He shakes his head, swishing his golden brown hair. Zack with his golden brown tan, perfect pearly whites, and a chiseled body. All the girls stare, even his best friend, she went through this feeling all the time having him, but at the same time not having him. Katie had been in love with him since fourth grade and this was senior year, her last shot. She got rid of her braces, zits, got contacts, and even made use of her push up bra. Still there he was walking towards her and holding out his fist for a fist pound.
They walk to first period and he chats about the three dates he went on over the weekend. She laughs and gasps at appropriate times, secretly wishing for once she could be one of those girls. It was January. Prom was coming up quickly. She had already made her New Year’s resolution. It was to finally be noticed by Zack and to go to prom as his date. So far it seemed like she was reaching into thin air and grasping nothing.
Until that day came, the one she had imagined for so many years. After his yet again disastrous dates of his weekend he walks with Katie to first period, but unusually quiet. They sit down for first period and Zack abruptly turns around and begin to question why girls are so complicated. She laughs because it’s cute how this stunning boy is asking her, a fairly normal looking girl, why girls are complicated. She laughs and explains to him there is never a right answer to his question. He ponders this throughout first period.
Katie sits down for lunch and Zack comes up behind her jabbering about his confusion with girls. Then he finally hits it. “Why aren’t there more girls like you?” Katie’s jaw dropped. He keeps going. “ You’re funny, you’re caring, you’re smart, and you’re different.” She blushes and sits there awestruck, not even caring that the whole lunch table is watching in wonder. She has nothing intelligent to say except that she had always been this way and it took him long enough to notice!
The rest of the day was like a dream. They walked the halls of the high school like they owned the place. Part one of New Year’s resolution was complete, but how long would it last? She had seen this several girls before, he would be “I love you, I love you, I love you, wow! Look at her!” There was a new girl catching his eye every week. She knew in her mind this was just a phase, but her heart was still leaping for joy.
The next day had come and gone and before she knew it they had been going out for a month, but there was one problem, they still hadn’t kissed. She knew that was definitely not right for a couple, but she wanted their first kiss to be romantic and special so they waited.
Time seemed to fly by. Before Katie knew it prom was on the horizon. While many girls scrambled for their dates Katie sat back and laughed because she had her date, Zack. They had already worked out the details in February if they were together until prom they would go together. It wasn’t really the way she pictured him asking her since it was just kind of, “hey, since we are dating we should go together.”
The day of prom came. She got her hair and her nails done. By five she was slipping into her dress, she looked and felt like Cinderella. It’s six-thirty. Zack is late. Seven- thirty they missed dinner, seven-forty five Zack appears. Katie is so upset it seems like prom is ruined before it even started. In the limo Katie doesn’t want to make things worse than they already are so she sits there quietly. Zack notices and wraps his arms around her and apologizing and saying he loves her and sorry to make her wait.
They finally arrive at prom and Katie feels like things are finally going as they should be. They made their entrance and everyone on the dance floor turned and looked. They looked like a fairytale couple and he whispers, “ you are my princess” into her ear. She was living every girls dream. They began to dance. Even to the fast songs they held each other close and slowly moved as one. They were having an amazing time. She looked up into his eyes and almost like he had felt her wish he leaned down to kiss her. After several long seconds Katie broke apart from him looking at each him confused.
She had waited so long for that special kiss. She finally got it on the most romantic night. She thought to herself, “it was like kissing a fish.” It was awkward and not full of sparks like she had hoped for. He looked at her having the same look she had it seemed they had mutual feelings. Such a pity, at least they gave it a try. Katie went home and cuddled up with ice cream that night, not because she didn’t have an amazing prom because she did, but because she spent years fanaticizing about kissing this beautiful boy and it turns out he was not all that he was cracked up to be.
Senior year ended Katie was dating a swimmer and Zack was back to his three dates in one weekend. They were still best friends, but after prom never anything more than that.