Homecoming

I was there. I don't know what came upon me to actually bring myself to going to this stupid dance. Homecoming... and it's always a formal dance. I hate wearing dresses. I just don't have the figure for it! And the shoes I had on were starting to dig into my heels. My so-called "date" was off somewhere doing something. Talking amongst friends I guessed. Since I had no one to talk to, everyone being on the dance floor with their dates and friends, I made my way over to the tables.

I sat myself down and sighed, still in disbelief that I was there. I don't know how I was even talked into this. I hated dances like this because they weren't meant for people like me. At least not the way I view things. Formal dances were meant for couples. The two who were, if not going out, just that little bit more than friends. That's not why I was there. I swear I was conned into going. Blackmailed... something. I know for damned sure that I wouldn't have said yes if neither was the case. My misplaced counterpart was... I didn't even know where he was anymore. He could have left the dance for I knew. I groaned to myself, upset now.

"Hey! What are you doing there?" someone poked me from behind.

It was one of the girls at school that everyone knew. Friends with everyone. I knew her, good enough to legally be called a friend, I guess. But not to me. There was a certain standard I held in defining the line between friends and acquaintances. She was only the latter. To me, I had no friends. But what would that matter at a dance that was meant for me to be with my one and only? Didn't have him either.

"Sitting, I guess." I answered.
"Well you should be dancing! Come on!" she grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me back out onto the dance floor. With out much choice, I reluctantly followed.

Maybe, if I had been in a lighter mood, I would have subjected myself to the levels freak dancing... by which what little regard anyone had for me would more than likely diminish. But no, not this time. I only watched, my artificial smile displayed, while my usher and a few others I knew proceeded to "get their freak on". They urged, but I still declined. Though normally, I may have gone and made a complete fool of myself, I always had my 'friends' there making asses of themselves too. I wasn't out there on my own. But not this year. My happy facade grew with a smile. A cold, insincere smile, which pained with the thought of those who I had been so closed to not being there anymore. Not now, when I felt I needed them the most.

Lost in self-pity, I had not realized the tempo and mood of the surrounding music had dramatically shifted. I blinked back to reality when I heard my name.

"Where is your date?" spoke the same girl who pulled me out onto the tile floor.
"Why?" I asked her as she slowly swayed side to side with the boy who wrapped his arms around her and held her near to him.
"So you can dance with him, Silly." she replied
Silly. Yeah, silly me. "Um, He's..." I uttered, trying to find some lame excuse so that I wouldn't get some stupid 'oh that's too bad, I'm so sorry for you' line if she had known I had no clue.
"I'm right here." I felt hands gently rest on my bare shoulders, just above where the low sleeves of my dress began.
"Wow, you really caught one." she said to me with a sly smirk across her face.
"Hehe, yeah..." I completely faked.

I swore to myself that the girl needed her eyes checked, the guy I showed up with wasn't exactly someone from TeenBeat magazine. I shuddered, not like anyone from such a thing would interest me. But I stopped to think, his voice was different. But I paid it no mind; I used the excuse that the music threw my hearing off a bit.

"Well, you two better start dancing then, or I'm going to have to steal your date!" she joked, her date smiling as she did.

I smiled the same untrue smile I always did, and they went on their way dancing with the slow song playing in the background. I felt the kind hands on my shoulders softly squeeze, as if he could sense my state of emotion and train of thought and tried to comfort me. Finally, I turned to face him but stopped in silent surprise. The one I had expected to be there was not, but replaced by one with emerald eyes that radiantly glowed in the dimmed room. Such wonderful eyes, almost hidden behind a veil of soft raven black hair that flowed to his shoulders.

I blinked at him in complete question. Then he took my hand and removed the black hair tie that I always wore around my wrist and pull his hair back into a tail, revealing his eyes and face far better. Afterward, he gave me a smile, a soft smile in a warm greeting. A greeting I had longed for. I said nothing to him, but just walked to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms made their way around me and pulled me closer. He hugged me so hard I could barely breath, but I didn't care. I needed the hug more than anything.

He kissed my forehead and looked down at me as we let loose our holds. He smiled again and spoke one question...

"Dance with me?"

For the first time... I smiled... a true smile, sincere, real. I rested myself against him, my head on his shoulder, he took my hand, and we began to sway slowly in rhythm to the song.