Invented in the South was the dance that most girls at Demoure High School usually found to either be absolutely fantastic or horrifyingly nerve-wrecking.

...my case was the latter.

See the tradition is that some time in the spring, the school gets a turn-around dance...also known as the Sadie Hawkins Dance. During this time, the girls of the school has two weeks to find a date for the dance. They have to ask a member of the male gender out to the dance and have fun until mid-night when they give the most interesting couple and-or the most interesting way the girl asked the guy a prize.

Personally, I don't want either one. I just want a guy.

You guessed it. It's that time of year. Spring has sprung...and so has every girl in the school...

It's been a week already and most of the boys have been taken. Luckily though, the one I've been crushing on for the past few months is open.

Question is: why would he be one of the last ones picked? Just how many girls did he turn down?

That's what got me too nervous to ask him. That's why I waited so long to ask him...

...in letter of course.

What? Did you think I suddenly grew the nerve to do it in a span of ten seconds? Heck, no!

Anyway, so the letter's simple. 'Will you go with me to the dance? -Laura.'

Real simple.

Just a yes or no, please...

...preferably a yes.

Okay, so now all I have to do is give the letter to him. Simple. Easy.

Move out of the way, old man. You're ruining destiny here.

"Laura." I look up to see that the old man that has shown that he is against everything involving my destiny watching me.

I shift uncomfortably.

"Um...yes, Sir?" I ask really nervous-like.

The class snickers. Oh, yeah. Real mature, guys.

"The answer to this problem," the old man with a knack for getting in the way of all things important to a young girl at the age of 17 says with a gruff noise in the back of his throat.

I look at the board and nearly fall over.

When the hell did we get into Quantum Physics!

"Um..." I say rather intelligently.

"Pay attention!" he snaps and I cringe, sinking into my seat.

I feel stupid...

"Yes, Sir..." I mutter only to have him turn away to write some more confusing symbols. Wasn't E=MC2 supposed to be in there somewhere?

Whatever. The obstacle has been terminated and now is the time to do what fate and destiny want me to do...

...I toss the note down into the floor at his feet.

He continues to look at the board.

...damn him...

I lean over to see if he is actually paying attention only to drop my pen. I reach for it only to see him holding it up...

...along with the note.

"You drop these?" he asks in a whisper to avoid the wrath of the man who likes to destroy young people's minds with science and mathematics.

I myself could only stare at him.

...he's got really pretty blue eyes...

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, concerned.

He's concerned...

"Huh?" I ask smartly. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

A slow smile comes onto my face without much effort.

He cocks his head. "You sure? You look sick."

Realization snaps into my mind and I suddenly let my head drop to the table. Great. He thinks I'm an idiot now...

"I'm fine," I say dismissively, waving my hand without looking to him. "Oh, and the note's for you."

"...oh," he says before placing my pen on my desk and then turning back around in his seat to read the note. I peek up throw my thick brown hair to see him reading it and my face feels hot.

...what an idiot I am...

Now a scribbling noise is coming from somewhere. Where is that noise coming from?

I lean back in my seat again to see him bent over the note and writing slowly in his small, cursive hand-writing. My heart nearly stops at the sight.

He's actually answering?

I look to the board--oh, there's E=MC2!--only to look back to my desk when I hear something paper-ish landing on it. I look over to him to see that he is once again engrossed in the lesson.

I nervously stare at the note. It won't bite me, will it? It doesn't have some poison on it or something, does it? Would he even do that?

So I reach for the note and, with a deep breath, open it only to lower it and then let it go as the words 'Ask me in person' stared back at me.

...he is so wrong for this!

So it's now two days later and I've still haven't gotten the nerve to ask him. The bad thing is that we have almost every class except for math, where he has an AP class.

...hey, I'm smart too!

Anyway...it's now American History and we're supposed to be working on a worksheet. Problem is that I finished that thing over ten minutes ago. Now all I have to do is stare at the back of his head...

...damn him...

Ask him in person. This was cruel and unusual punishment for something I have yet to do! Why, oh why does it have to be Sadie Hawkins?

I lean over to one side and then lean to another. Which one was the best way to get his attention?

Apparently neither one is as he just keeps working on that worksheet. Jeez...I know the boy has slow hand-writing, but that can't mean it's always that slow!

Also it becomes obvious that the teacher is giving me funny looks. She gives me the look that says: 'do you have to go to the bathroom or something?' I, however, give her the look that says: 'no, I'm just trying to catch someone's attention,' to which she nodded to.

I think we lost something in the transfer...

And now comes my favorite stage of the hour.

Sulking.

I'd have to wait until lunch time to ask him to the dance, but what if everyone's staring? Oh why, oh why is it Sadie Hawkins?

So now it's lunch. Hah. Luckily, he has chosen to eat out in the courtyard and I follow him inconspicuously.

At least, I hope I am.

Never mind that. He sits under the shade of the large tree in the middle of the courtyard. This is puzzling me because I know that he isn't that much of a loner. In fact, I think he loves the attention he gets. Either way, I'm not really thinking about that for long...

...because he's watching me expectantly.

...Oh. My God...

Okay, slowly go over to to him and ask him to the dance. Simple.

Now if my legs would just--

"Hey, Laura," he says casually and I realize I have been moving.

...well...that's a good thing.

I think...

"Hi," I say kind of shyly.

Okay, despite how I might sound when I'm telling you this, I'm telling you now that I am not the out-going type. Leave that for the cheerleaders.

"So. You wanted to ask me something?" he asks and I nearly fall off of my feet.

"Y-yeah," I answer before I can make a fool out of myself. "I was just...um...wondering if you would..."

Come on. I can say it! I said it millions of times before in my head!

"...like to go to the dance with me?"

Score! Yes! Yes! Everything's perfect! Nothing can go--!

"I can't."

...crash and burn.

"Wh-why not?" I ask, feeling my heart sink to the bottom of my feet.

He shrugs, leaning back in his seat. The jerk thinks this is okay? No, it's not okay! I asked you, you idiot! This isn't funny!

"I've already got a date. Sorry."

...die...I just want to...

"O-oh..." I say and turn away before he could see that my face is becoming red with anger, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment, and sadness.

"Wait, Laura--"

I don't stick around to listen. Why the hell should I? He just blew me off! Lead me on for two days, making me think I still had a chance! How could he just do that?

Why, oh why does this happen on Sadie Hawkins?

Well...that's it. It's the end of the week, and I don't have a date. But that's okay, right? I can still go to the dance stag, right?

"No."

"Wh-wha...?" I ask incoherently stuttering.

The man at the door, who also happens to be the destiny-ruiner science teacher, specifies, "This dance is a couple-only dance."

"But that was never announced!" I object only to realize that I am getting ready to cry. This isn't fair! Why can't I have fun like everyone else?

"Sorry, but either you get a boy to accompany you in or you don't go in."

I don't stick around. I wander off to the end of the gym entrance and stand there waiting...

...for nothing.

This is so unfair!

"Laura!" I hear someone call. "What are you doing here?"

I sniffle and look to the side, only to freeze. What...? This...is a joke, right?

"What are you doing out here?" I ask, rubbing my nose self-consciously.

He...Jarred Styles...my crush...is sitting outside of the building.

"Well, I did have a date, but she was my sister, you know?" he says, giving me a grin.

I stare at him. "What?"

"I got my sister in stag because I was her partner," he says with a mischievous undertone.

I stare at him even longer. "So that's why you wouldn't go with me?" I ask with some confusion.

"Basically. It's nothing personal," he says. "I just wanted to do something nice for my sister is all. She just wanted to go to the dance."

I can't help but to laugh at that one.

"Well, so did I," I say with a harsh tone before turning away.

Imagine my surprise when I feel myself run into something--or rather, someone.

"Well?" I look up to see Jarred watching me patiently as he takes a step back and holds out a hand. "Who said we can't dance out here?"

I stare at him for a long while before I feel a smile come onto my face. I nod and put my hand in his. "Let's dance."

END!