Only Ones Who Know - Derp Crew High School AU

Chapter 24: Let's Go in Style

April 2017

I helped GaLm hang up the giant scrolled sign while Steven wrote the last of the message in chalk on the sidewalk and Tom hung the candles on the frame and hid the roses. When he was finished with the chalk, he grabbed his guitar and began to tune it. Okay, so here's the setting: a gazebo overlooking a lake in a popular park in Sacramento, the spring flowers are blooming, and the sun is barely above the horizon, the perfect place for a promposal.

"We're almost ready over here, Smarty. What about you?" Tom asked over his phone on speaker so we could all hear.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Marissa had an art show today so Smarty decided that it would be the best time to ask her to prom. He's waiting for her to be done so he can bring her here. We're all seniors now and our senior prom is less than a month away. First it was Tom and Johanna, then GaLm and Myla, and now Smarty and Marissa. For me and Steven, I have plans to ask him but he keeps hinting that he has something in mind himself. But regardless of who asks who, we're excited about going.

"Hey, don't worry, man. You know she'll say yes," Steven reassured.

"I know, it's just... I wanna do it right, you know?"

"Gotcha," I answered. "Alright, Operation 'Get-Smarty-Laid' is a go."

There was a long pause on his end, followed by, "... Chilled... no. That's not the intended purpose of this mission, sir."

"Eh, I'm just pulling your chain. Go get her, tiger."

"There she is. Gotta go, I'll see you in like twenty minutes." We heard him greet her with a "hey, baby" before he hung up the phone. We sat down with our feet in the water and skipped rocks while we waited for him.

Our senior year passed like a blur. It felt like last week I was waking up to the last day of my junior year, and now we're two months away from graduation. Not much has happened this year - well, not much when we talk about junior year - but it's been a great one. Steven and I celebrated our one year anniversary last October and Minx became a regular member of our group. She would have been here today but she said she was hanging out with Cielo and Scarlett. And Steven's 18th birthday is coming up too, which is when I'm planning on proposing to him for prom, unless he does it first.

I laid down in the grass and closed my eyes, then I felt a pair of hands go around my waist. I opened them to see my boyfriend staring at me with his emerald eyes.

"Hey, there," I whispered, earning a kiss from him. The setting sun glistened off his curls and made his hair look almost like a dark red. I threw my arm around him and rubbed my thumb on his shoulders to soothe him. Just before our eyes could close and we could get comfortable, Tom's phone went off beside me.

"Hey guys, that was Smarty. He said they're walking through the park now. We should get ready." We stood up and headed to our places with wet feet. Tom and GaLm stood beside the sign, Steven sat on a stool in the gazebo in front of them, and I met them at the beginning of the path. I saw them coming towards us and stood like a bodyguard.

Marissa turned to see me, and had a look of surprise. "Hey, Chilled... What are you doing here?"

I rubbed my hands together. "Nothing, I'm just here to guide you two on a trip down memory lane." Wow, I've heard that line in like a hundred movies but I've never actually said it before, and it sounds so much more cheesy in real life. But Smarty wanted me to say it so I went along with it.

We walked along the long sidewalk that had the timeline of Smarty and Marissa's relationship written on it, starting from their first date at the football game to now. I stayed a few steps in front of him, and as soon as I got around the corner I gave Steven the thumbs up to start playing. He played the first few chords of "Love Story", Marissa's favorite song.