The next day at school, I had given Steff a proper answer. Now, here I was smoothing down my outfit for the millionth time as I waited for Duckie to come pick me and Andie up. There had been an agreement to meet at prom rather than have Steff come pick me up and now I was regretting it. I looked over at Andie and took a deep breath.

"Where is Duckie?" I asked, my hands starting to shake. "He should have been here by now." Andie came over and hugged me tightly.

"You're regretting saying you'd meet Steff at the dance aren't you?" she said as she carefully smoothed my hair. I nodded against her shoulder as I tightened my grip on her. I squeezed my eyes tight and silently prayed I wouldn't start crying. "It's ok (Y/N). Duckie will be here soon and it isn't that long a drive to the hall. You can make it." I nodded again and took a deep breath before pulling away. I gently wiped under my eyes and nodded again.

"You're right. This is silly." I acknowledged and Andie smiled at me like she was hiding something. "Wait a second." She turned away from me and went to put on her shoes. I followed her. "Something's up. You're hiding something." I pointed at her and tried to fight the nerves that were building. What if Steff had changed his mind and wasn't going to prom anymore? What if he just didn't show?

"Stop your little what if game." Andie's calm voice broke through my thoughts. "Even if I was hiding something, what makes you think it's something bad? Maybe it is something good." I opened my mouth to dispute her but was cut off by a car horn. Damn Duckie's new car and that infernal horn. "Let's go." Andie took my hand and gently pulled me down the stairs. She opened the door right as Duckie was going to knock.

"Wow." He said when he saw her. His attention got caught on me. "Double wow." Andie laughed as Duckie came in and hugged the two of us. "You both look absolutely fantastic." I smiled as Andie kissed his cheek. "Oh (Y/N). There's a surprise for you in the car. Why don't you head out to get it?" I rolled my eyes.

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to go get it Duckie?" I scoffed. He laughed as I went anyway. I shook my head and walked out the door. Looking over my shoulder, I continued to tease Duckie for making me go out to get the surprise. "Honestly Duckie. This is a..." Turning around, I froze. Standing in front of a stretch limo was Steff. His tie was undone and he didn't have his jacket on but he was smiling bigger than I had ever seen him. He bit his lip as he pushed off the limo and started to make his way to me. "Piss poor surprise." I finished. I didn't notice Duckie and Andie had moved to the porch or that Andie was taking pictures.

"Hi." Steff whispered as he reached me. His voice broke me out of my trance and I practically threw myself at him to hug him. Steff laughed loudly as he caught me, picked me up and held me as tightly as he could.

"Hi yourself." I laughed as he put me back down. Seff's hands were on my waist and I laid my hands on his chest. The smile wouldn't leave his face and I doubt mine did either. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at prom." Steff chuckled as he gently swayed us back and forth.

"Well about halfway through getting ready I realized that I didn't want to see you all dressed up for the first time in a room full of our classmates. And that's when the call from Andie came. She said you were a mess. Nerves or something." Steff shrugged. "So I got Duckie's number from her, told him I would meet him at his with the limo I had rented anyway, and we would pick you two up together." He cast a look over my shoulder and smiled again. "So here I am, barely finished getting ready because by the time I got to Duckie's house we were running late." His hand sweeped down the length of his torso before settling on my waist again. I giggled as I gently patted his chest.

"That's ok." I said as I reached up to tie his bowtie. "All that means is I get to help you out a little." Steff watched my hands as I tied the intricate bow. I bit my lip as I straightened it out and patted his chest when I finished. "Now go get your jacket and put it on and you'll be ready." Steff leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before running back to the limo. He leaned in and grabbed the jacket, putting it on as he made his way back to me.

"All set." he smiled as he reached me again. Taking my hand, he walked me back to the porch to join Andie and Duckie. "You look wonderful Andie." Steff said as we reached them. In the short time that Steff had actually joined our little group, he actually got along with Andie and Duckie. They were still a little wary of him but accepted that he was going to be there as long as I was so they put up with him. And I knew that.

"Thank you Steff." Andie said. I could tell she was holding back a comment about his suit being the same one he wore to junior prom but figured if she didn't say it I would let it slip. After all, so was Duckie. She shared a look with me and shook her head. I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head. "Did you get the limo Steff?" Steff looked behind him and nodded.

"Yeah. I figured I might as well make an entrance." he turned back around and looked down at me. "Being my last year and all. And seeing as we're all going now, I thought that maybe it would be more comfortable than trying to cram into a car." Andie snickered as she turned into Duckie's shoulder. I shifted next to Steff uncomfortably while he pretended not to notice, even though I saw a look of disappointment pass across his face. I felt the slight shake of his hand and put on a fake smile.

"Well if we are going to be on time we should head out." I said as I gently pulled Steff towards the limo. "Don't worry. We can ditch them once we get to the dance." I had pulled him close and held onto his arm tightly. I kept my voice low and made sure that only he could hear. He nodded and held me closer than before. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." He whispered and smiled down at me. We had reached the limo and he opened the door for me. I slid in with a smile up at him and he followed. Andie and Duckie soon followed and we were off to the dance. The two of them occupied themselves as Steff and I quietly talked about an assignment we still had to complete.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the hotel. Leave it to the school to hold prom at the exact same hotel as last year. As we got out of the limo, Steff leaned over so he could whisper in my ear. "You know I even rented a room in case you don't want to hang around this shit show anymore." He leaned away after kissing my cheek. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him. "Oh come on (Y/N)." He took my arm and started to lead me into the hotel. "You remember how boring it was last year. And I know something we could do that is definitely not boring up in the hotel room." He winked at me and I looked at him in disbelief. I yanked my arm out of his hold and turned to fully face him.

"Oh my God Steff!" I hissed. He looked at me like he didn't understand. "We just started dating! I can't believe you!" Steff shrugged as if it was nothing. But his face had taken on a more serious tone.

"What did you expect from me?" He asked. "I thought you knew what you were getting when you agreed to go out with me." I shook my head and laughed quietly.

"I should have known." I looked him in the eye without a sense of wonder for the first time that night. "You're a bigger whore than Benny ever was." I regretted the words as soon as I said them but there was no taking them back right now. I was mad Steff had even suggested the hotel room and I was going to show him that. The wounded puppy look appeared on his face for a second before his face hardened.

"Is that what you think?" His voice slowly got louder and I knew Andie and Duckie could hear our conversation now. "If that's what you think why did you ever get involved with me in the first place?" Fire burned in his eyes and his hands clenched at his sides. "You know what, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know the answer." He chuckled darkly. "To think that I did all this for you."

"Yeah?" I asked. My voice was growing louder too. "Then why did you ask me to prom in the first place? To take advantage of my crush on you? Just to take me to some hotel room and find something better to do than prom? Why me Steff? When there's so many girls in there just itching for the chance to sleep with you. Why me? Of all those girls who are prettier and have everything you could dream of. Why did you choose plain old me?" I felt close to hysterics and suddenly wondered why Steff wanted to be with me at all. Because it felt like it was becoming abundantly clear. "Don't answer that." I choked out. "I really don't want to know the answer to that. I really don't." I quickly brushed away the few tears that escaped and pushed past Steff into the hotel ballroom. Andie followed me and quickly led me to the bathroom to help me control myself. I didn't even hear him calling out for me and I definitely didn't see his face.

"I'm sorry (Y/N)." She kept saying as she rubbed my back. I was leaning over the sink and trying to will the crying to stop. I still had to sit with him since there was no moving seats but knowing Steff and the fight we just had he'd be walking around talking to all his friends. "You can sit next to Duckie. I'll take your spot at the table." I looked up at her through the mirror and shook my head.

"No." I took a deep breath and pushed my hair away from my face. "I want to show him he didn't break me." Andie smiled at me and nodded. She knew what I was going to do. She had done it last year to Blane after all. "Let's go." We walked out of the bathroom and sat down at our seats. Steff and Duckie were already sitting down and they both got up as Andie and I came up to the table. Duckie whispered something to Andie as he pulled out her chair. She shook her head and smiled at him. Duckie nodded and quickly moved to get my chair but Steff was faster. "Thank you Steff." I said coldly. I could see Steff swallow. He nodded and took his seat again. For the entire dinner, I ignored him as best I could. I kept shooting glances over at him only to find him watching me with pain in his eyes. "Remind me again why you let Andie go after Blane last year Duckie." I teased as Duckie tried to sneak his arm around Andie before she caught him. I didn't even notice Steff shift in his seat or that his hand was now closer to mine on the table. Duckie blushed a bright red before clearing his throat and standing up. He held his hand out to Andie.

"Wanna dance?" He asked her quickly before I could tease him anymore. I laughed as Andie took his hand. She shot me a sympathetic look before following him to the dancefloor. I sighed as I went back to playing with the food that was set in front of me.

"(Y/N)." Steff whispered as he leaned closer to me. I looked up at him and noticed that his bowtie was undone again. My hands itched to reach forward and redo it for him but I fought the instinct.

"Don't Steff." I warned as I got up and made my way across the room to where Andie was beckoning me over. It didn't take long for Steff to get up and make his way around the ballroom talking to the various people he knew. The next hour was spent sharing glances across the room and looking away ashamed when we got caught. Letting out a sigh, I moved Duckie's arm off of me and started to walk back to the table. I didn't realize Steff had his eyes on me or that he was making his way back to the table as well. I sat down and watched everyone enjoying themselves. As much as it pained me to admit, Steff had been right.

"Care to go up to that hotel room now?" I swallowed as Steff offered me his hand. I nodded sullenly and took his hand, clearly surprising him. We were silent while Steff led me through the hall to the elevators. Andie and Duckie caught my eye as we passed and I gave them a reassuring smile. When we reached the elevators, Steff pushed the button before shrugging out of his jacket. He held it up in offering before gently putting it over my shoulders. I pulled it closed and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks." I whispered. He nodded and gently guided me into the elevator when the doors opened. We stood in silence as it made its climb. "I'm sorry for what I said Steff. I was mad. I...." I trailed off. He looked down at me confused. "I didn't mean any of it. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to go out with you and I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't like that. If I didn't like you the way you are." I looked up at Steff. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth but was cut off by the doors opening. He bit his lip and gently ushered me down the hall. We stopped halfway down and he opened a door. Stepping aside, Steff let me enter the room first. A small gasp left me as I took in the fact that Steff had gotten a normal hotel room.

"I knew if I showed off, you would tell me I didn't have to spend that much money on you. I knew I had to do something simple. Something that fit you." He stood behind me, close enough that I could feel his body heat. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. "I think this suits you perfectly. All we need is right here. A TV. A bed." He turned his head and kissed my cheek. "And each other." I let out a gentle sigh as I turned around to face him. I backed him up against the door, closing it as his back hit it. Leaning up, I kissed him for the first time since we arrived at the hotel.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered against his lips. Steff pulled away and bit his lip.

"I didn't get the room for...what you think." He sighed as he gently pushed me away. "I'm sorry for insinuating that it was. I'm sorry for making you feel like you weren't good enough. I'm sorry I said any of the things I said. But most of all, I'm sorry that I hurt you tonight." Steff pushed past me and sat down on the bed. "You asked why I didn't ask anybody else. I asked you because I think you are the most beautiful, gorgeous person I have ever met. They don't have everything I ever dreamed of because you do. Hell you have things I never even thought I would want. You asked why I didn't sleep with them. I don't want to sleep with them. I want to sleep with you." He held up a hand to stop the argument that he knew was going to come from me. "Not now. Probably not for a while. Eventually yes. But not right now. I just want to spend time with you tonight. Watching TV. Talking. Being ourselves." He looked me over as I started to walk over to the bed. "That's what I meant when I said we could do something more fun than prom. Not what you thought I meant." Steff stood up and stood in front of me.

"I really am sorry Steff. All of this..." I looked around the room and bit my lip as my gaze settled on Steff again. "It's proven that I'm wrong. And I have no shame in admitting that to you. I'm sorry I underestimated you. I'm sorry I called you all those things. I'm sorry I said all those things." I gently ran my hands over his chest and tried to fight the tears that were making an appearance again. "I'm so sorry Steff." I let my head fall against his chest and felt Steff wrap his arms around me tightly.

"It's ok (Y/N)." He gently rubbed my back. "It's ok." He gently lifted my chin and leaned down to kiss me. I smiled into the kiss and held onto him tightly. Steff pulled away and looked over me. "Let's watch some toons yeah?" I giggled and nodded. "Yeah? Alright." He let me go to turn on the TV and find a channel. I settled on the bed as Steff played with the volume. Smiling, he turned to see me already getting comfortable. I patted the spot next to me and Steff laughed as he climbed up on the bed next to me. Kissing me, he pulled me close so I could rest my head on his chest. We smiled at each other as we settled in. Even though it had been a rocky start, it was the best prom I had ever been to. All because I had Steff.