Once Skye and Levi actually made it to the dance and let things flow themselves, things were actually doing pretty great. Putting aside that this was a legit date, it was basically as if things were like what they usually were anyway, which is what Skye was aiming for. Their friends teasing them, everyone up to insane shenanigans (except in style), etc. Skye seemed to have prepared herself for every possible scenario, but there was one that she completely forgot about; the slow dance.

As everyone was in the midst of dancing like idiots to Party In The U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus, suddenly the slow song came along. Everyone around Skye and Levi immediately started to find their dance partners and "couple up", receiving winks from their friends while Skye tensed up as she realized what they had to do. It's not like she didn't want this, they had both imagined how this moment would go, but now that it was happening, Skye had no idea what to do.

"Uh, how do I-" she asked, trying to figure out what to do with her arms while Levi let out a chuckle.

"Relax." He assured her. "I'll show you."

Levi took Skye's left hand and placed it on his shoulder then her right hand on the other, letting her wrap her arms around his neck while he carefully placed his hands on her waist, not wanting to startle her at all. She looked up at him while he gave a gentle smile, which put her at ease.

Oh, so this is how it's done. She thought to herself. The start was kind of awkward, to be honest, but it's not like the two hadn't been close before, so they just needed a moment to ease into the whole slow dancing thing, especially Skye.

Looking into each other's eyes, Skye and Levi let the song take over them, making it feel like they were the only people in the room and ignoring all of the tension. It was like a trance that they both weren't even aware of, and neither of them wanted it to stop. Everything felt right, like it made sense. There would always be eyes on them, and this time was no different.

Skye quietly sang along, unable to contain a smile, one that made Levi grin and blush a little. He couldn't get over how amazing she looked tonight. Her beauty was so effortless to him like she didn't even have to try. Skye always felt like she had to try, but this past year? Not so much.

As the song reached its climax, it was like time stopped. Their eyes met again, then they accidentally (but not really) looked at each other's lips, then back at each other's eyes again. At that moment it was like something sparked in Skye, a new feeling emerging. It was a feeling that had been hidden in her heart all this time, aka having feelings for Levi. You know, the more than friends kind. Skye could feel her heart race, faster than it usually ever did when she was around him, and so did Levi.

The answer to the question Skye asked herself so long ago was as clear as day now; Levi was the one she wanted! He was like a double rainbow after the pouring rain, finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, a downpour after a year-long drought, and just many more comparisons that just showed how helplessly in love she was with the football-loving idiot from her chemistry class. How could she have been so blind before? The feelings had been there all along.

Before Skye could realize what she was doing, her hands trailed from Levi's neck to the cheeks of his face. Her right thumb gently caressed his cheek, and Levi reverted his eyes to her right hand then back to her. Once again, he could've easily kissed her, and this time she could've easily kissed him, but Skye snapped back into reality once Xavier ran up to them, and the two hurriedly stepped away from each other awkwardly, wondering what was so urgent.

"Yo, you guys gotta see this."

Skye and Levi followed Xavier, the pair side by side as they tread behind him, walking into the unexpected; a fight breaking out. The two fighting were both boys who had yet to be recognized. Everyone stood in a circle to watch, holding their phones out to record instead of breaking up the fight, although a teacher would definitely be on the move to break it up any moment now.

"Oh shit," Skye said along with Levi.

Standing in front of them were Nini and Danny who were both trying to determine the two fighters. Danny was able to find out one of them as he got a glimpse of his face, then immediately asked Skye to confirm this as she would definitely know once she got a look for herself. "Hey, Skye, isn't that Victor? Like, your ex-best friend's boyfriend Victor?"

"Yeah..." she replied, realizing that it was the infamous Victor Hernandez. Skye's eyes then moved over to Nikki, who was yelling in the front of the crowd for her boyfriend to stop fighting with the mysterious other guy. As she was freaking out, Nikki froze as her eyes met Skye's, but the shared look ended when Skye snapped out of it and quickly darted her eyes away from her ex-best friend.

But as the fight went on, the other fighter was found out by Xavier who let out the loudest gasp. Of course, he had to yell it out for his friends, but they were in for a real treat upon finding out the bombshell. "Wait, is that Hunter too?!"

"What?!" Nini exclaimed, the same going for Skye and Danny. "No way!"

"I gotta break it up." Levi immediately said, about to push into the crowd to stop them until he felt Skye grab his hand and yank him back. Even despite everything, Levi felt some sort of responsibility to stop Hunter from getting himself into an even bigger mess, but there was no way Hunter or Victor would get away with this scot-free.

"Levi, don't." She begged, looking at him with pleading eyes as he turned to look at her. "Please."

Levi let out a sigh and went to stand by Skye's side as teachers arrived in perfect timing to break it up, pulling the two boys away from each other and escorting them to call their parents, not forgetting to find a suitable punishment for them as well. They would most likely face some sort of suspension, but after students discovered a flask on the ground, it seemed that there would most likely be a bigger consequence for them.

The excitement of the fight died down as students made comments about how entertaining it was, also commenting about Hunter and Victor as well. Most of them didn't know what the fight was even about, but rumors already started to swirl, some of the rumors being absolutely ridiculous. Skye swore she heard her name come out of someone's mouth, but she shook it off and told herself that she was just hearing things.

"That's enough, everyone!" A teacher yelled over the chattering students. "Everybody go home."

"Damn, over a fight? Way to ruin a dance." Xavier scoffed. It would make sense for the dance to be cut a bit short so they could avoid another fight breaking out, but considering this was their last winter formal, it was quite a bummer. At least they had fun before the night abruptly ended.

"Eh, at least we still have senior prom." Nini shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right. Xavier, out." He replied, pointing finger guns as he randomly left the group. It was a fitting exit for him without a doubt though.

After Xavier's exit that made sense but didn't at the same time, Danny and Nini began to say their goodbyes to Skye and Levi as they had more driving ahead of them compared to their two friends. "See you Monday?"

"Yeah, see ya, Danny," Levi said, sharing a brief handshake and hug with Danny.

"Maybe we can make plans before Valentine's Day or something?" Nini proposed, a grin creeping up on her face as she hoped a yes would come out of Skye and/or Levi.

"Yeah, maybe," Skye replied hesitantly. Oh yeah, Valentine's Day was coming up sooner than they all thought. Skye couldn't imagine how that could go for her this year, and frankly, she was a bit scared just thinking about it now. For the first time in Skye's life, there was a chance that she wouldn't be single on Valentine's Day.

Nini took the answer and didn't push it further as she hugged Skye goodbye, squeezing her tight before properly leaving. "Bye, Skye."

"Bye, Nini." Skye softly grinned as she hugged her back, then let go and said goodbye to Danny as well. "And you too Danny."

"Don't quit being a gentleman, Levi!" Nini yelled out as she and Danny began to leave.

"Trust me, I won't!" Levi yelled back and let out a chuckle.

As the students dispersed, Skye and Levi stood in the crowd, not having prepared for their next move. Skye twiddled with her thumbs awkwardly as she looked around the place, then looked over to Levi to see if he had any sort of idea considering he would be the one taking her home. "So..."

"Wanna stop by a drive-thru or something?" He asked her. "I'm kind of hungry."

Skye hadn't eaten in hours at this point, and after all that drama, it too made her hungry and looking for a bite to eat, so she nodded and said yes. "Yeah, I could go for a late-night Big Mac."

"Anything for the lady." Levi grinned, which made Skye roll her eyes.

Skye wrapped her arm around Levi's as the two walked out of the gymnasium and exited the school, shivering once the cold air hit her. She immediately let go of his arm so she could hug herself in an attempt to get warm, which didn't prove to be very useful as she only got colder with each passing wind. Skye sure could curse through the freezing temperatures until she found warmth somehow, but that obviously wouldn't magically solve things.

"Damn, it's cold." She muttered, jumping up and down as a further attempt to warm up until Levi offered her his suit jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders by her surprise.

"Here."

"Thanks," Skye said quietly as she grew flustered, but tried to shake it off.

The two walked through the parking lot, passing by cars until they found Levi's sitting by itself as the other cars had left already. Levi opened the door for Skye and she got into the passenger seat, taking off Levi's jacket and tossing it to the backseat. Once Levi got into the driver's seat and started the engine, the car warmed up within minutes, and then they were off to get a late-night snack before dropping Skye off at her house.

Considering it was Friday night, Skye and Levi spent quite some time in the McDonald's drive-thru among other Wintersville students, but the line moved along at a reasonable pace considering the volume of cars. After they got their food and drinks, Levi went down the path to Skye's house, sneaking a few fries into his mouth with one hand and driving with the other. Skye also took some fries for herself, a smile creeping up on her face as the always so salty fries hit her tastebuds.

Once Levi pulled upfront to her house, Skye collected her things as she got ready to exit the car, not forgetting to share a few words with Levi before leaving him. "Well, ignoring the fight that partially ruined the dance, that was an amazing night thanks to you."

"I tried my best." Levi blushed. Tried his best? Please, he was doing the most to ensure Skye had a good time. The slow dance was for sure a highlight, and Levi would definitely be thinking about it before he went to bed tonight.

"You did good, Daniels." She said, holding back on her review of the night.

"You didn't do so bad yourself, Simmons." He joked.

"Please, I didn't even know how to slow dance at first." Skye scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked back on the embarrassment of not knowing what to do with her arms before Levi guided her.

"You were a natural, trust me." Levi insisted, which was true as she got the hang of it quickly.

"Well, thanks." She blushed, thinking this would be a good time to leave now. "Uh, goodnight."

Skye opened the car door and stepped out with her drink in one hand and a bag of food in the other, using her hips to slam the door shut. As she stepped up onto the curb, Skye almost lost her one shoe, also almost tripping in the process until she regained her balance and retrieved the lost shoe.

"Oops." She awkwardly laughed to hide her embarrassment.

"You good?" Levi asked as he leaned over and rolled down the window to check if she was okay, seeing that she was alright.

"Yeah, I just almost lost my shoe," Skye replied.

"How fitting." He said a little too loudly, which confused Skye as she didn't know what he meant.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing." Levi shook his head. "Let me help you."

"Oh, uh-"

Before Skye could protest, Levi gets out of the driver's seat and walks over to the passenger side, walking with her to the front door to prevent another shoe mishap. He tried to let Skye let him carry her things, but she insisted that Levi didn't, telling him that he could ring the doorbell for her instead.

The two stood close as Levi pressed his thumb on the doorbell button, waiting for Scott to get the door (although at the moment he was sneaking a look out the window to see what was going on). Skye couldn't escape the way her cheeks burned up around Levi, and she couldn't blame it on the cold either, but what she could do is try to play it cool until her dad came to the rescue.

"So, is this how the Levi Daniels usually ends a date?" She asked, trying so hard to let loose and not get so tense like she was right now.

"What do you mean?" Levi furrowed his eyebrows.

"By trying to be smooth and pull a move before saying goodnight?" Skye questioned. Was this her way of making a move? Not exactly. Skye was pretty much spewing out anything until Scott showed up at this point, but she wouldn't mind a little something to end the night, which Levi was sensing.

"Well, is that what you want?" He asked. Just as Skye was, Levi was nervous and trying to play it cool, but he seemed to be better at it as he had way more experience than her. Compared to the first date he ever went on in his life (fun fact; his first-ever date was with a girl named Indigo who ran away before he could attempt a goodnight kiss), Levi was doing pretty good right now, but Skye was an absolute mess now that Levi made her even more flustered than before.

Stumbling with her words, Skye struggled to form an answer while it felt like Levi was practically staring into her soul. She wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she wanted to say no as she knew her dad was coming any second. That feeling was right as Scott opened the door a moment later, not having a single clue about the words shared between Levi and his daughter.

"Skye, Levi!"

"Dad!" Skye exclaimed, eyes widened as she turned to look at her dad. Levi stood awkwardly as he looked away from Scott, which made Skye's dad sense something more was going on before he opened the door.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" He questioned.

"Uh-"

"I'm just gonna shut the door and pretend this didn't happen. Go have your moment." Scott interrupted, slowly shutting the door as he eyed down Levi who felt like he was going to explode any second. Once the door was shut completely and it seemed like Scott had walked away from the door, Levi let out a sigh of relief and calmed himself down as he prepared to make his exit.

"Guess I better get going, huh?" He chuckled.

"Yeah." Skye sighed, looking away in embarrassment as she felt completely humiliated after that whole interaction with her dad, but Skye had another thing to be embarrassed about when Levi pulled a surprise move by kissing her on the cheek, which made her turn to him in complete shock. "W-what-"

"I don't usually pull moves like that, but I can make an exception for the one and only Skye Simmons." Levi blushed. He really was making an exception. Levi didn't even make such a move on his first date with Megan, but that was mostly because he felt incredibly intimidated by her until he got to really know her. However, Levi wanted to make this exception for Skye, and he hoped there wouldn't be any sort of regret later on (although he doubted it).

"O-oh."

"Goodnight, Cinderella." He said before walking away. Skye stood frozen as she watched him leave, unable to free one of her hands to wave goodbye like she always did. All she could do was stand still in shock until her dad jump-scared her when he opened the door, which happened a moment later once Scott saw Levi walk away.

"Jesus!" Skye jumped, shaking her head as she stepped inside the house. "I almost dropped my food."

"Well...? How was it?" Scott asked, absolutely itching for details, especially now after seeing what went down outside the front door just a few seconds ago. "Ooo, is that McDonald's? Did you get anything for me?"

"No." She replied, referring to the food, but gave a simple answer when it came to how her night went. "But I had fun."

"Oh, I bet you did." He teased, which made Skye roll her eyes. "I'm just joking. Go eat your food."

With the cheek kiss still on her mind, Skye kicked off her heels and sat down at the dining room table to eat her food (which had gotten a little cold, unfortunately). While Levi flooded Skye's thoughts, she flooded his, and the two spent the rest of the night thinking about each other. They simply couldn't wait for Monday, but little did they know that things would never be the same after tonight. It would hit them soon enough though.

•••

MARIA TALKS!

3300+ words later... yeah ❤️

i just KNOW y'all mad as fuck cause they didn't kiss, BUT JUST TRUST THE PROCESS. skye and levi have had amazing development so far and the best relationships start off as friendships. besides, you'll see some major character development for them individually, so you just gotta trust me, okay?

i genuinely loved writing this chapter, especially the end but with the cheek kiss. i feel like i always say a chapter is a favorite, but this is definitely like top 10 for me. i mean, HELLO??? y'all got hella fed tonight

ALSO!! i must mention that there are SOOOOO many songs i imagined along side the slow dance scene. my favorite examples are; slow dancing in the dark by joji, night changes by one direction, two slow dancers by mitski, and i could fall in love by selena. THEY ALL FIT SO WELL IT HURTS UGH

anyways, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!! i put in so much effort in this chapter and writing over 3000 words doesn't come easily. it's such a shame how poorly writers get treated on this app. frankly, i think wattpad should just abolish the voting system completely, but i doubt that will ever happen.

lemme stop now. hope you enjoyed xoxo