The ending of my junior year was coming fast and so was a milestone in every high schoolers life the prom. I knew that the prom was going to be a little different for me than your typical student. First off, I started by getting rejected by two different girls. I knew I had only one last chance for a date; that was to ask a longtime family friend a grade lower than me, Amelia.

The thought that this prom might be awkward weighed heavily in my head for a long time. I didn’t want to wreck a good friendship over a silly prom date, but I did need one. It made it even more awkward that Amelia was the high school principal’s daughter. Somehow it gets worse, my sister, also a junior was already going with Amelia’s cousin, Michael.

Before the prom you could have asked me if I ever had any sort of feelings toward Amelia, and I would have said no over and over again like I still do to most people. But for some reason at the prom, this all changed.

The day was here. I drove over, parked the car, and walked in expecting it to be like every other time I have entered her house. To my surprise it wasn’t. I immediately noticed Amelia’s sky blue ruffled dress. Her teal eyes were loudly popping with excitement that was covering up her nervousness. Her wavy light brown hair was parted to the left side making her white pearl necklace beam off her neck.


I had to catch myself to make sure that I wasn’t staring. I then walked over, and we exchanged our flowers. When I put her corsage on her wrist, my hand was shaking a little. Luckily, no one noticed. She pinned the on my rented jacket covering up the holes from previous proms. I briefly paused and began to ponder the thoughts of other guys who were in my same position wearing the same jacket as I was. Then I snapped back to her pinning the boutonniere on my jacket. My vest and tie were sky blue to match her ruffled dress. We took our typical prom pictures and left for the prom. I drove Amelia, Katie, and Michael the car ride was filled with constant jokes and stories.

We all sat together around a table, and Tabo and his date joined us. We all ate, made casual small talk and then we hit the dance floor. At first it was mostly fast paced songs but then it slowed down and a gentle song started. I became very apprehensive and anxious about slow dancing with Amelia. Thoughts ran around my head faster and faster. I was thinking, “I want to, but does she?” That was a question was very persistent in my mind. Then the common Nike phrase “just do it” came to mind. My confidence came back and I realized this is what I want and thought “What’s the worst that can happen?” So I put my hands around her narrow waist I was relieved when I felt her newly manicured nails cup my shoulders. I immediately began to think of the future.

I know right now in time that nothing good would come from trying to ask her out. Our families are too close and it would be awkward if we did date and anything bad happened. She is too good of a friend to start anything right now, but maybe a few years down the road from now. High school can be a complicated place to start a life time relationship.

My belief is that everything in life happens for a reason. You can’t fight what’s happening or it might just end up worse. Sometimes you are dealt a fait that no matter what you do or try to stop it, it will still happen; just like the epic by Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Also you have to get out of your head; you can’t over think something so simple like dancing with a girl. “Just do it.”