Vanessa

The theme for Junior Prom was A Summer Twilight and while it was more formal than the other dances in the sense that there was an upscale dress code, it still wasn't on the same level of sophistication as the Senior Prom and was held in the school gymnasium as opposed to a reception hall. The gym was decorated with silver tinsel hanging from the rafters and a projection of stars scattered all over the walls. A cutout of a full moon hung from the ceiling, in the center of the room creating the atmosphere of dancing beneath a summer sky.

Wanting to keep within the theme, I wore a black princess gown with sequins on the bodice and material of velvet. It was the most beautiful I had felt since well, ever. However, nothing could brace me for how hot Matt would look. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I first laid eyes on him strolling into Addison's bedroom where we chose to congregate before the dance. Very much against his will, he was forced into leaving his usual get-up of a leather jacket and jeans behind to don a tux instead. I was sure he absolutely hated every minute of wearing it but I was definitely eating it up.

"Oh my gosh," I mouthed to Addison, pointing at him when he had his back turned away from us as he grimaced at his reflection in her full-length mirror.

"I know, right?" She whispered back, fanning herself.

Making a face as he stared at himself, he loosened the bow tie at his neck. "I can hear you two whispering about me. I know. I look ridiculous." Oh, how very wrong he was. I admired the fit of his slacks and jacket imaging that's how he would be dressed on our wedding day.

Smoothing out a wrinkle in his pants, he exhaled. "Ok. Let's get this over with. The sooner we get to the dance, the quicker I can ditch this dumb getup."

***

Matt

I hated every minute of wearing that damn tux. It wasn't comfortable and I didn't feel like myself. To top it all off, Vanessa and Addison couldn't stop gawking at me which only added to how self-conscious the attire made me feel. Sidling up to me as we entered the gymnasium, Addison slung an arm around my shoulder. "You know, Mattie if you dressed this way all the time you might not scare people off from wanting to talk to you."

I glanced over at her letting my gaze openly travel down the strapless mini dress she was wearing. Lilac sequins shimmered, catching the light as she walked. "I would say the same for you but it appears that Prom is no exception for your usual parade of show costumes." She elbowed me in the ribs before sweeping the curled dark tresses of her high ponytail off her shoulder, showcasing a smattering of body glitter on her skin that looked like iridescent freckles.

"The school shouldn't dictate what we can and can't wear to Prom," I muttered as I fiddled with the button on my jacket. "We should be allowed to dress however we want."

I slid my sights onto Vanessa as we stopped walking so that Addison could adjust the strap on her heel. The only positive that came from the formal dress code was how stunning she looked. She had her hair piled on top of her head in an extravagant up do with tiny white flowers woven in and a few strands of loose waves framing her face. She usually wore little to no makeup but tonight, she had navy blue eye shadow smoked out all over lids and a nude lip and I was surprised to find myself actually into it despite my usual protests to Addison's full face of product that she favored wearing on the daily. Even though I tried not to stare too much, I could admit that her curves looked killer in the form-fitting top half of her dress and the corset style pushed her chest up making it impossible to ignore. It was getting harder to remember why it was a bad idea to reach out, grab her in the middle of the dance floor and kiss her passionately.

The silver jewelry she wore in her ears and around her neck only added to her allure completing the effect of looking like some kind of mystical fairy that ruled the forest at night after all the woodland creatures and gnomes had fallen into their slumber. She was really taking the whole Twilight theme the extra mile and I more than appreciated it. I could barely keep my eyes off of her as she floated around in her gown and smiled radiantly. I wondered if she was aware of just how breathtaking she really was.

That was why I almost didn't even protest when the girls begged me to take pictures with them at the photo booth. Almost. I was still wearing a tux after all and would rather not have that image be forever immortalized in the universe. However, they knew how to work their feminine wiles turning on the charm with their pouting lips and fluttering eyelashes and reluctantly I caved.

As we waited in line for our turn, Addison held up both her hands into an L shape to mimic a camera. She turned to me, a pronounced grin on her face. "We are in the creature's natural habitat and what do we have here," she asked putting on her best reporter impersonation. "It's a most unusual sight. A wild Matt sporting a black and white fur coat of some sort." She tugged at my bow tie. "He appears to be wearing some kind of a collar. Could the creature possibly be domesticated?"

"Knock it off, Addie," I replied, swatting her hand away. "Make your jokes. Get your laughs and your looks in because you will not be seeing this sight again."

"I know," she said placing her hands on her hips. "That's why we have to commemorate it with a picture." She shoved me in front of the starry sky backdrop. "Now quit your whining and smile."

The photographer proceeded to take several photos of us and even though I was forced into smiling on the outside, I was most definitely groaning on the inside. He got shots of all three of us, another with just Addison and Vanessa, then Addison and I followed by one more of myself and Vanessa. The last one was obviously my favorite and I happily accepted the printout from the photographer, being sure to tuck it away in my suit jacket for safe-keeping. I wanted to always remember what Vanessa looked like in that jaw-dropping gown, standing there with her arm linked through mine and a beaming smile plastered onto her beautiful face.

After Addison was satisfied that she had tortured me enough with pictures and remarks about how I was dressed, she scampered off onto the dance floor and I headed straight towards the first open seat I could find, wanting nothing more than to ditch what I could of my tux.

Vanessa followed and sat down next to me as I slid into a folding chair. She stared out at all of the couples swaying back and forth to a slow song and I nodded in their direction. "You can go dance you know. You aren't obligated to stay here and keep me company."

She had a wistful smile on her face before turning to face me. "I don't mind. We can find other ways to have fun." Giggling, she pulled two black paper napkins from off the top of the pile in the center of the table. "Do you know how to make an origami swan?"

Smirking, I propped my chin in my hands. "I do not but I'm guessing you do."

She nodded, sliding one of the napkins over to me and keeping the other one for herself. "Correct. It's quite easy and I'd be happy to show you."

"Alright," I agreed. "Sounds like a plan." We laughed as she explained the folding process step-by-step and I somehow still awkwardly managed to goof it all up. My origami creation ended up looking more ugly duckling than swan but Vanessa was right; it had been entertaining to at least try.

I held it up for her to admire before flying it into her face and booping her on the nose with it. "Caw!"

She giggled as she batted it away. "Matt, that's the sound a crow makes, not a swan."

I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "So? Then it's a crow then. It's black like one."

"You're a crow," she said poking me in the arm.

We chuckled some more before the mood was completely ruined by Aimee plopping herself down into the open chair on the other side of me. She gazed at me adoringly and I wanted to vomit. She had never approached me when Vanessa was around and I didn't know what she was going to do. Don't panic, Matt. I'm sure everything is going to be fine. I'm sure she'll behave herself if she sees that I'm with another girl. HA! Who was I kidding? That was likely to only amp up the crazy.

Her green eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked me up and down, her lips slowly curling up. "Don't you look handsome?" Stop.

I laughed nervously before chancing a peek at Vanessa. She was staring at Aimee, a prominent frown on her pretty face. Then I nearly fell out of my chair as Aimee placed her hand on my thigh, trailing her fingertips upwards. She crossed her legs and I felt the heel of a stiletto make its way up the leg of my pants. "Would you like to dance," she purred. Really, really not.

"No thanks," I said gesturing at Vanessa. "I'm kind of in the middle of some-"

I yelped as Aimee tugged forcefully on my hand, damn near yanking my arm right out of the socket. "Come on," she whined. "Don't be so nervous. Nobody here will even be watching us." I doubted that to be true as I could definitely feel Vanessa's icy gaze staring at us.

Sighing, I pulled my hand back. "It's not that. I just don't want to-"

She grabbed me even harder, slightly digging her nails into my skin. "Matt, I'm not going to take no for an answer," she said through clenched teeth. "It's my Prom and I'm not going to have you ruin it for me."

Aimee was a lot of despicable things and a master of the guilt trip was one of them. I gave Vanessa a helpless look but she just glared on, her lips slightly parted. It looked like I was on my own for this one. Aimee refused to let up, sinking her nails even further into me and not seeing a way out, I slowly nodded my head. "Ok. Fine."

Aimee squealed and Vanessa crumpled her swan into her fist as she watched her lead me out onto the floor which only made me feel like a complete jerk. How many dances had Vanessa sat by my side keeping me company even though I knew she wanted nothing more than to be out on the floor having the time of her life with everybody else? How many times had I protested dancing? Now here I was, being conned into by somebody I didn't even like and the one person that did deserve to be swaying along to some romantic love song with a guy had to just sit there and watch.

Wrapping her arms around my waist, Aimee slid her hands down until they were cupped firmly on my butt as I stood there awkwardly with my hands at my side. Then she squeezed. And I'm not just talking about a light little press of the fingers like perhaps one was checking to see if the peaches at the grocery store were ripe. No, this was a good and healthy fistful of ass grab as if one were wringing out every last drop of water from their wet clothing after getting caught in a torrential downpour. "Whoa, hey there," I exclaimed jumping back about two feet. "You want to simmer it down?" I glanced around the gymnasium to make sure nobody had caught Aimee's grope show. It appeared that nobody had but I was also avoiding looking in the direction of the one person who I was most scared may have did.

Aimee ignored me, instead yanking me to her by my belt causing my hips to slam up against hers as she shimmied to the music. Not for the first time since I met her, the question "Is this girl actually insane?'' flitted its way through my brain. Sighing, I succumbed to her rubbing up on me before finally daring to look in Vanessa's direction just in time to see her flee the room.

Guilt tore at my chest and I wondered if she left because of me. Nice one, Matt. You just had to let yourself get carried away at the barbeque, didn't you? I had given in to a little bit of temptation and pleasure and now I was paying for it by being unable to shake Aimee for the rest of my high school days. I shook my head. Invented scenarios. You know that. Vanessa probably just really needed to use the restroom.

Nonetheless, I still didn't want to be here with Aimee. I wanted to be wherever Vanessa was. I pried her arms off of me, pushing them down at her side. "I'm done. I told you I didn't want to dance."

I turned to leave but she grabbed me by the elbow. "Matt, I'm not going to let Prom pass me by without getting a slow dance with someone. You're staying."

Groaning loudly, I let her snake her arms around my neck as we shuffled around on the dance floor until the song changed into an upbeat Taylor Swift tune. Aimee immediately perked up, turning around and pushing her behind up against my crotch before grinding up on it. I stared up at the ceiling, muttering to myself. Hey God, it's me Matt again. Do you think you can help me out just one more time?

I prayed that one of the chaperones would see and yell at us to break it up. It would be worth the embarrassment of a few snickers in our direction and give me the opening I needed to flee into the throngs of students, never to be seen again. Or never to be seen again for only a few minutes that is. I had to hit up the bathroom.

"There you are. I was convinced you ditched us because all this fun was causing you to wither and burn. I was prepared to sell my soul to find another way home thinking that you took off." Addison's lavender-colored heels clicked on the tile as she walked over to where I was laying underneath the stairwell in the hallway.

"How did you plan on selling your soul when you don't have one," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes as she sat down next to me, tucking her feet underneath her. "What are you doing out here? Did you and Vanessa have a fight or something?" She furrowed her brows as she searched my face for a clue.

I shook my head. "I'm hiding out from Aimee. She keeps touching me and shit and I don't like it."

"Well, you do look rather handsome tonight." Addison smiled as she made a fist and punched the air. "Do you want me to pop her? I don't have a problem shoving her around a little for you."

Laughing, I dragged my hands down my face. "Geesus, Addie. Is there any limit you have for the things you would do for me?"

She shrugged as I pulled myself up to a sitting position, taking out the flask that I had snuck from my Dad's liquor cabinet from my jacket pocket. I took a long swig before offering it to her. "Do you want some?"

Smirking she opened her silver clutch and showed me the contents of several nips nestled inside. "Already have that base covered."

I grinned at her as I clinked my flask with her bottle. "Well, cheers then my fellow delinquent and rule breaker. Welcome to the dark side. You won't love it. Saturday detentions suck the life out of me." I held up one finger as she opened her mouth. "Don't even say it."

"It was too easy anyways." She downed the entire bottle in one go, shaking her hands as the burn made its way into her system.

Another few shots worth of alcohol later, we were sufficiently tipsy and chuckling over things that wouldn't have even been worth a smile had we been sober. I gave her a long look as the glitter on her porcelain skin glittered in the dim light of the stairwell. "Do you even look at yourself before heading out the door? You look like some kind of a cosmic princess."

She gave me a shove on the shoulder. "At least you can still admit I look like a princess."

"Get over here," I said pulling her to me by her waist. "I'm going to wipe all of that stuff off of you. As your friend, I can't have you making a fool of yourself in public." I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her up against my chest and causing us both to tumble over backwards giggling. Yes, I was buzzed enough to giggle.

"Matt," Addison shrieked as the bottom of her dress rode up, exposing a flash of red panties.

"Addison Miller," I gasped. "That is no way for a lady to behave in the presence of a gentleman. Have a little bit of decency. Geesh." I pushed the sides of her hem down, my fingers skimming over her smooth thighs and had she asked, I would have denied that perhaps my touch lingered on her for a second longer than what was deemed appropriate.

She sat up, glancing over her shoulder at me as she bit her lip. "We should probably get back," she said, her voice low. I nodded but neither of us made an attempt to move. After several moments she let out a breath and pushed herself off the ground.

"You're right." My voice came out as a whisper but in the echo of the empty stairwell, it was loud enough for her to hear. "I am inexperienced with girls." She froze in place before slowly turning around to face me. My cheeks colored as I met her eye. "I haven't slept with anyone at all. The most I've ever done is let Aimee go down on me and it was just the one time."

Her eyes widened and she hesitated before sitting back down beside me as she stared straight ahead. "Matt," she began quietly. "Why are you telling me this?"

I shrugged. "Because I trust you." I fiddled with my hands as I looked down at my lap. "Addie, I don't have the faintest clue what I'm doing when it comes to girls. I don't know anything about relationships and I especially don't know anything about...um...sex," I said muttering the last word. I chanced a peek over at her to find her staring back at me, her brows knitted together. "Remember when we played spin the bottle and I told you that I had never kissed anyone before? You had to show me what to do by demonstrating on your hand."

She nodded solemnly. "I remember. "

I glanced up at the ceiling. "I'm nervous sex will be like that too," I mumbled. "I don't want to fumble my way through the whole thing." I took a deep breath. With me and Vanessa getting closer, these thoughts had been plaguing my mind for months. We were no longer at the age where relationships only consisted of hand-holding. If I were to enter into one with her, there was a very real possibility of us taking that next step when it came to intimacy and I wanted to be prepared.

What if on the off chance I was lucky enough to sleep with her and then she found out I was terrible at it? I didn't want to ruin any relationship we might have had before it even had the chance to get off the ground.

Addison gave me a small smile, clasping me on the shoulder. "Matt, I'm sure you will be just fine when the time comes. After all, you did alright for your first kiss." She chuckled softly. "And I should know. Didn't it just come naturally for you?"

"I guess," I replied shrugging. "However, I think it helped that it was with you." I looked over at her, meeting her eyes. "It was with somebody that I knew and was comfortable with."

She nodded. "Sure, that makes sense."

Biting my lip, I stared down at the floor. Addison and I were close but we never had conversed of this depth before. "Aren't you nervous for your first time?"

She gave a soft laugh causing her face to light up and her eyes to twinkle. "Not really. I'm cute enough that any guy that is blessed enough to sleep with me will be too psyched to even pay any attention to how I do."

Groaning, I dragged my hands down my face. "Well, isn't that wonderful for you? It's a lot more pressure for a dude, Addie. What if I can't last long enough? Or what if she doesn't finish?" I gestured at my lap. "Or what if I can't make it...work?" Panic gripped my chest as a new realization hit. "Oh God! What if she thinks it's not big enough? There's nothing I can do about that!"

Addison laughed and I wasn't sure how she could possibly find all of this to be as carefree as if we were discussing what shoes to pair with our outfits. "Matt, chill. You're spiraling. If you're really that nervous about your first time then just go seek out Aimee. I'm sure she would be more than willing to help you out and give you some pointers. I highly doubt anything you do would prevent her from happily coming back for seconds and thirds."

I made a face. "I can't stand Aimee. I'd rather practice on somebody that I actually like and am at ease with."

"Fair point," she said nodding as she turned away. "You ready to head back inside though? I'm sure Vanessa is convinced by now that we left without her."

She made a move to get up but I grabbed her hand, tugging her back down. I cleared my throat. "Yea...so like I said, I trust you."

Addison's mouth dropped open as she whipped her head to face me. "Matthew Caleb Jones, if you are proposing what I think you are, then I'm sorry. There is no way in hell that's happening. Go ask Vanessa. I'm sure she's just as scared about losing her virginity as you are. It will be perfect. You two could do your trial run on each other."

I shook my head as I dropped it in my hands. "She's not as confident as you are though," I muttered, exasperation in my voice. "Or as honest." Not to mention, she was the one I wanted to practice for.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, Matt. You seriously want me to grade your performance?" She yanked her hand out of my grasp. "No. You can just forget this hare-brained idea of yours." She gestured back and forth between the two of us. "This is just too weird and the only reason why I haven't slapped you yet for asking such a preposterous favor of me is that you're slightly drunk and I have to assume that all your rational thought has gone out the window. Besides, I want my first time to be special."

She looked me up and down, raising one eyebrow and the implication that I was anything but that stung more than I cared to admit. "I want flowers, candles, the whole works. No offense but if my first time is with you that will kind of ruin it for me." She gave me a pat on the cheek. "I'm sure you would make for a lovely first time for somebody else but it's not going to be me. "

I nodded as I mulled over what she was asking for. "Flower and candles. I can do that for you. See, Addie. This is what I'm talking about though. This is the kind of thing I need to know that you can help with."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "And that's supposed to convince me to get it on with you? Do you honestly expect me to jump at the chance to sleep with a guy for my first time just so he doesn't look like a bumbling idiot when it comes time to screw the girl he actually wants to have sex with? Tempting but no thanks."

I held up my palms. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that of you."

She smiled as she pressed her palms on either side of my face, giving me a peck on the forehead. "I love you Matt but I'm not doing that with you. Trust me. You'll be fine. Just don't think on it too much."

She held out her hand to help me up and when I grasped it, I used it as leverage to pull her up against me. Before she even had a chance to react, I lowered my lips over her mouth and moved my hands up to her face as I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before melting into me, parting her lips to let me inside. Moving closer so that she was practically sitting on my lap, she ran her fingers through my hair.

We kissed that way for several moments before she abruptly shoved me away and slapped me across the face, her emerald eyes as wide as saucers. "What the hell are you doing," she exclaimed.

"OW," I replied as I rubbed my cheek. "I was trying to get you to reconsider my offer but if that's any indication of what sex with you would be like then you can just forget it."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "That was a dirty trick, Matthew. You know I can't resist a good make-out session."

I sighed as I stood up, brushing the seat of my pants off before smiling and nodding in the direction of the auditorium. "Are you sure I can't convince you to change your mind? We can go in there right now and do it. I know that's your favorite spot for necking on all the guys."

She punched me in the arm. "I would rather never touch the lips of another hunk again than to go in there with you."

I laughed as I clutched at my chest. "Ouch. Tough audience." I slung my arm around her shoulder as we made our way back to the gym. "You know, Addie. I hope you thought this carefully through because you just might end up regretting that decision one day."

She poked me in the ribs. "I highly doubt it. At this point, Alex Banks has a better chance of scoring with Vanessa than you do of scoring with me. I think all you and I are ever meant to be is just really good friends."

A/N Sorry it's been a bit but hope the extra length makes up for it. Next update hopefully on 03/04. I just really wanted to make sure this chapter hit all the points I was trying to make.

Do you think Matt was wrong to ask that of Addison? Do you think she will tell Vanessa?

Side note: If you're a bad influence and you're reading this...hi. Please do not let my horse break loose again.