I Slapped Mr. Popular

35

"They're here!" Emma says excitedly as she hears the doorbell ring.

"I got it!" Kyle calls before I hear him hurry downstairs.

I sigh nervously, rubbing my palms on my dress. "Do I look okay? Did my hair fall or my makeup smudge?"

Emma laugh, "You look beautiful,  Braelyn. I'll go down first, and I'll give you a few minutes, okay?"

I smile. "Thanks, Em."

She winks. "Anytime," she says then walks out. A few moments later I hear wolf whistles, and I laugh to myself. Then, I take one last look in the mirror, a deep breath, and walk out my room.

"I can do this," I whisper before taking my first step. When I get to where I can see everyone, I place my head down. I have no clue why I'm so nervous; I'm not usually.

I finally muster the courage to look up, and find everyone: Ridge, Marcus, Nick and his date, Nathan and his date, Emma, Kyle, Oliver and Zander, and... Xavier, staring at me. My eyes widen at the sight of Xavier, but he doesn't notice. He's too busy checking me out. I look to Emma, who just smiles, and then to Ridge. He's checking me out, too.

Just looking at Ridge takes my thoughts off of Xavier. He meets my eyes. "Wow, um, y-you l-look great. I-I meant stunning. You look stunning," he stutters.

Oliver pats him on the back. "Nice going," he whispers.

Ridge elbows him then looks at me. I smile. "Thanks. You do, too. You clean up well," I say, looking at his outfit. He is wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, a black blazer, a black vest and a silver bow tie. (Tux above) He pulls it off well, making him look sophisticated. His hair still is the same messy style, but it makes him look even more beautiful.

"Thank you," he says, "Oliver picked it out."

I smile at his cousin. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Braelyn."

I look at everyone. "So, is everyone ready?"

"No! We need pictures!" Kyle exclaims, whipping out a camera that I know our mom's. The thought of her not being here makes me feel a pang in my chest, and I blink back tears.

"You okay?" Ridge asks as he wraps an arm around my waist.

"Yeah, I just wish she was here," I say, forcing a smile.

He kisses my forehead. "Me too, baby girl, but you'll hear from her soon. I just know it."

"I hope so," I reply before posing for the next ten minutes of pictures.

When that's finished, we all make our way out to the limo. Ridge and everyone go ahead of me, but I touch Xavier's arm. He looks at me. "Yes?" he asks.

"I'm glad you came," I say.

Xavier gives me a small smile. "Me too, I guess," he says before heading toward the limo. I smile before following him.

It's going to be a great night.
××××××
When we arrive at the school, all of us stumble out, excitement getting the best of us. Ridge hands me my clutch then grabs my hand. I stare in awe at all of the decorations. You can hear the music from where we were, and I look around as everyone gets out of limos, cars, and even off motorcycles.

I smile, and I place a hand on Emma's arm. "Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" I gush.

"I know!" she giggles.

All of us make our way inside, and we give our tickets and sign in at the table before being released to the gym. We enter, and I spot us on the big screen by the DJ stand. I nudge Ridge, and he looks up. "That's so cool!" I say.