Lost in the Love Letter

ch. 17 - a class act

ATTENTION: *In this chapter, there is a brief reference to attempted r*pe... sorry if this affects anyone!

About 2 months had passed since the dinner party. The homecoming dance was here. Dominic had asked Mandy to go with a cute poster, and flowers. She said yes, and they were voted to be on the homecoming court. 

Also, her and Hunter had remained in a stable friendship. She couldn't converse with him too often, because she didn't want to heat things up between him and Dominic. But they did hang out at more dinners with their families, who began to grow closer as time went on. 

Now, Mandy was getting ready for the homecoming dance tonight. She chose to wear a long light blue dress with white heels. She asked Dominic if he wanted to color coordinate with her dress, but he said no because what if he won, and she didn't, then it would be different from whoever won homecoming queen. She thought that was a little redundant and silly, but she was fine with it. At least his ice blue eyes matched her dress. 

She wore her hair down and kept her natural curls. She didn't go all out on hair and make up because she wanted to save her best look for the senior prom. 

After getting ready, her parents took some pictures of her, and Dominic arrived. He brought a corsage. Her parents took a few more photos with Dom, and sent them off. 

They got there, and right off the bat Dominic ventured off into the crowd to see some friends. Mandy hung back with some of her friends. She did keep an eye out for Hunter though. 

Time went on, and they were finally going to announce the Homecoming King and Queen. 

Principal: "Hey kiddos! I hope you're all enjoying yourselves tonight!"

The crowd clapped a little. 

Principal: "Now... let's unveil the new Homecoming King and Queen of 2022! Can I get all of the Court members on stage please?"

Dominic and Mandy held hands as they walked up on stage. There were 4 other couples with them. 

Principal: "Okay... let me take a look at the final votes. *he looked down at an envelope and smiled* Wow, I am so happy to announce that this year's homecoming king and queen consist of one of our very own ASB members, and a new transfer student from this year: Dominic and Mandy!"

The crowd cheered as the two were receiving their crowns. They were led out onto the dance floor for the traditional king and queen dance. After the first minute of them dancing alone, the other court members joined in. 

Dominic: "Wow, I can't believe we won."

Mandy: "Same! I guess we should've coordinated after all..."

Dominic: "Ha! Next time for sure."

They kissed. 

Dominic: "You know... I think I love you." 

Mandy stared at him in disbelief and smiled. She noticed that he seemed a little off, but maybe he was just excited to win King and caught up in the moment. She laid her head on his shoulder and finished the dance. 

Later on, they went off to mingle with more friends. But then, Dominic ran into Mason (the boy that fought with Mandy), who had just recently finished his suspension. 

Dominic: "M-dog! Wassup dude, how was your little break?"

Mason (who didn't see Mandy beside him): "YO Dom... it was okay, you know that money came through, and made it better so thanks dawg."

Dominic shot him a quick glare, and discreetly pointed to Mandy. 

Mandy: "Wait, you knew he was suspended? Do you know what he did to me?!"

Dominic: "Well, yeah bu-"

Mandy: "Hold on... "money"? Oh my god... DID YOU PAY HIM TO TRY TO RAPE ME?"

Dominic: "Um.. well, I um- I had to see if - if you were gonna ever hurt me if you got angry... knowing you did some kind of taekwondo doo doo stuff. But I love you babe.."

He aggressively pulled her in for a kiss so she couldn't respond. When he stuck his tongue in her mouth, she tasted the flavor of alcohol. 

Mandy: "Have you been drinking?"

Dominic: "Yeah.. um- hehe you want some?" *his drunk behavior was beginning to show a lot more*

Mandy: "NO! Get away from me!! We're done."

She ran off with tears welling in her eyes. When she ran out of the dance area and into the school halls, she bumped into Hunter. 

Hunter: "Amanda? What's wrong? Are you okay??"

Mandy: "It's Dominic... I found out he - *pushing though tears* - he PAID that Mason guy to try to hurt me."

Hunter: "Oh my god, no way. Amanda, I'm so so sorry." 

Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her, as if he were shielding her from the world. He slowly pulled her to the side of the hall. All she did was cry in the comfort of his arms, and he patiently let her. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together. She took deep breaths. 

"The pain won't last, but the lesson learned will stay with you forever, and that's what's worth it."

Once she felt ready to speak without crying again, Hunter let her go and faced her. 

Mandy: "I'm sorry I-"

Hunter: "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. What Dominic did was not okay, and he will not get away with it. But, are you okay? Nobody tried to hurt you again, right?"

Mandy: "Yes, I got out of there quick. The only reason he let his act slip is because he's drunk. I think him and that Mason guy have been drinking together. I don't know where they went, but I hope they don't do anything bad"

Hunter: "I hope so too. Here, let me take you home."

Mandy: "Okay"

They went back into the dance. Right as they were grabbing their items, the DJ announced on the microphone, 

"Alright teenyboppers... this is the LAST call for the slow dance."

Hunter walked over to Mandy. 

Hunter: "Wait, I can't let you end your senior year homecoming on a note like this. Let's share one last dance. You up for it?" *he offered out his hand*

Mandy: *she hesitated, but realized he was right and that she wanted to end this night on a good note* "Okay, let's do it" *she gave a small smile and grabbed his hand*

They headed out onto the dance floor and the song started. It was All of Me by John Legend. He placed his hand on her waist, and gently grabbed her hand with the other. They slowly swayed, looking into each other's eyes. 

Mandy: "It's kinda funny, I never imagined I'd be spending a moment like this with you."

Hunter: "My old self would never have imagined this either. But I'm so glad I'm here with you right now." 

They danced until the song finished, and he took Mandy home.