Worth Waiting For

Chapter Sixteen

After coming out of the bathroom with a new game plan, I put it into action. Antoinette says to give her what she wants. To see Dennis. If she wants to see Dennis all the time, then she will be seeing me all the time as well. So every time Aubrey seems to show up, I make her see that Dennis belongs to me. One day when Aubrey was talking to Dennis at a track meet, we all went to, I hugged him from behind and he turned around to put his arm around me. I then kissed him, right in front of her. Either Dennis knows about our plan, or he's totally clueless, but he played along with it. I thought that day was the best one yet. Two days before the Valentine's Day Dance and it seems as if Aubrey is backing down. I really am enjoying this.

Dennis walks with me to Home Ec class hand in hand as we go to our table.

"Is everything great for the dance?" I ask him.

"Yes! There's even a photo booth that I suggested that we have. This dance is going to be amazing,"

"Do you have someone who you're going to ask?" I ask him smiling looking at the cook book.

He looks at me and I turn to look at him. He smiles. "Well, there is this one girl I want to ask, but I'm a little scared,"

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know if she'll say yes,"

"I'm pretty positive that she'll say yes,"

"Really?"

"Really,"

"Well maybe I'll ask her,"

I wait a while. After a beat, I ask, "So, are you going to ask her?"
"Well I won't get to see her until later on-"

"Dennis!"

He laughs, "Leiah, do you want to go to the dance with me? I bet we'll be the hottest couple there,"

"Nahh," I say.

He gasps, "What? You don't want to go with me?"

"Well, someone else was going to ask me, so..."

"Leiah!"

I laugh, "Gotcha!"

Dennis laughs, "Ok, truths,"

After class, Dennis put his arm around me and we walked over to his locker. He opens it and gets out his English book. I look at the door part of the locker and see a picture of me smiling; carefree and at ease. I wish I felt like that now.

"Did you take this picture, it's nice," I say.

He looks up and looks at the picture of me. "Yeah. Remember that day when we went out to the carnival?"
"Yeah, oh! Now I remember! That was so much fun,"

"The only reason it was fun was because you were there with me,"

"Well, I do remember our other friends there too,"

"Yeah, but everything was good because my beautiful girlfriend was there," he wraps his arms around me.

I laugh, "You are pretty fun to hang with. I do remember when Leo tried to use me as a human sacrifice because that dog looked like it was going to bite him,"

Dennis laughs, "Yes! I remember! Leo was pushing you towards the dog, but it was on a leash so everything was fine!"

We laugh as Dennis closes his locker and holds my hand as he walks me to mine.

I open my locker. Dennis looks on the door, then inside the locker.

"Where's the picture of me?"

"I did have it in here, lemme look," I look around for the photo. It was at the bottom of the locker. It must of fell off. I stuck it back on to the door.