From GuitarGuy92 to xoJadeBabyxo

“Charlie, will you hurry up in there? The boys are going to be here any minute now,” I said as I banged on our bathroom door. Charlie had seriously been in there forever. And I don’t know why—we had gotten our nails and hair done earlier in the day. All she really had to do was put on her dress and do her make-up. It had taken me twenty minutes at the most—she had been in there for close to an hour.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said through the door. I let out a huff and flopped back down on my bed, drumming my fingers impatiently against my blue-dress-clad knee. “Okay, I’m ready,” Charlie called before opening the door and stepping out into our room. “How do I look?” she asked, holding her hands out and twirling around twice for the effect.

“Oh wow, that dress is really, something,” I said. Charlie had bought her dress for prom months ago, had to get it altered and when it finally did come, wouldn’t let me see it. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. And in true Charlie fashion, she had gotten an over-the-top dress. It was an emerald charmeuse satin dress with a slit running up the front. The back was completely exposed except for the racer back effect that the embedded halter straps created, resulting in two slits just underneath the bust, meeting just below her sternum in an array of silver beading. The style was so Charlie and the color made her eyes seem more green than hazel. But of one thing I was sure—Kenny would be having a heart attack when he saw her in that dress.

“Well do you like it?” Charlie asked in exasperation after I had thoroughly looked over the dress.

I looked up at her and smiled. “Of course I like it. More importantly, Kenny is going to like it. You look gorgeous Charlie,” I replied.

“Thanks Legs. You look absolutely gorgeous too,” she returned the compliment. I looked down at my dress. It was a royal blue, floor length, halter dress. I’ll admit while I wasn’t showing as much skin as Charlie, my dress did show a bit of cleavage—what little bit I had. It had a gold diamond trim on the edges at the bust and a chiffon back train bow tie. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and my Nana said that it complemented my eyes.

I glanced back up at Charlie. “Please, my dress is so boring compared to yours,” I replied.

“Whatever. You look gorgeous and Nick is going to go gaga over you. There’s no way he can go the night without asking you to be his girlfriend.”

My face fell in a small frown. Even though he had asked me to be his prom date and we had spent pretty much every second together since that whole misunderstanding had been cleared up, Nick still hadn’t asked me to officially be his girlfriend. And he seriously had me confused. We pretty much acted like a couple—holding hands whenever we walked around campus together, eating together, spending hours on end in the others room, even kissing. While I was reluctant to kiss him when we weren’t officially together, there were just times where I got just as caught up in the moment as he did and couldn’t find my voice to stop the heated make-out sessions. But the fact of the matter still stood—we weren’t official. And at this point, I couldn’t understand what he was waiting for.

“Okay, the boys are downstairs in the longue with the rest of the gang,” Charlie said, shoving her phone into the small silver clutch in her hand. I snapped out of my thoughts and followed her out the door. Our group had rented a party bus for the event. Everyone was now paired off—Aaron and Erin, Connor and Aubreyanne, Evan and Leah, Kenny and Charlie, and Nick and myself. We had decided to meet in our dorm building, since almost half of us lived in here to begin with, in order to take pictures. The bus would then take us to the hotel in Los Angeles where the event was being held.

Charlie and I stepped into the longue and everyone turned to look at us. My heart fluttered in my chest at the sight of Nick. He was wearing a white tux with a royal blue tie and handkerchief. He cleaned up very nicely. Once I was able to stop looking over his body, I looked up at his face. I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face—his eyes and mouth were both wide open and it looked like he hadn’t looked at anything else, or blinked for that matter, since I walked into the room. I smiled warmly at him as I approached him. “Hey there handsome,” I whispered in his ear when I leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“You look—that dress is—I—you—wow,” he finally said, letting out that last word in a breathless syllable. I let out a tiny laugh, smiling once more at him. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “You look very beautiful,” he amended.

“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself,” I commented.

He just smiled at me. He then held up the box that was in his hands—my corsage. It was a four rose corsage with solid royal blue ribbon and sheer white ribbon. He pulled it out of the box and slipped it over my wrist. I pulled out the single rose boutonniere with matching ribbon work and pinned it onto the lapel of his coat. He took advantage of the fact I was so close to him (and that no one was looking) and pressed a kiss onto my cheek. “You look stunning Legs.”

I smiled up at him and took his hand in mine right as Charlie started barking orders about where each couple should stand. After what felt like countless pictures, we finally loaded into the party bus and were on our way. The half hour drive it took to get there was so much fun. We had music on and were having our own pre-party right there. When we pulled up to the hotel, there were many limo’s filled with upperclassmen from PPA filing out of them. We joined our fellow classmates and made our way to the ballroom. I was blown away by the extent of the decorations. Executive council was in charge of prom, and like everything else done at the academy, it was perfection.

“Get ready for the best night of your life,” Nick whispered into my ear as we walked in. I smiled brightly up at him.

I was ready for the best night of my life.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

Just dance. Gonna be okay.
Da-doo-doo-doo
Just dance. Spin that record babe.
Da-doo-doo-doo
Just dance. Gonna be okay.
Duh-duh-duh-duh
Dance. Dance. Dance. Just dance.

Lady Gaga’s song Just Dance was on and we were all out on the dance floor. It had been this way the whole night. At first we had the dinner part of prom, but then the DJ started spinning all the latest tracks and we have been out on the dance floor ever since. I didn’t know Nick was such a good dancer, but, as I was coming to realize, he was pretty much good at everything. Charlie and I were facing each other with our dates dancing behind us. We were shouting the words, singing along, dancing and just having a good time. It felt good to do this.

Just thing the DJ started playing Beyoncé’s Single Ladies. Charlie and I started going crazy—this had been our anthem for a while…until Kenny took her off the market. But it still applied to me, so I really started going out, singing the lyrics as loud as I could. Maybe Nick would catch a hint. When the bridge of the song came on, I turned around and decided to essentially serenade Nick.

Don't treat me to these things of the world
I'm not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
Is a man that makes me then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I'm the one you want
If you don't, you'll be alone
And like a ghost I'll be gone

Nick had a goofy smirk on his face the whole time I was singing, as if he found what I was doing amusing. Guess he won’t catch a clue… After that, I turned back around and continued dancing, raising my hands in the air when the DJ asked ‘Where his single ladies at’.

The song ended and it sounded like Kanye was coming up next. “Hey, do you mind if we sit this one out?” Nick yelled into my ear so that I’d hear him over the loud music.

“Sure,” I yelled back. I was thirsty any ways. Nick intertwined our fingers and started to lead us out of the mosh-pit that was the dance floor. I held onto his arm as we approached the edge of the floor—I was being jostled around a lot. Once we finally broke free and made it to our groups table, Nick let go of my hand and sat down. I tried not to let show how disappointed the loss of contact made me feel.

“Man, it is crazy out there,” Nick said wiping at his moist brow.

“Yea it is,” I said, sitting down next to him. “My feet are killing me,” I added with an exhausted sigh. Us girls had come back to the table and taken our shoes off early on, but that didn’t mean my feet didn’t hurt—we were doing a lot of dancing, and we were so tightly packed together, that I had been stepped on at least four times already.

“Here, I can fix that,” Nick said, wrapping his hands around the back of my knee and pulling my feet onto his lap. He then proceeded to give me the best foot massage of my life. My head fell back and I let out a content sigh—yet another thing he was good at. We were silent for a while, just taking in the loud music. I was mumbling the words to Flo Rida’s Elevator when Nick broke the silence. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Mind if we step outside for a bit?” he yelled over the music.

“Sure,” I yelled back. He dropped my feet off his lap and took my hand in his again, this time holding on even after we had gone out to the terrace just outside the wide French doors of the ballroom. “So, what’s up?” I asked, leaning against the railing.

“Well, there’s two things really,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck—something I had picked up he did when he was nervous or embarrassed. “First off, there was something I’ve been meaning to give you.” I stared curiously at him as he reached into the pocket of his pants, retrieving a small jewelry box. My eyes widened in shock. Why is he giving me jewelry? He handed the box over to me and motioned for me to open it. Curiously, I lifted the lid and gasped at what I saw inside. “I figured you might want that back,” he whispered. My throat clamped up, but I cleared it before tears could start to form.

Nick had given me my charm bracelet back. The one I had lost at the dance the first time JadeBaby met GuitarGuy. The lucky charm bracelet with all the marine charms on it that my grandfather had given me. “Thank you,” I whispered, biting my lower lip to keep my tears at bay.

“You’re welcome,” he answered.

“Do you mind putting it on for me?” I whispered, looking up at him for the first time since I opened the box.

“Not at all,” he replied, taking the bracelet from my shaking hands. He unclasped the hook then re-clasped it around my wrist. The metal was cool against my warm skin, but I instantly felt warmed by having a piece of my pop-pop with me.

“So, what was the second thing?” I asked, wiping away at my face just in case a few tears had slipped out without me being aware.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck again. “Well, I was going to wait till later to do this, but after seeing you out on the dance floor singing that freaking song, I just couldn’t wait any longer. So, Allegra, will you be my girlfriend?” he rambled all in one breath.

He spoke so fast that I barely understood him—key word being barely. My lips lifted in a genuine smile as I closed the gap between our bodies. “I thought you’d never ask,” I mumbled before reaching up on my tip-toes and pressing a kiss onto his lips. I felt him smile into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around my torso and lifted me up a bit off the ground, twirling me like guys do in the movies. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud—effectively ending the kiss.

“I kind of really like you, ya know,” he said, pressing his forehead to mine once he had set me back down on the ground.

“Yea, well, I kinda really like you too,” I answered.

He pecked me softly on the lips before taking a hold of my hand and pulling me back into the ballroom. Right as we approached our table—where everyone was now sitting—we heard one of the chaperone’s announce that prom king and queen were about to be announced. The DJ had cut the music and now everyone was standing by the DJ’s stand, where the winner was going to be announced.

“Alright Pacific Palisades, you’re senior prom king and queen are,” the teacher opened the envelope, pausing for dramatic effect, “Micah Anderson and Katherine Harris.” Everyone started to applaud them. Kat and Micah had been together for a long time—it was no surprise they had won prom king and queen—they were the cutest couple on campus. “Ok, and now for your junior prom king and queen,” the teacher said, opening a second envelope. Her eyes widened for a second, but then she smiled brightly and leaned back into the microphone. “Nicholas Jonas and Allegra Cole.” My mouth dropped open.

“Gah! Legs, that’s you! You won prom queen!” Leah shouted in my ear.

I was speechless. Me? Prom queen? I wasn’t even aware I was nominated!

“Come on babe, we have to go get our crowns,” Nick said, holding his hand out in front of me. I was still in a daze, which is probably the only reason I took his hand in mine and allowed him to lead me up there. I was vaguely aware of the daggers Dawn was shooting my way when the crown was placed on my head. That was when I snapped out of my daze.

“I can’t believe I won prom queen,” I mumbled to Nick as he led me out to the circle that had been cleared in the middle of the dance floor for both winning couples to share their dance.

“I can. Who better to win than the prettiest, smartest, nicest, girl in school?” With each adjective Nick used to describe me, he pressed a kiss to both cheeks, the tip of my nose, and finally my lips, lingering there for a moment. I could feel my cheeks burning up with a blush—he was kissing me in front of both the junior and senior class. But it seems no one else found his PDA awkward because as he pulled away I was aware of the ‘awws’ coming from the girls and the hollers coming from the guys. I buried my face in his chest and continued to sway to the music. After a while, other couples joined in the slow dance. When it was over, we both walked back to our table where I was greeted by hugs from my girl friends.

“Aww, Legs, you are the prettiest prom queen ever,” Aubreyanne gushed.

“I agree,” Nick said, pressing another kiss to my lips. I pulled away in embarrassment, only to find Dawn standing by us with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed in annoyance.

“You little bitch, who the hell do you think you are? First you take my man and now you’re stealing my crown? Do I need you to teach you a lesson?” her words came out slightly slurred. Figures she’d be drunk on prom night. She probably pre-gamed. Nick moved to say something, but he was interrupted by another outburst.

“Hey!” Charlie yelled, slamming her fists on the table and getting up. “Why don’t you get over the fact that Nick didn’t want your skanky ass and leave my best friend alone?”

“Stay out of this you stupid hoe,” Dawn snarled back.

“Oh hell no,” Charlie said, reaching to take off her earrings.

“Charlie, babe, calm down,” Kenny said, standing up and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“No one talks to my friend like that and gets away with it,” Charlie said, trying to shake his hands off. Dawn was now smirking, seeing as Charlie was being held back and wouldn’t be able to do anything to her. “Oh, bitch, you are lucky that Kenny is holding me back right now.”

“Whatever,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes and turning back to me. “Listen, this is my school and Nick is my man. You aren’t going to get away with this,” she said, bringing her face right up to mine.

Nick shot up from his seat and stood in front of me, essentially blocking me from Dawn. “Dawn stop making a fool of yourself. We’re over and Allegra or no Allegra, we’re never getting back together. So just get it through your thick skull already and leave my girlfriend alone.”

Dawn looked between me and Nick, then at all the other people that had gathered around our table to take in the scene. She let out a frustrated scream, even going so far as to stop her foot in annoyance before turning on her heels to march away. Charlie took the opportunity to step on the trail of her dress as she walked away, smirking when she heard the ripping sound the material made. Everyone gasped as the lower half of the dress detached from the corset top, revealing Dawn’s bare butt to the entire room. I threw my hands over my mouth in shock. Dawn let out a horrified cry and grabbed the material around her waist. Several other people were laughing at Dawn’s humiliation, snapping pictures with their cameras and/or phones, and a few people were high fiving Charlie. “Don’t come again,” Charlie sneered.

Dawn took one look at all the people laughing at her and rushed towards the door. I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes and sort of felt bad for her. I started to get up but I wasn’t allowed the chance to go to the door because Nick grabbed my waist and pulled me to his side. “Just leave it alone, babe,” he murmured, shaking his head at me.

“But I feel bad for her,” I said, looking back at the door where Dawn had run through.

Nick shook his head some more. “She just threatened you and you feel bad that she was humiliated in front of all these people? You really are too nice for your own good,” he teased.

I hit his chest playfully, making him laugh at me. “Why don’t you stop thinking about others for one night and just dance with me instead?” he murmured, pressing is lips to mine in a deep kiss.

I gave in.

He led me out to the dance floor, where various other couples were sharing a slow dance. He twirled me once before bringing my body close to his, wrapping both arms around my waist. I looped my arms around the back of his neck and swayed along to the music. No words were exchanged, just a lot of intense gazing into each other’s eyes.

I couldn’t believe that just five months ago I had been paired to work with him on that project. So much had happened since then and it felt like it was a life time ago that I didn’t like him and didn’t want to get to know him. But every day I count my blessings that I didn’t get my way with that one. Because Nick was one of the best things that’s happened to me. I had grown more as a person since meeting him—grown out of my shell and done things out of my comfort zone. And I was glad to say that there would be an entire summer and school year for our relationship to grow.

And I was looking forward to it.

“So I have just one question,” Nick said, breaking the silence and interrupting my thoughts.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Where did you ever get the screen name JadeBaby?”

I threw my head back and let out a laugh. I looked back at him and smiled. “My middle name is Jade,” I answered.

His eyes turned my favorite shade of brown as his lips lifted in a small smile. “Allegra Jade Cole. It suits you, I like it,” he whispered.

“And I really like you,” I mumbled before leaning up on my tip toes and kissing him. His arms tightened around me as he kissed me back. When we pulled away, we both smiled goofily at each other before I leaned my head against his shoulder and continued to dance with him, his scent infiltrating my nostrils. I took in a deep breath and let it out in a content sigh.

I could really get used to this.