“You look beautiful,” Sam said, his mouth agape as I walked down the stairs. The flash of my parent’s camera blinded me momentarily and I clumsily tripped down the last step, Sam catching me around my waist at the last second.
“Um, thanks,” I mumbled obviously very embarrassed. Sam just laughed.
“Anytime,” he said. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered in my ear while my parents had their backs turned. I nodded my head, desperate to get out of my parent’s grasp and finally go to prom with Sam. He had asked me in the most, um, well, intriguing way. He asked me to meet him on the pool deck after school. I stood there for nearly 30 minutes waiting for whatever was “just so important”. When I was just about to turn around and leave, Sam jumped out of the shadows, tackling me and throwing me off guard. I lost my balance and we tumbled into the pool. When I resurfaced, I was fuming.
“And why,” I said unable to control my anger, “Did you feel the need to do that!” Sam had the nerve to laugh and waded towards me.
“Well I was going to ask you to prom, but if you don’t want to go then I guess I could..”
“Wait what?” I asked my anger fading, my curiosity winning over.
“Prom,” Sam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Yeah, well what about it?” I asked impatiently.
“I thought I would ask you where we, well you know.”
“Know what?” I asked my anger returning.
“Well, where we met. When I asked you to be my girlfriend,” Sam said looking down embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he always does when he’s nervous. My face turned soft. This was the sweetest thing. I just couldn’t believe he was mine. Sam looked up and I took my chance immediately. I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. Tears of joy streaming silently down my face. I couldn’t help it. He firmly wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Yes,” I whispered barely audible in his ear, overcome by these sudden emotions. Now it was here. I had waited so long for tonight, and it was finally here. We drove silently the whole way to the dance. I smiled giddily the entire way, and Sam would occasionally look over, see my expression, and silently laugh to himself. We arrived and I quickly hopped out of Sam’s car, willing him to go faster. “Come on,” I whined. “Could you possibly be any slower?” Sam let out a grunt and bent over so he looked like a hunched old man, shuffling along the side of the car.
“Uh you’re impossible,” I sighed. Sam just laughed and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Someone’s anxious to get there.”
“Uhu,” I murmured, my face in Sam’s chest. We walked towards the doorway where Sam would hand in our tickets for the dance. I was too nervous, anxious, and excited to do anything but grin as we approached the door.
“Do you have your tickets?” asked the man standing at the door.
“Yes, just hold on one second,” said Sam as he rifled through his pockets. He went through them all, and then went back a second time. Seeming flustered, he spoke. “Um, I think I misplaced them somehow.”
“Misplaced them? What do you mean misplaced them?” I asked. Sam looked up at me like he was trying to explain rocket science to a three-year-old.
“What I mean is that I misplaced them Ellie,” Sam said obviously annoyed.
“So you lost them,” I concluded.
“I did not lose them, they just aren’t present at the moment,” Sam said still looking through his pockets as I rolled my eyes.
“Look, sir. You can’t go into the dance without tickets,” the man said losing his patience with Sam.
“Sam just give it up. You lost the tickets,” I said.
“Fine!” Sam looked up exasperated. “I lost the tickets. Happy?”
“Not particularly,” I said pursing my lips. We were the only ones left outside and I could see the flashing lights of the dance.
“I’m sorry Ellie, I know you really wanted to go to prom,” Sam said regretfully. I just sighed and looked at the ground. Disappointed. Then all of the sudden out of nowhere, Sam picked me up bridal style and started running.
“Sam Armstrong! I don’t know what you think you’re doing but you better put me down right now!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, but I couldn’t hold back the smile fighting to appear on my face. Sam ran all the way back to the parking lot and flung me into the passenger side of his car not even giving me time to buckle as he stepped on the accelerator. “Sam, what ever kind of stunt you’re pulling, I will have you know that,” Sam cut me off by saying,
“Just shut up for one second please?” I was dumbfounded. I was usually the one to talk back. But I was brought back to reality when he almost killed the both of us by swerving onto the football field and nearly crashing into the fence. He floored it one last time to get us to the middle of the football field. All I could do was stare at him. Stare at him with confusion. Stare at him with surprise. Stare at him with anger. Stare at him because he was crazy. Stare at him because he was mine. He turned the radio all the way up on the old jazz station and hopped over the hood of the car and opened up my door. I got out and just stared at the crazy grin he had on his face. He then took my hand and led me to the middle of the field. He wrapped my arms around his neck for me and encircled his arms around my waist. A slow song came on the radio. It was the same song that my parents used to slow dance to in the kitchen when they thought my five-year-old self was asleep. I used to love the way the swayed back and forth, and now I found myself imitating their movements. Sam and I slowly moved in a circle in the middle of the football field.
“I know it’s not prom,” Sam said, “But I hope you can forgive me for my oh-so-stupid actions.” I laughed and nodded my head.
“As long as I’m with you,” I said. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and let him lead me along the field. Sam started singing along to the radio in the best Frank Sinatra voice he could manage. I laughed and smacked him upside the head.
“Ow,” he whined. “Did you really have to do that?”
“Well it made you stop,” I commented with a smirk. Then I laughed and laughed. Sam stared at me as if I was crazy, which maybe I was, but I guess that’s what being with Sam does to me. It makes me a little bit crazy. And I love every minute of it.