Part I:
It was the end of junior year. Prom was coming up, and Sheridan was wondering who she would go to Prom with. Gwen was wondering the same thing. They had a plan that, if necessary, they’d go together and dance with other girls’ dates. But, naturally, they each wanted a date of their own. The girls were both Sheridan’s house, having a blast watching movies with hot guys. Josh Hartnett. Heath Ledger. You name him, they had one of his videos.
“Doesn’t Luis just makes you sizzle?” Sheridan asked.
“Sheridan, he’s not thathot!” Gwen countered.
“What are you blind? He’s only thehottest guy at school! He’s also a great guy-he’d make a great boyfriend, you know. Name one guy who’d make a better Prom date.”
‘Should I tell her? But if I do, she’ll make fun of me forever! But, she might have some ideas as to how to get him to take me to Prom…’ Gwen considered. Softly, she said, “Ethan.”
“Ethan?!?!?” Sheridan shrieked.
Gwen winced. “Yeah, Ethan. He’s a really great guy-you know that!”
Sheridan giggled. “True. So, does this mean that you finally realized that I was right about Chad’s true feelings?”
“Yeah, he likes Whitney.”
“What did I tell you? But, back to the important question-how are we going to get these guys as our dates?”
Sheridan was having a horrible day. She had overslept and missed her bus. Then, she had to drag Julian out of bed to get him to take her to school. On top of all that, she had to listen to his complaints about having to get up so early. At least the tardy was excused. Thank God her mom had written her a note!
However, she had had to walk into the cafeteria and answer Theresa and Whitney's questions about why she was late. She went to her history class, but she had forgotten her homework at home and didn't have a 'No Homework Pass.' She also got back the Chapter 24 Test. She had thought she would ace it, but the D+ across the paper was not confirming her previous thoughts.
She walked into English, wondering what was going to go wrong next.
“Uh Sheridan, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Prom with me," Luis asked her nervously.
Sheridan sat there, staring at him for a moment before she realized what had just happened. "You're asking me to the Prom?"
"Uh, yeah, that was the general idea."
Sheridan grinned and told him, "I'd love to!"
Relieved, Luis smiled back at her and they had fun flirting through the rest of English Lit.
Sheridan was mad. Indignantly, she said, “It’s not Dwight.”
“Oh, then Archibald? Or was it Avery?”
Now that Sheridan knew that Gwen was happy for her, she could deal with her teasing. “Yeah, you know, me and Avery-it’s just like a match made in heaven!” They laughed and walked off down the hall together.
A week later, Luis and Sheridan were still going out. Gwen was really happy for her friend, but she wished that she was going on a double date with them-with Ethan as her date. But, sadly, he only seemed to think of her as a friend.
Luis was in gym class, playing volleyball-with Beth hitting on him every five seconds.
“Oh, wow! That was such a good spike, Luis! You’re such a good volleyball player!”
“Uh, thanks, Beth,” Luis replied, wondering what was up with her. But he didn’t give it a second thought as his mind was filled with thoughts of Sheridan.
Luis was puzzled. “For what?”
“For being soooo good at volleyball! We would’ve lost without you!”
“Uh, you’re-” Luis began to say. Suddenly, an out-of-control volleyball from another court flew over and hit him on the head. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
“Oh no! What are we going to do?!?” Beth cried out in anguish.
Mr. Mitchell walked over and said, “Hank and Chad. Get over here.” The guys walked over and Mr. Mitchell continued talking. “Carry Luis to the Nurse. He’s going to be in pain when he wakes up.”
The guys did as he asked and picked Luis up. “Man, I hope he’s ok,” Hank said.
“Yeah, Sheridan’ll freak as it is when she finds out. If anything happened to him, she’ll seriously lose it,” Chad agreed.
They laid him on a cot in the Nurse’s room and told her what happened. She agreed to keep and eye on him and promised to let them know if there was anything else they could do.
“We’ll just tell her the facts. She’ll be sad, but she’ll realize he’ll be ok. She’ll be fine with it,” Chad decided. But when they walked into class, they didn’t know what to do. Sheridan was sitting on her desk, laughing and talking with Kay and Simone. She was smiling and looked like she was in a great mood. This put Hank and Chad into even worse moods since they knew that the news would depress her.
“There she is, man. Go and break the news to her,” Hank told Chad.
“Whoa. Who said I was gonna be the one to tell her?”
“Well, it was your idea.”
“Exactly. I came up with the plan. Your job is to carry it out.” They stood there, glaring at each other until Chad, being his usual hot, nice self relented. “C’mon. Let’s do it together.”
“Hey, Sheridan. Can we talk to you?” Hank asked.
Sheridan grinned. “Sure, guys. What’s up?”
“Uh, actually, we’d like to make this a little more private-if you don’t mind,” Chad elaborated.
Sheridan was wondering what they could have to tell her in private. Was Luis cheating on her? Did something horrible happen to Gwen? What was going on? “Uh, sure, guys.” She looked at AS and JB, who walked away to give them some privacy. “So? What’s up?”
The guys looked at each other nervously, hoping the other would give her the bad news. Finally, Hank broke the stalemate. “It’s Luis,” he told her reluctantly.
“What about Luis? What happened?” Sheridan asked frantically.
“Well, uh, we were in gym last hour, and we were playing volleyball,” Chad continued. “His team had just won and was waiting for their next game to start when a volleyball came flying out of nowhere and hit his head. It, uh, knocked him unconscious. Sorry to have to be the ones to tell you this, Sheridan.”
Sheridan just stood there with a blank expression on her face. She couldn’t believe this. Luis was hurt! And now that class was about to start, she wouldn’t be able to go and see how he was-Mrs. Robertson might let her out for a moment otherwise, but they had a test today. She was trying her best to hold back her tears so she wouldn’t embarrass herself.
“Are you ok, Sheridan?” Hank asked, giving her a hug.
Once she was in Hank’s arms, Sheridan just couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears just flooded forth, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Hank motioned toward the door, and Mrs. Robertson nodded. Slowly, he walked Sheridan out of the room to the doors by the gym.
“Shhhhhh. Calm down, Sheridan. Everything’s going to be okay. He’ll be fine. It was probably just a little concussion. It’s nothing too major.” Despite all of his efforts, Sheridan could not stop crying.
“Do you want to go and see him?” Hank asked. Sheridan nodded, with tears still rolling down her cheeks. “Ok, but you’ll have to stop crying. The nurse might not let you see him if you’re crying like this. She might even feel the need to give you a sedative!”
Sheridan tried to smile a little at his pathetic joke, and he laughed. “C’mon,” he said, pulling her off the ground. “Let’s go see Luis.”
Sheridan knelt down and gave him a hug. “Oh, Luis! You have to be ok. We were having so much fun together-I don’t want it to end just yet!” she pleaded. “Please, Luis, come back to me soon. I don’t know what I’ll do without you!” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out of the room before she could start to cry again.
Hank walked out with her, and put his arm around her shoulders. “It’ll be ok, Sheridan. He’ll be just fine. You’ll just have to come by again, after school’s over.”
Together, they walked back to math. Since they had already missed some of the class period, Mrs. Robertson told them that they could take it tomorrow during their off hour. Sheridan was really grateful since she knew that she couldn’t concentrate on her math test that day. She just sat in her desk, got out our notes and “studied.” In reality, she was worrying about Luis, but she knew that she had to look like she was doing something productive with the time that Mrs. Robertson had been nice enough to give her.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t go and check on Luis?” Sheridan asked. “I mean, maybe he woke up since we were there!”
“Sheridan, you need to concentrate on school now. Chemistry, not Luis. I realize how much you like him, but you need to stop acting like a groupie girlfriend who can’t go anywhere or do anything without her boyfriend. I realize you’re not like that, but you need to let the nurse take care of him and go check on him after school-I’ll even go with you if you want.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. And could you go with me? I-I don’t want to go alone. I don’t know what I’ll be facing and I’d love to have a friend with me.”
“Sure, Sheridan. Should I meet you outside Mr. Wagner’s room?”
“Yeah, thanks,” she replied, giving him a hug. “See ya there!”
“Ohmigod! Hank! I’m so sorry! I totally forgot that I said I’d meet you here after school! Let’s go! Thanks, Mr. Wagner.”
“Wait, Sheridan, stay and figure out Chem. I know you have a big test in here tomorrow.”
“Really? You don’t mind? You’re the greatest!” Sheridan said with a grateful smile. She talked about Chem a little longer with Mr. Wagner a little longer. 10 minutes later, Sheridan was done, and they began to walk towards the Clinic.
“I’m really sorry about that, Hank. You didn’t have to stay there with me.”
“Yeah, but I told you I’d go see Luis with you. Besides, I told you to concentrate on school. I didn’t realize you’d take me so seriously, but…” They both laughed and continued walking to the Clinic, hoping Luis was back to normal.
“Hey, sexy,” she said softly. “You gotta wake up and feel better. Lots of people need you-especially me.”
Just then, she heard a groan escape his lips. He slowly shifted his head towards her voice and opened his eyes. He looked at Beth with a confused expression in his eyes. “Wh-who are you? Where am I?”
“You mean you don’t remember?” Beth asked with false pity.
“No. How did I get here?”
‘Amnesia! This is perfect!’ Beth thought. “Sweetie, I’m hurt that you don’t remember me, but we’ll get past this. I’m Beth-your girlfriend! You were hit in the head with a volleyball during gym class. It knocked you unconscious, and you’ve been here since then.”
“Beth? You’re my girlfriend? I can’t believe that I can’t remember that!”
“Don’t worry about it, honey. I forgive you. It’s not like you tried to forget! But just remember-I’m the only one you can trust. There are some other girls who might try to take advantage of your amnesia and say they’re your girlfriend, but they’re lying. I’m the only one you can rely on to tell you the truth. I mean, would you love a liar?”
“I-I love you?” Luis asked, astonished.
‘I’d think I’d remember if Beth was my girlfriend, let alone if I loved her! I don’t think I love her, but it’s probably just my amnesia. I wish I could remember everything!’ Luis hoped. ‘But she seems to happy to see me ok. She couldn’t be lying to me. She’s obviously my girlfriend.’
“Of course you do, silly!” Beth said, grinning before saying lovingly, “Oh, honey, I’m sorry! You probably just don’t remember. But you know what? That’s ok! Cause I’ll spend the next few weeks helping you realize why you love me-why we’re perfect for each other!” They continued talking for a little while, until Luis’s mother came to pick him up. Beth kissed him on the cheek and went home herself.
“Come in!” Luis called from inside. Glad to hear his voice again, Sheridan and Hank opened the door and walked in.
Sheridan immediately walked over to his bed, and kissed his forehead. “How are you, honey? We’ve been so worried about you!”
After the kiss, Luis pulled back from Sheridan. “Uh, who are you?”
Hank stepped forward to fill him in. “Oh, that’s right. The nurse said you had amnesia. I’m Hank-one of your best friends.”
“And, sweetie, I’m Sheridan-your girlfriend.”
Luis laughed. “I’m sorry, Sheridan, but that’s impossible. I already have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah…me.”
“No, Beth. Sheis my girlfriend.”
“Uh, no, buddy. Sheridan is. You two’ve been going out for a little over a week. You’re planning to go to the Prom together and everything!”
Now Luis was really confused. “But Beth and I are going to the Prom. I can’t have two dates to Prom!”
Sheridan was feeling hurt and confused. ‘Why doesn’t Luis remember me. I guess I can understand that much-with the amnesia and all-but why does he think Beth is his girlfriend and his Prom date? Do our dates and plans for the future mean nothing to him?’ Sheridan could not hold it in any longer and began to cry.
Hank noticed this and said, “Look, Luis, I’m sure you’re tired and confused after being unconscious for so long. We’ll leave and give you some time to rest-but we’ll be back to visit you tomorrow, ok? Bye.” Hank put his arm around Sheridan and walked out of the room with her.
“Oh, Hank!” she sobbed. “Why doesn’t he remember me? And why does he think Beth is his girlfriend? Did he have a secret crush on her or something?”
Hank hated to see Sheridan like this. They had been great friends for years and he knew he had to do the best that he could to help her through this tough time.
“Sheridan, it’s not that he didn’t love the times you spent together-he had a lot of fun on all your dates and was thrilled when you said you’d go to Prom with him! I don’t know why he thinks he’s going out with Beth. But the nurse might have an idea-we could go ask her tomorrow, if you want.”
“Oh, thank you, Hank!” Sheridan cried. “But you’ve already done so much for me. I don’t know if I could ask you to do anything else. I feel so guilty monopolizing so much of your time!”
“Don’t be, Sheridan. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. You and Luis are both really close friends of mine, and I want to help you two get through this.” They hugged again and Hank drove Sheridan home.
Sheridan couldn’t believe what had happened. ‘I can’t believe this!’ Sheridan thought. ‘First Luis dumped me with no warning. Granted, he has amnesia and Beth is cruel enough to take advantage of that, but I was really starting to fall for him! Then, people are saying that I made up the amnesia so I wouldn’t have to face the shame of being dumped so close to Prom. A few days ago, I was the happiest girl in the world! I had a loving boyfriend, great friends, popularity and more! My life was practically perfect! Now I don’t have a boyfriend, some true friends, and my popularity is down the tubes. Can my life suck any more?!?’
“Cheer up, Sheridan,” she heard a voice behind her say.
She spun around to see Gwen and Ethan standing behind her. “Hey, guys.”
“Gwen’s right, you know, Sheridan. I know that this has to suck, but you can’t stay down in the dumps forever. Sooner or later, Luis will remember what you had. And if he doesn’t and still doesn’t realize how perfect you are for each other, you really don’t belong with him,” Ethan told her before adding softly, “You’re a great girl, Sheridan. Remember that, and maybe Luis will too.”
Just then Hank came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. “He’s right you know. He may not know much, but you’re a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend.”
Sheridan grinned. “Thanks guys.”
Just then, the minute bell rang. “Dammit! We’ve gotta get to math. See ya guys later!” Gwen called as she ran off down the hallway with Ethan beside her.
Slowly, Sheridan and Hank walked off to Spanish class. “You know, Hank, speaking of dates, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Would you go with me to Prom?” Sheridan saw the stunned look on Hank’s face and quickly added, “I mean as friends, of course. I really want to go to Prom, but I don’t want to have to worry about finding a date and dinner and whatever. Would you go with me?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, sure. Of course I’ll go with you Sheridan,” Hank said while thinking, ‘I’m going to Prom with Sheridan! This is great! Yeah, sure, it’s as friends, but still, it’s a good first step. If Luis realizes that he loves Sheridan, that’s ok. She’ll be happy and that’s all that I really want. But if he doesn’t-well, the Prom will be a great beginning for Us.’
“So you’re going with Hank? That’s great. He’s a really nice guy.”
“Yeah, but we’re only going as friends, Gwen.”
“I know. Besides, you’re not over Luis yet-are you?”
“Definitely not. It just really hurt me, you know. I mean, I always knew that Beth was jealous of me since she had a majorthing for Luis, but I never thought she would stoop this low. Besides, Gwen, I-I really liked him.”
Softly, Gwen asked, “Did you love him?”
“I-I don’t know. If I didn’t I was on my way there. I was falling for him-fast,” Sheridan confided. “But, hey, that’s enough about me and my screwed up social life. Who are you going with?”
“I don’t have a date. I might not even go.”
“Gwen! You have to go! Ask Ethan. I know how much you like him.”
“Sheridan, he doesn’t like me like that. We’re only friends.”
“Then go as friends! Maybe it’ll be more before the night ends! Besides, we can double-date. You and Ethan and me and Hank. See? It’s perfect. You have to ask him!”
“Ok, I will…but if he says no…”
“He won’t. He totally wants you.”
Gwen laughed. “Whatever, Sheridan. But thanks for trying to boost my self-confidence.” They hung up, and Gwen immediately called Ethan afterwards.
“Hey, Gwen. What’s up?” he asked.
“Well, uh, have you heard that Sheridan and Hank are going to Prom together?”
“Really? That’s great!”
“Yeah, it is. But, uh, since they’re going as friends and I wanna go too, I was wondering if you’d want to go to Prom with me-as friends, of course.”
“Sure, Gwen! That’d be great. We’ll have a blast.”
“Great!” Gwen replied, very relieved. They then made plans about where to meet and when.
“Sheridan, what should I do to it?”
Sheridan flipped through some of the hair styling books, pointed to a picture and said, “This!”
After looking at it, Gwen said warily, “I don’t know, Sheridan. It’s so different.”
“Gwen, this is Prom. And you’re going with the guy of your dreams! You’ve gotta live it up-and you’d look gorgeous like this! You have to get this style.”
“Ok-but only if you pick this one.” She pointed to one that would look semi-decent on Sheridan, who agreed.
“W-wow. You girls look great,” Hank stuttered.
“Are you implying that we usually don’t?!?” Sheridan teased.
Grinning, Ethan said, “Nah. But in these dresses you two make the perfect pair. You both look radiant.”
The girls grinned and complimented the guys on their handsomeness as well. Then, Hank extended an arm towards the driveway and said, “Ladies, your carriage awaits.”
They look outside and see a white limo sitting in Gwen’s driveway. “Guys, this really wasn’t necessary,” Sheridan argued.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re just going as friends. You guys didn’t have to spend so much!” Gwen added.
“Well, when I take a girl to the Prom, I take her to the Prom!” Ethan told them.
“Besides, we figured that this is our Junior Prom. We might as well live it up,” Hank added.
“Well, thanks, guys,” Gwen said.
“Yeah, thanks,” Sheridan echoed. The guys pinned the corsages on the girls, and they were off.
“The Princesses of the Prom are Theresa, Whitney, Beth, and Gwen. Congratulations to your Prom Queen, Sheridan! The Princes of the Prom are Miguel, Chad, Ethan, and Hank. Congratulations to your Prom King, Luis! Now for the traditional Queen and King Dance.”
This I Promise You by N*Sync comes over the speakers and Luis and Sheridan begin to dance.
For Sheridan, this was pure torture. ‘I can’t believe we have to dance together! I mean, I wasplanning on dancing with him at Prom, but with him as my date, not with him as the date of the girl who stole him from me!’
Luis, meanwhile, was thinking, ‘Sheridan is so lucky. I mean, Beth says that she really wants me, so she must be thrilled to be dancing with me. I just wish Beth was dancing with me. She’s always been there for me, even though I can’t remember any of our old dates. She is so great. I just wish I could remember our first date-it must have been something though.’
Just then, he had a flashback. He was sitting in his car, getting ready for a date. He was going to see a movie. He drove to the girl’s house and walked up to the front door. He knocked on it and Sheridan opened the door.
‘Weird. Where’s Beth?’ he wondered. Laughing and smiling, they walked to his car and drove off.
‘I dated Sheridan? Why didn’t Beth ever tell me this? I mean, she told me that Sheridan wanted me, but she never mentioned that we used to go out! Why didn’t she tell me?’
‘Why didn’t she tell me?’ was the thought that ran through Luis’s mind throughout his remainder of his dance with Sheridan. He tried his best, but he couldn’t come up with any explanations that were acceptable or that seemed realistic.
‘If she’s lying about this to me, who knows what else she may be lying to me about! I sure hope Beth can explain this, but I have no idea how…’
Part II:
Sheridan couldn’t wait for the dance to be over so she could stop dancing with her ex during their song.
‘I can’t believe it! I mean, of all the songs in the world, why this one?’ Then, as she heard the final bars of the song, she dropped her hands from around Luis and ran off crying. Gwen saw this and quickly followed her.
“Sheridan? Are you ok?” Gwen asked, worriedly.
Sobbing, Sheridan replied, “No, of course I’m not ok! Luis and I were just crowned King and Queen of the Prom. We were dancing together to Our Song. It should have been the perfect moment-but it wasn’t. And it’s all because of Beth!”
Gwen stepped forward and gave Sheridan a hug. “It’ll be ok. I know this is hard for you, but you’ll get over him, Sheridan. I know you will. Do you want to go home?” Sheridan couldn’t find her voice, so she just nodded. Gwen then ran inside to find Hank and Ethan.
“Gwen, you shouldn’t have to leave. I’ll take Sheridan home. You two can stay here and dance the night away,” Hank suggested.
“Hank, I’m not going to have any fun knowing my best friend is heartbroken. I have to go. You two can always stay and dance with other girls,” Gwen suggested, getting sick at the thought of Ethan slow dancing with another girl.
“Gwen, if you leave, I leave. We came together, and I’m not going to let you try to console Sheridan alone. I understand how tough this must be for her,” Ethan informed her.
“Yeah, Gwen. She’s my date. I really should go. I need to make sure she’s ok,” Hank added.
“Thanks, guys,” Gwen said, before realizing something. “Hank, you do realize that you and Sheridan are only here as friends, right?”
“Y-yeah. Of course. I know that,” he attempted to say nonchalantly.
“But you wish it were more…right?” Gwen guessed.
Hank considered denying it, but after glancing over at Ethan who knew his true feelings, he knew he could never pull it off. “Yeah.”
“Look, I’m gonna be straight with you, Hank. Honestly, I don’t think she’s ready for a bf now. She’s definitely not over Luis yet, so if you two did date, you would just be a rebound guy.”
“Yeah, I, uh, kinda gathered that from her reaction to their dance.”
“But you need to tell her how you feel. Tell her how you feel and that you know that she’s not ready for a new boyfriend yet. Just make sure you’re sure to add that you felt as if she deserved to know and that you’ll always be there for her. While your feelings may come as a shock to her, she’ll just accept them and appreciate your understanding. Then, when she’s over Luis, she’ll consider dating you. Ok?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just didn’t want to tell her since I didn’t want to burden her anymore.”
“Hank, you need to be honest with her. You two are really close, and she at least deserves that much. And once you tell her, you’ll feel better. Once it’s all out in the open, you’ll feel this immense sense of relief. You have to tell her-tonight.” Gwen and the guys then walked out to the limo where Sheridan was waiting. They drove to Hank’s house since his house was empty and then they wouldn’t have to put up with DS trying to figure out why Sheridan was so upset.
“Actually, Beth, I’d rather talk, if you don’t mind.”
“O-okay. What’s up?”
“Let’s go somewhere a little more private,” Luis told her.
Beth grinned, assuming he didn’t want to talk, but just be alone with her. She led him to a corner of the gym that was hardly illuminated. “Well?” she asked seductively.
“What’s the deal with Sheridan? Why did she run off on me?”
“I told you, honey. She wants you, and she was probably just miserable because she couldn’t deal with the fact that you’re not hers.”
“Beth, did Sheridan and I ever go out?” Luis asked bluntly.
Beth was shocked. ‘Every other time I told him something he just accepted it and didn’t question it. Is he remembering things? Or is he not sure if he can trust me? What should I say? I could say no, but if he’s remembering his dates with Sheridan, I’m screwed. But if he’s not, then he won’t question why I didn’t tell him this before.’
Luis noticed her hesitation. “Well? Not sure how you should lie?!?”
Beth knew this was getting out of hand. She had to say something-and fast. “Luis, sweetie, yes, you did go out with Sheridan-for a while, actually. I don’t think she’s gotten over you yet. I mean, it has been a long time since you dated, but I think she really loved you.”
Now Luis was even angrier. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me this? Don’t you think I have the right to know this kind of stuff?!?!?”
Soothingly, Beth told him, “Of course, sweetie! But you were going through so much that I didn’t want to burden you with more facts that weren’t really relevant anymore. But you’re right. I should have told you. I’m sorry.”
Luis was about to yell at Beth some more when he realized that her reasoning made sense. ‘It wasn’t so much that she was keeping it from me. She just didn’t want to confuse me further so she just was waiting until later to tell me.’
He felt as if a huge weight was being lifted off his chest. He grinned and said, “So, honey, do you wanna dance now?”
Beth gave him a sweet smile and said, “It would be my pleasure.”
Later, Gwen and Ethan returned to the Prom. After they had managed to calm Sheridan down, they left to give Hank and Sheridan some time alone. They knew that if they stayed, Hank would never tell Sheridan how he felt. While he might not do it even if they WEREN'T there, he definitely wouldn't do it while they were. They knew that he would be embarrassed with them around and that he wouldn't want Sheridan to feel as if he had been discussing it with other people before her. Anyhow, they showed up and danced the night away.
“Gwen?” Ethan asked. “What do you think about the whole Hank/Luis thing?”
Gwen grinned and said, “Well, I don’t think that they’d make a good couple! That’s for sure!”
Ethan laughed. “No, I mean the whole Sheridan deal.”
“Well…I really like Luis-I mean, not like that or anything, but I know how happy he made Sheridan. Personally, I think that she loved him. She won’t admit it, but she was really falling for him. But now that SHE got involved, it’s all screwed up.”
Ethan laughed even harder at the face Gwen made when referring to Beth. It wasn’t hard to guess her feelings about her.
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Ethan. Anyhow, I like Hank too, but I’m not sure if Sheridan thinks of him as anything more than a friend. I mean, now, obviously, he’s just a friend cause she’s so obsessed with Luis and what she lost to that bitch. But she might have liked him before the whole Luis deal. I don’t know. But I think that Hank would be a great guy for her. He understands that she may not be ready for a bf now and is willing to wait for her. I think that’s pretty nice of him. Don’t you?”
“Sure. I don’t know much of what girls want, but that seems like something that’s pretty romantic. C’mon, let’s dance.”
They headed out to the dance floor, just as a slow song came on the speakers. Ethan glanced at Gwen, but she just kept on walking, so he kept going too. Suddenly, she turned around to face him. Ethan gathered her into his arms, and they began to dance.
Gwen couldn’t believe how right it felt to be in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and swayed with him to the music. She knew that there was no other place in the world where she would rather be. Being there, in his arms, felt so perfect, so right.
Ethan, meanwhile, was wishing that Gwen felt the same way he did. He really liked her, and he was thrilled when she asked him to Prom. He wished it wasn’t just as friends, but he knew he would accept whatever Gwen was willing to give him. Friends with Benefits was just fine with him! But then he remembered the advice Gwen had given Hank. He knew that he had to tell her. No matter what her reaction, she deserved to know. He had to be honest with her-but not until the song was over. After he told her how he felt, he may never get this close to her again.
The song ended, and a fast song came on next. Reluctantly, Gwen and Ethan separated themselves. “Gwen? I wanna talk to you for a sec-if that’s ok.”
‘What’s going on? Gwen wondered. “Sure, Ethan. What’s up?”
“C’mere,” he said, authoritatively taking her hand and leading her to a quiet corner.
Once Gwen saw where they were…well, suffice it to say that she had about 3 billion different daydreams run through her head at once-all of them involving her and Ethan. “So?”
“I have something that I need to tell you. Gwen, I-”
“I have something to tell you too,” Gwen interrupted.
“Uh, Gwen, can I finish?”
“Oops. Sorry. Go ahead.”
“Look, Gwen, I-I like you. A lot. And I know that you don’t feel the same way, but after what you told Hank, I knew that I had to tell you.”
Gwen was in shock. After she recovered, she realized Ethan was standing there, waiting for her to respond. “Uh, Ethan, wow. I, uh, I like you too. And as more than friends. I just thought you didn’t like me that way. That’s why I asked you as friends. But since you like me…” Gwen trailed off.
“…And you like me,” Ethan finished with a grin. “So now we can do what we’ve both been dying to do.” And with that, he leaned down and kissed her.
“Sheridan, there’s something I have to tell you. And it can’t wait any longer cause otherwise I’ll lose my nerve.”
“Ok. What’s up?” Sheridan prepared herself for the worst-something along the lines of he knew that Luis believed Beth’s story cause he’d secretly wanted her for years…or something like that.
“Look, I, uh, I… Oh, man.”
“Spit it out, Hank,” Sheridan urged, her worries increasing by the second.
“I, uh, I like you Sheridan. As in more than a friend. I know that you’re not over Luis yet, but Gwen said I should tell you. I didn’t want to burden you with anything else, but she’s right. You deserve to know. I’m not expecting you to say that you want to go out with me now or anything. I just wanted to tell you.”
Sheridan was shocked. That was the last thing she expected Hank to tell her. She sat there on his bed in stunned silence for a few moments. “Well, uh, Hank, you’re right. I’m not over Luis. And it could definitely take awhile. I’d love to say that once I get over him, I’d love to go out with you, but I’m not going to. I can’t make you wait for me. I won’t even ask you to wait for me. No matter how much you may like me, I may say I will date you once I get over him, but I might not. I might decide that we’re better off as friends, or another guy may ask me out. I’m not trying to avoid dating you. I’m just trying to save you from whatever pain I might accidentally cause you. I’m sorry, Hank, but right now, the answer is, as you figured, no. I hope this won’t affect our friendship.”
Hank was disappointed, but he wasn’t surprised. This was what he had expected all along. “That’s ok, Sheridan. I figured that was what you were going to say. But I just want to make sure that you know that I will always be here for you. No matter what. If you just need someone to listen, feel free to call me-anytime, day or night.”
Sheridan leaned forward and hugged Hank. “Thank you so much, Hank. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You are a true friend.”
A few hours passed, and Hank had taken Sheridan home. The Prom had ended and the lovebirds were on their way home. For some reason, they just happened to keep getting confused and giving the limo driver the wrong directions. Eventually, they ended up at Sheridan’s house. Gwen tapped on her window, and Sheridan ran to open the door for them. She arrived at the door to see Gwen and Ethan kissing on the front porch.
“Ahem!” Sheridan cleared her throat. Guiltily, the two broke apart.
“Uh, sorry, Sheridan. We, uh, just came by to see how you were doing.”
“Riiiiiiight, Gwen. More like avoid going home, and tell your parents when you show up about 5 hours later that you spent a lot of time at my house helping me get over Luis. Besides, I figured this would happen tonight.”
“Really?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah. I knew how much Gwen wanted you, and I thought that you liked her back, so I told her that she should ask you to Prom. As ‘friends,’ of course.” Sheridan grinned. “And then you both went, had a blast, danced a little, consoled me a little, and made out a lot.”
“We did not make out a lot!” Gwen exclaimed.
Sheridan just stared at her with a look of total disbelief on her face.
“I mean, ummm, it depends on your definition of ‘a lot,’ I guess. I mean, personally, I’d have to say that it wasn’t nearly enough. In order for it to be ‘a lot’ I think it would have to be too much!”
“Ok, Gwen, but let me ask you this. Have you two spent more time tonight dancing? Or making out?”
Gwen and Ethan looked at each other and grinned. “Well, I’d have to say about the same, Sheridan.”
“That’s 100% bull, Gwen. There’s no way. You danced, like, what, three dances before the whole Prom Court Fiasco? And judging from the looks of your hair and clothes, it’s highly doubtful that you were able to keep your hands off each other once you confessed your feelings to each other.”
“I swear I’m not lying, Sheridan! I mean, we swayed when we were kissing. And, technically, we were on the dance floor. And we kissed while dancing. So, see? It’s pretty close.”
“Fine. Whatever. Anyhow, any good gossip to share? Like, I don’t know, anything about Luis realizing that Beth is a manipulative b*tch and dumping her?”
“Actually, Sheridan, it’s funny you should mention that,” Ethan began.
“WHAT?!? You mean it actually happened?!?!?”
“Uh, no, but apparently there is, or at least was, trouble in paradise. I heard that after your dance, he grabbed Beth’s arm and dragged her away from the crowd.”
“He probably just wanted to make out with his ‘girlfriend,’” Sheridan replied bitterly.
“Well, apparently, he had a really angry expression on his face.” Ethan added.
“C’mon, Sheridan! At least it looks promising! Maybe he finally realized how she has him twisted around her little finger!”
Sheridan smiled a little. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, guys.”
“No problem, girl! That’s what best buds do! Besides, you need to stay optimistic. Things could easily start looking up. Maybe Luis’ll eventually believe that Beth is lying since everyone else is telling him things that are the exact opposite to what she is telling him.”
“Thanks, guys. You’re the best friends I could ever ask for!” Sheridan gave them both big hugs. “Now go and get the hell outta here. I’m sure you’d much rather be somewhere else, doing something else!” She wiggled her eyebrows.
They both laughed. “Thanks, Sheridan, you’re the best. C’mon, Gwen, let’s go.”
“One sec. Sheridan, call me on my cell the absolute second you need to talk. I’m here for you-even if I’m in the middle of something very…interesting.”
“Thanks, Gwen. Now go have fun doing some of that…interesting…stuff. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Sheridan,” Ethan said as he started dragging Gwen out of her house.
Gwen laughed. “Bye, Sheridan!” They walk out the door, with huge smiles upon their faces.
Sheridan smiled sadly and said quietly to herself, “Well, at least someone found love at the Prom.” She then returned to her room to cry about what she had lost.
“Beth, how long ago did I date Sheridan?”
Annoyed, Beth replied, “Luis… What about my end of the year party!?! Should I hold it at my house, or do you want to throw one together somewhere else?”
‘Who gives a damn about where to hold a party?!? It’ll be at the beginning of the June!! It’s more than a month away. How superficial is she?!?’ he asked himself, but he said, in a much nicer tone, “I’m not sure, Beth. Can I think about it? Anyhow, how long ago did Sheridan and I break up?”
‘I thought we already talked about this! Why is he bringing this up again?’ she wondered.
“Uh, Luis, didn’t we talk about this before? I thought we agreed that it didn’t really matter. But, if you really want to know, it was a couple of months ago. I don’t know exactly, but before we started going out, you told me that Sheridan had convinced you to pretend you two were still going out. I’m not sure how she managed to convince you-I forget. Anyhow, you made the break-up public, and then we started going out. She’s always hated me since then. She thinks of me as the girl who stole you from her. Why did you want to know?”
“I was just kinda curious. No real reason.” Just then, the limo stopped at Chad’s house. Luis grabbed her hand, hoping to avoid any more of her pointless conversation. “C’mon.”
“Way to go, Ethan.”
With big grins, the two separated and saw Hank standing before them. “Thanks, man,” Ethan replied.
“Yeah, thanks-I think. That was a compliment, right?” Gwen asked.
“Well, actually, what I meant was that I knew that Ethan had wanted you for awhile, and I’m glad that he finally got up the nerve to tell you about it. At least, I’m assuming that’s what happened. Right?”
“Well, yeah, but I was gonna tell him the same thing. He just saved me the trouble.” They kissed again.
“Ok, ok, I can take a hint. I’ll leave you lovebirds alone. Maybe there’s a girl here for me somewhere.”
“Oh, man, that’s right! What happened with Sheridan? Did you tell her?”
“Yeah, I did. She, uh, basically told me that she wasn’t interested.”
“Oh, that sucks, man,” Ethan replied.
“Oh, Hank! I’m so sorry! And I encouraged you to tell her!” Gwen lamented.
“Yeah, Gwen, but you also warned me that this might happen. I’m glad I told her though. Despite how much this hurts, I’m glad that I finally got this off my chest. You were right, I do feel a lot better. Gwen, I don’t hold you responsible for my pain. If anything, I want to thank you for persuading me to take this chance. Without your encouragement, I would still be holding back my feelings for Sheridan. Now she knows how I feel, but she also knows that the next move, if there will be one, is hers,” Hank confided.
“I really owe you one, Gwen. But, now I’ll walk off and let you guys have fun at the party doing…whatever.”
Gwen and Ethan both grinned. “Thanks, Hank. We’re even now,” Gwen replied. He walked off, leaving Ethan and Gwen to pick up where they left off.
“Beth, I need to talk to you. I-I don’t feel well. I think I’m gonna head home.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s horrible! Let’s get you home. I’ll take care of you.”
“No, no, I’ll be fine. A little bit of sleep, and I’ll be back to normal.”
“Are you sure? Cause, honey, I love you and I’ll stay and take care of you if you want.”
‘NO! JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!! I just want some time ALONE!!’ Luis’s mind screamed. “I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about me. Just get some sleep yourself.”
“Ok, if you’re sure, sweetie…”
“I’m sure,” Luis replied quickly. Beth gave him a weird look, but they just headed out to the limo and drove her home.
After he dropped her off, he headed over to Sheridan’s house. Nervously, he walked up to her front door, wondering whether or not he should actually knock on her door. He knew it was late, and he didn’t want to disturb her-or her family. He was just about to turn around and walk back to the limo when he heard a voice nearby.
“Gwen? Is that you?” the voice whispered.
“Sheridan?” Luis whispered back.
“Who is that? Who’s there?”
“Uh, it’s Luis. I was wondering if I could come in. I, uh, would really like to talk to you.”
‘Why does he want to talk to me? Is Beth with him? But what do I have to lose? I already lost him. I don’t see how things can get much worse.’ Sheridan contemplated. “I’ll be right out.”
Once she got outside, he walked her to the limo. They climbed in and asked, “So? What’s up?”
“Well, I was wondering why you ran off from our dance crying. I know that we used to date-in fact, one of our dates is one of the few things that I actually remember. Why were you so sad after we danced?”
“Do you want the truth?” Sheridan asked. When he nodded, she added, “Well, this could take awhile. We started dating a few weeks ago-April 6, to be exact. I remember I was having a horrible day, and then you asked me to the Prom in English Lit. I didn’t believe it at first, but once I realized that I wasn’t dreaming, I was really happy. That Friday, we went out to a movie-The Matrix. I don’t usually like action movies, but because I saw it with you, I really enjoyed it. Anyhow, on Thursday of that week, I was in a great mood. I walked into math class and Chad and Hank told me that you had had a concussion in gym when a volleyball hit you on the head. Hank and I visited you during math, and we went by after school-a little after 3. But by then you had gone home, and you thought that Beth was your girlfriend. That really hurt me. Remember how Hank and I came by around 3:30? I was so shocked when you told me that Beth was your girlfriend. I just couldn’t believe it. Beth has wanted you for years. I think that when she found out you had amnesia, she saw her opportunity and took advantage of it.”
Luis was shocked. This followed what Beth had said in only one spot-the concussion and amnesia stemming from a volleyball on the head during gym class. Other than that, her story was completely different. He thought back to the day when she and Hank had visited him. She had seemed rather shocked when he told her that he already had a girlfriend. He didn’t think that she’d be able to act that well. He was still confused though.
Sheridan was sitting beside him, praying that he would believe her. She had told him the truth, but it was up to him to believe it. Suddenly, Luis leaned forward and kissed her. Sheridan was sure that she was dreaming, but kissed him back with all her heart. But then, just as suddenly, he pulled back.
“Luis?” Sheridan asked softly. “What was that for?” But Luis didn’t respond. He just sat back against the seat with this very serious look on his face. Sheridan was very confused. What was going on?
Luis hadn’t been able to resist kissing her. She just looked so sweet and sexy. That hopeful look on her face was simply irresistible. But suddenly, during the kiss, he started to remember more and more.
He remembered that day in English Lit. He walked into the room, determined to ask her to Prom. He was so concentrated on overcoming his fear that he didn’t even notice the fierce scowl on her face. He asked her if she had a date to Prom, and she gave him a depressed answer. When she didn’t pick up on his hints at her being his date he finally asked her, and she took him out of his misery and told him that she’d love to go with him to Prom.
It was as she described. He had asked Sheridan to Prom, not Beth. Why had he let her manipulate him? He knew he’d have to break up with her and get back together with the girl he really loved-Sheridan. Then Sheridan’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Luis? Are you ok?”
Luis shook his head. “Yeah, sorry, Sheridan. I just remembered something.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“Look, Sheridan, I’m really sorry. I never should have fallen for Beth’s act. Can you ever forgive me?”
Sheridan was shocked. ‘He believes me!!! He does! YES!!!!!!’ She knew there was only one thing that she could do. She leaned forward and kissed him with all of her heart. It was the only thing she had wanted for weeks.
She broke off the kiss and told him, “Of course I can forgive you. You had amnesia-it’s not your fault.” She leaned in for another kiss.
They kissed for a few more moments, until Luis asked, “Do you want to go to Chad’s? His party’s pretty cool-besides, I think I saw Gwen and Ethan there.”
“Yeah, but they probably didn’t see you-or anyone else!”
They both laughed. “They were pretty wrapped up in each other,” he admitted.
“Let’s go.” They gave the directions to the driver and continued kissing.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Ethan said.
With false sympathy, Sheridan replied, “Oh, I’m sorry, Ethan. Was I interrupting something?”
Ethan was about to reply when Gwen cut him off. “Sheridan? What are you doing here? Come to find Hank?”
“Actually, Gwen, I’m already with a guy.”
“Really? Who?” Gwen wondered.
“Uh, me, Gwen,” Luis interjected.
“Luis? Is that you?” Gwen asked.
“Yeah, Gwen, it’s me. I’m surprised you recognized my voice.”
“Well, Luis, we’ve only been friends for how long? Anyhow, it’s great to see that you and Sheridan are back together. You two belong together, ya know.”
“She’s right. You two make the perfect couple-right after us, of course.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys,” Luis said with a grin. “Now we’ll leave you two alone so that you can get back to…whatever it is that you were doing.”
“And you guys are going to go off and do the same, right?” Ethan teased.
Luis grinned back. “That was the general idea, yeah.” Luis and Sheridan walked off. Soon, both couples began to kiss again, and continued to do so for a long time.
“C’mon, honey, it’s gotta be a surprise. You’ve gotta let me put the blindfold on you.”
Resigned, Sheridan responded, “Fine. But it had better be worth it.”
“Oh, it will. Believe me, I think it’ll be worth it.” And with that, he tied it around her head, and led her to his car.
They drove for a few minutes before he stopped the car, and helped her out. They walked for a while, but soon stopped. He helped her sit down, and slowly removed the blindfold. Before her was a picnic lunch, with all of her favorite foods. They were in a little clearing in the middle of the forest. “Oh, Luis! It’s beautiful.”
“Only the best for you, my sweet.”
“But why did you bring me here? I mean, this is great, but we had a great time last night. You didn’t need to do so much. We’re back together, and everything’s as it should be.”
“Yeah, but I have something I need to tell you.” Luis paused. “I love you, Sheridan. I realized it last night, after I took you home after Chad’s party. I can’t believe that I forgot you, or how much I love you, and for that I’m really sorry. You’ve been really great about just forgetting it, and letting us move past it, and I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me. I really love you, Sheridan.”
“And I love you, Luis. Never forget that.”
“As long as I don’t get another concussion, I should be good to go.” They both laughed at his horrible joke. “If there’s one thing I won’t forget, it’ll be this. You mean so much to me, Sheridan. So much.”
And with that, they shared a deep kiss, sure that their love would stand the test of time.
The End!!