Michelle’s Prom

Michelle’s Prom

I – Julie

Sophomore year had started. Classes were fine. Sports were going fine. Dating was better than ever, I was actually seeing three or four different girls at this point. Not all at the same time of course but one this week, a different one next week, a party here or there, whoever had a particular event at the time. I was pretty care free at that point. If I didn’t actually have to attend classes, school would have been great.

So one morning I’m walking down the halls and up ahead I see my neighbor Julie coming toward me. As soon as she saw me she got all excited, screeched out my name and started skipping down the hall towards me. She greeted me with a huge hug and started twirling me around in the hallway. This was a bit of overkill for Julie. She’s always happy to see me but not like this.
She started talking at me, “Zaaaane zane zane zane zane… I have such a big surprise for you!”
Okay. So I asked. “Are you gonna tell me what it is?”
She said “I gave someone your phone number” and then gave me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her. She was clearly very excited.
Well this was different. Julie has never tried to fix me up with anyone before and I had no idea why she would start now. She usually preferred to keep me to herself if anything. She did seem overly excited though, and we’d been best friends since grade school so, I trusted her.
So I asked. “Who?”
She said “It’s a surprise. (big smile) but when she calls, you will say YES to whatever she asks DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
“and if I don’t?” I asked.
She just hit me and said “You won’t, trust me. You’ll say yes to anything” Again, the big smile.

II – Michelle

I was left wondering for a few days. Every time my phone rang I was expecting this to be the one. Finally I pick up the phone and it was a number I didn’t know. Usually I wouldn’t even answer but since I was expecting a mystery call, I picked up. On the other end was Michelle. A pleasant surprise indeed!

I had actually known Michelle for a few months at this point. We had met at Julie’s party during the summer. It was supposed to be just Julie and her cheerleader friends but when she found me home alone next door she made me come over and join them. It turned out to be a very wild night. Julie’s parents weren’t home for the night and the girls were drinking like crazy. It ended up with lots more drinking, skinny dipping, and yes, sex. I didn’t have sex with Michelle that night but right now I was clearly picturing her topless in the pool. A very inviting image.

Michelle stammered and made small talk a little bit, told me that Julie had given her my number. I already knew that. She clearly had a point but was having a hard time getting to it. After a working around it a little, Michelle explained to me that her Junior Prom was coming up, and would I be interested in being her date for the night? Prom? With Michelle? Again, picturing her half naked in the pool and thinking Prom? And AFTER Prom? Yes you all know what I was thinking at this point. Hello! Yes! Of course I’ll be your date!

This of course was very unorthodox because 1 – Michelle was a junior and I was only a sophomore. 2 – Michelle went to a different school. She lived across the state line. She went on to explain that she wasn’t dating anyone at the time, and yes, plenty of guys from her own school had been asking her to prom but she didn’t want to go with any of them, mostly because they were all pigs and she knew what they would all be expecting. (The same thing I was expecting). She also didn’t want to have to let them down after prom when she didn’t want to continue going out with them. She really didn’t want to go to at all, but all her friends were going and they all expected her to be there, so she was hoping she could find someone to go with as “just friends”. That’s when Julie suggested “Neighbor Boy”

Now it all made more sense. “Neighbor Boy” is the new nickname I had picked up among Julie and her friends from that party. That is what they called me all night and have all called me ever since then. I’m surprised Michelle didn’t call me that when I answered the phone. I had hung out with Michelle and the other girls since that party, usually with Julie of course, but Michelle had never shown any interest in me other than as Julie’s neighbor. She did always pay close attention when we would end up skinny dipping in the pool, but then I paid more attention to her when we were naked too. So instead of all those things you immediately think of when you think of Prom, this was to be just a friendly evening of dancing and partying.