She knew that Eric hadn't really gotten to know Kai's dad. While she wasn't sure what his home life was like, she had a feeling that it was rough, and would add to not wanting to talk to Kai's dad. She nodded and moved to take a seat on the couch. She waited patiently for Eric to begin to start explaining. Lisa was surprised that Kai had asked him to prom. She had never mentioned it to her mother, and it made Lisa feel out of touch. Why had she not seen it coming?

Lisa was surprised how long that he had had a crush on her. She had thought that this was a new thing. How much had she missed? She could easily see where this was going, but she was glad that he was being honest and up front with her. It was giving him a few points in his favor. At least she was willing to let him take Kai to prom. She wasn't sure about dating, but she was okay with prom. She wasn't sure how to respond to what he had said, so she just nodded along showing that she was actually listening.

She kneew many kids were awkward around that age, and it never helped anyone, when they lost a close family member. It was interesting that he mentioned Kai's beauty. If he thought he would get to date her for her body, he was sorely mistaken. Even though she hated telling Kai no, she wouldn't allow a guy to disrespect her daughter like that. She wasn't even sure if Kai liked him even though asking him to prom did tell her that she didn't dislike him.

Lisa began to hope that she had asked simply, because she needed someone older to ask her to prom. Now that Lisa realized something, she was even more worried. How much older was Eric than Kai? She didn't want her dating a senior. There was too much difference in maturity level and life experience. She might permit a junior though. She still wasn't sure about Eric. It made her uncomfortable that he had liked her daughter for her looks, and from such a young age too.

She didn't want her daughter to get hurt by a jerk or make a mistake. She began to wonder if they had done anything together. She didn't think it would have gone further than a kiss, but she just wasn't sure anymore. She couldn't help smiling, because she was proud of her daughter who was always there for others. Lisa froze, because he had spoken the dreaded words. He wanted to date he baby girl. Lisa couldn't remember what she was supposed to do now.

She at least knew a few less personal thing she could ask, but she wasn't sure if she should ask what he thought about sex. She leaned back and cocked her head considering him. It was tempting to say all the things that were going through her mind, but she could see that he was nervous, and she didn't want to make him more nervous. "Thank you for asking," she looked him in the eye. "You know I will have to talk to Kailey and her father thought before I give you my answer," she told him.

"What does Kailey think of you? Are you a Christian? What grade are you in?" She realized that she didn't know anything about him, and she had already been letting him take her daughter out and about. "I think I will be fine with her going to prom with you, but I will have to think about dating." She wasn't sure if she was ready for Kai to date anyone. "I will also want Kai's father to speak to you too," she told him. She didn't want Michael to only get second. hand information.

He nodded to her statement, fully aware that she would be talking to them both before finalizing her answer. "Yes ma'am I understand." he said softly. She began asking him questions, and he made sure to answer each one to the best of his ability, wanting to be honest with her instead of trying to hide anything or worm his way around the truth.

"I know that Kailey views me as a friend for certain." he said. "I think for the most part she trusts me, and I definitely trust her. I've spoken to her a little about how I feel, and she's done the same." He wasn't sure if that sounded to weird or cryptic. "I don't know if I should say her feelings for her, because I don't know for certain, and I think that it should be someting she herself tells you."

He hoped he hadn't sounded rude. "And yes, I am a Christian. My mother raised us kids to believe in the Lord, and I accepted Christ when I was eleven." he said. "My father doesn't believe in God, or any god at all for that matter, but I've tried to maintain my relationship with the Lord through my mother's passing." He answered her next question. "I'm a junior this year." he said.

She said that she was pretty much fine with him taking her to prom, but she was keen on thinking about dating. He nodded, understanding but feeling a small twist in his stomach. What if she decided no? She also said that she wanted Kai's father to speak with him firsthand too, and he nodded again, now more nervous than before. But it was okay. At least he'd told one of her parents already, and he was sure she'd talk to Kai's father later tonight. If he already knew at least some, it would be easier to speak with him face to face at another time.

"I understand," he said, giving her a small smile. There was nothing about his posture, expression, or voice that read untrustworthy. He had been honest with her, he'd done his part. He felt as if he'd done the right thing by going to at least one of her parents first before making any rash decisions. He slowly stood up, holding out a hand for her to shake. "Thank you for talking to me."

His hands were no longer scabbed, and he had no fresh or recent wounds anywhere on the parts of his body that were visible, and he was glad for that. He knew the wounds made him look a bit more edgy and far more untrustworthy, so he was glad to be freed from that. At least for a little while.

He knew his chest and abdomen were a bit bruised and scuffed up, but it wasn't from straight on abuse, his father had come home drunk and started an argument. Drunken arguments never ended well. It hadn't been purposeful, right minded abuse. It had been abuse under the influence. It still wasn't right, but it made him feel a little better in a very strange way to know that those beatings hadn't come completely out of cognitive actions.

He walked out of the game room and made his way to the door. He saw Mr. Adair for a brief moment, and gave him a shy smile and small wave before walking out. He made his way slowly off the porch and onto the sidewalk, the night breeze ruffling through his hair. He closed his eyes for a moment, walking slowly in the darkness. Night was so peaceful.

After a few moments of this, he remembered the text he'd gotten. He pulled out his phone and saw with a smile that it had been Kai. She'd texted him almost as soon as she'd left the room. Just seeing her name in his phone made him smile, and he stopped walking to text her back, the glow from his phone illuminating his eyes.

Ok, fine with me. He responded. See you then. Goodnight and sleep well. He put his phone back, and then walked a few more paces before stopping again, hesitating briefly before texting one more message.

Thank you for being you. Don't ever change.

With that, he made his way home, his thoughts revolving around the day and the days to come.

Technically, they were, but she didn't say that. Perhaps someday soon they would be closer than that. She admitted to her mother that she wanted to date Eric, and she liked him. Her mother asked her about her opinion and thoughts on Eric, while also warning her daughter that these flowery feelings didn’t last. She wanted to make sure her daughter didn’t do something just because of the temporary nice feeling she was getting. Kai informed her mother that he was sweet, polite and respectful of her.

Her mother wanted examples of how he had shown this. She wasn't sure if she should mention the kissing or not. Her mother's eyes had widened, and she asked if they had kissed before. Kai was surprised how easily her mother had read her hesitation, and she couldn't lie since she had been asked a direct question. Lisa hadn’t read the silence, but that idea had popped into her mind, so she had asked. She was disappointed that her daughter hadn’t told her about it. Kai couldn't avoid it now that that question had been asked.

She stuttered a lot explaining exactly what they had done. She didn't mention the kiss during the game, because she knew her mother wouldn't approve. She didn't want to make it sound bad. She told her mother that she had told him not to kiss her unless they were in some sort of committed relationship, and he hadn’t touched her romantically since then. Her mother's lips tightened, and she could see that her mother wasn't pleased. What could she do? She might have ruined their chances.

They might not even be able to hang out without being chaperoned. Her mother wasn't even sure what she could do. Technically, she couldn't stop her daughter, and she didn't want to create resentment. She wasn't even sure exactly how much was too much. What type of parameters could she put up? Lisa’s husband had even been more taken aback than she was. It hadn’t occurred to him at all that Kai would start dating. Since Lisa kept more in touch with Kai’s friends, he told his wife he would trust her decision.

They had both realized that if Kai was interested and she picked a decent guy, that they would let her date. If she was interested in someone now, they definitely knew she would be dating in the future with or without her parents’ advice. Now was the time to help give her some guidelines, and try to steer her in the right direction. The Adairs thought this would be easier since it was their second time around, but it wasn’t. Their oldest daughter had made it through without any problems.

Eventually, they decided that more restrictions would come into play. They would need to keep a closer eye on things. Kai was to tell her parents, at least one of them, more about their relationship or if she thought anything unusual happened. Her mother reminded her daughter that she was trusting her, and bad decisions would have negative consequences. She also told her daughter that if something happened that she expected to get in trouble for, she had twenty four hours to tell one of her parents without getting in trouble.

If she delayed until afterwards, and her parents found out, there would be punishments and consequences. She wanted her daughter to talk to her, but she didn’t want to hear about it several years later. She hadn’t said that she could date necessarily. She wondered if her daughter would think this was all a bit much for prom, but her parents were thinking about after prom. She had asked her daughter if their friendship wasn't moving a bit quickly. They had only known each other for about a month.

Kai wasn’t sure how to answer that yet. Sure the kisses were a little premature, but they had given her the little push she needed. They hadn’t really done anything even though they had already admitted to having feelings for each other. Was her mother trying to hide something from her? Kai remembered going shopping for the sample cloth. They had finally found something. As soon as she could, she had told Daniel that she was going with Eric. Daniel hadn’t really responded with anything extraordinary. He had nodded and seemed okay with it.

While Kai and Eric had been shopping, she had spotted Daniel with Harper. However this was the same day, that she had told Daniel she couldn't go with him. It was obvious even from a distance that Harper was flirting with him, and she was a little disappointed that Daniel hadn't waited longer. She was also glad that she hadn't gone with him. She wondered if Harper would end up being Daniel’s date. Now she looked at herself in her vanity mirror. She almost felt unrecognizable.

She felt pretty, and it made her feel a little more confident. She was a little scared that she would trip over something and fall flat on her face. Hopefully, Eric would be able to catch her, if that happened. As long as she didn’t land on the floor, she thought she would be okay. Normally, she felt nothing about her looks, but she was stunned by what a little makeup and a nice dress did. Normally, she went without makeup, because she wasn’t insecure about her looks, and she didn’t care for it. For prom someone had expertly done her makeup, and she felt glamorous.

Her dress was a lighter blue. At the top it was a v neckline. She was a little self conscious, because there was more cleavage than she was used to, and she believed that she would be moving around dancing a lot. There was an intricate lace and sequin design. The design extends partially further down than the waistline. The skirt of the dress is a loose flowy tulle that drags on the ground. On the right side midway up her thigh is a split. The practical side of Kai said that she would never be able to dance except maybe the slow dances. She hoped the split would help her move, but she was a little afraid that it would only entangle her legs more.

The other side of Kai was excited to see what Eric would say, and she liked feeling beautiful. Never had she been dressed up so nice in her life. All of her apparel for the day had been rather expensive. She was going to take good care of it. Maybe some day she would be able to use it again. She was wearing some fancy open toed silver high heels. They were fake leather, but they were a shiny satiny silver. There were a few small rhinestones on the straps. They were on the higher side of what she was used to wearing.

They hadn’t done much with her hair, because she had decided that she wanted it down. Little braids came from the temples of her forehead to the back. Some hair was pulled through the holes in the braids. Most of her hair was down, but the waves were curled a little to make them more uniform and smooth. She heard the doorbell ring, and she made a few more adjustments. She took a deep breath telling herself that there was nothing to worry about, and she slipped on her shoes and swept out of her room.

Her father had opened the door to greet Eric and let him inside. A few days ago, her parents had finally given Eric permission to date their daughter. When Eric entered the door, Michael gave Eric a polite smile. He leaned in close, and in a harsh whisper, he growled, “You better respect my daughter. If you break her heart,” he let the threat hang. What could he do? He just wanted Eric to know that it wouldn’t be forgiven easily, and he had better not. Lisa knew that wouldn’t help Eric at all. He was probably nervous, and she had a feeling that he was already uncomfortable around Michael and other men in general. She pulled her husband away from him.

The loud sound of clicking heels announced Kai's arrival, so they all turned to look. Her dress flowed around her, and it was fun to feel the dress swish around her legs. She liked the sound of the clicking almost as much as she liked being a little taller. Kai slowed down as she approached the door. She began to smile faintly, and a slight appealing blush spread across her cheeks at being the center of their attention. Her parents turned to look at her, and her mother had already opened the door for Eric.

She wasn’t sure if Eric would like her dress, so she felt a little shy. She looked down at her feet and missed her father’s awed look. She also missed his eyes watering. Her mother was less amazed, because she had been helping her daughter, and she had already seen her in the dress. “I know y’all will want to be going soon. Come over here, so we can get some pictures, and then y’all are free to go,” she told them.

Eric stood in his bathroom, looking in the mirror. Gunner's voice could be heard outside the door, whining softly to be let out of his kennel. But Eric would refuse his begging. He'd bought a white tux, and he didn't want any dog hair or stains on it. His tie was the same color as Kai's dress was, and the corsage and boutonniere's flowers were a mix of white and icy blue. The ribbons were silver.

He swallowed, adjusting his tie before walking out of the bathroom. He'd gotten his hair cut the same day he and Kai had gone shopping, so it would stay out of his eyes. It was still long enough to where one could see the little waves and curls, but it looked nice. The hair on the sides of his head were slightly shorter than what was on top, and he'd combed it over neatly. The white tux and the tie really made his already bright eyes pop, and he wondered if it would be too much.

He said goodbye to Gunner and made his way downstairs, grabbing his car and house keys and walking through the kitchen and to the front door. David was sitting in his chair, the tv on quietly. "Have fun," he said to his son as Eric passed behind him. "But not too much fun." Eric shot his father a small smile, his eyes teasing.

"I could never!" he responded jokingly. David chuckled, and with that, Eric walked out, shutting the door softly behind him. As he made his way to his car, his thoughts began to spiral. He hadn't seen Kai's dress, and he couldn't help wondering what she looked like. He hoped nothing too embarassing was said to him, and he hoped he could at least keep himself from going speechless. He knew he would blush, that was a given. It was to be expected. But he really hoped he could hold everything else together.

He pulled up on the side of the street in front of her house and got out, grabbing the corsage and plastic container it was in. He'd given her the boutonniere a few days ago so she'd have it to pin it on him like it was supposed to be done. He walked up the sidewalk to her porch and stopped, suddenly nervous. How would this go? Would her parents say anything? Would they change their mind last minute about their decision for him to be able to date their daughter?

He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting to be let inside. There was a brief moment of waiting before the door opened and Michael Adiar stood, holding it open. Eric gave him a small smile back, and felt himself instinctively tense up as he leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“You better respect my daughter." he whispered harshly. "If you break her heart,” The sentence was left hanging, and Eric found himself growing very scared. He wasn't really scared of Michael himself, he knew he was a good respectable man. But Eric's own father threatened him a lot, and although he knew Mr. Adair couldn't do anything physical to him legally, he still had that thought engraved into his mind.

"I won't Sir," he said quietly, his eyes automatically averting to the floor as they usually always did out of habit because of his father's rituals. He subconsciously reached over to touch his arm, where underneath the tux sleeves a few rather fresh wounds were placed.

They were from a few nights ago, and they still hurt. He'd been wearing his hoodies and long sleeved shirts a lot since the incident, and he found himself wondering if Kai had suspected anything, or if she was just so used to him wearing hoodies all the time that she thought it was normal. He also had some bruising around his neck, which was harder to hide, but he hoped it was faint enough for people not to question it.

He was grateful that Mrs. Adair had pulled her husband slightly away. He took a few small steps inside so he wasn't standing on the porch anymore. He gave Lisa a small, nervous, but grateful smile. The same shy and boyish look in his eyes that he often got when he was nervous. He heard the click of high heels, and each one of them turned their heads to see the girl who was wearing them. As soon as she came into view, Eric felt the rush of warmth spread across his cheeks, and his body tensed ever so slightly.

He stood almost completely still as she approached, unable to speak for a few moments. She was so pretty. The dress was perfect for her, and she fit so perfectly inside of it. Her hair was simple, but that's what was so pretty about it. He didn't like big, extravegant dresses, hairstyles, or make up. He didn't like things that seemed to scream, LOOK AT ME! He was taken aback by how beautiful she looked. He hadn't seen her wear much make up very often, and if he'd thought she was beautiful without any....she was sure beautiful with it on.

He saw her faint smile, and the cute blush that was spread across her cheeks. He knew his own were pink as well, but he couldn't stop that. He missed Michael's watering eyes, but he could feel his own tearing up. He let out a very soft and gentle breath as she got closer. "You look amazing," he breathed, giving her a smile that he couldn't hold back any longer. He kind of glanced down at the corsage in the see through container. "Brought you something," he said in a quiet, cute, almost sing-songy voice.

Lisa broke his gaze from her by speaking, and he nodded, following her to where she wanted pictures taken.

She started walking toward him, and she did notice that he had stilled. Normally, he was a basket of nervous energy. She darted a glance from under her eyelashes at Eric. Never had she been shy before, so she tried to stand up straighter with more confidence. When she decided that he actually did think she was pretty, she unfolded a little further. When she looked around at her father's facial expression, she had to smile. Now she could see his eyes misting over. When she looked at Eric, she began to blush with him.

For herself it wasn't quite embarassement, but she wasn't used to being the center of attention. He gave her a vocal compliment, but she had also tuned into his thoughts. It reassured her that he actually meant it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her father move in what she somehow interpreted as a disapproving movement at the compliment. She wondered if she should tell her dad that she would be more offended if he didn't say anything even if they were platonic friends.

She had worked hard to look this nice, and she hoped that people would notice. It wasn't like his words had been dirty, low down cheesy cheap, or anything else like that. They had just been a compliment. She smiled at him, and finally got up the courage to look at him. "You look great too," she smiled and told him softly. She had no idea if he had any fashion sense or preference to what she wore. However, she had wanted to please him. Would it have been a good idea to ask what he liked in fashion? She wouldn't have wanted to take him shopping with her she realized.

Perhaps if they ever became a couple, she would ask then. Whenever they got together or became emotional, she felt like they did the same thing. They blushed and cried almost too much. She noticed the corsage in his hand, and she panicked, when she realized that she didn't have the boutonniere with her. She gave a wide eyed panicked look towards her mother, hoping she would get the hint before they took the pictures. Surprisingly her mother understood, and hurried to retrieve it for her. While her mother was retrieving the boutonniere, Eric put the corsage on her wrist.

She wanted to ask Eric how he had been. It felt weird though in front of her parents, especially her dad. She was always worried about him. She wished there was a way to get him into a happy family. If she had thought her parents would consider it, and if she didn't like Eric the way she did, she might have asked her parents if there was some way they coudl take him in. However, she knew they wouldn't like that idea. They would like it even less since they were going to prom together.

It had been a few days since they had really hung out or talked to one another. She supposed they had been busy with prom stuff and school work. After a moment she realized something big and important, "Look. No cast," she smiled. It had been cut off a week or so ago and she had been using a splint which she could take on and off. "I'll have to be careful, but I thought it would look nicer," she giggled happily. When her mother returned, she pinned the boutonniere on his tux. They both gathered in front of a wall that was plain and had their picture taken.

Their first picture was just them stiffly standing along the wall. The second one, she arrange Eric in a more professional pose, and she did the same herself. On the third one she announced would be a silly one. She felt that all of this had been rather stiff and formal. She hoped things relaxed, when they were at prom or even away from her parents. After she said goodbye to her parents, she gathered her things, and they headed to Eric's car.

She hadn't ever been in a car with another underage driver before without an adult. It had never crossed her mind, that she should be nervous or worried. She had been excited that her parents wouldn't be taking them, but she realized that she would have to trust a totally new driver. She had no idea what kind of a driver he was. She supposed he couldn't do worse than she had, so she couldn't complain. Before he started up the car, she turned to him. "Wait. I've never driven with you before, so until you gain my trust, here are a few rules. Please don't get distracted. If needed, ignore me the whole ride."

She smiled awkwardly at him. Hopefully, this didn't make things more awkward or nerve wrenching. She still hadn't driven much since her wreck, so she was feeling a little scared right now. "You can also tell me to stop doing whatever I am doing, if you find it distracting," she added. "Also, let's pray and thank God for letting us be here tonight," she added. She took his hands and bowed her head, "Dear God, thank you for letting us go to prom together. Thank you for letting us meet. Thank you for all of the blessings that you have heaped upon us. Please keep us safe as we go too and fro from prom. Help us to have a good time, and bless our friendship to reflect you. In Jesus' name. Amen." She waited to see if Eric wanted to add anything, and then she raised her head. "Okay, I am ready. Let's go," she told him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The car ride was uneventful. She was glad they had had that chill time to relax and have fun for a little while. Kai might have made it unnecessarily tense, because of her fear, but they had relaxed and gotten more into the swing of things. She got out of the car, and froze for a moment. "I forgot another thing. While we are dancing, since you are steadily on two feet, please try to stop me from landing flat on my face, if or when I trip," she gave him a fake pleading begging look. Her eyes were rounded with innocence, and her mouth was pouty.

After she was done begging, she took a deep breath, trying to remember how to be confident. She reminded herself that she wasn't as clumsy as she thought she was. She might drop things, but she didn't remember the last time she had fallen flat on her face. Someone was always able to catch her. She wasn't sure how together they were going to be.

Would they spend every minute with each other? Would he want to talk to anybody? Could she feel free to go hang out with her friends for a while? What if another guy asked her to dance? What if a girl asked him to dance? Should she ask him those questions? Was she being foolish? Did he know any better than her? She straightened and smiled. Her walk was confident and no one would have guessed how she was feeling. Why was she acting so nervous? No one else would pay attention to her.

They walked into prom. She looked around and smiled at the decorations. Over to one side was where they could have their picture taken. She looked at Eric to see what he wanted to do. Her tulle skirt was flowy and billowy. When she walked the slit became apparent. When she was standing still, she could hide it fairly easily. She didn't notice that several boys had turned to look. Most of the ones who had dates looked away after a second or so. There were a few who hadn't come with anyone, and they gawked at her long enough to be rude before they tried to be less obvious about it. Kai was oblivious. She was just determined not to fall over. There were so many thought voices in her head, that she couldn't sort them all out. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. It was harder to concentrate on Eric.

Eric had not seen Michael's discomforted and disapproving movement, for his blue eyes had been on Kailey. But if he had, he would have instantly felt more insecure and shut his mouth, afraid to speak any further. So it was better that he hadn't seen. He gave her a shy grin as she complimented him back. "Thanks." he whispered.

He couldn't help but keep the smile on his face when he saw her slightly panicked look. She hadn't brought the boutonniere with her. It was okay, and he watched as Lisa quickly went to find and bring it. As she went to retrieve it, Eric slid the corsage smoothly and gently around Kailey's wrist. It was then that Kai looked up at him and smiled, telling him that she no longer had a cast. He grinned, his eyes lighting up.

"You looked fine with it on, too." he said. He didn't want her to think that she had to keep it off for fear that he would think her ugly. "But I'm glad it's finally off so you don't have to put up with it anymore." He gave her a shy grin. "But yes, please be careful." Lisa returned, and he let Kai pin the boutonniere on his tux before they headed over to the wall for pictures. The first two were a bit more serious, but the third one Kai wanted to be silly. He was less tense during pictures, mostly because he wasn't standing so close to her father. When that was over, they said goodbye to her parents. Eric let her walk out first, and stood in the doorway. He glanced back at Michael, hesitated for a bit, and then said softly,

"Thank you for trusting me with her. I'll do my best to see to it that she's taken good care of." He gave a small smile to both her parents and then followed after her. Once they got to his car, he opened the door for her and let her get situated before shutting it. He walked around, got in, and stuck the key in the slot to start the engine. Right before he turned it, Kai's voice broke in. He stopped at her command, his eyes a little wide with surprise. He hadn't expected this.

He let out a soft breath of astonished laughter as she started naming rules. "Kailey, I promise I'll be safe." he reassured with a grin on his face. She wasn't being ridiculous necessarily, because she had been in a rather traumatizing accident. But he was slightly offended that she didn't trust him behind the wheel. He was a safe driver. He wasn't mad though, and he wasn't even really THAT offended. Just only slightly.

She said that they should pray, and he agreed. She took his hands in hers and began to pray, her voice soft and conforting with each word she spoke. This was so different than what he was used to. He was used to praying to himself in his own head so no one would hear. He never prayed in front of anyone, and he was afraid to let his dad see that he even did. It was odd to be doing this openly, even if it was just he and her. But it somehow still felt a bit exposing, and he wasn't sure how comfortable he was with praying aloud like she was. He didn't know if she was expecting him to say something, and his overly cautious and overly anxious mind began spiraling about whether or not he should pray aloud too.

Finally, he decided that he probably should, even though he was nervous to do so. "God, I just want to thank you again for allowing us to meet. You've always been there for me through all my trials and pain, just as you are for everyone. I thank you that I'm able to finally have a friend to turn to, to talk to when things are bad. I pray for safety, and that all goes according to your plan tonight. Amen."

He gave her a smile and reached down, turning the key and starting the engine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once at the school, he opened the door for her so she wouldn't get her dress caught trying to get out of the car. She started speaking, telling him that she wanted him to try and keep her steady so she wouldn't fall on her face while dancing. He smiled at the face she was giving him. He couldn't help it. Why was she so cute?

"Will do, ma'am." he replied teasingly, pretending to tip a hat. He saw her take a deep breath, and he could tell that she was nervous. He was, too. But he hadn't been expecting her to be. She was supposed to be the confident one! What would he do now if he slipped into an anxiety attack? Who would be there to support him? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were here, and they had each other.

He gently slipped his arm into hers, escorting her up the school steps and into the building. Once they got to the decorated room, Eric immeadiately was in awe. The dance was taking place in the school cafeteria, but all the tables and chairs had been removed and placed with round tables, each one decorated to fit the theme. It looked NOTHING like the lunchroom. The decorating committe had sure done a good job on this one. One of the corners was where pictures could be taken, the couples made to stand under an arch way decorated with balloons.

There was a long table filled with sandwiches, chips, fruit, candy, punch, water, and a chocolate fountain. The theme for prom was Starry Night, so the ceiling and walls were covered in black cloth, and strand after strand of small white christmas lights lined the ceiling to look like stars. Some of the students had even taken time to paint and splatter the black cloth on the walls with paint and glitter, making it appear as if everyone was dancing in the middle of the Milky Way.

At first he'd been so distracted by the decorations and how pretty everything was that he hadn't noticed the other guys and their heads turning to look at Kai. But he did manage to see a couple later, who weren't doing a very good job of keeping it discreet. He felt a small flare of jealousy rise in his chest upon seeing that, but he quickly squandered it down and put it out. Of course other guys were going to look at her. She was stunning, as was almost every other girl here. Not many were used to seeing Kailey look this glamoured up, so it was a bit of a shock, and she was an eye catcher for sure.

He found himself pulling her a little closer as he looked around, the bright glow of the lights bouncing off of his eyes and making them appear to glow as well. The DJ was playing music already, some people were dancing and having fun, others were standing at the snack bar eating, and a few others were sitting down just talking. A few were lined up for pictures, but he personally was done with that. He didn't like taking pictures. If she wanted to, he would. But as of now he just didn't feel it.

He glanced over, spotting Daniel and Harper easily in the crowd. Harper was the first one he saw, her red hair catching his attention. She was dressed in a shimmering emerald green mermaid style dress, fit tightly and elegantly against her body, her curves showing. She had more clevage showing than what Eric was comfortable with seeing, but a few other girls did too. Her hair was in an updo, braided back, with a few curls dangling down fashionably.

Her makeup was done exceptionally well, none of her blemishes seen at all, and her lipstick a deep but yet somehow still bright red. Her eyes caught Eric's for a brief moment, and she made an expression at him, to which he immeadiately looked away. Had she really given him the look he thought she did? Didn't she hate him? Why had she given him such a seductive and flirty glance, even from such a distance.

He was starting to get uncomfortable, and they had just got here! "What do you want to first?" he asked. Even though the song playing right now was not a slow song or romantic at all in any way, he still could see one or two couples sitting at the tables and on each others laps, kissing passionately. How could they do that in front of everyone? Did they not care at all?

Eric jumped just a little at the soft sound of her voice, asking him if he was okay. He swallowed nervously, breaking his gaze from all the distractions and looking at her. "Yeah I'm okay," he answered. "Just...a bit overwhelmed is all." There were so many people here! So much of the highschool had managed to get a date and come, it was mind boggling.

He'd heard so many stories of prom and how fun it was, but for a guy with extreme social anxiety....it wasn't really all that fun. For him it was just a big, nicely decorated room jammed full with a bunch of judgemental teenagers who couldn't keep their hands off of one another.

After the brief incident with Harper, Eric found Kai's voice reaching his ears again, questioning what had just happened. Before he had the chance to answer, she apologized. "It's alright," he said, resisting the urge to glance back over to see what Daniel and Harper were up to. He really didn't like the fact that they were here together as a couple, and he didn't know what they could possibly be up to planning.

Maybe he was overthinking like he often did. Maybe they weren't planning anything ridiculous. Maybe they were just here together to enjoy the night like so many of these people were. He and Kailey kind of stood around for a moment, debating on what to do, and she finally spoke again, listing off all the options. He couldn't help but grin as she listed another option, making a point about the couples who didn't seem to care who was watching.

"Apparantly," he said back, the implication that he COULD have taken flying right over his head. He wasn't thinking about that for multiple reasons. He was kind of overwhelmed so his brain was too busy to even worry about anything romantic right now, her father's threat hanging over his head, and the fact that it would be disrespectful and sleazy. His eyes glanced over to the food bar, and he was really thinking about going over and getting drinks for himself and her.

He was just about to head over when she grabbed his hand, excitedly pulling him towards the dance floor. They'd danced to this song in dance class, he remembered. But he honestly couldn't remember all the steps. However once they started dancing, the steps slowly came back. At first he was stiff, uncomfortable being around all these other teens, people he knew, people that made fun of him and whispered about him on a daily.

But the more the song went on, and as he glanced around at everyone else, he saw the smiles on their faces, the fun they were having. He looked over at Kai, how into the music she was, how happy she seemed now, and all his tension melted away. His body became more free and loose, the steps becoming easier. His stress was gone, his worries about Harper and Daniel were gone, the anxiety about her father's threat disappeared, his anxiety about his peers vanished, and he was able to let out a laugh.

A real, genuine, heartfelt laugh that could only be heard by the few people closest to him because the music was so loud. It was a laugh he didn't get to use very often at all, and it was a sound that would make even the coldest hearted people smile. His own smile lit up his entire face, his eyes glowing in the light, and his dark hair slowly started to fall out of place the more they danced, a few wavy strands slipping out of its hold and coming to rest across his forehead.

He wasn't worried, he wasn't stressed, and he was actually having fun. For the first time in years he wasn't thinking about what other people thought of him, he didn't care if they were judging or not. He was here with Kai, and he knew she liked him for who he was, just as he did her. Perhaps his feelings could potentially be stronger for her than hers were for him, but he didn't know. He didn't know how she truly felt. He only knew the little she had told him, and yet still he was going to risk it all tonight.

But right now, in this moment, even those worries weren't present. Because even if she didn't want to be his girlfriend, no matter what...they would always be friends. And the more he thought about it...he would be completely and utterly okay with that. If she didn't want more, who was he to try and force her?

Once the song was done, he stood for a moment just looking at her and smiling, trying to catch his breath. He raised a hand for a high five, and then the song changed to Speechless. After a small moment of figuring out the position, he and Kai began dancing to this one as well. After a moment, she looked up into his face, and he looked into her brown eyes, smiling as she did.

He felt her pull a little closer, and he moved his hand slightly further down her back to hold her better. Not too lowly, not a red flag, but only for support. She smiled again, and he was comfortable enough to lean his head slightly down, resting his forehead on hers and closing his eyes. For a good long moment, the music just flowed through him, and even during a song like this, his worries were still gone.

He pulled back, resuming to his normal position, and while he wasn't comfortable singing, he hummed along. She was close enough to his chest to be able to feel the vibrations of his voice and the thump of his heart. He wasn't a bad singer, and he could carry a tune quite nicely. His voice went right along with the notes, calm and gentle, a soothing sound. When the song was over, another started playing, a love song, but more upbeat and not a slow dancing song. He let go of her slowly, just now noticing all the couples that were still kissing.

A small flush came onto his cheeks, but only lasted for a moment. It was gone as quick as it had come, and he slipped his hand inside of hers, walking off the dance floor and back to the tables. Once there he let her hand go, because he didn't want to seem possessive or anything like that. "Do you want a drink? Something to eat?" he asked. He noticed a lot of the girls that were sitting over here had taken their high heels off, along with a lot of the girls over on the dance floor, dancing barefoot next to their friends.

He also spotted a few tuxes laying draped over the backs of chairs, and he could understand why. It was getting hot, especially after dancing. He pulled off the tux slowly, now just wearing the light blue vest , tie, and the long sleeve white shirt underneath that. He laid it down on the chair next to her, and walked over to the food bar.

While up there, a couple other guys were going through the line, laughing and joking with each other. They were a couple of seniors. He didn't know them by name, but he knew their faces.

"God, Eric!" One of them exclaimed, a smile on his face. "You're here? What cat dragged you out of the bag? I didn't think you'd ever come here." Eric wasn't sure how to respond to that. The guy's tone wasn't rude, it was just surprised sounding, but at the same time, it could be interpreted as rude.

He opened his mouth to answer, but the other senior spoke first, tapping his friend on the arm lightly with the back of his hand. "Who do you think did? You saw who he came with!" He turned his brown eyes to Eric, his expression full of excitement and hidden secrets. "You gonna bang her after this?" he asked in a low voice. Eric was taken aback. How...how could they ask him such a thing?! WHY would they ask him that?! They barely even knew him, he didn't even know their names! He supposed it was common talk, and a lot of guys here were probably asking around just to get a number of how many would get lucky. But still, it was so blunt and straightforward, and he just stood for a good moment in silence, unsure of how to respond.

"No?" he finally said, his tone questioning and weary. Would the teasing begin now? What were they going to do?

"Man!" The first guy said, lightly bumping his shoulder. "Come on, dude. You gotta be missin' out! Look at that! Look what you have at your fingertips!" He tossed his head in Kai's general direction, and that's when anger began to flare up in Eric's chest. How could they say any of this? They were acting like she was nothing but an object, a tool for him to use whenever he pleased.

"I know what I have," he said, his voice stronger. "I have a beautiful young woman over there waiting for me to bring her a drink. A good friend, not something for me to use whenever I get a sexual urge." The seniors exchanged glances, and they looked a bit guilty. Or was he imagining that? "If you'll excuse me." He dipped his head politely at them and turned, walking back over to Kai.

He sat down next to her, handing her a glass of punch. "You miss me?" he asked teasingly.

Kai froze, when he jumped. How had she scared him? They were standing beside each other. She smiled at his reply, "Yeah....I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I wonder how many of these dates don't go to our school," she pondered aloud looking around. She got part of his thought, and nudged him, "I can tell that a lot of them are too absorbed to be seriously judgemental. That should make things easier right?" she asked not completely believing that statement herself.

Kai was more glad than she had previously thought she would be that she had come with Eric. At least he would respect her. How quickly Daniel had gotten a date told her that he hadn't really cared for her. Why had he chosen Harper? Perhaps it was because Harper was promiscuous. That wouldn't have worked out well, if she had gone with Daniel. They weren't friends, so she wouldn't have even let him kiss her. She wasn't a hundred percent sure, but the third meaning seemed to pass over his head. There was no blushing, so she didn't think he had caught that.

It was a relief, because it would have totally been her fault if there had been a misunderstanding. She considered the food bar, but she thought it might be wise to wait to eat. She hoped he didn't mind that she was dragging him to the dance floor. She didn't plan on staying at the sidelines all night, so he knew that he would have to dance. She wouldn't like having to go around asking people to dance with her. She supposed some of the dances she could do by herself, but it was more fun to have at least a friend to goof off with.

If she and Eric really were only platonic friends, she wasn't sure if she would have slow danced with him. It would be a little awkward between friends. At first she had to watch other people's feet to see what they were doing until she remembered the dance. She looked at Eric and she was glad that she wasn't the only one who had forgotten. They were both a little stiff at first, but Kai relaxed sooner than Eric. She hoped that Eric would relax as time went on, and just enjoy it.

She knew that other people could be hurtful, but they had to ignore them. As the dance went on more of the people started dancing in sync at the correct time, and the whole group looked smoother. A few of them who knew how to dance added their own little spins and flare to it. It was fun to watch and she added some of those unique things to her own dance. She noticed that Eric was becoming more relaxed, and his dancing was improving. She smiled as he laughed. It was a rare sound, and she knew that she was lucky to hear it. She high fived his raised hand smirking, "We did it. We did it. Yay!" (Dora the explorer)

They were still catching their breath, when they had to figure out how to arrange themselves for the next dance. Soon they manuvered and settled into a comfortable position. She liked this song, and it felt appropriate for exaggerated swaying. When she pulled closer, she was surprised that he leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. She instinctively closed her eyes and enjoyed being close and relaxed with him. It was uncomfortable to try to look at him, when he was that close. When he pulled back, she began to sing quietly, so that he was the only one who heard her.

She didn't always sing on key, but she didn't sound too bad. He pulled away after the dance, and she wondered what he would do. He took her hand, and they walked off the dance floor. "Yeah," she nodded her head not sure what she wanted. "I'll get food later, I just want to sit down right now." It was surprising how one needed to pace oneself to last the whole prom. She preferred getting her own food, but she had a feeling that he knew her well enough to get her a drink. She noticed that a lot of the girls had taken off their shoes.

She knew the cafeteria floor was nasty, so she wasn't comfortable doing that. She watched him as he took off his tux. She decided to sit down, since she was tired. He laid it on the chair next to her. She assumed he was getting them something to drink, but she wasn't sure. She smiled happily as some guys started talking to Eric. People didn't start conversations with him often, so she was happy to see them reaching out to him. He sat down, and she accepts the glass of punch. "Dancing makes me thirsty," she unnecessasrily explained, when she drained her glass quickly.

She smiled at him teasing her, and leaned in a little closer, "Only every moment," she replied with a smirk. Normally, she would shut a guy down pretty quickly, but she wanted Eric to know that she was interested. She didn't want to push him away. In reality he hadn't been gone long enough for her to feel anything except she felt more fully how tired she was. "Do you know those guys? I'm glad that someone reached out to you? What did they talk to you about?" she asked totally oblivious. "What do you want to do now?" she asked.

She supposed they could dance again. She was becoming a little hungry now, "I'm going to go get something to eat, and refill my drink." When she was in line to get food, Daniel came up behind her. She froze a little surprised. She wasn't sure if she should say something or not. At first she had been flattered that he had asked her to prom. Now she was pretty sure that he was only looking to get in another girl's pants.

"Hello," he greeted her, and looked up and down. He gave an appreciative grin, "You look great."

"Hello," she politely replied.

He raised his brow at the cool greeting, "How has it been with Eric?" he asked her, "Has there been any fireworks?" he asked her.

She darted a surprised glance his direction, and she hated it, when she began to blush. Instinctively, she looked awkwardly at Eric for help. How could Daniel be so forward?

"I take that as a no," he smirked annoyingly.

She didn't correct him or otherwise.

"I'm sad that you didn't go with me," he told her.

She shrugged,"You found someone else really quickly."

She didn't want to add that she wanted a relationship and not just a night together. If she couldn't have the former she wanted to have a night of platonic non sexual fun.

"Come on," he pleaded with her, "You can't be mad at me for that."

"I don't care," she told him shortly glad that the line was near to the end.

"You really like him," he stated. "Planning on some after prom activity?" he asked her.

A little embarassed she tried to look away. She didn't reply, and tried to get away as soon as possible. She did want at least a kiss from Eric, but she wasn't going to tell Daniel that. She wasn't going to tell Eric that either, because she had to keep to her own principles. Somehow from the conversation Daniel decided that she was still a virgin. Wouldn't it be fun to be the first to bang her up? How to get her? She turned and noticed that Harper had sat down on the other side of Eric's seat. Were they going to sit with them? She felt very uncomfortable. She took her food and returned to the table.

She didn't like how much Harper was flirting with Eric. Carefully, she tried to find a way to keep her away from Eric. She felt that she was being a little posessive, but since it was Harper, she didn't care. She wasn't sure if she could eat if Daniel and Harper were going to sit by them. Since she was losing her appetite, she would share it with Eric. It was sickening watching them feed each other and flirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel told Harper to go sit by Eric. He wanted to sit with that couple, so she headed over to him. For a moment she did nothing, but she noticed that Daniel was flirting with Kai. She felt anger and jealousy. While she didn't mind one nighters, she wanted the guy's attention to only be on her for one night. How could she not entrap his attention the way Kai seemed to be attracting everyone's attention. Was it because of the rumors that she was a virgin, so all of the guys wanted to have a go with her. She turned with a seductive glance at Eric.

She moved her chair closer to him, and laid a hand on his arm. She looked into his ice blue eyes, and she noticed something. Had Kai picked a dress that was his eye color? She would have to tell Daniel. Was perfect princess Kai crushing on a guy that badly? Soon Kai and Daniel returned to the table. Even while he was flirting with Harper, he continued to give looks to Kai.

Eric returned to her, sitting down and handing her the drink. She guzzled it down pretty quickly, and he was left with a grin on his face and a cute glimmer of admiration in his eyes as he looked at her. She explained that dancing made her thirsty, and he chuckled. "I guess it does," he replied, laughing at the obvious statement. She smiled, which in turn made him smile even more, and she leaned in, responding to his tease with a light flirty tease back.

He glanced at the floor shyly, biting his lower lip and nudging her lightly with his shoulder as a response. It was weird for him, he wasn't used to being flirted with in any way at all, even just a light tease like that. Sure, he and Kai teased each other all the time, but they both had dialed back the flirting for some time. But now they both were aware that they liked each other to some degree, and it wasn't as awkward for either of them.

He still was so new that he still didn't know how to respond to things like that though, other than his instinctive shy glances, blushing, and nervous habits. He glanced over at her from the corner of his eyes before sitting back up straight and running a hand through his hair. It wasn't staying in place anyway, so what was the point?

He hoped his blush would fade as quickly as it had come. How much of a mess would he be tonight after prom was over when he asked her the question? She started asking him questions, and his demeanor began to shift. He kind of glanced at the floor again, not really sure if he wanted to tell her or not. He didn't want to put any sort of idea into her head that he was planning on taking advantage of her tonight.

"No, I don't know them personally." he said. "I've seen them around, but I don't know them by name. They knew me, though." he said, looking at her. "They only knew my name because of you." He cleared his throat a little and took a small drink of the punch before turning around and setting it back on the table. "They asked me if you and I were going to...do what almost everybody else is going to do tonight after prom is over." He said, implications in his voice. "It made me mad, because they spoke of you like you weren't really a human being. Just like you were...an object. Something to be played with or used." He shrugged and shook his head, taking another drink.

He then looked over at her, his blue eyes that were normally filled with kindess, gentleness, and orneriness, now held a stronger purpose. A protective glimmer. "Stay away from guys like that. They're no good." He thought made to the promise he'd made to her father, and now that guys like that had expressed themselves openly to him already about Kai, he would be on high alert. She asked him what he wanted to do, and if he was being honest with himself, he kind of just wanted to sit here and be with her for a little while.

She told him that she was going to go get something to eat, and he nodded, taking another drink as she walked away. After a moment, he turned to see that Daniel was now at the food bar in line with Kai, and the two were talking. He felt his brow furrow a little, as a suspicion popped up in his chest and mind, but he tried not to think too much about it. He continued to drink his punch though, keeping an eye on the two of them every little bit. He'd caught her glance, but something stopped him from getting up and walking over.

The sound of footsteps approached, and like a dog following her master, Harper materialized by his side, sitting down in the chair opposite him. He tried his best to ignore her, and he didn't even speak to her or look her direction for a moment. But as to be expected, she scooted her chair closer and laid a hand on his arm. Her touch made his skin crawl and prickle, goosebumps running up his arm. But not in a good way. His reaction was immediate, turning his head to look at her, and then pulling his arm as politely as he could away from her.

He was about to say something to her about it, but Kailey came back over, and relief shot through his entire body. As soon as she sat down he scooted his chair closer to her, shooting a glance towards Harper that would explain everything to Kai. He couldn't say anything with the two of them so close, but he didn't want Harper getting any more ideas about him, so he took a chance and reached across Kailey, placing a hand gently on her knee.

It wasn't seductive in any way, he just was uncomfortable with Daniel and Harper here, and he wanted her to know that he wasn't being influenced to like Harper because of some petty flirting techniques.

"So...you guys having fun yet?" Harper asked, her green gaze flitting back and forth between Daniel and Kai, although her question was directed at Eric and Kai. Eric lifted the cup to his lips, finishing off the rest of his drink before setting it back down on the table and spinning it around absent mindedly like a younger child.

"I guess, yeah." he answered. "You?" He didn't feel comfortable talking with these two, and his body was tense, his mind still whirling around Daniel being so close to Kai. He had to keep telling himself that it wasn't a big deal, because they'd just talked. But he also knew what kind of crowd he hung around.