I couldn't not use the HSM scene for the boys. You'll see what I mean. Thanks for all the reads and votes. 

P.S. This chapter is dedicated to the birthday boy JahnduLeoCoetzee. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

-Megleigh2002- 

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(Emily, Rachel and Amy's Dresses above) 

Carson's POV - Friday

"Carson, chill," Eli told me, his hand placed on my shoulder. 

I nodded and took a deep breath. 

"I've never done this before, dude. What if I mess up?" I asked him, rubbing my neck nervously. 

Eli laughed and crossed his arms. 

"You worry too much, Carson. You'll be fine, it's just a dance." he said. 

I huffed and nodded. 

"Yeah, I know. Just help me out, will you?" I asked. 

Eli and Kyle looked at each other and shook their heads. 

"Okay, Kyle? You're the girl and Carson's the guy." Eli said, pulling Kyle towards me. 

"No, why do I have to be the girl?" he whined, earning a laugh from me. 

"Because Carson here needs to learn how to dance the guy's part, and because you're his friend." Eli said. 

"You're his friend too, why can't you?" he asked, crossing his arms angrily. 

Eli smirked. 

"Because you're more graceful and elegant than I am," he teased, earning a punch in the arm from Kyle. 

"Okay, put your hands on Kyle's waist and Kyle, put your arms around Carson's neck." Eli instructed. 

We obeyed, both feeling awkward and stupid. 

"Why can't we just ask Amy for help?" Kyle asked. 

Eli groaned and smacked Kyle upside the head. 

"Stop complaining and dance!" he yelled. 

"So, what do I do?" I asked, my hands still on Kyle's waist. 

"You're leading, so you need to be confident. Keep your hands on her waist and sway from side to side, oh and don't step on her feet." he said. 

I nodded and tried to sway side to side, Kyle silently obeying. 

"Like this?" I asked. 

Eli nodded. We weren't expecting what happened next. 

"What are you boys doing?" someone asked. 

Emily and Amy were at the door. 

Kyle and I sprung away from each other faster than lightening and avoided eye contact, whereas Eli couldn't stop laughing. 

"Are you teaching them to dance?" Amy asked, walking up to us. 

"No, I'm teaching Carson. He's hopeless." he said, laughing. 

I punched him in the shoulder. 

"Hey, I was doing as best as I could dancing with him." I said, pointing to a very red Kyle. 

Amy giggled and hugged him.

"Look at you, all red in the face." she said, squeezing his cheeks. 

He chuckled and wiggled his way out of her grasp. 

"Please don't tell Rachel," I asked the girls. 

Amy and Emily smiled and nodded. 

"You're secret is safe with us." Amy said. 

"Now, do want some help from an actual girl?" Emily asked, walking up to me. 

I nodded and chuckled. 

"Okay, you know the basics right? Where to put your hands? What no to do?" she quizzed me, placing her hands on my shoulders. 

I nodded, placing my hands on her waist. 

"Hands on the waist and no stepping on the girl's feet," I said. 

She smiled and nodded. 

"Yes, now sway slowly from side to side, from one foot to the other foot." she ordered. 

I did what she said and she followed my movements, swaying in sync with me. 

"Okay, this is basically what you're going to be doing most of the night," Emily said, pulling away from me. 

"And I've got it?" I asked.

She nodded. 

"Yeah, you're a fast learner." she said. 

"Thank you, Emily and Eli." I said, smiling. 

Kyle cleared his throat and shot me glare. I laughed. 

"And Kyle, for sacrificing you're manliness for a few seconds so that I could learn how to dance." I said. 

He laughed and hung his arm around Amy's shoulder. 

"Hey guys!" Rachel said, walking into my room. 

I beamed at her and held my arm out for her. She blushed and  walked into my arms, hugging me. I smiled to myself and kissed her head. 

"Where were you?" I asked her. 

She smiled and shrugged.

"I was checking up on my stuff for tonight." she said.

I smiled and nodded, but then realised something.

I didn't have a tux...

"Do you have everything sorted?" she asked me. 

I laughed nervously and nodded, feeling bad for lying. 

"Yep, all sorted." I said. 

"Can we please see your dress, pretty please?" the girls squealed. 

Rachel laughed and nodded .

"Come on," she said. "I'll see you there, Carson." she said, smiling at me. 

I nodded and waved goodbye. Once they were gone, I let my face fall and I turned to the guys. 

"I'm screwed! I don't have a tux!" I panicked. 

"What?" Eli and Kyle exclaimed. 

"What are we waiting for, we have to go now!" Kyle yelled, grabbing his wallet and his car keys. 

I grabbed mine as well and we raced downstairs, yelling a goodbye to Lisa and Samuel. 

~&~ 

"How about this one?" Eli asked, pointing to a snow white tux. 

I shook my head, a disgusted expression on my face. 

"Black, look for black!"I exclaimed, racing around the store. 

"Here's one!" Kyle exclaimed from the other side of the store. Eli and I ran to where he was, ignoring all the protests of the staff. 

"Size?" I asked. 

"I don't know, just try it on!" he yelled, shoving it into my hands and pushing me into the changing rooms. 

I quickly tried to change into it. Key word being 'tried'. It was way to tight. 

"Need a size bigger!" I yelled, shoving it through the small gap in the door. 

I stood there for a while, in the cold changing room, until Eli knocked on the door. 

"Thanks!" I yelled. 

I quickly put it on and fit perfectly. It was a black tux with a bow tie.  

"Perfect, go pay for it!" I yelled, quickly taking it off and handing it to Eli while I got dressed again. 

I rushed out of the changing rooms and to the cashier, where Eli and Kyle were counting their money. 

"Here," I said, handing them my wallet. "I promise I'll pay you back." I said. 

Kyle laughed as they handed the amount over. 

"Sure," he said, smiling at the cashier. 

"Enjoy your day," she said and handed us the bag. 

"Thank you!" we all yelled and rushed out of the store. 

"Now for the shoes!" Eli said. 

"Follow me, my fine men!" Kyle yelled and we sped off into the busy corridors of the mall. 

How do girls find this fun? 

~&~

It was finally the moment we had all been waiting for, it was Winter Formal. Eli, Kyle and I were standing beside the drinks table, waiting for the girls to arrive. We hadn't returned home, but instead went to Eli's house to get ready so we wouldn't walk in on the girls prep session. 

We were talking about the decor and how we felt in our tuxes, when the girls made their entrance. I watched as Kyle's eyes became glued to Amy's and how he smiled widely when he saw her. 

"You look amazing, Amy." he said, kissing her cheek, making her blush. 

Next came Emily. She smiled at us and twirled around in her dress, showing it off.  

"You look beautiful, sis," Eli said, giving her a hug.

 I looked away from them to search for Rachel, but I didn't see her. A confused frown made it's way to my lips, until I felt hands cover my eyes. 

"Guess who?" a voice asked. 

I smiled, and took the hands off my eyes and turned around to see Rachel. 

"My beautiful girlfriend?" I asked, looking into her eyes. 

She blushed and giggled. She then took a step back and gestured to her dress. She wore a white, lacy dress that looked really beautiful on her. I smiled and walked toward her, placing my hands on her waist. 

"You looked stunning," I said. 

She smiled and pointed to the dance floor. 

"Let's dance," she said, dragging me to the dance floor. 

Okay Carson, this is what you practised for...

I gave myself a small pep talk before I placed my hands on her waist and started swaying side to side, her following my lead. I smiled at her, feeling like I was on cloud nine. Over And Over Again by Nathan Sykes was playing loudly, booming through the entire gymnasium. 

We danced like that for a while, until something flashed through my mind. 

I was standing at the altar.

My beautiful fiance was standing before me, smiling at me.

"Carson Henderson, do you take this woman to be your wife? And do you promise to take care of her forevermore?"

I smiled and said, "I do,"

She smiled, but then her smile faltered. My eyebrows creased in confusion as she stared at my tux.

"Darling, what is it?" I asked her.

She looked down then back up at me. "I can't," she said.

I looked at her then asked her again. She looked at me.

"I can't marry you and your scars, I'm sorry." She said and walked away.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I watched her walk out of the church...

I hadn't noticed that I had zoned out until I felt Rachel's hand cup my cheek. 

"Carson?" she asked. 

I looked down at her, searching her eyes for the answers. 

Would she do the same? 

Would she run away once she saw what I looked like? 

Or would she stay and accept me? 

"Carson?" She asked again, cupping both my cheeks and looking at me concerned. 

I shook my head and smiled. 

"Yeah, sorry?" I asked. 

She looked at me weirdly. 

"You zoned out, are you okay?" she asked. 

"I'm perfect right now," I said, pulling her closer to me and into a hug. 

At this point, we had stopped dancing we were just standing there, holding each other. When she pulled away from me, I knew she still had questions. I smiled at her. 

"Let's enjoy the night we both looked forward to. We'll talk later." I said. 

She nodded and smiled at me, she buried her head into my chest. I smiled and we started dancing again. 

After a few hours of dancing, talking and picking on the food, Rachel and I decided to leave. I asked Kyle for his keys and told him to make arrangements for him and the rest of our friends to get a lift with Emily and Eli. 

"Where are we going?" she asked me, once we pulled out of the school's parking lot. 

"We're going to the park," I said with a smile. 

We drove for about 10 minutes, before we arrived. I got out of the car and rushed to her side, to open her door for her. We walked, hand in hand, into the park. We decided to sit on the swing set. 

"A dream I had a while ago popped into my head," I said. 

Rachel sighed and held out her hand. I smiled and took her hand, squeezing it gently. 

"About your father?" she asked. 

"No," I said, shaking my head and looking at the ground. 

"Your mother?" she asked. 

I shook my head and sighed through my nose. 

"I dreamt about my wedding," I said, looking to Rachel. 

She looked shocked; she looked at me with wide eyes and then she spoke. 

"What happened?" she asked, quietly. 

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the voices in my head telling me to run. I shook my head, trying to get rid of them. 

"Carson, hey? You can tell me, what's wrong?" she asked me, now standing in front of me. 

I took a deep breath and looked up at her. 

"I don't know how to know whether you're okay with me or not." I said. 

She frowned at me then smiled. 

"What do you mean, of course I'm okay with you?" she asked me. 

I shook my head. 

"All of me, Rachel. Are you okay with all of me?" I asked her, my voice coming out raspy. 

"Are you okay with all of my problems? Are you okay with my past? Are you okay with what I have to carry with me until the day I die?" I asked, looking down at myself. 

I looked back up and my breath hitched. 

She looked at me, so many intense feelings could be captured in her eyes. It overwhelmed me and I felt my eyes beginning to water. I quickly sniffed and looked away from her, awaiting her response that would either break me or build me. 

"Carson," she said, cupping my cheek and turning my head to look at her. 

She looked at me and smiled, stroking my cheek with her thumb. I looked back into her eyes and searched again for the answers hidden in her emotions. I sniffed and let the words flow. 

"She looked through my t-tux at my scars. She told me she c-couldn't marry me and my scars and then s-she left." I said, my voice breaking and sobs nearing me. 

Her eyes were watering now as she looked at me, so hurt; hurt for me. 

"I don't want to get hurt, I don't want my dreams to become a reality. I'm scared to hear what you have to say about me. I'm scared to see what your face is going to portray when you see my scars. I'm scared that I'll scare you away with my past. I'm scared that you'll leave and I'll be left alone. I'm scared-" I said, but I was cut off by Rachel's lips. 

Her kiss was soft and gentle. It felt as if she was forcing all her emotions into the kiss, like she was trying to tell me something without words. I stood to my feet. Her hands were cupping my cheeks. My one hand rested on her lower back, keeping her close to me, and the other was placed behind her neck. It was moments like these where I felt like I could do anything, where I felt like I was a someone. 

The kiss didn't last too long, considering we agreed not to participate in any intense kissing or making out. When she pulled away, she used her thumb to wipe away my tears. I hadn't even realised that I was practically sobbing silently. 

"Carson, you're scars don't define you and I accept all of you, forever and always. I won't ever leave you. I won't ever judge you. I won't ever run you down. You won't ever be alone. You'll never scare me because, most importantly," she said, pausing for a moment before she carried on. 

"I love you. I love you, Carson Michael Henderson. I accept you. I respect you. I admire you. I love you. You're perfect in my eyes and there's nothing in this world that would scare me away from being with you." she said, tears streaming down her face. 

I looked at her in shock. She loved me. She loved me. I felt the tears in my eyes becoming larger as they cascaded down my cheeks like a river. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if I could say it back. Love was so foreign to me. I wanted to say it back, but I didn't know whether I did love her. She smiled at me. 

"I'm not expecting you to say it back, I know you're not ready for that. You can tell me when you feel comfortable." she said quietly. 

I let a few tears fall as I nodded and kissed her forehead. She smiled at me and giggled. 

She loved me. 

My frown turned into a beaming smile as I pulled her into my arms. I rested my head on her shoulder and tried to control my emotions. 

I was flooded with relief, shock and happiness. Rachel had her arms wrapped around my neck, her head in the crook of my neck, holding me closely. She whispered "It's okay" and "Shh" into my ear softly, trying to calm me down. 

After I calmed down, I pulled away and looked at her. She looked beautiful even thought she had a red nose from the cold and crying, as well as red eyes. That thought made me wonder what I looked like at this point. She smiled at me and stroked my cheek. The relief I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn't contain my laughter. 

She must think I'm crazy 

I thought as I just laughed and covered my eyes with my hands. Rachel soon started laughing with me though. 

We were just two odd teenagers, laughing in the park at midnight in our homecoming attire. We were in our own little world, and no one else could enter except us.