Inside, I cared far more than anyone realized.
High School
Freshman year brought new classmates.
New teachers.
New opportunities.
The whispers stayed the same.
By junior year, most students simply ignored me.
Which felt better than being laughed at.
I had exactly three close friends.
That was enough.
Or at least I told myself it was.
Prom Season
Senior year arrived faster than I expected.
Suddenly everyone talked about dresses.
Tuxedos.
Photos.
Limousines.
Dates.
Promposals filled the school hallways.
Huge signs.
Flowers.
Cheering crowds.
Every day another girl smiled while someone asked her to prom.
Nobody asked me.
I told everyone I wasn't interested anyway.
That was easier than admitting I checked my phone every night hoping someone might surprise me.
Nobody did.
The Unexpected Conversation
Two weeks before prom, I was putting books into my locker when someone spoke behind me.
"Emma?"
I turned.
It was Nathan Carter.
He played varsity basketball.
Good grades.
Quiet.
Respectful.
The kind of person everyone liked.
"I was wondering..."
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"...would you go to prom with me?"
I honestly thought he was joking.
Or filming one of those cruel online prank videos.
"I'm serious," he said.
"I'd really like to go with you."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
