As we were driving, Taylor asked me a strange question. "What are the awards for the junior class?"
Confused, I asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, the senior class has the Prom King and Queen. What is it for the other classes?"
"Oh. Let's see...the junior class is Prince and Princess, the sophomores are Duke and Duchess, and I think the freshmen are Baron and Baroness."
"I know who's going to be the princess," Taylor said slyly.
"Oh? And who would that be?" I asked. If he really knew who it was going to be, he hadn't told me! I knew what he was really going to say, though.
"It'll be you, of course! How could it be anyone else?"
I appreciated his comment, but I had to set the record straight. "Taylor, thank you, but it won't be me."
"How do you know?" he demanded.
"Well, for one, there are lists of the top five all over the school, so we could vote this week, and I wasn't on the lists. But I already knew I wouldn't be, because there aren't any guys other than you who even like me. Anyway, I wouldn't want to be the princess."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Two reasons. First, if I were the princess, it would mean that a lot of guys would like me, really like me. I'd just hate to break their hearts, but there's no way I'd go out with any of them."
Taylor smiled. "And the second?"
"Similar to the first. If I were the princess, it would mean that I would have to dance with the prince. That wouldn't be bad if it were you, but it couldn't be."
"Why not?"
"Well, for one, you don't even go to LBJ. And even if you did, you're a senior, not a junior. And that's why I don't want to be the princess, because I refuse to dance with anyone but you."
After a few seconds of silence, Taylor asked me another question. "Monica, I know how much you love to dance, so I'd never do this, but let's just say I decided that I didn't want to dance at all. Given what you just said, what would you do in this situation?"
I thought for a minute, then replied, "I'd go dance with someone else."
"But you just said you wouldn't!"
"That's because you are how you are. If you did something like that, then you wouldn't be worth it. But since you are you, and I know you'd never do that, I will not dance with anyone except you, Taylor Hanson."
"What if the guy you've had a crush on for years asks you to dance?"
At that time, I decided to play a little joke on Taylor. It probably wouldn't fool him, but I decided to try it anyway. "Oh, he already did."
"What!?!?!" Taylor exclaimed.
It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. "Yeah, I have a secret boyfriend. We decided to let the secret out tonight, because we didn't think we could keep it hidden any more."
At this point, Taylor looked like he was going to explode. I couldn't help it anymore. I burst out laughing. "Taylor, calm down! I was just teasing you!"
"Really?" he asked, not convinced.
"Really, Tay. I just couldn't help it! You walked right into it!"
"What do you mean?"
"When I said that the guy I've had a crush on for years already asked me to dance, I wasn't talking about anyone at school. The only person I've had a crush on for that long, the only person who's asked me to dance, is the gorgeous guy sitting right next to me."
"Well, all right," Taylor said. "I believe you."
He sounded sincere, but the look on his face was the first sign I had that everything might not be "all right." But then we arrived, and I immediately forgot what I had just seen. Though I did not know it then, I would remember it later, and I would regret it all.
Chapter 42
Love Takes Time
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