A/N : Hey guys. Some of you asked me to update more often. So imma have a goal for each chapter. If I accomplish it, I'll post two chapters instead of one every Tuesday and Friday. The goal for this chapter is 25 votes, 20 comments, for me to post two chapters next Tuesday. Until next time :) Happy reading!

PLAYLIST : Cry Cry Cry - Scott Helman

     Some things are easier said than done. Prom was just two days away and I still didn't have a date. Not that I was searching for one, or asking out guys, but I figured that someone would ask me out. I wasn't that inconspicuous after all. But no one did. Well, no one except Cabe.

     And Cabe was the exact reason I wanted a date. Another reason was, to not look like a third wheel.

     Tiffany and Shayna both had dates, and I'd be the only one single. I knew Tiffany won't let me feel left out, but it would still be awkward. I didn't think about this when I acted high headed with Cabe.

     "What are you day-dreaming about?" Olive nudged me from behind in biology class.

     "Who are you going with to prom?" I whispered to her when the teacher wasn't looking.

     "No one."

     "You don't have a date? Me too." Atleast I won't be the only one who turns up alone.

     "I'm not going to prom."

     "What? Why?"

     "I don't have time for prom. I'm going to a study group."

     I jumped at the opportunity. "Can I join you too if I don't find a date?" This could be a good excuse.

     "Yes, of course. Why would you even want to go to prom? It's just a waste of time. Prom is just awkward for girls like me."

     "That's not true!"

     She just shrugged. Mr. Crosby was dangerously close to calling us out for talking. So we paid attention to the rest of his class.

     Though I didn't want to admit it, deep down I felt like it was true. That prom would be awkward for me too.

     I didn't even buy a dress. I never got around to it. It was like I subconsciously knew I'm gonna be dateless. And going with Cabe was a no-go.

     But if I do find someone in the last minute, I could always borrow something from Gina.

~~~

     Sitting in the cafeteria, when Tiffany and Shayna later asked me about my date to prom, I tried ignoring the question. But it came to a point where I had to tell them.

     "I can't come alone," I said in despair. "I'm not going with Cabe."

     Shayna looked up from the mirror in her hand. "What's wrong in going with Cabe?"

     "He wants me as a last option because he couldn't find anyone else and doesn't want to go alone."

     "Then you can't go with him," Tiffany protested.

     "I know," I groaned. "But I don't want to go alone."

     "We're all going to be there," Tiffany reassured me. "You can come without a date."

     "And look awkward? No, thank you."

     "Then find a date. Or better yet," Tiffany said, "I'll find one for you."

     I could agree to that. "Fine. Anyone who's not Cabe will do fine."

     Tiffany leaned forward in her chair and put her hands on the table, thinking deeply. "Hmm . . . The only friend I've got who's single right now is Derek."

     I stared hard at her. "Are you punking me?"

     "I'm serious. You two can get to know each other better. And-"

     "I don't want to get to know him," I interrupted her. "One meeting with him was enough for a lifetime."

     Shayna snickered. Tiffany tried to convince me that Derek's alright. But I didn't listen.

     "He's the only single guy I know. Prom is just two days away. Everyone's taken. What were you doing all this while?" Tiffany asked.

     That was a good question. But I didn't have an answer to it.

     "Why are you forcing Vivian to go with Derek?" Shayna asked. "He's a player."

     "It's just for prom. I'm not asking her to date him. And," Tiffany argued, "going out with a player is better than going out with your cheater ex-boyfriend."

     I rolled my eyes at that. "That's some seriously flawed logic right there."

     Tiffany gave me a look of utter exasperation.

     "I think I'll find someone myself," I said, not really meaning it. I didn't have the guts to ask a guy to be my date.

     Prom's going to suck. Tiffany would be with Nate and Shayna with Caleb. Yep, they were still dating. According to Shayna, she never got to the part of breaking up. She decided now to do it after prom.

     "Because I don't want to end up like you," she pointed out to me. "Desperately scouring for dates two days before prom."

     Hearing it that way, and from Shayna, made me realize how pathetic my situation was. I did the first thing that came to my mind.

     A jerk ex-boyfriend would be better than a vengeful soul any day. Cabe as my date didn't sound like a bad idea right now. At least, I can be sure that he's not going to ram a car into me. He was my last option too, so we were even.

     I saw Cabe in the cafeteria line buying lunch. When he was walking back with his lunch tray, I went to talk to him. I decided to agree to be his prom date. He saw me coming towards him and smiled.

     "Hey," he said, his voice warm as always.

     "Hi," I said when I reached him. We sat down at an empty table. "I hope I didn't take too long to come talk to you."

     "Not at all. Better late than never, right?"

     I felt myself relax. "Yah. Do you still want to take me to prom?"

     I saw him hesitate. "Viv, the thing is..." he trailed off.

     "Yeah-- ?" I prompted him to go on.

     "I though you'd say no. I asked you ten days ago," he said softly. "And . . . I have a date."

     He had a date!

     "Oh..." I managed to say. "That's...that's okay."

     He moved his hand over to where I placed my hand on the table and gave it a light squeeze. "I really wanted it to be you, Viv. But I can't cancel on my date. I hope you understand."

     "Yeah. Yes, you shouldn't cancel on your date. I totally understand. You have a good time."

     He scanned my face, searching for my true feelings. I hid them behind a smile. He let me down a second time.

     "I sure was looking forward to prom with you. But guess that's not happening," he said.

     I removed my hand from under his and put both my hands in my lap. "Yeah. No...no worries." Why was I fumbling?

     "If only you'd called earlier."

     What! Yes Cabe, I'm the one to blame. I was wrong to not say yes right away. I was wrong to ignore you for ten days, when you kept ignoring me for months after our break up. I had a sudden urge to yell all of this at him.

     Instead I said, "Maybe we weren't meant to go together."

     "You can find another date. I won't mind."

     Oh, the nerve he had!

     "What's that mean?" I asked, my tone sharp.

     His forehead creased in confusion. "We're seeing each other again, aren't we?"

     "A movie date as friends," I emphasized on 'friends', "doesn't mean we're seeing each other. Nor does the fact that I just agreed to be your date, which in any case, ain't happening." My tone was sharper this time.

     "Think about it, Viv. I'll wait."

     "Like you waited now?" I derided him.

     "This is different," he protested. "I can't go alone. I am nominated prom king."

     I didn't trust myself to speak. Better than yelling obscenities, I preferred to just walk away. Cabe caught my arm as soon as I got up from the chair. "Viv, wait."

     "No, Cabe." I slid his hand away. "Don't." I walked away without looking at him.

~~~

     "What were you talking about? You didn't just agree to be his date, right?" Tiffany asked when I joined her and Shayna back at our table.

     "No." I didn't tell them the reason.

     "Good. You can't go with him."

     "I'm not. I'm skipping prom," I announced dejected.

     Tiffany giggled. "I knew you'd say something like this. You're going with Derek."

     "I said I'm not going to prom," I repeated.

     "And I just told you Derek doesn't have a date. He's planning to come alone and flirt with every girl." Tiffany rolled her eyes. "But, you both can go together."

     I straight away refused. Seeing my expression, Tiffany realized that I was serious about this and she couldn't coax me. Her face fell. "Crap!"

     "Oh, this is going to be fun," Shayna said through her laugh.

     I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

     "I just texted Derek that you'd be his date," Tiffany mumbled.

     I thought I heard it wrong, because her voice was barely above a whisper. When it became clear what she said, I was horrified.

     "What did you do that for?!" I yelled. A few heads turned in our direction. I lowered my voice. "Why?"

     "Because that was the logical thing to do. I thought Cabe changed. I can see that he's still the same. As your best friend, I took charge and decided you cannot give him a second chance."

     "But why Derek? I never asked you to text him!"

     "You paint him as Satan, Viv. He's not."

     I struggled to keep my voice even. I thought I was going to have a panic attack.

     "He'll be a better date than Cabe anyway," Tiffany continued.

     I shook my head. Regaining my composure, I asked, "Does he think I agreed to it?"

     "Yes. Obviously."

     "What exactly is the obvious part here, Tiffany?"

     She furrowed her brow. "Because I'd only text him after asking you, right?"

     I laughed at the irony of it. Prom wasn't going to suck now. It just turned into a full fledged disaster. How I was going to wiggle out of it and refuse Derek was beyond my thinking ability.

A/N : Thank you for reading! If you liked the chapter, please don't forget to vote, comment, follow, share. Love, Ara.

# Would you rather have unlimited free books for a lifetime or live inside your favorite book?

This chapter is dedicated to zoubaf for being such a great supporter of this book <3 Thank you so much for everything!
Her book Saving The CEO is a cute new adult love story. You guys are gonna love it so check it out.