Prom Dress - EJ Caswell ³

"Scar..."

Scarlett took a deep breath, shaking her hands at her sides as she strode backstage of the barn where EJ was standing holding the binder he seemed to be glued to the entire summer. She smiled gently once she was close enough that he'd hear her. "Hey." She tried to lighten the mood with a slightly joyful tone.

He looked up towards her with a small smile in return. "Hey." His eyes returned back to his book full of notes and she let out a shaky exhale.

"You got a minute to check in, Eej?"

He nodded quickly, turning his body towards hers now. "Of course."

Scarlett looked down at the binder and then up to his eyes. "Wanna put that script down?" EJ let out a small laugh as he looked at it before closing it carefully and placing it on the table beside him. "So, tonight has been kind of memorable, huh?

"Oh, yeah, everyone loves the camp prom." In his peripheral, he caught a boy around their age, maybe slightly younger, placing his cup on a prop for the show and he reached his hand out desperately. "Hey, please don't put that drink on Elsa's castle! We need it for tomorrow night!" His hands raked through his hair nervously as he turned back to the girl in front of him. "Sorry."

Scarlett looked at the floor, scuffing her shoe against the wooden slabs gently. "EJ, you missed the last dance."

"Oh, crap. Hold on." His hand reached for her arm as he went to circle around her. "I'll put on a song and we can just boogie around."

Scarlett spun around with him, letting his hand slide down her arm and into her own. She gripped it gently, stopping him in his stride. "EJ, stop. Please." She let out a small breath, her fingers subconsciously playing with his as his hand stayed in hers. "We've had totally different summers, we've had completely different nights Eej."

"Look, I'm a little distracted with opening night tomorrow, but..." He tried to defend himself but Scarlett's head shook slightly.

"But..." Her eyes drifted to the floor for a moment as she thought over her next words carefully. "Maybe it goes deeper, you know? EJ, you're not in high school anymore, you've graduated from East High. Your world is getting so much bigger and..." Scarlett tilted her head to the ceiling as she blinked rapidly to get rid of any forming tears. "I'm still at the photo booth trying to fit three moustaches on my face for a silly group photo and dancing with my friends in a silly barn dressed up for a silly theme."

He shrugged his shoulders, squeezing her hand that was still laced in his own. "I could do those things."

"You've done them all, Eej. You've lived it all when you were a camper here but you're not a camper anymore." She sighed, squeezing his hand back. "You're not a high school student anymore."

"I know that I don't have a solid plan for the fall, Scar, but if everything works out, then I think, maybe..."

Scarlett cut him off, her voice rising more than she expected. "I think the problem is that 'maybe' just isn't good enough for me. I deserve more than a 'maybe'." She cleared her throat, attempting to get rid of the lump that had begun to form. "I've never been a 'maybe' to you, EJ, or have I always been a maybe and I'm just too stupid to realise?"

"Scar, please."

"I came to this dance solo..." She scratched her cheek just below her eye as tears threatened to escape. She bit her lip. "So, maybe I should leave solo, too."

EJ shook his head. "Don't do this, we're great together."

Scarlett sighed, "I can't think of the last time we were really together. Not really. It's just been me and you this summer, not us. What happened to there being an us, EJ?" She took a deep, stabilising breath. "If that's a preview for some future where you shut me out and we can't be together at all, then I think I need to get out now."