Love's Not A Competition

Saturday came sooner than I thought it would. Zeke hadn’t talked to me in days and I was slowly getting used to the silence. I still didn’t know if we were still together or not but I didn’t ask just in case. I didn’t want to know the answer. In my mind, I could still imagine that we were together. I wanted to be with him. I missed him so much. It was painful to see him but not be able to talk to him, to hold him, to just be with him.

Brittney got up really early and made me get up at the same time. I had tried to tell her that I wasn’t going but she hadn’t listened to a word I had said. I really didn’t want to go to prom if I wasn’t going with Zeke. I didn’t want to have to force a smile for photos and act like I was having a good time when inside my heart was breaking. Even Eric had tried to tell Brittney that I didn’t want to go but she hadn’t listened to either of us. I knew I should’ve gone to Aidan first.

While Brittney was in the shower I ran upstairs and knocked on Aidan’s dorm room door. He would probably be angry that I had come to see him so early in the morning but he smiled at me when he opened the door. I tried to not look at his bare chest while I stood there. He was definitely well built.

“What can I do for you?” he asked me.
“I want you to talk to Brittney for me. You’re the only one she’ll listen to.”
“What do you want me to tell her?”
“I want you to explain to her that I don’t want to go to prom tonight. Please?” I asked him.

“You have to realize that prom is a big thing for Brittney. She loves it. She said that she’s dreamed of being prom queen all her life. She wants you, her best friend, to be there with her. She probably thinks that it won’t be special unless you are there experiencing it with her.”
“If she really was my best friend then she would be able to tell that I am not in the mood. Besides, we have next year for prom as well. I’ll go with her then.”

Aidan sighed but he agreed that he would come down to talk to her after he got dressed. I thanked him before heading downstairs, making it back before she had even gotten out of the shower. She smiled at me and I waited until Aidan had come down before getting into the shower. I didn’t want to be around her when this conversation happened. I really didn’t want to see her disappointed face. But I really wanted her to understand, to know that I really didn’t want to go to prom with them. I hadn’t even let myself think about Zeke asking someone else to prom. I don’t think I could’ve been able to deal with that. It was another reason I really didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to see him with another girl.

I got out of the shower and got dressed before heading into the room. Brittney was alone and she stood up when I walked in. She smiled sadly before hugging me. I could tell that she had listened to Aidan and she had agreed to let me stay back. Katie came knocking and they went off to get their hair and nails done. I was sad to see them go but I knew it was for the best. I sat down at the desk and pulled my homework towards me, getting ready for a long day and even longer night.

Eric showed up later, asking me if I was sure I was doing the right thing. I gave him my worst look and he dropped the subject.
“It’s going to be boring without you,” he said.
“I’m sure you would be too occupied with Amy to notice my absence.”

He smirked slightly before giving me a one armed hug.
“I heard that Aidan and Brittney are getting a hotel room for the night. So you are going to be all on your own tonight,” he said.
“Yeah, she told me before she left.”

Eric nodded and said his own goodbye since he was meeting Amy before lunch. I went back to my homework. It was about an hour until lunch so I knew I had some time to finish some more math equations before heading down to the dining hall. I hadn’t eaten breakfast so I was feeling quite hungry.

I headed into the dining room when it was time for lunch. I sat with Eric, Amy and Aidan. Brittney and Katie were still getting their hair done. Amy told me that she was sad that I wasn’t going which I thought was sweet of her. She was a really nice girl and she seemed to like Eric a lot which was good. She told me that she was getting her hair done by her sister who was a hairdresser. She was really excited about tonight.

“It’s going to be so much fun,” she said.

I just smiled, not knowing what to say. I headed back up to Brittney’s dorm room after lunch. I had been surprised when I had noticed that Zeke wasn’t at lunch. He had stopped trying to avoid me on Thursday since it seemed impossible. He had come to training in the mornings and afternoons. He had come to meals though he didn’t sit with us. He didn’t even leave the room when I went into the lounge when he was there. I had even caught him staring at me a few times over the last couple of days.

Brittney came back around two in the afternoon all made up. She looked amazing and very happy. She gushed about getting her hair done and I listened. She looked at me sadly when she had finished and grabbed my hand.

“I’m really going to miss you tonight,” she said.
“Once you get to that hotel room with Aidan you won’t,” I said cheekily, wiggling my eyebrow at her.

She blushed and we talked about other things before she went to put her dress on a few hours later. When she walked out of the closet with the dress I grinned at her. She looked stunning in the floor length, pink gown. Her hair was up with little ringlets hanging down around her face. She truly looked like a princess out of a fairy tale. Aidan came knocking and the look on his face was indescribable. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, like he couldn’t believe that such a beautiful girl would ever be in love with him. It was very sweet. I bid them goodbye and Brittney hugged me before closing the door behind her.

Eric was the next one to come visit me. He didn’t have Amy with him since he had only popped in to tell me that Zeke had decided not to go to prom and that Eric had told him I wasn’t going either. I wished he hadn’t told me. It was my fault he wasn’t going. He was missing out because of what I had done. Eric hugged me before leaving and I sat down on the bottom bunk. It would just be Zeke and I all alone on the second floor. All the first years on the first floor were all there and I knew all of the third years were going since it was their last year. I wondered if Zeke was in his room.

I was just sitting down at the desk again to finish my nearly completed homework when there was a knock on the door. I stood up slowly, wondering who in the world it could be. I glanced at the clock and saw that Brittney and the others should’ve left by now since they were all going for dinner beforehand. Was it the dorm head or something? I pulled open the door and froze. He looked amazing in his suit with the deep purple tie that matched my dress and the starched white shirt.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, stunned.
“I’ve come to take you to prom. I know that we aren’t in the best place but I couldn’t let you miss prom because I was acting like a jerk. I’m sorry, Jas. I forgive you. I overreacted and I see that now. Will you come with me?” Zeke asked.