A/N: I've been trying to keep my chapters short on this story. What do you think? Is 4000 words too long?              

We were led into the entrance to a large hall by one of our female teachers, Mrs. Lulberry. She was an uptight lady who was known to be a stickler for the rules, especially those regarding the uniform. She eyed us from behind her round glasses as Victoria and a few others led us to the entrance of a large ballroom. The building smelled like wood polish and the paneled walls had intricate details in the dark wood and there were detailed carvings around the tall windows. The two doors were much larger up close and the ceilings were vaulted with a banner hanging above the entryway welcoming us in a formal font. The narrow-boards of the glossy pine floors seemed to point the way to the end of the hall into the ballroom.

There was one bus-load of girls who had gotten there before us and they all stood in groups with nervous looks at the boys who stood off to the sides with disinterest. The room was larger than I thought possible and I realized it was an auditorium with all the chairs removed and replaced with round tables with white table cloths. There was room between the tables and an open area near a stage whose navy-blue curtains were drawn closed.

The boys wore dark blue blazers over their white dress-shirts and their red ties stood out with thin navy stripes. Their pants were black and their shoes varied from a glossy black to a soft beige. When Victoria entered with Tia and me on either side of her, a few boys we knew, wasted no time in approaching. I saw that up close, their blazers had their school crest on them and some red stitching along the ends of their sleeves and around their lapels.

"Kate, you look different with your hair curled." Tommy insisted with a suggestive smile as he joined us with Paul, Dwayne, Joe, and a guy whose name I didn't remember, but I recognized him as a football player.

"Yeah. It's a lot of work to curl it." I laughed awkwardly when I caught sight of the guy that I had kicked into the pool staring daggers over at me when he figured out who I was.

"You look great." Dwayne told me, pulling me into a hug. I was relieved to hug him back because I had anxiety about the whole thing and it had only gotten worse when that guy had spotted me.

"You do, too. I've never seen you in your silly uniform." I laughed when he let me go and I ran my fingers along his lapel and straightened his tie, making him smile.

"How's soccer going? I heard you guys made it to the play-offs this weekend." Dwayne said with excitement and a tinge of pride.

"You mean girls." Tia insisted as she appeared by my side along with Shane on my other.

"It's all thanks to Kate." Shane said, throwing an arm over my shoulders. I raised an eyebrow.

"Shane, you're like the best player on the team." I argued.

"No, I'm not- Well, we're equally as good." Shane corrected, making me laugh.

"I'm not even sure if that's correct English." I mused, making Dwayne laugh as Tommy and Ryan joined Dwayne while Paul and the other football players seemed focused on Victoria.

"Who do you want to go with to the Formal, Kate?" Ryan grilled me, making me blink.

"Oh, uh, my boyfriend, but he doesn't go here, so I guess I'm going alone unless someone wants to take me as a friend." I blurted out seeing the looks of surprise and disappointment on all their faces.

"Woah, since when?" Tia asked, seeming to get half of Victoria's groups' attention as they all swung over and I felt like I was claustrophobic suddenly.

"Since... like a few weeks ago? I don't know..." I murmured, not even sure when I would've considered us together. Maybe when I went to his house and fucked him all night? Or maybe when he took me on his desk? I felt horrible guilt at the look on Dwayne's face. He had a friendly smile in place but it was subdued by the sadness in his expression. I could tell the news had knocked the wind out of his sails.

"How did you meet a guy that doesn't go here?" Tia demanded, as Victoria heard and appeared amongst her cronies with Paul following her.

"What's going on? Why do you all look like Kate just told you some shocking news?" Victoria demanded.

"Kate has a boyfriend that doesn't go here." Tommy frowned as more boys seemed to join the group and I felt like I couldn't slip away if I wanted to from the feel of all the body heat radiating from all around me.

"What? You didn't tell me that!" Victoria cried, bursting through the crowd and practically scooping me away as the girls behind me parted. I was relieved that I could breathe again in the open air, but I just left a bunch of disappointed faces and felt unbelievably guilty and mad at myself for saying anything. I hadn't planned on saying anything. I could've pretended to go with Dwayne and maybe he'd be too polite to try anything anyway. At least it would make him happy to think he had me even if only for the one dance. "Who is it?"

"I met him at a restaurant. I went out to eat in town one evening." I told her, almost telling partly the truth since I had in fact had a meal with Alexi at the start of our very odd relationship. I was still unsure if it was even a relationship and it was obvious in my voice that I wasn't completely confident.

"So, he doesn't go here?" she asked in shock as a few teachers looked over at us as she marched me towards the drinks table.

"Nope." I answered resolutely, swiping a glass of what I wished was Champagne. They hadn't checked my purse; I would've been fine to bring my flask if I had known.

"Well, can he come to the Formal? You can bring guests you know!" she cheered as I sipped my sparkling apple cider and caught my eye on a familiar person who joined the teachers in one of the corners. Mr. Montgomery had come with the fourth bus of students and more boys flooded in at the same time. One of the younger boys stopped close to us and Victoria turned to him in annoyance. "Do you mind!? Move along, you gaping idiot!" She snarled, making his friend grab him by his shoulders and pull him away from us with wide nervous eyes.

"He can't come to the Formal." I told her with a dramatic pout.

"It's a month away! Why not?" she asked.

"It's his work. He's not able to come." I said truthfully.

"God, that sucks. I want to meet him. Hey, can I meet him after school? When do you go see him? I can't believe we haven't met him." She was practically speed-talking now and the place was getting more and more crowded and people started drifting closer to us.

"I've only gotten to see him a couple times. Maybe we can go out somewhere, but there's not really any good restaurants and there're no clubs, just a gross bar." I insisted, knowing I'd never actually let her meet him or even tell her about him.

"Have you met him at the gross bar? Is he of drinking age? Does he live around here?" she fired more questions at me as another group of grinning guys cornered us.

"You're talking way too fast, Victoria. I'm like so distracted." I murmured, side-eyeing the guys. "Hey, can you go? You're both very...bothersome." I snapped, making Victoria cackle as we brushed by them out of the corner just to be cat-called by another three boys. Victoria shot them a dirty look and I found my feet taking me towards Mr. Montgomery despite the teachers around him and Victoria on my arm.

Victoria's main set of five cronies all surrounded us and Victoria told them the short version of my vague story. The only one who scowled at me suspiciously was Kayla.

In the larger group, the boys had less confidence to approach us and a lot of them just watched until they tried to catch one of our eyes before they sent us their most charming smile. It was only Paul, Tommy, and a couple others that had the guts to approach us again. Victoria clearly hadn't told Paul that she was thinking about going with someone else. He seemed to be under the impression that he didn't even have to ask her, but I saw her sneaky eyes scanning the hall for a potential replacement for her 'boring' boyfriend.

I could hear Shane telling the others that I was 'with' someone and Dwayne and Ryan had gone off to the food and were talking quietly.

"I'm going to go the bathroom." I said, extricating myself from Victoria's group. Most of them seemed glad to see me go since I had been getting a lot of attention from the various groups of boys who were looking over the group of 'popular' girls. Shane and the others saw me get up and I sent them a furtive wave to join me. Margaret, Gina, Jenna, and Shane were the ones that accompanied me towards the entrance to the ballroom. "Do you know where the bathroom is?" I asked them as Mrs. Lulberry got in our way.

"We're just going to the bathroom." Shane spoke up, making her nod with an unamused look on her face. She let us go when her attention was called away by a large man in a dark blue suit.

"So what's this about a boyfriend?" Gina asked, sounding actually excited about it as Shane pushed open the door to a boys bathroom and our eyes were met with two guys standing at urinals.

"Oh, god! My eyes!" Shane complained as the two guys wore looks of horror and almost pissed on their shoes as they tried to hide their dicks from us.

"Oh my god." Margaret gasped as I ignored the boys and went to one of the sinks to look in the mirror.

"Sorry." Gina called to the boys as they finished as fast as humanly possible.

"Just ignore them." I advised the nervous girls who all gathered around me tightly with wide eyes. "I wasn't planning on saying anything..." I sighed.

"Shane knows him?" Jenna asked, turning to a slightly guilty Shane.

"Uh, no. I know about him." She stammered.

"Our relationship- if it even is a relationship... is a little... taboo. He's older..." I spilled, hating myself for feeling the need to confide in my friends.

"He's not the Coach. So don't go getting ideas." Shane added helpfully, as the boys practically ran out of the bathroom with glances at us. They hadn't even washed their hands.

"Ew, they totally didn't wash their hands." Jenna said with a curled lip.

"He obviously can't come to the Formal. I was actually planning to just let Dwayne bring me and hope he doesn't try anything. I hate rejecting people. It makes me feel so guilty." I ranted.

"It's worse being rejected." Margaret frowned.

"You'd think that, but I think being the rejecter is just as painful." I argued.

"I don't mind rejecting people." Jenna smirked.

"You're heartless." Gina joked.

"Can you tell us his name?" Margaret asked, when the door opened and two guys stopped in their tracks at the sight of us. We had all turned to them and their mouths had dropped open.

"Come on. Let's get back. It smells in here." I said in distaste, feeling like there was probably urine all over the floors where careless boys missed the urinals and toilets.

"It totally smells like pee. I feel like I'm in a dog kennel." Jenna commented, making a few of us utter laughs as we followed her out into the dark hallway by a set of wide wood stairs. I looked up at the top to see a big window and wanted more than anything to hang out on the sill with my friends instead of braving the stupid social.

"You two need to break off from the group because boys are too nervous to approach more than two girls in a group." I told Margaret and Gina. "You guys look too good not to get asked." I smiled, seeing the gratitude in their eyes at my sincere compliment.

"How do you know they're too scared to approach a group? There are guys all around Victoria's posse." Shane argued.

"Shane! You know nothing. Guys are cowards." I laughed, patting her shoulder.

"Jenna, you should go ask Jiji." Shane whispered as our eyes located the two Koreans standing with each other and flirting with three Asian boys.

"I can't." Jenna squeaked, as Izzy, Rossie, Paulie, and Rossie's girlfriend came over. "Cho will be such a bitch. We'll end up having a catfight." Jenna grumbled with a glance at Paulie. Paulie just smirked.

"I love me a cat-fight." Paulie bit her dark lip. "I'll get Cho out of the way. Come on." She said helpfully.

"Go get some food and try to corner Dwayne or somebody." I insisted to Margaret and Gina, ignoring Izzy's outraged stare.

"What? Kate, I can't." Margaret hissed, with the most innocent discomfort on her round face.

"Come on. She's right. If we have any chance of being noticed we have to hunt." Gina murmured to her bravely. As they were moving off and Izzy moved closer to glare at me around Shane, I decided at the last moment to try to draw some guys to them. I hopped over to join them on the other side of Margaret.

"You guys should ask them. They're not good at saying no to a pretty girl." I insisted, seeing Margaret make the most horrified look at the idea. "Find one you like and I'll get him for you." I told Margaret as she practically hyperventilated next to me. Gina just chuckled. It didn't take long before I noticed a thin nerdy looking boy looking over at Margaret with interest. He looked about as nervous as her and I leaned close to ask if she thought he was cute.

"I-I mean I don't know..." she stuttered as I dragged her over to him.

"H-hi." He said when he could find his voice. I elbowed Margaret furtively and she uttered a greeting back before Gina and I drifted away to leave them alone together and the smart boy offered to get Margaret a drink.

"You're good. So smooth." Gina approved with hope in her voice about Margaret getting someone.

"Your turn." I whispered in her ear when a dark-skinned boy eyed us. I slipped away shooting Gina a reassuring smile as I went. As I was watching Gina chat it up with the tall, broad guy, I didn't see Izzy in time to avoid her foot. My toes hit the side of her Doc Martin head on and pain shot up my foot from my nails. I didn't fall, but I did stumble before straightening up to turn an angry, offended glare at the smug redhead. "You have no idea who you're messing with." I threatened in a low growl, as I thought about decking her, but knew that would put me in danger of being expelled.

"You're a dumb slut." She shot back, as I stood stiffly ready- daring her to try to attack me.

"Is there a problem here?" His cold voice made terror come over Izzy's features.

"No, I just stubbed my toe on her man shoes, Mr. Montgomery." I answered sounding unconcerned without looking up at him. He was standing close by my side and I could almost feel an electrical field in the small space between us, charging the air and drawing me to him like a magnet.

"You're bleeding. Maybe you need to see the nurse." He said emotionlessly, making me look down at my bloody toenail peeking out of my metallic gold shoe.

"What's she going to do? Give me a band-aid?" I asked sarcastically, before I could stop myself. I looked up at him to see him fighting a smile.

"Probably." He answered with amusement in his dark voice. "Miss Pearsal, you will be removed from the social if you can't act appropriately." His voice was so cold, it seemed to have frozen Izzy alive. He guided me away towards the door and I found that I was relieved to have a moment with him. He led me out of the ballroom towards the entryway, but stopped at the end of the hall beside the doors. "You look sexy as hell." He murmured to me, making my eyebrows raise in surprise and smile twist my lips even though I tried to hide it.

"I don't want to go to the stupid nurse." I grumbled, looking into his steel grey eyes.

"I don't want to take you to the nurse." He stated, making me wonder if he was telling me wanted to take me somewhere else or if that was just my own scandalous hope. "Are you going to take anyone to the Formal?" he probed, seeming to like the pout on my lips about not being able to take him.

"Probably not. I may've let it slip that I'm seeing someone that doesn't go here." I stated stiffly, watching his pleased reaction with relief.

"Your boyfriend won't let you take someone to a school dance?" he asked to my surprise.

"What do you think?" I asked honestly, wondering if he was telling me not to take someone or if he was suggesting I take someone as cover to hide our inappropriate relationship.

"I think your boyfriend would have to be insecure to think you'd leave him for one of them." He answered.

"Well, I wouldn't want him to be jealous if I danced with someone else." I pointed out slyly asking him if he'd be jealous.

"You have a right to dance with whomever you want. I can't imagine you'd be meek enough to let someone make unwanted advances." He said smoothly.

"No, I wouldn't." I agreed.

"I'll let you get back to the social." He stated calmly as he escorted me back towards the door. I didn't really want to take any of the Bartholomew boys- I wanted to dance with Alexi...

*

When I stepped back into the ballroom, most of the people had taken seats around the tables with food and drinks. I located Shane and Dwayne at a table with Tommy and a couple other Junior girls who I didn't know. I didn't see Izzy or Victoria around so I slipped over to the table.

"Do you mind if I sit with you guys?" I asked hesitantly, standing behind the chair between Dwayne and Shane.

"No, go ahead." Shane answered readily, making me turn to Dwayne with hope and sympathy as he smiled weakly up at me.

"Yeah, join us." He answered eventually. "You can have some of my food if you want." His voice was warm, but there was disappointment at the edge of his expression as I took the seat.

"What happened with that redhead girl?" Tommy probed, as I looked over to see the two girls looking at me with guarded expressions.

"Izzy?" Shane asked in confusion.

"She tripped me. She's mad about something I did, though I'm not sure what." I explained nonchalantly.

"Oh, she's just being a bitch. Where is she? I'll go talk to her." Shane said with instant anger.

"No, just sit. We'll talk to her later. You're supposed to be socializing." I put a hand on her arm to stop her from getting up and she relaxed back into her chair in response. "Are you two interested in going with anybody?" I directed my question to the two girls who looked startled that I had asked such a direct question. Tommy laughed.

"I was just going to ask that." Tommy smirked, turning to the brunette beside him with an alluring smile.

"The boys are supposed to ask." The brunette spoke up, turning to Tommy with an expectant look. He just let out a nervous laugh.

"Those rules are silly. If you like someone, you should go after them. Most boys are too stupid to get subtle cues. Sometimes you have to be direct." I shrugged, making Dwayne purse his lips and the two girls smiled.

"I don't think I'm stupid." Tommy said in offense.

"Neither of you two are. That's why I like you guys." I laughed, making Dwayne's eyebrows pull together as if he was surprised.

"Tommy, will you take me to the Formal, or do I have to wait the whole social for you to spit it out?" the brunette asked.

"Sure, Jen. I'll take you to the Formal." Tommy answered with a smile.

"Shane, can I talk to you?" a girl asked from behind us, making me spin to see one of the Sophomore girls from Victoria's group. She was one of the girls that was on the fringe and after a falling out with Victoria she had been trying to avoid her and her cronies. She had a dark-skinned friend who seemed to be watching in anticipation like she had convinced her to talk to Shane.

"Sure." Shane shot me a look of sincere surprise, but there was hope in her voice as she got up to follow her. The second girl at the table looked disappointed and I realized with interest that it wasn't Dwayne or Tommy she was interested in, but Shane. I had a hard time suppressing a smirk. Tommy got up when Ryan grabbed him and the brunette and their friend were having a hushed conversation all the way across the table. I turned to Dwayne and picked a little hotdog off his plate by the toothpick.

"Dwayne, is there anybody you're interested in? You should ask someone. You're too good-looking to go to the dance alone." I insisted with a sympathetic tone sneaking through. He didn't look out to the crowds of girls and instead had his sweet brown eyes focused on me.

"Actually, I think I'd rather take you... as a friend- that is if your boyfriend is okay with it..." he probed.

"I'd love that. He's fine with it. I already texted him about taking someone." I blurted out with a little relief and a little guilt. "But, I don't want you to waste your time with me. I'm sure you could have anybody..."

"I'm not really into anybody." He lied, looking at the table dejectedly.

"Well, there are quite a few that are into you." I whispered, making him turn to me in surprise. My eyes caught on Melissa watching us furtively from where she sat between Kayla and Michelle. Tia was on the other side of the table flirting with three football players and I saw Victoria across the hall with Paul on her arm as they talked with a few other guys. "I think Melissa likes you." I whispered into his ear, making his eyebrows press down and his lips purse.

"I don't really like her back..." he admitted, making a guilty cringe.

"It's okay." I patted his shoulder in sympathy. I knew exactly how he was feeling, but I didn't want to voice my thoughts because I didn't want him to take it the wrong way and be even more upset that I didn't 'like' him like that. "Hey, you should come watch our game tonight!" I cheered as I realized the play-offs were on our home field so we'd be right on campus. His eyes lit up.

"I wouldn't miss it!"