She was the head cheerleader, the prettiest girl in school.
One of the boys looked at the floor. Another found his shoelace interesting.
I felt tears sting my eyes.
Charlotte squeezed my hands once. “Pick me up Saturday at seven.”
I nodded like my life depended on it.
We found the best suit we could afford. Uncle Ray ironed his own shirt three times, even though he wasn’t the one going to prom.
We found the best suit we could afford.
On Saturday night, when Charlotte opened her door in a pale blue dress, every practiced sentence left my body.
She smiled. “You look really good, Tyler.”
“You do too,” I said, which was nowhere near enough.
Uncle Ray grinned from the truck. “Well, look at that! The boy still has words.”
Charlotte laughed and slipped her hand into mine. That hand stayed in mine all the way into the school gym while people stared openly, some with shock, some with jealousy.
I did not care. For once, I was walking into a room instead of wishing I could disappear from it.
People stared openly, some with shock, some with jealousy.
***
Charlotte danced with me.
That sounds simple. But it wasn’t simple to me.
She was the head cheerleader, the prettiest girl in school.
One of the boys looked at the floor. Another found his shoelace interesting.
I felt tears sting my eyes.
Charlotte squeezed my hands once. “Pick me up Saturday at seven.”
I nodded like my life depended on it.
***
On the drive home, my aunt and uncle looked at my face and knew before I opened my mouth.
We found the best suit we could afford. Uncle Ray ironed his own shirt three times, even though he wasn’t the one going to prom.
We found the best suit we could afford.
On Saturday night, when Charlotte opened her door in a pale blue dress, every practiced sentence left my body.
She smiled. “You look really good, Tyler.”
“You do too,” I said, which was nowhere near enough.
Uncle Ray grinned from the truck. “Well, look at that! The boy still has words.”
Charlotte laughed and slipped her hand into mine. That hand stayed in mine all the way into the school gym while people stared openly, some with shock, some with jealousy.
I did not care. For once, I was walking into a room instead of wishing I could disappear from it.
People stared openly, some with shock, some with jealousy.
***
Charlotte danced with me.
That sounds simple. But it wasn’t simple to me.
She danced with me in the middle of the floor, not tucked away at the edge. She introduced me to people, kept pulling me back into conversations when I started drifting, and treated the whole night like it was normal, which is another way of saying she made it feel precious.
During a slower song, I asked, “Why me?”
Charlotte looked up with those beautiful eyes. “Because you looked like you needed someone to choose you out loud.”
I have never forgotten that sentence.
She danced with me in the middle of the floor, not tucked away at the edge.
At the end of the night, Uncle Ray drove us back to Charlotte’s house. Before she went inside, she held my hand under the porch light and said, “I had a really great night. Thank you!”
I laughed softly. “I should be thanking you.”
She shook her head. “I asked because I wanted to be there with you.”
