Allison is where Randall said she would be.

Weaving your way then through the crowds, stopping briefly to say hello to a few people, you headed towards the bleachers where Randall said she'd be and sure enough soon found her There she stood with Shawna and a few others, looking absolutely gorgeous in a tight blue dress and strappy white heels, her shiny blond hair all done up in curls. Wow... you thought as you approached, amazed by how much effort she'd put in - having pretty much thrown on the first pair of jeans and a shirt you could find before quickly running a comb through your hair. Allison though looked even more beautiful than she did normally and you couldn't help but reflect once more on just how lucky you really were.

"Hey, Allison!" you called out as you reached them all, receiving a strange sort of glare from Shawna as you did.

"Uh...hey!" your girlfriend replied, looking slightly startled for a second. "I was...uh, I was wondering where you'd got to."

"Yeah, sorry. I had this whole big argument with my mom over the car. Luckily my dad intervened." you explained, unable to keep yourself from breaking into a grin. "You look amazing!"

"Thanks."

Engaging then in some small talk for a few minutes, finding her friends to be strangely stand-offish for some reason, you were about to offer them a drink from the punch bowl nearby when Allison took you by the arm and led you away, telling you as she did "Listen Tim, we really need to talk."

Naturally you were confused, not entirely sure what was going on, nor why the others were acting so weird, and as she led you out into a nearby corridor away from the hustle and bustle of the dance, you just had to ask "What's up with them? Did I say something wrong?"

"No. No, of course not," Allison replied, her slightly nervous tone suggesting otherwise. "Never mind them. It's us that I want to talk about..."

"Us?" you gulped, feeling something unpleasant suddenly begin to stir in the pit of your stomach, "What about us?"

There was a pause as she tried to conjure up the words - seemingly having great difficulty even getting them out. Eventually though they did come, and what she said next was just about the last thing in the world you'd been expecting to hear.

"I really don't think it's working out between us," she told you, biting at her lip, her words hitting you with the **** of a freight train, "Not the way I wanted it to."

Your immediate reaction was of course one of shock, barely able to believe what you were hearing. "WHAT!?... What do you mean "not working out"? I thought things were going great!"

"I did too...for a time. But now I'm not so sure. We just don't gel like we used to. Don't get me wrong, you're a great guy and we've had a lot of fun. I'm just not not sure that us going out together is right for either of us."

"It's right for me!" you yelped, **** not to let this happen, unsure of what exactly you had done to make her feel this way. "Allison, c'mon. I know things were strained between us for a while after everything with Randall, but please, don't do this!"

Allison just shook her head. "It's not just that though, Tim. As crazy as the whole Miss. Card/Randall thing is, I've been feeling this way for a while now. I think we both just need to find someone else."

"But...but what about last weekend? We had sex for Christ sake! Didn't that mean anything?" You were really just clutching for straws now - not wanting to let this relationship end - but you did also have a point. The two of you had had sex, and if it hadn't been for your dalliances with Randall she would have taken your virginity too. Surely that had to mean something!

"Of course it did. And it was really, really nice," she replied, breaking into a momentary little smile before shaking her head again, "I guess it just wasn't enough." If hearing this was bad enough, what she said next was even worse, admitting rather reluctantly that, "Besides, we'd been together for so long and I'd made you wait all that time...I guess I just, I just thought I kind of owed it to you."

"Owed it to me? You mean it was like some sort of pity fuck? You actually planned on dumping me even back then?"

"It...it wasn't like that..."

"No? Cause that's exactly what it fucking sounds like!" you told her, your earlier desperation now giving way to rage. "Is that why you kept sneaking off with Shawna, so you could have fun laughing at my expense?"

"Do you really think I'd do that, after everything we've been through together? Tim, please," she pleaded, "I'm trying to be civil here. I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"Well it's too late for that. And here I thought I knew who you were...obviously not!"

It was clear she didn't know how to respond to this (nor did it appear much like she wanted to either), and instead could only let out a feeble "I'm sorry."

"Save it." you snarled, having heard more than enough, "Just go back to your fucking friends, okay." You felt physically sick, like you'd just been stabbed in the back, and the last thing you needed right now was her standing there dolling out fake apologies. Not just because of the anger you felt either, but also because you didn't want her to see just how upset you were. She had been your first real girlfriend and you'd never been dumped before. It hurt. It really hurt. The only other pain you could even begin to equate it to was the how you'd felt after being constantly stood up and pushed aside by Randall...and he was only your friend!

Turning then towards the door, Allison gave you one last apologetic little glance before disappearing back into the hall, leaving you alone again with both your anger and your grief.

This was supposed to have been a fun night, one you'd actually been looking forward to spending with your girlfriend...Well so much for that!, you thought, kicking at the nearby wall in frustration at your whole life going to shit. You really couldn't believe she'd do this to you. And at the school dance of all places! What the hell were you supposed to do now?