Coffee

25

I would probably regret going to the pep rally but it was the last one we'd ever go to as high school students. Becca wouldn't stop trying to talk to me despite Jaz's threats. She was finally showing me that she cared about me more than she cared about people finding out that she liked girls. Jordan however never left me alone in the halls long enough for her to come up to me. Becca's attempts were more limited to text messages, phone calls, and voicemails. Jordan didn't come in to Rizzo's every time I worked but she did pop in every now and then.

"Where's Jordan?" Thomas asked.

"No idea, she's the only reason I'm here," I said.

The pep band was playing in the bleachers and the cheerleaders were on the court. They didn't look bad, but there was one that stuck out more than the others in a bad way. Jordan was out there, wearing a cheerleader's outfit. At the end of the cheer and song, the cheerleaders came together in the center of the gym. A few girls did cartwheels toward my section and landed in a split, while the others opened and held up a banner that read 'Parker, will you go to prom with me?' Jordan came forward with a single red rose in her hand. The hundreds of students in the gym went silent.

"Well?" she asked when she got closer to where I was sitting.

"Yes, Jordan, of course I will go to prom with you," I said, smiling.

I got up and went down the few steps to her on the floor. She picked me up and spun me around while everyone clapped and yelled and the band started playing again. The cheerleaders moved back and into another formation to perform another routine. Jordan handed the rose off to me and came to sit with Thomas and I.

"I can't believe you did that, you idiot," I said.

"I had to go all out. You deserve that, you're an amazing girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes, "You mean you wanted to rub it in Rebecca's face."

"Yes, that too," she said, laughing. "but seriously, this was all for you Parker. I wouldn't do this for just anyone."

"I wish I had someone that would do that for me," Thomas said.

"You do have someone like that. He's just too much of a meathead to do this kind of thing in front of the whole school. I mean, he publicly came out for you Thomas, what more do you want from him?" Jordan said. She wasn't wrong.

"Just – more."

"Thomas he still asked you to go to prom with him, it's not like he said he never wanted to be seen in public with you," I said. "With you-know-who, that's what I would still be dealing with. She wasn't ever going to come out for me, and I wouldn't be going to prom either. You have more with Chris than a lot of people will ever have here. Look, I'm not saying this to be hurtful, I just want you to know that the big ask isn't that important compared to everything else."

"I know you're right, but that doesn't change how I feel about wanting it. It's like wanting the Range Rover that someone has parked in the lot. I'm jealous, envious."

"I want you to take a look at your boy over there," I said, pointing across the court where all the sports teams were sitting. "You see that? He was already looking at you, waiting for you to notice him, and now he's smiling like a little kid on Christmas. I haven't spent much time with him but I know he really cares about you. Just like Jordan cares about me. If we're being real here, we both know if he did that to you, you would've been embarrassed and mad, and the answer would've been no because he put you on the spot like that."

"Alright, alright. I get it. You can stop now." Thomas waved and smiled back at Chris.

The rest of the pep rally went without another disturbance. I wanted to leave after the prom-posal, but Jordan said we'd have to stay, especially as a thank you to the cheerleaders. The favor was already done, I didn't see why the cheerleaders needed to be 'repaid'. It ended before the school day was over, so we were supposed to go to the scheduled class. Thomas had other plans. We both walked out of the school and get into my car.