Homecoming

Chapter 4

Dan glared at Riley and slugged him in the arm. “Way to go dumbass.”

“What’s your problem?”

“Just cuz you were stupid enough to throw away your chance with her, don’t blow it for me.”

“Wow Dan, really?”

“Yes really! She is so F'ing amazing, the only reason I didn’t make a move before was because you are my friend. I watched you string her along all summer and now you friend zoned her?”

“I know, but when I kissed her it just didn’t click. Maybe I’m not ready for another relationship.”

“I want the chance to be with her Riley. But you just blew off her invitation for the dance next week. I can’t call her cuz she only gave you her number, remember? Fix this!”

“Okay! Okay! Keep your pants on. I’ll call tomorrow and let her know we both want to go to the dance.”

***

Homecoming Night

The noisy chatter was finally dying down in the locker room as most of the girls were ready and had left for the dance.

Lissa made her way to the now deserted mirrors where she could touch up her makeup. Her cheeks were flushed with anticipation. Riley had called Sunday to let her know Dan talked him into it and they would both come to the dance as her guests. She had a feeling this was going to be a night to remember!

She walked through the school to the front entrance where she told the boys to meet up with her. Any outside guests had to be on the attendee list in advance and escorted into the building by the student who invited them.

Lissa stepped outside and started looking around the small parking lot, quickly spotting them both standing next to Riley’s pickup only a few spots to the left. They both smiled and waved then headed her way.

Riley was wearing jeans and a red polo. She thought Dan was looking particularly great in black slacks and a white dress shirt.  The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he left the top two buttons undone. He also must have decided to wear his contacts, as he didn’t have his glasses. Not that she would have minded either way.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Lissa apologized.

“Not a problem, it was only a couple of minutes,” Riley answered.

Dan grinned and opened the door. “Ladies first!”

She smiled back and walked in front of them to the admission table and signed them in. The teacher placed a stamp on each of their hands. “Have fun!”

When they walked into the hall, the DJ had already started playing some good dance music, and it was dark except for the DJ's colored dance lights.

Only a few people were dancing though, which was typical for the first half hour until everyone loosens up. Lissa led them to the concessions to get some sodas and popcorn.

“Lissa! Who are these hunks?” came a voice from behind her. She spun around to see a petite girl with sandy blonde curly hair wearing a red halter dress and matching kitten heels.

“Amber! I thought you weren’t going to be here?” she replied, giving her friend a quick hug.

“Me neither, but my doctor finally gave me a release to participate in school activities as long as I don’t strain myself.”

“Excellent! I’m so glad you are here. This is Dan, and that’s Riley. Guys this is my good friend Amber.”

They had been friends since Amber invited Lissa to her birthday party in second grade.  While Lissa was one of the tallest girls in school, Amber was one of the shortest. They had a lot of the same interests and so ended up having similar class schedules especially this year.

“I saw some chairs by the windows that are still open,” Amber suggested.

“That’s perfect! Lead the way” Lisa responded. One side of the room had large windows that always felt nice and cool after heating up on the dance floor.

They found four folding chairs and sat down with their sodas. Dan sat to Lissa’s right, and Amber to her left, next to Riley.

“May I ask what happened? Just so we can make sure you are following doctor’s orders of course.” Riley asked Amber.

“It’s just that I sprained my ankle badly over the summer. I had to be on crutches and then wear a brace for a while. But I’m finally free! Still have a little more physical therapy but just for range of motion.”

“Sprains can really be the worst. I’ll be keeping an eye on you tonight and make sure you take it easy,” he said with a grin.

Just then the DJ started playing “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and the whole room erupted, with nearly everyone jumping out of their seats and onto the dance floor. Lissa was no exception, standing up and starting to dance right there, smiling at her small group of friends. “Come on you guys! Let’s get this party started!”