It had been at least a week since Harvey and I agreed to go to prom together, yet he still hadn't asked me to go with him in public. I didn't know what he was doing, but I needed to get my dress soon. Prom was coming up fast.

Sophia and I pushed through the crowd, but people were hardly moving. It seemed like something was going on up there. Sophia grumbled to herself about how these people needed to mind their own business, and I laughed. I could almost see over some of the people, so I peered around, trying to figure out what was going on. However, I couldn't see anything because someone tall suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Why can't these people move?" Sophia snapped. "I want to get to my first hour to sit down. Come on. Let's go this way."

She tugged me to the right, and we walked down a less crowded hall. She sighed in relief. "I wonder what was happening," I said, glancing back. I still couldn't see anything.

"It doesn't matter now."

My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I pulled it out and looked at it. Harvey had texted me, asking if I could come to the main hall. I replied to him, saying that it was way too crowded. He quickly sent an answer, but I ignored it. Chris and Ethan were walking toward us with outraged looks on their faces.

"What is she doing here?" Chris asked. His tone told me that he knew something I didn't. 

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"She isn't supposed to be here," Ethan said, facing Sophia. I glanced at her to see a surprise look on her face.

"That's today?" she asked, ignoring my look of confusion. "I totally forgot!"

The three of them started shoving me back toward the large crowd. "What are you guys doing?" I asked. They didn't answer me. Instead, they pushed me faster. "Don't make me kick you!" 

Ethan laughed. "Don't worry. We are prepared for this."

Suddenly, Ethan scooped me up in his arms, throwing me over his shoulder. I wriggled in his arms, but he barely moved. I slapped his back, and his laughter echoed in the hallway. 

"Cat, you're strong, yes, but I'm stronger."

"I hate you. Did you know that?"

"You love me, and you know it."

Ethan finally set me down near the front of the crowd. I could finally see what everyone was looking at. Harvey stood at the start of the crowd, holding a sign. His eyes found mine, and he smiled widely. The thing that stood out to me was the cat ears sticking out of the top of his head. Whiskers were painted across his cheeks.

He gestured for me to step forward, and I glanced at the crowd. Harper was near the front. She crossed her arms over her chest when I saw her. I shook my head and stepped toward Harvey. My eyes scanned the sign. It said: "The cat's out of the bag. Will you go to prom with me-ow?"

I met his eyes. He didn't do what I asked him to. I know it was hard to do, but he could've tried. He didn't need to have our friends serenade me. He could've just wrote on some baseballs and threw them at me. Yet he did this, whatever it was.

"Cat, what do you say?" Harvey asked.

I tilted my head to the side. I really wanted to tell him no, but we already agreed. Besides, if we went to prom together, maybe we could finally talk about our feelings for each other. So far, we had avoided that conversation. 

"Yes." He smiled and drew me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and whispered in his ear, "What in the world was this?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered back. "Sophia and Ethan and Chris told me to do this."

"And you listened?" He laughed, and so did I. "Harvey, you look ridiculous."

Harvey pulled away from me with a smile on his face. He winked at me and said, "They also volunteered you to get these whiskers off my face."

I looked around and saw that the crowd was slowly dispersing. Our friends had also disappeared. I sighed. "Did you know that I hate them?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. He pressed a pack of makeup wipes in my hands, and I opened them, pulling one of them out. I dabbed at his cheek and he whispered, "It's almost time for class to start. I can finish this if you want me to."

"I'm fine where I'm at."

His eyes met mine. I really wanted to talk about my feelings for him, but I didn't want people to overhear. I wanted to be alone when we spoke. He brushed a lock of my dark hair out of my face. His hand brushed my cheek, and my hand slipped. I accidentally hit him on the nose. Mortified, I took a step back, my eyes wide. 

"Harvey, I'm so sorry!" I said as he pinched his nose. "I didn't mean to punch you!"

Harvey closed his eyes and laughed. "It's fine, Cat. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He offered me a smile before pushing me toward the office. "You should go before you get into trouble."

"I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye, Cat."

I turned away from him and sighed. I couldn't believe I punched him in the face. That was almost as bad as Count Fred. I just hoped that I wouldn't act like that again around him. I usually act cool, calm, and collected around guys, but Harvey was different. He was different than any other guy I had ever met. Maybe that was why I acted like that. Hopefully that was why I acted like that.