After Amethyst smiled at me and said "Thanks, Nathan," the music changed to something fast and loud. People started jumping and dancing again, like the slow song had never happened.
But for me, something had happened.
My heart was still beating hard, like it wanted to dance on its own. Amethyst stood beside me, holding her drink, and I didn't know what to say next. I kept thinking about how I failed to say my speech, say she was pretty out loud and dance her with a music that's slow and romantic.
But then—she laughed. That soft kind of laugh that made me feel like maybe… I didn't ruin... failed everything.
"So," I said, trying to sound cool and failing. "You wanna maybe… dance again? With me this time?"
Amethyst looked at me for a second. Then she smiled wider. "Sure."
We walked toward the dance floor. I could barely feel my legs, like I was walking on noodles. I wasn't sure if I should hold her hand or just walk beside her, so I did the awkward middle thing—hands by my sides like I was in a marching band.
When we got there, a new song started. Not super fast. Not super slow. Something in between. I looked at her. She looked at me.
And we started to dance.
I say "dance," but it was mostly just swaying in a circle and trying not to step on her shoes.
Her dress shimmered under the lights, and her sparkly clips caught the glow of the disco ball. She looked like a dream. And I was part of it.
"You're not bad at this," she said, teasing.
"You haven't seen my real moves yet," I joked. "But I'm saving those for weddings and emergency situations."
She laughed again. "Glad you're saving them."
We danced quietly for a minute.
Then she asked, "So… when were you gonna give me the corsage?"
"Right before the slow song," I said. "Clarisse had it in Ryan's car for safekeeping. He must've thought it was his."
"I figured something was weird," she said. "He didn't even know what color I liked."
"Well," I said, "I did."
"Purple?"
"Twilight," I said, grinning.
She smiled again. "You remember a lot."
"I try."
We danced until the song ended. Nobody was watching us, not really. I can't really feel an eye that's watching us... me... dancing Amethyst, my eyes where just into her, that I couldn't think what others might think.
Clarisse gave me a quiet thumbs-up from the snack table. Ryan was talking to someone else now. The night kept moving, but in that moment, it felt like everything slowed down just for us.
---
Later, Amethyst went to the bathroom with her friends. I walked over to Clarisse, who was sitting on a folding chair, now holding a third cupcake.
"Look at you," she said, smirking. "All grown up and talking to your crush."
"I almost fainted."
"I saw," she said proudly. "But you didn't. And you told her." Pointing to the corsage.
I nodded. "I think she kind of… already knew?"
"Girls usually do," Clarisse said. "We just wait for you guys to catch up."
"I still don't know what's gonna happen," I said quietly.
Clarisse leaned back. "It's prom, Nathan. It's not a marriage proposal. You told her how you felt. You danced. That's already more than most people do."
I looked out at the gym. The lights were still glowing, the music still playing, people still laughing and spinning in dresses and suits that didn't quite fit right. But somehow, everything felt… softer now.
Easier.
"I'm glad you talked to her," Clarisse added. "Even if I had to emergency cupcake-eat for you."
"I appreciate your service."
"Anytime."
---
Amethyst came back. We didn't dance again, but we talked. About music. About movies we both liked. About how awkward middle school was. (We both agreed sixth grade should just be erased from history.)
We even sat down on the bleachers at the edge of the gym and watched the chaos from above. It was quieter up there.
"I'm glad you came tonight," she said suddenly.
"I almost didn't."
She looked at me. "Why?"
"I was scared. That I'd mess it up. That I'd say something dumb. Or that you wouldn't want to talk to me."
"I do want to talk to you," she said softly.
That made me smile. A real one this time.
"I didn't really know how to say it," I said. "That I like you. That I've liked you for a while."
"You kind of already said it," she said. "In your own weird, cupcake-falling, corsage-misplacing way."
"Classic Nathan style," I said.
"It's a good style," she said.
And then, right there on the bleachers, in a gym full of music and sweat and glitter and memories, she leaned her head against my shoulder.
We didn't kiss. We didn't say anything else.
We just sat there.
And for the first time in weeks, I wasn't nervous. I wasn't scared. I wasn't even thinking ahead.
I was just… there.
With her.
And that was enough.
---
The prom ended around 11. People started leaving in groups, dresses dragging, heels in hand, ties undone. Clarisse found me before we left.
She hugged me without warning. "You did it."
"I didn't do much."
"You did everything, dummy," she said. "Now go home and write about it in your diary or something."
"It's a journal," I said.
"Sure it is," she winked.
Ryan gave me a weird nod on the way out. I nodded back. It wasn't exactly a rivalry or anything. Just… a mix-up. And maybe it ended the way it was supposed to.
Outside the gym, Amethyst stood by the school steps, her friends waiting by the curb.
"Hey," she said, as I walked up.
"Hey," I said back.
"I had fun tonight."
"Me too."
We stood there for a second, not knowing how to say goodbye.
She looked at me. "Maybe we could hang out sometime? Just… us?"
I blinked. "Like… a date?"
"Yeah," she said. "Like a date."
"Okay," I said, smiling so hard it hurt. "I'd like that."
She nodded. "Cool."
Then she walked toward her ride.
I watched her go, the sparkles in her hair catching the streetlight. I stood there for a while, just breathing in the night air, trying to remember every second.
---
When I got home, I sat on my bed in my too-big suit and stared at the ceiling. My phone buzzed.
Clarisse: Still alive?
Me:Barely. But I think I'm happy.
Clarisse:That's the best kind of barely.
Me:Thanks for everything.
Clarisse:Anytime. You're my favorite disaster.
I smiled. Turned off my phone. Lay back.
Prom didn't go how I planned.
The corsage got mixed up.
My big moment turned into a bunch of small ones.
But I told her how I felt.
And she heard me.
Almost turned into something real.
And I think that's how real things start.
Not with perfect timing.
Not with movie moments.
But with almosts.
With weird smiles, shaky hands, and the courage to say what's in your heart.
Even if your heart is doing backflips.