Meant to be Broken [boyxboy] [Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ives was eating lunch Monday afternoon when Mark Salazar sat down next to him. "So," he asked, his very blue eyes looking very curious, "are you bringing your boyfriend to the Junior Prom?"

"I wasn't planning on going," Ives admitted with a shrug before finishing off his chocolate milk.

"Why not?" Mark demanded. "It's always fun. I'm even having an after party."

"Aren't you a senior?" Ives questioned, raising an eyebrow. "How can you go to the Junior Prom? Aren't you having your own?"

Mark grinned. "Sally Zoller is my date. She's in your class. I've been able to get myself in for three years now. Not that last year counted."

Ives shook his head as he got up to throw his trash away. "I don't know if he'll even want to go."

Mark followed him. "You should ask, at least. Come on, tickets are only ten bucks and you can get him a guest pass, no questions asked. It'll be fun. If you guys don't come, you'll be missing a huge part of your high school career. Some day, when you guys are married and have six adopted kids from Africa, you'll think back and ask 'why didn't we do that?'"

Ives snorted. "You take school dances way too seriously."

"I have my reasons," Mark replied defensively.

Ives sighed and gave up. "I'll ask him, but I'm not making any promises."

Mark patted his shoulder with a smile. "Let me know."

So, on his way to class, Ives texted Tomi to ask if he had any interest in going to the silly high school dance. Would you want to go to my prom with me?

When Tomi replied, Ives had a feeling he was surprised that Ives had asked. You want to go? I can go with you?

Ives slipped into his seat in class as he wrote back, Why not?

Won't people talk? he read when he had the chance to.

For the rest of the class he worked on slowly typing a response, one letter at a time. Doubt it. Girls won't. The guys will be too busy thinking about sneaking drinks and what they want to do afterward. Chaperones will be too busy trying to keep all of that from happening.

He was sitting at his desk in his next class before he got an answer, which he had been anxiously waiting for. Sure. I'll go with you.

It's in three weeks. Mark wants us to go to his after party but we don't have to if you don't want to.

Up to you. It's your prom.

We don't have to decide yet, Ives assured him. After all, he wasn't sure himself whether he wanted to go or not.

A few minutes later he got another text from Tomi, one that changed the subject; So... Kiona asked if we "did it" this morning...

Ives almost laughed out loud in the middle of class. What did you say?

She caught me off guard... I said no because I didn't have time to think of anything else. And it's not like it's any of their business anyway.

Ives agreed completely with Tomi. Right. It's OUR business.

Ives wasn't about to turn into someone like Mark, always implying his sexual exploits. After all, Ives respected Tomi's emotions in a way that he doubted Mark respected any of his female "friends'" emotions.

Ives stopped in the office at school the next day and got a guest permission form for Tomi's parents to fill out before the dance. He gave the form to Tomi when he came over to Ives' house for dinner on Wednesday.