Woke Up Married

32. Prom

I was at Rain's house getting ready for prom and I couldn't stop zoning out. I kept looking at my phone hoping he had called or messaged back but he hadn't.
She curled my cavewoman hair and made me look more than halfway decent. She looked at me in the reflection of her mirror as she applied mascara. "Are you going to be okay going stag? Are you sure you don't want to just dance with me? Preston already said he can't really dance so that should be interesting."
I had been sitting on the edge of her bed admiring my dress, and I looked up. "I'll be okay. I don't want to ruin your night."
    "Maybe we can still get ahold of your husband." She seemed positive that she could. "Like what's wrong with him anyways? It's okay to take a break but jeez now he's just plain ignoring you."
    "Right." I agreed.
    "Oh, Pey. I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. I'm sure he does miss you though."
    "I sure miss him." I was looking down at my phone in my hands. "I can't believe I didn't say anything."
    Rain set down the mascara wand in her hand and walked over to sit down on the bed beside me. She wrapped an arm around my back and gave my arm a squeeze. "You were overwhelmed. Remember you said it just felt like a lot at once? It wasn't like you didn't want to marry him. You just needed a moment to absorb all these things and that's okay."
    "You think so?"
    "I do, Pey. I think this will all work out too. I've never seen you happier than when you talk about him. You even seem more determined lately. You seem so much brighter. He will realize he wants you in his life and come back."
    I leaned into her and we hugged. I sighed. I don't know what I would do without her.
Then I tried to lighten the mood. I said "I don't wanna talk about him for the rest of the night. It just hurts too much right now. Tell me about you and Preston."
Then I listened to her go on about Preston. I wondered if I would know everything about the guy before I even got to meet him.
After our makeup was applied and our dresses were on we stood back and looked at ourselves in her full length closet mirror. We looked really pretty.
"So, Preston got us a limo." She practically sang it.
It wasn't long before we were walking into the school gym decorated for prom under the sea theme. Tons of green and white tissue crafts hung from the rafters and glittering lanterns hung all around.
It wasn't the best decorated but it was still prom.
Preston and Rain went off to mingle and dance. She wanted to show him off to everyone, and I eventually got comfortable in the corner on a row of bleachers that no one had claimed.
Four songs in, I thought and I had to admit I was a little disappointed I still hadn't heard from him.
By the seventh song it became like a game to count them and hope that he would be the next person coming through the door. Eight, nine, ten...
A hand came down on my shoulder all of a sudden but it wasn't his, it was Michael. "You don't look like you're having fun."
I shrugged his hand off. "I'm having plenty."
He rolled his eyes and plopped down beside me. "Really? I'm not trying to harass you. You made it pretty clear how you felt. I'm not trying to push my boundaries either. I'm trying to be a friend."
I looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Michael. I'm just waiting for my date."
How pathetic was that? I was looking out at the sea of dancing couples, and I just felt like I didn't belong here. I wish I was sitting on the floor of Jamie's living room eating cereal together.
"It's been an hour and a half. Do you think he's still coming?"
I didn't want to tell him that nobody would be coming. "I'll wait until he does."
He sat down beside me on the bleachers. We both just looked out at the crowd of people swaying. "Rain looks happy." He said all of a sudden and I looked at him. He had a partial smile. "I'm glad. She is pretty amazing. She deserves happiness."
When he noticed me staring he shrugged.
We didn't speak for a couple minutes. Then he almost whispered even though nobody could hear us over the music. "Do you wanna get out of here? You look about as miserable as I feel."
I choked down the sadness rising in my throat and checked my phone one more time before I agreed to go with him. On the way out of the gym I texted Rain that I was leaving early. She replied asking if I was okay, and I said yeah just going home because I wasn't feeling it.
We walked down the empty hall and out into the night. "Where are we going?" I asked. I honestly didn't even care.
"Um," He seemed to think about it. "I'm kind of hungry. Want to go get a hamburger?"
I laughed. "Sure."
I sat in his car looking out the window the whole ride to this small burger place called Burger Joint. It was a small building surrounded by metal tables to eat at.
We sat down and I ate a couple fries not really having a huge appetite. "Remember how we used to come here when we were freshmen?"
"Yeah that feels like forever ago. When we were all just friends." He said.
"Yeah." I sighed.
"Um, Pey. Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
He stared at me, setting his burger down. "You're a terrible liar. What's wrong?"
"I just feel like it would be awkward to..."
He cut me off. "It won't be. I really meant it when I said we can be friends. I don't want to ruin that. I know you're in love with someone else and he seems like a great guy."
I wasn't sure, but he hadn't made things awkward. I mean I did get in his car and come here with him. Maybe we really could be friends.
"What's the point in being in love if it all just falls apart?" I couldn't believe I was sitting in the dark at a small beach restaurant in our prom clothes asking these kinds of questions to Michael of all people.
After a short pause he said. "Love is a weird thing, Pey. I think the point is to enjoy the happy moments with the one you love because those become the memories you build together. Sometimes it does fall apart but that doesn't mean it won't come back together."
I looked at him surprised. "When did you become so wise?"
"You have a lot of time to think when you break up with your girlfriend of years, and the girl you thought you loved loves someone else."
"I'm sorry, Michael."
"Honestly, it's okay. You don't have to worry about me. I'm just not ready to date again yet." He seemed okay. "Anyways, are you sad because you haven't heard from your guy?"
"Yeah pretty much. He doesn't answer when I call."
"Let me call then."
"What?" I laughed.
"I'm serious." He held out his hand as he took the last bite of his burger with the other hand.
    I wasn't sure about this but I was kind of curious if he would answer. I gave him his number and Michael dialed it. He looked at me surprised suddenly and then said. "Hey. This is um..."
I heard someone say something on the other end. Was it Jamie? "Jamie right?" Michael said. Then he listened to him speak. I felt like I was on the edge over here.
Then Michael said. "It's Michael. We ran into each other the other day. I accused you of being on a date, and you suggested the pencils."
Michael was listening to him speak. "Why am I calling you ask?" He raised a brow at me. "Well, it's prom night and there's this beautiful girl that got stood up by her date here."
Michael had this amused smile on his face as he listened to Jamie speak on the other end. "Yeah it's Peyton."
Then his smile faded a little. "Calm down, dude. It's not that serious."
I covered my face with my hands. I had no idea what Jamie was saying but it sounded like he wasn't happy. Maybe this was a mistake after all.
"Fine." Michael said.
When I pulled my hands away I noticed he was no longer on the phone. His phone was sitting on the table next to the fries he was now eating.
I just looked at him like what happened?
"So I might have pissed him off." He made a face like my bad.
"Oh, Michael. Well, thank you for calling anyways. I guess he just doesn't want to see me after all."
He was chewing on a fry. "He will be here soon. He didn't like the idea of you somewhere with me so he asked for our location and I sent it to him just now."
"What the heck?" I couldn't believe it.
"I guess we just sit and wait now." He smirked.
"You're getting a kick out of this?"
"Yeah." He laughed. "That was kind of fun. It's definitely better than being at that lame prom. I can't believe I bought a tux."
"Well, you look nice."
"Thanks. You too."
I was really nervous the whole time we were waiting. When Jamie's car pulled up next to Michaels on the side of the Burger Joint I wasn't sure what to feel. I wanted to see him but I was also worried he was upset and mad with me.
We both got up from the table as Jamie approached us.
He stopped a couple feet away and we all just stared at each other. Jamie was in black pants and a white button down. His hair was falling into his eyes, and his lips were in a hard line. He looked really pissed off like Michael guessed.
When nobody spoke Jamie said "So did you go together?"
"Oh, no. We ditched that bore fest." Michael pretended to yawn, but nobody laughed. Jamie was too mad, and I was just surprised to see him.
He looked at Michael. "Could you let us talk alone."
He moreless said it then asked. Michael seemed surprised, and just said "Yeah, man. Sure."
He walked back toward the table we had been sitting at. I guess we were still too close to Michael because then he gestured for me to walk over toward his car.
We stood there in front of his car. He rubbed his forehead and looked at me. "What the hell is this?"
I didn't know how to respond to him being like this. My first reaction to anger directed at me was to cry. I was trying my best not to though.
When I didn't respond he said in a calmer tone. "I'm sorry too. I got your voicemail today. I'm glad you passed your test."
I just stared at him. I hadn't heard from him in days and he was talking all of a sudden like it was all normal.
He noticed the upset look on my face. "I know. I shouldn't have ignored you. I know how sensitive you are and I still did it. I'm an idiot. Okay? Yell at me or something."
Silence settled around us. He was waiting for me to say something, and I was just so upset I felt like if I said anything I would start crying.
"Pey," His voice was light. "If it means anything I think you look gorgeous."
    That would mean a lot more if I wasn't so upset right now. I was happy to see him but I was so mad that he ignored me this whole week.
"Y-you told me not to ignore you and run away, and then you did it." I could feel my lips quiver, and my eyes burn as I held back tears.
"I'm sorry. I just needed to be alone. You told me you wanted to get married, and then when I asked you you didn't want it anymore. Imagine how I feel? That was not a decision I made lightly. I was even going to give you my grandmother's ring."
"You didn't even stop to think how I felt. You just left. You wanted to get married, and move to another state and move in together, and start a whole new life. I just needed a moment to think before I made such a life changing decision." My eyes were brimming with tears. "I'm trying to make mature decisions. If I had done that to begin with I wouldn't have been married at seventeen."
He looked at me like he was speechless.
"I think," I was trying so hard not to cry. "I need time to myself now."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yeah."
He looked upset now. "Call me when you're ready to talk?"
I just nodded. I thought if I saw him that we would be able to just be okay again. Now I was worried if I didn't take some time to think then I wouldn't make the right decision. I needed to use my head, not just my heart.