The Perfect Prom (quite revised) (long, if you click, please comment)

~1

I am one of many hopeless romantic teenage girls and have looked forward to my prom ever since I was very young. I would see girls in teen magazines with the perfect dresses, hairstyles, and make-up, and I would and try to plan out my own magical night, complete with an equally perfect hairstyle, dress, and, of course, the perfect prom date. I always pictured him as the ultimate gentlemen, dressed in a tuxedo, opening doors for me, looking into my eyes like I was the only girl in the room, and no fantasy was every complete without the old fashioned goodnight kiss at the door.2

In my grade twelve year, I had my eye on one specific boy a year younger than me. We had many mutual interests, belonged to a lot of the same clubs at school, and had quite a few friends in common. I’d known him since he was in grade 8, but didn’t realize I had a crush on him until the next year when we began walking home from school together. Although we lost touch when I moved on to high school a year ahead of him, my crush on him remained as strong as ever. After two years of liking him, and all the natural highs it gave me to be near him, all of my friends were telling me I had to ask him to the prom. I knew that they were right on some level, because I could not think of anyone else I would want to spend the most magical night of my life with more than him.3

Of course, this task was a lot easier said than done. After a two-year long crush, my heart was more than a little fragile, and I didn’t just want him as a possible boyfriend. I had grown to love Peter so deeply as a person that I did not want to risk my humiliation turning into an awkwardness that would never be healed. I could not bear the thought of not keeping in touch with him after graduation. I made it a priority to become better friends with him, and slowly ease my way into asking him to prom. I would ask him as a friend, nothing more.4

~5

It was autumn of grade 10 when I started walking home. I have always been lazy, and walking home, although only a short distance from the school, was something I considered a chore.6

On this specific day in October, my Grandpa had to take the truck in to get fixed, so I had to suffer walking the seven blocks home after school. Little did I know during that day, that walking home would no longer be something I would suffer through.7

Although my best friend Sarah only lived a block away from me, and walked home every day, not once during the school day did I mention to her that I needed to walk home and arrange to walk with her.8

As I was beginning my walk home after school, I saw Peter out of the corner of my eye while crossing the street. My first thought was that I saw someone I recognized, but I didn’t give much thought to it. I wasn’t very good friends with him, and he probably wasn’t walking the same way as me anyway, so I crossed the street and kept going.9

Not too long after I first saw him, I heard footsteps rapidly approaching me, and I turned to my left to see Peter standing beside me smiling.10

“Oh hello,” I said, “I saw you back there, and I thought you’d be able to catch up because your legs are a lot longer than mine.”11

For the rest of the walk home, we engaged in small talk, and as we passed a nearby elementary school, he mentioned he used to go there. Judging by the fact that I was walking home, he thought it logical that I should have gone there as well, and asked me why I didn’t.12

“I did, but I left in grade two because my mom didn’t like the teacher.” I told him.13

I felt so comfortable talking to him, and I started feeling something for him during our walk home, I just didn’t quite know what it was until later. When I got to my street, I secretly wished I lived further away, because I didn’t want the conversation to end. Peter was a lot more interesting than I had thought, and I wanted to get to know him better.14

As I walked down my street toward my house, I smiled without really knowing why.15

~16

Only seconds after walking in the door, the phone rang. It was Sarah.17

“Looks like Kaleigh’s got a new BOYFRIEND.” She said mockingly18

“What are you talking about? HE started walking with ME.” I said defensively.19

“So?” She asked, “I was yelling ‘OOOO’ after you guys the whole time.”20

Although I still didn’t know my feelings, I felt relieved that Peter and I hadn’t heard her.21

“You SO like him.” She said with confidence.22

That statement, I realized later, was true. That night, I wrote about him in my journal, went to sleep thinking about him, woke up thinking about him, and walked home willingly for the rest of the year.23

~24

Over the next few months my plans worked, and our friendship grew back. Only this time, it grew to a point where it was not out of the ordinary for me to ask him out for dinner with some friends. I could call him out of the blue and talk about absolutely nothing, and I could start conversations with him at school without worrying that people would automatically know how I felt about him by my awkward body language and red cheeks.25

When Valentine’s Day came around, I didn’t think twice about slipping a friendly valentine in his locker. That night I called him to make sure he received it.26

“Yes, I got it as soon as I opened my locker this morning, thank you.” He said.27

“Well, I’m glad you liked it.” I replied, hoping he couldn’t hear the loud beating of my heart, knowing what I had planned to do next.28

After a small silence, I spoke quietly, trying to control the quiver in my voice.29

“Peter, we’re pretty good friends right?”30

“Um…yeah,” he said, sounding confused, “why do you ask?”31

“Well, because I wanted to ask you to be my…well, I mean, I was wondering if you’d go to prom with me?” I said, quickly adding, “I know it’s really early, but I wanted to ask well in advance in case I had to find someone else.”32

With my heart still pounding, I awaited rejection. I still didn’t think he liked me in the way that I loved him, and although I was asking him as a friend, I still didn’t think he’d want to go with me.33

The pause, although only a few seconds, seemed like forever. Then, with an audible smile in his voice, he said, “Sure Kaleigh, but I don’t quite understand why you would want to go with me.”34

Smiling at the opportunity to make it clear I meant it in a friendly way, I simply answered, “Well, I dunno really. I guess I’d just like to go with someone I’m comfortable with, and I thought it would be nice to have one more fun memory with you before the year ends.”35

“Well thanks, I’m very flattered.” He said, “I have to go though, supper’s ready, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”36

“See you tomorrow then.” I replied, and the minute the phone hit the receiver I let out the happiest squeak of my life.37

~38

March and April passed by quickly, and before I knew it, it was May. My prom dress was finished, grad pictures were done, and Peter had already arranged a tuxedo rental. I was on cloud nine running through the plans for my dream prom in my head. I had the absolute perfect date, my dress was exactly as I had dreamed it to be, and my mom had put money aside to rent a white limo to drive me around for the most perfect evening of my life.39

Peter and I talked about the prom often, and although we both knew we were just going as friends, I was still positive it would be the most memorable night of my life. With Peter there with me, every moment would be perfect.40

~41

Once June started, I began dreaming more about Peter. Specifically, I dreamed about him taking me to the upcoming prom.42

Every dream began the same. I’d be sitting in my living room in my prom dress, my hair perfectly styled and gelled to withstand a long evening, and there would be a knock at my door. The dream would go in slow motion as I would open the door to see Peter in a tuxedo, holding a bouquet of pink roses. With one hand on the roses, he would reach his hand up to my face and touch my cheek with the sweetest smile on his face. He would then grab my hand, and we would walk to the limo.43

The remainder of the dream always varied. I had dreams of us going outside in the dark and looking at the stars. I had dreams of holding hands under the table, and most of all, I had dreams of sharing a romantic kiss under the sunrise after a long night of dancing.44

I knew none of those dreams would become reality. My feelings would never be returned, and therefore, they were to stay hidden.45

~46

In spring of grade 10, Peter and I were part of a drama group entering the local drama festival. Every night we sat in the theatre seats watching other schools perform their plays. One specific night, I was feeling a little sleepy, and curled up in my seat during intermission. All of a sudden, I felt someone poke my forehead, and I opened my eyes.47

“You looked very asleep.” Peter said smiling at me.48

“Nope, I’m just tired.” I replied, smiling as well.49

The simplicity of it makes it that much more special to me. To anyone watching, it was simply a gesture of friendship. To me, the memory of opening my eyes to his smile still makes me melt.50

~51

Finally, prom night came, and as I had dreamed, my make-up was perfect, my hair was perfect, and was topped with the tiara I’ve had since I was six, and when the limo arrived at my house to drive me to Peter’s, I climbed in with butterflies of anticipation filling my stomach.52

We had agreed that I would pick him up, as it was my prom. The drive from my house to his was short in distance, but felt so long to me. I paused for a minute before getting out of the limo, and when I opened the door, the smell of fresh flowers filled my nose, and I opened his gate, slowly making my way to his door.53

It seemed like forever before Peter’s mother answered the door. I had only met her a few times, but when I had, we had always gotten along well. She looked at me and smiled, turning toward the stairs.54

“Peter, Kaleigh’s here!” she yelled, turning back to me with a sweet smile on her face.55

We heard a door close, and I looked up the stairs to where Peter was standing in a classic black tuxedo with a black bowtie. We looked at each other without speaking as he slowly came down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he told me to wait there while he went to get my corsage.56

“You look beautiful dear.” She said, lightly squeezing my hand.57

When Peter returned, he carefully slipped the corsage on my wrist, and I helped him pin his on his tuxedo jacket. I smiled at him, and he smiled at me, and as we turned toward his parents to say goodbye, his mother pulled out the camera and told us to wait. Although his parents knew we were just going as friends, they wanted to capture the moment of their son going to his first prom.58

Peter got quite embarrassed, but I enjoyed every second of it. First of all, when Peter gets embarrassed, he turns an adorable shade of pink, and secondly, I loved that his family got so enthusiastic. The evening was starting out wonderfully.59

After lots of pictures and gushing by his parents and sisters, we headed out toward the limo. Always the perfect gentlemen, he opened the door and helped me inside.60

Once we got into the limo, there was a moment of silence where neither of us said anything. Finally, he looked right into my eyes and said, “I know this is going to sound stupid, Kaleigh, but you look really beautiful.”61

I could feel my cheeks growing warm and I turned my head shyly.62

“Thanks Peter, you look amazing too.”63

It was like one of those moments that you see on a made-for-TV movie that makes you smile and wish it could happen to you. Only, this was not a movie. I was in this limo, sitting with the boy of my dreams, and he just told me I looked beautiful. I almost could not contain the excitement bubbling in my heart.64

The rest of the limo ride consisted mainly of small talk, like our first walk home together. We talked about how finals went for us, what our plans were for the summer, and what I planned to do next year. Nowhere in my plans did I mention leaving town, and somehow, I sensed he was relieved.65

~66

Once we entered the ballroom, we searched for my best friend Sarah and her boyfriend Ben, who we had prearranged to spend the evening with. As soon as Sarah saw me, her face beamed. With a quick, silent exchange between us, she knew that I needed to tell her the details of my night so far.67

She turned to Ben and Peter and said, “Well, while we go to the ladies room, you guys get to know each other. We’ll be back soon.”68

Again, we barely left the room before I began to squeak.69

~70

“So, his mom took pictures and everything?” Sarah asked enthusiastically.71

“Yes!” I replied, barely containing my excitement, “and she told me I looked beautiful!”72

“I told you that you had to ask him. You just got here and you’re already so happy that you’re ready to burst.”73

“When we got in the limo…he said…that I looked beautiful.” I said, bringing my nail up to my teeth, as I do whenever I’m trying not to squeak. I signaled for her to move closer, and whispered in her ear, “Sarah, I am absolutely in love with him.”74

“Well, then let’s get you back to him!” She said with a smirk on her face, as she grabbed my hand, squeezed it, and began dragging me back into the ballroom.75

~76

I always left walking home with Peter up to chance. We never arranged it or waited for each other, and I never knew for sure when he would be walking home. Consequently, there were days when I walked with the hope of being with him, only to end up walking alone. This was one of those days. I was walking slowly, hoping to hear the familiar footsteps behind me, but I was more than halfway home, and he had not caught up to me yet.77

“KALEIGH!” I hear from behind me. Even before turning around, I knew it was Sarah.78

When I turned around to see why she was calling me, I saw that Peter was only a block behind me. I immediately knew she was trying to help me stall.79

“YEAH?” I yelled back, stopping where I was.80

“DO WE HAVE ANY FRENCH HOMEWORK?” She yelled. She was too far away for me to see her face, but I could tell she had a mischievous grin on her face.81

“NOT THAT I KNOW OF!” I yelled back, pleased to see that Peter was only a few steps behind me. I turned around and acknowledged him, and as we walked the last few blocks to my house, I made a mental note to thank Sarah when I got home.82

~83

When we returned, we were relieved to find that our dates were getting along very well. They both stood up when we got to the table and pulled out our chairs for us. It took all the strength Sarah and I had not to giggle, although our reasons were very different. Sarah has never been much for sappy and romantic situations, so she wanted to laugh at how ridiculous everything was; whereas, I could barely contain my giggles of excitement at being treated like such a princess.84

Sarah and I looked at each other, looked at our dates, and Sarah said, “I cannot believe I’m saying this, but we need to dance!”85

So we all stood up and Peter walked me to the dance floor.86

~87

A couple hours into the evening, while Sarah and Ben were out on the dance floor, Peter and I were sitting at the table talking. As it seemed unlikely that we would see each other over the summer, and I would not be coming back to high school, we spent some time catching up on the good school memories we had shared.88

“Do you remember that play at Provincials about the guy with the collection of glass cocktail stirrers?” I said with a slight laugh.89

“Of course. That one was hilarious.” He said, “’I call this one string bean, because it’s long and thin.’” He said with a southern accent.90

“Oh, and that play that took place on a ‘dark and stormy night’…It was amazing that a two person play could be so intriguing, especially when they were sitting down the entire time.”91

“I completely forgot about that one until you mentioned it,” he said, “but yeah, I agree. I was a little skeptical when I saw that the cast only had two characters.”92

“Oh, and let’s not forget our play.” I said to him, “I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to think of you as anything but Mellow Yellow.”93

“Yeah, well, I remember in rehearsal when we kept trying to get you to be a mean, angry Mayor. It took you a while, but we were so happy when you finally did it.”94

“Yeah, I was pretty happy too.” I said, and without thinking, I reached my hand over and touched his. For a second, I contemplated pulling it back, until I felt his fingers begin to lace between mine. I looked down at our hands, and then at him. Our eyes locked together, and for a moment, I didn’t hear anything but the beating of my heart as I looked at him. The music seemed so far away, and all that seemed real was his fingers intertwined with mine. I looked down at the table briefly, and then back up at him, realizing then, more than ever, that I have never loved anyone as much as I love him.95

“Would you like to dance Peter?” I said with a slight blush.96

“Of course I would.” He replied, and this time, we walked to the dance floor firmly hand in hand.97

~98

From that point on, we spent every slow song together on the dance floor hand in hand. His arm was placed gentlemanly around my waist, and my hand on his shoulder. As Peter was a lot taller than me, I did not have a comfortable hold on him, but my head resting on his chest was enough for me to feel secure as we danced slowly in time with the music. After a particularly beautiful song, I pulled my head away from his chest and looked up at him with starry eyes. I had never understood how eyes could really reveal a person’s soul until I looked into Peter’s. His eyes looked down at me, and in that moment, I could see that he knew all that I felt about him, and to my surprise, I could see his feelings were exactly the same. Even when the song ended, we stood staring at each other, and at that moment, I knew he loved me too.99

I don’t know whether it was the magical lighting, or the fact that we may never see each other again after this night, but the unthinkable had come true; Peter had fallen in love with me.100

~101

As a field trip at the end of the semester, many teachers at our school brought their students to the second Lord of the Rings movie. Mr. Dahl, our drama club supervisor, decided to take all of us drama club members along with his class. This meant that Peter and I would both be there.102

By this time, many of my drama club friends knew about my crush on Peter, and I had asked a few of them if they could help me to sit near him.103

“Well,” said my friend Tara, “I’m friends with Peter, and you’re friends with me. So…Peter will probably be sitting by us, and you’re free to join us too.”104

However, I did not anticipate how hard it would be to find people I knew after getting off the school buses. Luckily, I was able to find Peter, and together, we wandered, trying to find Tara and some other drama club members. When we eventually found Tara, there just happened to be two unoccupied seats right next to each other. To this day, I do not know whether the credit for that belongs to my friends, or whether it was fate.105

After sitting in our seats, we began talking to pass the time. At one point, I lifted my hand up while talking, and when I was finished what I was saying, Peter said, “Wait a minute, hold up your hand again.”106

When I held it up, he put his next to it, and his long fingers were able to bend over the tops of mine. Together we smiled at how big the difference was, and I continued smiling well into the movie at the memory of our hands touching, no matter how brief it was. Illuminated by the light of the screen, I looked out of the corner of my eye at Peter for much of the movie, longing for the feel of his hand again.107

~108

For the rest of the night, we held hands under the table. Sarah sat across from me trying not to laugh. I could see the “I told you so” lurking in her eyes, and all I could think was how surreal everything was. Until that night, I had never once thought Peter may feel the same way as I did; in fact, I was positive that he could never love me the way I loved him. Now here we were, holding hands under the table while my best friend silently told me she was right all along.109

Peter then squeezed my hand so I would look at him, and when I did, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Let’s go outside.”110

The feeling of his breath on my face and the tender look in his eyes made me blush. I squeezed his hand back and we started to rise.111

“Where are you going?” Sarah said with the usual touch of mischief in her voice.112

“Never mind…we’ll be back soon.” Peter said, both surprising and intriguing me.113

I glanced back one more time at Sarah and I may have been imagining things, but to this day I swear that I saw a few tears in her eyes that night. I knew she had never seen me so happy, and I was glad she was able to share this night with me.114

Before I knew what was happening, Peter had led me through the balcony door into the cool summer air. The sky was nearly black, and the stars were shining brightly against it. Still holding onto my hand, Peter led me to a bench where we sat together, looking at the stars. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and his arm was around me, resting on my shoulder, and although the stars were beautiful, all I wanted to look at was Peter’s face. I grabbed his other hand and turned to him. With innocent longing, I gently leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before resting my head back on his shoulder.115

That was all that was needed.116

~117

When we returned, my favorite song was just beginning. I couldn’t believe how perfectly the night was going for me, and I began to fear that it was all another perfect dream. We danced until the music started to fade, then we headed back to the table. When we sat down with Sarah and Ben, Sarah looked at me with silent questions filling her eyes, and as much as I hated to leave the warmth of Peter’s hand, I agreed to join Sarah in “the ladies room”.118

When we left the ballroom, Sarah turned me around forcefully and said, “So…………what happened? Did he kiss you?”119

I could see the anticipation in her eyes, and it almost broke my heart to have to tell her he didn’t.120

“No, he didn’t, but I kissed him…on the cheek…while he had his arm around me! Sarah, it was the most amazing feeling I have ever had. It was so romantic.”121

“Awww!” She said, hugging me tightly. “I’m so happy for you!”122

“It almost killed me to have to let go of his hand to come out here with you.” I said slyly. “Let’s not keep our dates waiting.”123

With that, we composed ourselves, and headed back to the ballroom.124

~125

The night slowly progressed, and gradually, the music became slower. I began to rest my head on Peter’s shoulder more as well, and the longer I stayed there, the less afraid I felt that I was dreaming. I felt the movement of his shoulders as he breathed and the warmth of his hand as it rested on mine; it all felt too real to exist only in my mind.126

Eventually, after hours of playing with each other’s fingers under the table, the final song played, and we danced in each other’s arms for the last time that night.127

I still could not believe it. This was far from how I planned this evening. We went to the prom simply as friends, but sometime during the night, that changed forever. As we swayed to the last few lines of the final song, I felt my heart fill with so much love for Peter that I knew if I didn’t say something then, I never would.128

“Peter…” I said weakly, lifting my head to look into his eyes, and flattered to see he had been looking at me already.129

“Yes?” He replied.130

“Thank you…for coming tonight, and just…for being in my life. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you.”131

“You’re welcome Kaleigh.” Peter said. “I’m glad I came.”132

Our eyes said everything that our mouths could not.133

~134

Sarah and Ben shared the limo ride to the breakfast with us. All four of us had had an amazing evening, and I could see that none of us would forget it. As far as hand holding, the breakfast was a repeat of the evening, only instead of magical lights and slow music the room was bright with fluorescent lights and full of loud talking. That didn’t stop Peter and I from gazing into each other’s eyes as we ate. Lacing our fingers together tightly, we must have looked like newlyweds.135

After eating, all four of us filed into the limo for the ride home. Sensing that we needed to be alone, Sarah and Ben offered to go home first. I told Sarah I would call her as soon as I got home, despite the amount of sleep we both needed.136

After that, it was just Peter and me, alone again at last. It was strange to think that not even a full day earlier we were sitting in this same limo, beginning a night full of surprises. I looked at him in the darkness of the limo and we both smiled, knowing we were both thinking the exact same thing.137

~138

The sunrise was beautiful that morning. Peter and I sat on his porch swing looking at the glowing sky spreading over the mountains. His arm was around me again, and my hand was reaching up to hold his. My head once again found itself resting on his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I felt so comfortable in his arms that I felt I could fall asleep. My entire body felt weightless, and all I could do was pray that this moment would never have to end. I heard his heart start to beat faster and I looked up at him to find him staring at me.139

“You looked very asleep.” He said to me, “I hope I didn’t wake you.”140

“No, I was just taking in this moment.” I replied quietly, and looked up at him with a smile.141

It was then that everything began to move in slow motion. As I looked up at Peter and saw him starting to lean towards me, I couldn’t breathe. My heart began to race as our lips met for that perfect goodnight kiss I had dreamed about my entire life. With my eyes closed, his lips on mine, and our fingers laced tightly together, time stopped, and I felt like no other person in the world could feel as happy as I did at that moment.142

When we pulled away, I let out a sigh. Both Peter and I had smiles on our faces, and I felt his grip tighten on my hand as if he didn’t want to let me go either.143

“I had a lovely time Peter. So much has happened tonight…thank you for sharing it with me.”144

“Kaleigh,” he said, “I can’t imagine how different things would have turned out if you hadn’t invited me.”145

As I sat there in his arms, I knew that it was time for both of us to go to bed and end this amazing night. I felt a lump in my throat as I turned to him and said, “Peter, I don’t want this night to end.”146

He looked into my eyes with sincerity and said, “Kaleigh, the night had to end, you know that. But that doesn’t mean that this has to,” squeezing my hand.147

His words brought the smile back to my face, and I closed my eyes and took in one final breath before standing up slowly. I held onto his hand as long as I could before I had to let it go, and I walked to his gate looking down at my empty hands. When I got there, I turned around, and as he stayed seated on the porch, his smile brought the smile back to my face, and as our eyes locked for the last time that night, I knew that things were just beginning. When I sat in the limo, I continued thinking about everything that had happened that night and what I was going to tell Sarah when I got home. I didn’t know what I was going to say to her; I was speechless. All I could do was close my eyes and sigh.148

~149