It didn't take long for Corrine and Elizabeth to find dates. The day after Elizabeth kissed me, I found myself hanging with the guys in AV club during lunch. Unsurprisingly, the topic quickly drifted away from our usual nerdy interests towards prom.
"So Ian, you got a date yet?" quipped Dan. "Or are you having a hard time choosing?"
Chuckles sounded around our table, mine included. Every now and then my friendship with the girls would come up among the club, but things never went beyond a bit of good-natured ribbing among men; the group of us were tight enough to know where boundaries stood. In fairness, they did play a part in the turn my life had taken, so I was open to a bit of male teasing. In return the guys were never douchebags about it, even if they admitted to envying my situation once in a while.
"Is it Corrine? Sounds like the most logical choice," Hendrick suggested between chews. "Then again, word is on the street that Elizabeth seems to harbor considerable affection for you."
"Actually, I'm going to the prom with Amy."
There was silence for a moment, then cheers were whooped and hands were shaken, as the guys patted me on the back and asked what had taken me so long to ask one of the girls out. All I could do was shrug with a pretty goofy grin on my face before we all returned to our meals.
"So... Ian." A timid voice was heard as Andy nudged me on the left. "Does Elizabeth... have a prom date yet?"
"Not that I know," I answered.
A loud clatter was heard as Andy dropped his utensils in apparent shock, and our group looked at him as his face turned most intense shade of red.
"Um... There's something I gotta do," he babbled, getting up from his seat before running out of the cafeteria like a whole military contigent was out for his blood. We exchanged glances - Andy was the quietest, shiest guy we'd known, even more so than most girls - but even this was odd for him.
The following day we spotted Elizabeth's holding Andy's hand after first period in the hallway. As the couple passed by me, they smiled warmly - Elizabeth radiating her newfound confidence, Andy looking like the happiest guy in the world. I later learned from the others that he'd crushed hopelessly on Elizabeth as early as our freshman year.
"How the hell did I not notice that?" I couldn't help myself. This got me a few more grumbles and punches as our group of men laughed off my obliviousness. I was just happy that the two of them finally came out of their shells.
To my surprise, Corrine would find her prom date later that day, the peculiarity of that encounter topping the pleasantry of seeing Elizabeth and Andy together. Just before lunch, Jake Freeman took me aside in the hallway with the strangest look on his face. This was a surprise considering that Jake was "varsity linebacker extraordinaire", as the whole school put it.
“Hey, Ian," he began, clearly uncomfortable about the whole thing. "Are you and Corrine - I mean, I know you guys are friends and all, but are you - I mean, is she single? Just ‘cause, I didn’t, like, know if she had a date yet for prom, and I heard she might be going with you, but…”
I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. The last thing I expected was for one of the school's most popular guys to have to approach me, practically on bended knee, as if he was asking for my daughter's hand in marriage. Memories resurfaced of jocks with shiteating faces, asking me to put in a word for them so they could date the girls - none of them pleasant. Jake, on the other hand, was more than that, having being the class' "Fat kid" until the 10th grade. He eventually shed his excess pounds and rose up the ranks to become the pride of the football team, but he never forgot his humbler roots. This was a guy I knew would treat my friends with respect.
Plus the fact that he was tall, muscular, handsome - and just Corrine's type of guy - didn't hurt either.
I ended up openly chuckling a little at his troubled expression in response to my smile, before reassuringly putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Go ahead and ask her," I grinned. "You'd be crazy not to."
Later during lunch, he surprised me again by running over to my table and squeezing the breath out of me in a massive bear hug. Behind him stood Corrine, who gave me a wave as she smiled sweetly.
It was odd seeing everyone paired off - but at the same time, deeply satisfying. Sure, I had been living the dream of every horny high schooler up to a mere month or so ago, but these girls were more than just fuck buddies to me. They were my best friends, and they deserved to be happy, at least for what was to come.
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