1980s Prom Tale

He smiles, "Okay. It was kind of epic."

"College will be full of people just like Chris, Keith, us and the girls. A lot of things will come to an end over the next few months, but not us. We're just beginning."

"Lame," he grins at me. "Will you be majoring in writing greeting cards? Or sappy song lyrics?"

I poke him in the tummy again and his grin turns into a belly laugh.

He pulls me into another kiss that lasts until the final song ends.

~~

On our way back to the gym, we pass by the theater. The door opens as we approach and Paige and Sarah step into the hall. When they see Ricky and me, all four of us smile. I take Paige's hand and Sarah takes Ricky's as we re-enter the gym as two couples, which we are. People just don't know how we actually couple up.

We find Chris and Becky and Keith and Tracy standing in a corner. We join them. Eight friends with only a few more months together before life scatters us all around the country.

I walk right up to Chris and hug him hard. I hug my best friend almost every day of my life, but he knows this one is different. He asks me, "How is your prom night going?"

I smile, "My best friend made sure it was the best prom night in the history of prom nights."

His smile back is sincere. I'm gonna miss him so much when we leave for college, but somehow I just know we'll be best friends forever. Like Ricky said, they don't come any better than Chris.

His smile fades and he grabs my arm, "That mixtape I made for you two? No judgement! If you ever make fun of me for the songs I chose, I will punch you so hard."

I laugh, "Chris, they were perfect."

He lets go of my arm, "Bon Jovi and Metallica wouldn't have exactly set the mood."

I'm still laughing, "If I'm gonna make fun of you for anything it'll be for your epic fail at Moonwalking during Billie Jean."

His cheeks turn pink.

I bump his shoulder with mine, "Seriously. You are the most awesome best friend in the history of best friends."

We're standing in a circle of eight, contemplating our afterparty plans when Billy walks by. Billy puts a hand on my shoulder, nods his head in Paige's direction and says, "Timmy, you really are one lucky bastard," and he walks away.

And that's when it hits me. I really am lucky. I whisper in Paige's ear and her eyes almost pop out of her head. I whisper again and she smiles and nods. She whispers to Sarah next to her, who, after recovering from the initial shock of the message, passes it along to Ricky. All four of us nod back and forth while Chris, Keith, Becky and Tracy watch us in confusion.

Prom is winding down, but the DJ is still playing and most of the crowd remains. I take Paige's hand and lead her to the center of the dancefloor. Ricky follows suit with Sarah. As Don't You (Forget About Me) starts, we switch partners. We don't trade girls, though. Paige takes Sarah's hands and I take Ricky's. Two couples dance in the middle of the dancefloor. Two real couples. There are gasps and ooh's and ah's as the other kids realize what's happening. Our four friends are front and center, grinning and cheering us on.

Halfway through the song, I kiss my man. I kiss the shit out of him, just as if we were alone in his bedroom. I could only imagine that Paige and Sarah are doing the same, but I am too entangled with the guy I love to stop and check. The cheering spreads to more than just our friends.

When the song ends, so does our little John Hughes moment. I survey the room. Some kids are laughing. Some look disgusted. Some aren't paying us any attention at all. But about half of the room seems to approve. They seem happy for us. And they should be. Love is love and I'm in deep.