He groaned and punched the steering wheel.
“I should take you home.” His jaw was tightly clenched, and I watched his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed.
“What? No, Ryder. I don’t want to go home. You just got back from wherever, doing whatever. I want to celebrate winning these cheap and tacky crowns and spend time with you. I missed you,” I said, cringing immediately and hoping he hadn’t picked up on what I’d just said. I couldn’t believe I’d told him I missed him. Expressing feelings he didn’t share. Way to go, Bailey.
“You did?” He looked over at me quickly before looking back at the road. I could swear there was a faint smile on his perfect lips.
“Of course. These last two months have sucked without you here. Pure hell.” I didn’t see the use in lying, so I decided to just be honest with him. Well, somewhat honest. I was not about to admit all of my feelings to him. That would just scare him off, and I didn’t want that.
“To hell with it,” he growled, suddenly slamming on the brakes, making me jerk forward in my seat. He veered the car off to the side where there was a small dirt track leading through the trees. Before I could wonder where he was taking me, the car came to a complete stop off the road in the middle of nowhere. I should have felt scared or worried, but I didn’t. I felt safe. I always felt safe with Ryder. Even in the middle of the sticks.
Ryder shifted in his seat so that he was looking at me, lip ring pulled into his teeth. I watched as he chewed on it. I tried to work out what he was thinking, but I was completely distracted by his mouth. I moved in my seat so I was facing him. We just sat and stared at each other for the longest time, neither of us looking away or speaking until Ryder finally reached his hand across and rubbed his thumb along my cheek.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he whispered, breaking the silence.
“No.” I shook my head and ducked in an effort to hide the blush that was heating my cheeks.
“Well, you do.” He smiled and paused for a moment. “I thought it would be different, you know? That it would be easier when I got back.” His voice was soft yet still husky as his thumb moved across my bottom lip, making me shiver. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn’t want him to stop touching me.
“I thought being away from you would lessen how much I want you. Need you.”
My heart beat harder at his words, and my breathing increased as his thumb dragged slowly down over my bottom lip and down my chin, stopping when his hand cupped around my neck. I could feel his trembling hand on my skin. I reached up to entwine our fingers. His eyes widened at our touch. His pupils were so dilated his bright green eyes were almost black. He seemed so serious. I almost believed his words, but that was only because I wanted them to be true. So much. I knew it wasn’t true, though. It couldn’t be. He must have just missed being home and having me around as a friend, and that had confused him into thinking he needed me.
“But it didn’t, Bailey. Being away from you only made me want you more.” It was when he said that, I realised he was serious. There was no hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He was chewing on his lip ring still because he was nervous. Ryder didn’t get nervous, but I could see it then. He was nervous at my reaction. He needed me. My breath hitched when he turned one side of his mouth up into a smile.
“It’s okay, I know that it’s not—” I stopped him from saying any more by leaning over and slamming my mouth against his. I couldn’t hold back anymore. The kiss was heated, passionate, and rough. My hands curled themselves into his hair as his hands moved to my waist. He groaned as I deepened the kiss. I lifted myself up and swung my leg over the centre console trying to move over to him, needing him closer. Realising what I wanted to do, he lifted me slightly and pulled me over to his side of the car so I was sitting across his lap with my knees on either side of his legs.
“Bailey.” He mumbled my name into my neck before kissing the sensitive skin around my collarbone. “I need you. So bad.” My fingers found their way under his shirt, trailing across his stomach. Somewhere in that moment, I decided to give in to my feelings and let him know how I really felt. I needed him, too.
“Take me.” I gasped when I felt his teeth graze across the top of my shoulder. I slipped his jacket over his shoulders and tugged open his shirt. He sat forward and slid it off, throwing it somewhere in the backseat.
“You sure?” He looked up at me, seeking confirmation. I nodded and pressed my lips to his. That was all the confirmation he needed.
“I’m yours,” I whispered.