Sierra came to my house two hours before the dance so that we can get ready together. She brought this huge makeup kit, and a curling and straightening iron.

Now, We both stand admiring each other in the mirror.

Sierra looks like a life size Barbie with her curly hair and makeup. She is gorgeous as ever. I stare at myself as though I can't recognize me. And I can't. My hair is straightened and French braided around my head in a waterfall do. The makeup around my eyes makes the green color pop.

"We're smoking hot," Sierra lets out a low whistle.

After a few touch ups, Sierra says, "Alrighty, I'm going to leave now, before Ray gets here so you can have your moment or whatever."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks, Sierra."

She gathers her stuff and bundles it all into her arms before shuffling out the door. I hear a few bangs and Sierra's angry words as she must be going down the stairs.

I stare into my reflection for another minute before leaving the room as well.

And there is a knock at the door.

I rush to the stairs to answer it, but my mom already is there with her hand on the knob. Really, mom? Haven't you ever heard that the date should be the one to greet?

"Hello, Miss Green," Ray's voice says.

I try to hurry down the stairs, but I am seriously uncoordinated with these high heels. So, I carefully take one step at a time.

"Hello, Ray! You look nice and handsome tonight," she moves to let him in.

He stops when he see me and grins. I take another step, my ankle wobbling. Is there an ankle strengthening class I should attend or something?

"You look beautiful," Ray says.

I smile, pausing on the step so I won't collapse. "Why thank you, good sir."

"Where are your manners, Jordan?" My mom asks, placing a hand on her hip.

"Manners? I called him a 'good sir' for crying out loud, mom!" I roll my eyes.

"This is where you comment on his charm and good looks as well," my mom explains.

Ray laughs. "Oh, I am used to this treatment by now. Jordan doesn't ever compliment my stunning good looks or heart stopping charm, she is actually quite cold hearted."

"Oh, the sense of humor this boy has... A keeper here!" My mom laughs.

"No, no, mom. I'm used to this. It's not a sense of humor, that's nonexistent in his vocabulary. No, it's arrogance. And he's a real jerk. Also, on second thought, I don't really want to go to this dance anymore. Have a good day, Ray."

"Jordan!" My mom squeals.

"I was kidding mom," I monotone.

Ray laughs. "And I'm used to her very terrifyingly realistic sarcasm. Shall we?" He gestures towards the door.

"Lets," I smile.

He holds out his hand and I take it before heading away to his silver Honda Civic.

Brace yourself, Jordan. This is what a school dance is.

******************************

"Whoa."

As Ray and I step into the gym where the dance is being held, I gawk at my surroundings. I suppose now is a good time to have potatoes thrown at me and be called a loser-nerd-face because this is the very first dance I've ever been to.

There are streamers, balloons, neon lights, glittery banners, food tables, blasting music, and dancing people.

"Care to dance?" Ray asks with a smile.

That word sends automatic panic through my body. Dance. Shudder. No, get out if that habit, Jordan. You learned how to dance. You can do this. It is no longer something to hyperventilate about.

"Sure," I let out in a strained voice.

He takes my hand. "Hey, it'll be fun."

"Uh, I'm warning you," I say, following him onto the dance floor, through the crowd, "I may step on your toes with these death stabby shoes."

He laughs, pulling me close. "I'm willing to lose a few toes for this."

As Sierra had instructed me, I place my hands around Ray's neck. The slow music makes me actually really tired, but that's no good. Eyes open, Jordan. No sleeping on the dance floor.

"So," Ray says, drawing back my attention. "Are you prepared to graduate so soon?"

I sigh. "I'm not sure. Some days I assure myself it'll be great. College, like really. But then I think of leaving and it gives me a bit of a heart attack."

He nods, chuckling. "A bit of a heart attack. Just a bit."

"Yes, that is correct," I smile. And trip over my own foot. Ray catches my wrist and holds me in place. I smile gratefully at him. "I mean, it feels like I grew up so fast. It's so weird, actually."

"I know what you mean," Ray nods.

"Have you decided what you're doing with your life?" I ask, regaining my balance on these death traps called shoes.

He looks up slightly and sighs. "Mom wants me to do what I want, but Dad wants me to become a doctor or something rich like that. I have zero interest in that though."

"Don't waste all your time on something you don't love," I advise.

"I guess so. I mean, it would always be nice to have a few extra bucks," he nods.

My ankle wobbles but I grip Ray's shoulder to regain my balance. "What would you choose over everything?"

He is silent in thought for a moment. "I want to own a restaurant."

I smile. Of course, Ray the amazing cook would like to be a restaurant owner. Nothing else would suit him. "That sounds wonderful."

He looks surprised. "Really?"

I nod. "Yes, something you love."

He looks unsure. "My dad told me that it would actually be a quite worthless job. Why cook food when you can save a life?"

I sigh. "There are plenty of doctors. And your restaurant would be so successful!"

He quirks an eyebrow. "Oh, good fortune teller, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

I laugh. "Just think about it. If I were you, I would choose which option would make me the most happy."

He nods, still looking away in thought. "What do you want to do? With the rest of your life, I mean."

I tilt my head in thought. I never really thought of being anything special. I always had those lame dreams like being a teacher or something. So, I reply, "Be Santa Claus."

Ray laughs. "Surprisingly, I can see that happening."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Are you suggesting that I'm fat?"

Ray laughs, rolling his eyes. "No, just handing out presents and singing all the time all merrily seems like your sort of job."

I tap my chin. "Maybe something to do with singing, I don't know."

He smiles. "You'll figure it out."

I shrug, "Yeah, I suppose."

The song slows to a stop and we both let go of each other. I look around automatically but when my eyes land on a huge chocolate fountain I gasp.

"Do you want to go get some?" Ray asks, laughing.

I nod, smiling and follow him towards the table. We both fill our plates with a variety of fruits and step up to dip them in chocolate. Holy guac and chips, this is what heaven looks like.

I hope my fruits have accepted death, because right now they're drowning in chocolate.

Ray and I walk over to a corner with no people in it and take a bite out of a strawberry. Wow, that's amazing. I haven't had a chocolate strawberry in years!

"Mmm, that's good," Ray nods, before taking another bite.

After we have both finished our fruits, I tell Ray that we can go dance again if he wants, and he nods.

Now we are standing in the middle of the floor with a new song. Ray smirks at me when we realize that this is not a slow song. I about die because I forgot that these kind of songs exist. I never learned to dance to this kind of song! I am going to make an idiot of myself. Great. Just great.

Everyone around me is moving to the beat, dancing and such, but here I am just standing like an idiot.

Ray smiles and laughs when he sees me. "Come on, Jor, you should dance!" He shouts over the music.

I stare at him. "You're kidding."

He raises his eyebrows. "No?"

I actually laugh out loud. "I can't dance, Ray."

He crosses his arms and shakes his head. "Yeah? What was that a few minutes ago? I'm pretty positive you were dancing."

Oh, snap. "Well, that was different." Great excuse, Jordan.

Ray just raises his eyebrows. "Okaaayyyy, if you say so."

Lucky for me, the music stops altogether and nobody is dancing anymore. I turn my head like everyone else towards the front of the room, where the stage is. The student body president, Dahlia Michaels, stands before us. Some lecture, I assume. This beats dancing any day of the week.

Dahlia smiles brightly at everyone before announcing, "We are going to have a dance contest." Cheers and hollers and whistles. "Not just any dance contest, I am going to choose two random people to go head to head on the dance floor." More hollers. "So, the winner of this two person battle gets to take home the chocolate fountain." Screams and whoops. "The loser of the battle gets to stay and clean up after the dance with the student counsel!" And, the boos.

I try to blend into the crowd behind this really tall kid, Jeremy, and duck my head so I don't get picked.

"Alright, first contestant: you in the tux and pink tie! Yes, you!" I don't even let myself see who that is. Don't move, she can't see you, Jordan. "And the next contestant is: the girl hiding behind Jeremy!" All heads turn to me, so does Jeremy. I gasp, face turning red. No no no no no no no! This cannot be happening. No way. No flipping way.

My shoes have been glued to the ground. My stomach has dropped so far, I think it's what's weighing down my feet. I'm taking heavy breaths.

"You can do this, Jor. Let out your inner super cray-cray dancer," Ray whispers in my ear.

Usually I would have laughed and asked why the crud he used the word cray-cray, that big freak he is. But no, I'm standing completely still, staring at Dahlia.

"Alright, clear the floor! Eh, not you, missy! Get on back here!" Dahlia says through the microphone.

I stop in place and turn around, taking one tiny step at a time towards the center. It is now that I see who I'm up against. Jack Marvin, of all people. Jack Marvin, the sophomore I was forced to tutor. Jack Marvin whom is super athletic.

This is just swell.

Jack smirks at me and shakes his head. "So we meet again."

I nod my head, staring.

"Lets get this party started!" Dahlia says before cueing the DJ to start the music.

Jack is already busting out these super awesome break dancing moves that I can hardly even keep my eyes up with. I'm toast.

When Jack is finished with his little sequence, he turns to me, expecting me to dance. I open my mouth to protest, but all I hear is the roar of the crowd telling me to dance.

Okay, I suppose I shouldn't go down without a fight.

I bend down and take off my high heels that I can barely take a step in, and throw them towards the crowd.

There are whoops and clapping.

And I have no idea what I'm doing, but I start flipping my arms around and kicking my legs. Then I do some dance move, and I have no idea what it looks like because I don't know what the crud I'm doing.

Then I stop, out of breath. Jack begins right away, doing some really awesome spinny thing on his back. I just gawk at him.

Then it comes back to me and I do some spinny thing on my feet or something. And end it with some slow motion moon walking that I can't actually do.

And Jack, again, does some really super awesome move that I could never dream of. It kind of gives me a head ache. Wow. Just wow.

For my last turn, I just stand wide, bend down, and whip my hair in circles. Gosh, I'm dizzy. Bad choice. Bad choice.

"Alright everyone! I think we can all agree on the winner here!" Screams and hollers. "Alright, the person going home with a chocolate fountain is.... Obviously Jack!" Clapping and whistling and shouting. I feel my face going bright red. "And you, dear, are going to stay here and help clean up tonight." Clapping and whooping. Gosh, I really did make a fool of myself tonight.

I sulk back into the crowd where I assume Ray is, and he smiles at me. "Great dancing, Jor."

I glare at him. "Shut up."

He smiles again. "No, really. I can't do that. That was like a new invention of a dance move right there. It was cool."

What a nice attempt to make me feel better. Yet, he and I both know that I am a failure at dancing. He's just too kind to say it to my face. At least he won't try to get me to dance again.

And then I realize: "Uh, I sort of threw my shoes in the heat of the moment... Did you happen to see where they landed?"

Ray laughs. "No, I did not. I assume somebody took them, like how when people throw their hats at the crowd they're taken. You're officially famous, Jor."

I roll my eyes. "Famous for being an idiot."

Ray shakes his head. "Famous for being too awesome to take home a chocolate fountain. And being too awesome to get her shoes back."

********************************

"You can leave, you know."

I pop another silver balloon, putting the dead remains into the pile.

"No, I'm not leaving, Jor. What kind of guy would I be if I left my date behind?" Ray smiles at me and winks, taking another box of decorations to the supply closet.

Gosh, why does he have to be so perfect? Really, doesn't that kid have one single flaw? This is impossible.

Another poor balloon is popped and placed in the dead bodies pile. Sorry, Sir. And, I head over to the back wall to take down the banners. Oh, wait, I need to get a staple remover. I am not that awesome to pry out staples from the wall with my bare hands.

"Uh, Dahlia, where can I get a staple remover? I need to take down these posters," I yell across the gym.

"Oh, silly. A staple remover? Are you still feeling dizzy? Those banners are hung up with tape," Dahlia yells back.

I slap a hand to my forehead. Oh my freaking gosh, I am so stupid. Shame, shame again.

And I take down the posters. Without another word.

"Alright, guys! I think that about wraps this up! Thank you, thank you, you are free to go," Dahlia exclaims, and the room breaks out in applause from the student council.

Finally, I get to go home and sleep! Hallelujah.

Ray walks up to me and smiles. He takes my hand and we walk out of the gym together. His Honda is parked right outside the school, so we only have to take a few steps.

"That was fun," Ray says, clicking a button on his keys to unlock his little car.

I nod, letting out a tired laugh. "Sure was. Thank you, Ray."

He opens my door to let me inside before closing it for me. Then he gets in on his side.

"It was my pleasure."

It's now that I see myself in the rear view mirror. I almost scream. My hair looks like it went through a tornado. I look like a monster possessed lady. Apparently I did too good of a job hair-whipping.

"Oh my.... Oh my gosh, did I look like this all night?" I ask, looking at Ray.

Ray shakes his head. "You look beautiful as ever, Jor."

I sigh. He is really too nice to me. Really? Any other person in the world would laugh at me right now. Even I would laugh at me.

Ray pulls up in my driveway and walks around the car to open my door. He grabs my hand and helps me out of the car. Of course, my bare feet are freezing against the cement that is actually covered in snow. Just great.

And, I am swung into the arms of Ray. I let out a gasp of surprise. Ray smiles at me before carrying me to the porch. He places me on the welcome mat.

"Thank you, Ray. Really. Thank you so much. For just being you," I say, looking at my numbing feet. "You've been too great to me."

Ray smiles. "Jordan Olivia Green, I need to tell you something."

I laugh. "Oh, the full name. This can't be good."

Ray shakes his head. "Good? No, never."

I smile, looking into his eyes now.

"Jordan, I feel like I've known you forever. I feel like I actually know you a lot more than I know anyone else, and I am so lucky to. There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time now, but I haven't."

My breath stops and time freezes. My heartbeat is accelerating unnaturally. "You, Jordan, are absolutely wonderful. I've never met a single person like you. I have spent a lot of time with you, and I think you're the most beautiful, talented, and amazing girl I have ever known in my life. I really like you, Jordan. More than I ever thought I could like someone."

And before I can respond, his lips are on mine. I ignore the cold feeling spreading through my feet and up my legs, probably needing to be amputated tomorrow. I don't really care at this point. He holds me close, his arms around my waist. I bring both arms around his neck. I can feel him smiling.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for that," Ray whispers.

He tells me to have a good night, and makes sure I get inside before leaving.

I stop behind my front door and press a hand to my forehead. The butterflies won't leave my stomach. Ray Pearson just gave me my first kiss. And it was more perfect than I ever could dream of.