The next day, Zac was walking down the hall with his friend Nate when they passed two girls posting a sign ouside the cafeteria. The two boys stopped to read it.
"A Valentine's day dance. How original." Nate commented sarcastically.
Zac snorted as his eyes read the pink and red glittering sign. "Yeah."
"Looks like I'm busy the 14th." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Zac looked over at him. "You taking Jessica?" He asked.
"It's vice versa, isn't it?" Nate asked.
Zac nodded. "Uh huh."
Nate nodded. "I am now." He said with a smirk. "God I hate dances."
"Oh." Zac said.
"What about you? What do you think of them?" Nate asked.
Zac shrugged. "I hooked up with my girlfrie- uh, Katie at a dance, so I don't really mind them." he said truthfully.
Nate nodded. "Oh."
"Isn't Jessica friends with Katie?"
"Yeah, I think." Nate said. "Why?"
Zac shrugged again. "Just wondering."
"Who are you taking?"
Zac looked at his friend skeptically. "I'm prolly not going." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Why? It's girls-ask-boys." Nate said with a chuckle.
"Then I'm really not going."
"Why? I bet you could get a date if you wanted."
Zac shook his head. "Nah. I'm not planning on it."
"Katie's got nearly a month to ask you."
Zac chuckled. "Now I highly doubt that will happen."
Nate laughed. "Me too, but it was worth a shot."
"Yeah." Zac said, grinning.
"You could always go solo."
Zac shook his head. "Not my style."
"Oh."
"I'm just not going to go."
"Suit yourself. You're missing out." Nate said sarcastically.
Zac smiled to himself, his friend's words ringing in his head. Yeah, I am missing out, he thought.
And he was missing out. He was slowly but surely inching his way back into Katie's life, and he thought that maybe by Valentine's day she would feel comfortable around him enough to possibly ask him to the dance. It was girls ask boys, like a vice versa, and he knew that if had a prayer in the world, this would be it.
A few days later, Zac was at his locker when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, seeing a girl he vaugely recognized standing behind him.
"Hi." She said cheerily.
"Uh, hi." He said, looking at her awkwardly. She was medium hieght, and on the skinny side, and her hair was brown and short, cut around her face in a bob cut, and her eyes were brown. Not bad... Zac thought.
"I'm Brooke." She said, out stretching her hand.
"Zac." He said, shaking it. He looked at her, not sure as to what she wanted.
"I know." She said, smiling flirtatiously at him.
Zac laughed, obviously uncomfortable. "Um, okay."
"I've seen you around, and I think you're pretty cute." She said.
Let's be blunt then... Zac thought. "Oh...thanks." He said, allowing himself to smiled a bit. He felt his cheeks turn pink, and he glanced at the floor.
"Well, I was wondering....would you like to go to the Valentine's dance with me?" She asked.
Zac was caught completely off gaurd. "Um...."
Brooke looked at him expectantly. "I....Can I get back to you?" He asked.
Her smiled faded a little, but she kept her cool. "Sure." She said.
Zac tried his best to smile. "Okay." he said.
"I'll talk to you later." She said with a grin. With that, she turned and walked away. Zac leaned against his locker, watching her leave, not sure what to think.
"Gosh, I hope Nate will go with me." Jessica said.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Of course he'll go with you...he's your boyfriend."
Jessica sighed. "I know, but he hates dances."
"Then you make him go." Nicole said.
"I guess you're right."
"I know." Nicole said. "Who should I ask?"
"Aren't you still going with that Adam guy?" Jessica asked.
Nicole giggled. "yes." She said.
"You think he'll go with me?" she asked.
"Sure. You should bring him. I wanna meet this guy." jessica said.
"Well, he's homeschooled." Nicole said, picking at her chipped nail polish.
"Ah, one of those."
"Yeah."
"We should go in a big group again." Jessica said.
"Yeah, that was fun for homecoming. We had...what, six couples?"
"Yup."
"We have to help everyone find dates though." Nicole said.
"We could do that." Jessica said.
"Yeah."
"Who would Katie as?"
Nicole snorted. "Zac, of course."
"Nope." Jessica said.
Nicole looked at her friend. "What?"
"He's already taken."
Nicole's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding me."
"Nope. Eva has a locker next to his, and she said that yesterday some chick just walked up and asked him."
"I cant' believe that!" Nicole said.
"What?" Jessica asked, lost.
"That sun of a gun." She muttered, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Jessica asked.
"Sorry Jess, I gotta bolt." Nicole said. "People to talk to."