Living in Surreality - 17. Chapter 17

chapter 17:
: edited by viv :

Jacob appraised himself in the mirror, his hands smoothing over the red tie he had opted for, over the black tie Matt would be wearing with a similar suit. The last two months had been a blur, and a fantastic one at that, Jacob reminisced, sparing a smile at his reflection.

School had be going surprisingly well, Jay had still been up to his normal snide remarks every week, but Brendon had laid off on the constant harassment of getting Jacob to join the GSA. While Jacob could have done without Jay, Brendon backing off was indeed welcomed. Matt had openly wondered if Valerie had more to do with that than she claimed, there were moments when he could have sworn Brendon was about to give a small wave, only to see Valerie and turn in the direction he came from.

Free of outside influence, and ignoring those who would have something less then nice to say, Matt and Jacob were doing great. His mother had been making trips back up to the Sacramento area at least once every other weekend, leaving plenty of time for he and Matt to have fun. His mother had mentioned is passing that she 'ran into' someone up north, and Jacob was glad that she had, She always seemed overly anxious when getting ready to drive up, and smiled more when she returned. His only worry was that his mother would want to pack up house and move back.

The mere thought of that brought a grimace to Jacob's face, and then there was Valerie... but Valerie purposed a completely different set of challenges... The only time he had really seen her in the past few weeks was at school or at the shop when she ran the front office on the weekends and he was lucky enough to be scheduled.

"You look handsome," Joanne said with a sigh of contentment from behind him as she rested her shoulder against the doorframe of the bathroom.

Jacob craned his neck, casting his mother a reticent grin over his shoulder. Joanne took the flushed grin as an invitation and entered the bathroom properly, stopping in front of her son and taking a moment to straighten his tie and pull an errant thread from his shoulder before smoothing wrinkles that weren't there away.

"Thanks Ma'," Jacob beamed before pulling his mother into a hug.

The smell of Jacob's light cologne, tinged with other perfumed products, wafted through Joanne's senses as Jacob folded his arms around her, reminiscing as he did, of the day he lost his first tooth. In the face of the reality that was encircling her as she stood in his arms, Joanne begrudgingly thought he had grown up too quickly, glad that he still took the odd moment to include her in his life, even if he would now rather spend weekends with Matt rather than with her on her trips up to Sacramento.

"That's enough of that," Joanne said pushing her son away. "Don't want you to get all frumpy," she continued, her fingers smoothing the lapel edges on his coat once again. "You're going to turn every head in there," Joanne beamed with pride.

Jacob regarded her with a small adoring smile that curled the corners of his mouth and sparkled in his clear light brown, almost golden, eyes. "There's only one head I want to turn," Jacob replied before a thought twisted his lips to the side. "Maybe two."

Joanne chuckled, issuing a playful shove on Jacob's shoulder, "Get out of my house," she smiled, "you're going to be late." Her peace said, Joanne turned away from her son, pausing briefly at the threshold of the bathroom. "I'm proud of you boy," she turned and said, reminiscent of the name her father used for Jacob, the truth in the words evident in look she gave him.

The feeling the simple phrase brought welled in the pit of Jacob's stomach and burst forth in a stupid grin and blushing cheeks, mired by a knot developing at the back of his throat. He wasn't a hero, and he had probably caused more trouble in the last few years than he rightly should have, but just hearing the turn of phrase he had always known, always taken for granted, meant the world and so much more.

Luck, or maybe just the reassuring smell of his mother's perfume, that is what Jacob was searching out when he found his way downstairs fifteen minutes later having fought off the watery eyes she had given him. The familiar scent of lavender and sandalwood, tinged with something else which was unique to his mother, it had always chased away demons in the night and offered strength when he found himself lacking. The kitchen was empty, as was her room, even if the scent was there, a ghost on the air of her sanctuary, obscured by the cool air it lingered on.

He found her, standing with a measure of intent on the front porch, her gaze fixed on the two houses across the street.

"Seeing me off?" he asked suspiciously, loving the fact that she was.

"A lot of things can happen between here and there," Joanne replied with a reserved smile.

Jacob nodded his assent, "I could get scared and run away," he smiled.

"Or you could get kidnapped by space aliens," Joanne quipped. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't ensure you got to your destination safely?" she smiled, a playful spark brightening her eyes.

"It's just across the street," Jacob said, heaving a theatric sigh for her benefit.

Joanne laughed as lightly as the perfume of Jasmine, which floated on the air as she turned and pulled her son into the hug she knew he was after but too old to initiate. The nervous tension that was building inside of him melted with the warm scent of his mother. He needn't take a deep breath for the effect; he only had to let the perfume lap at his senses.

"I love you Ma," Jacob said with ease as he held her in the loose hug.

"Have a good time tonight kiddo," she answered with a final squeeze before stepping out of his arms.

Her heart ached, receiving the grin he gave her, before he stepped off the raised front porch and headed across the lawn to the street beyond. It wasn't a bad ache by any means, just the mourning of his childhood in the first vestiges of light in the dawn of his adulthood. A bittersweet realization, in spite of what life had thrown at her; she had raised a good child, and soon, would have to watch as he set out into the world on his own. It wasn't the end, she knew that, but it was one of the signposts on the highway of life that you couldn't help but notice with some iota of reflection.

"Jacob," she called out, watching him stop in the middle of the street, an impatient look plastered on his face. "Don't talk to strangers," she shouted with a smile. Jacob gave his mother an amused grin before turning away from her and breaking into a canter up the manicured lawn and disappearing through the front door before he even knocked.

The house was quiet, as it usually was, just like his house, only lacking the hourly chime of a grandfather clock. Their houses were a stark contrast to Valerie's house where there was always a television or some other apparatus running to fill the void of silence. Jacob wasn't surprised to find Viola gone as evidenced by a small stack of receipts abandoned to a book of hair styles.

She had preening all week, looking at different hairstyles, calling different limousine companies before arranging one. In the end Viola was what Jacob would classify as 'All Girl', she held a quiet stony exterior, Jacob wondered if the facade had always existed, or if it had evolved out of being married to Richard, but when it came to frilly fancy things, Viola would often get overly excited and giddy.

Jacob found Matt sitting on the edge of his bed. His lips tight and void of a smile or a frown as his eyes focused on the amber pill bottle in his hands, reading the prescription label again and again, focusing on the date the bottle was filled.

"Hey kid," Jacob grinned as he ambled into Matt's room, plopping down on the bed without regard to the pressed finery he wore, knocking his shoulder into Matt's. "What ya' got?" he asked noticing the prescription bottle.

A smile developed on Matt's face as Jacob's shoulder jabbed at his. "Nothing," he muttered, deciding to focus on Jacob instead of the bottle. "You look good," Matt decided, taking a moment to study Jacob.

Jacob's chest puffed as a large grin replaced the small smile he almost always wore when he was around Matt. "And you look damn fine yourself," Jacob beamed, causing Matt to blush.

"Have you been practicing?" Matt asked, standing up and setting the small bottle on his desk. "Or do I have to worry about you scuffing my shoes?"

Jacob chuckled and blushed as he pushed off the bed. "You really gonna dance with me in front of everyone?" he asked sliding up to Matt and slithering his arms around Matt's waist, using the hold to pull Matt to him.

Matt shrugged an answer, unsure if he was really ready to be what he still felt amounted to a sideshow attraction. Jacob chuckled in the face of Matt's reticence. The truth was, he didn't care if they danced in a room full of their annoying peers, or in a more private setting. In fact, he almost preferred the latter, a tingling jealousy had him, in moments, wanting to lock Matt away from the world as his own personal treasure.

Jacob had no qualms in kissing the worried look on Matt's face away. "You taste like toothpaste kid," Jacob observed breaking the kiss.

"Mmmm..." Matt mumbled, opening his eyes. "You can dance with Valerie," Matt observed, "It'll be interesting to see what she does the first time you step on her foot."

Matt learned quickly that he was in too precarious a position to be making jokes about Jacob's skill on the dance floor, or lack there of. A howl of laughter filled the room, as Jacob's fingers attacked his sides with out mercy.

"Stop," Matt gasped, in between fits of laughter, finding his knees had become weak so he was now clinging to his attacker.

"Do you think," Jacob began, as he held on to Matt while he found his legs, "I mean, has Valerie seemed a little distant ever since..."

Matt's face twisted with the question. "She was at first," Matt answered nodding his head in general agreement. "But, I think she's coming back around to the dark side."

Jacob chuckled at Matt's response but his face grew serious again, "You don't think she should have gotten a date with someone else?"

Matt didn't hesitate in the answer he gave, which was nothing. Pulling Jacob by the hand instead, over to his desk where he rooted around the drawer, producing a black permanent marker. Matt issued a small smile to the look of curiosity Jacob was giving him as he removed the cap. With a steady, determined hand Matt wrote a letter on the face of four of Jacob's knuckles. He then turned Jacob's right hand over and wrote four more letters on the backside of the same knuckles. The brand complete, Matt tossed the marker on his desk and issued another kiss to Jacob's lips.

"Come on," Matt said grabbing the prescription bottle he had set aside, "all we have to do is grab the flowers and get next door."

"Flowers?" Jacob asked following Matt to the kitchen.

"Boutonnieres..." Matt clarified, "and Valerie's corsage."

"Ohh..." Jacob said, remembering why he didn't usually do the whole 'dance' thing, watching Matt set the amber bottle on the table right in the middle of Viola's paperwork.

"That's cool!" Jacob yelled fifteen minutes later standing in Dan's den, reaching for the antique firearm Valerie's father had meant to use as a sort of intimidation. Matt was indifferent to the whole display, he'd seen the rifle several times. It was one of Dan King's most prized possessions. "Can I touch it?" he asked enthusiastically.

Valerie giggled to herself as she stood at the top of the stairs, hearing Jacob's enthusiastic voice coming from the den. She knew what her father was planning, to put fear in the hearts of the boy's, especially Jacob. It appeared that his plan was backfiring in a big way.

Annoyed with the development, Dan handed off the rifle with a dejected look on his face. He had been looking forward to seeing Jacob swallow hard at the mention of the gun. Now the kid was inspecting it closely.

"This is so cool," Jacob repeated, excitement sparkling in his eyes as he accepted its heft into his hands. "Have you ever fired it?" he asked in passing while he held his face to the sight, careful not to point the muzzle at anyone.

"Yes," Dan said taking the gun back. "I usually go down to the range once or twice a year, just to keep it in order."

"That's neat," Jacob said, watching Dan King put the rifle back into its case.

"Couldn't scare him off could ya' Daddy?" Valerie said playfully as she entered Dan's den.

Not that it was much of a den or office, the room was more of a catch all for the King household. Her father's real workspace was his garage and his shop. He always felt more comfortable in a greasy pair of coveralls, than in a suit and tie. He knew engines, transmissions, and anything automotive like the back of his hand, but would stare in bewilderment at the simple task of booting a computer.

Dan's eyes traced the cluttered room to the doorway where his daughter stood, his smart-ass retort caught in his throat. She offered a shy smile at his reaction, her hands smoothing over the sleek red dress smoothing wrinkles that didn't exist.

Matt pulled himself away from the sliver of wall he was occupying the moment he heard Valerie's velvet voice pierce the room's testosterone. He beamed proudly at her while grabbing at the small plastic box which held her corsage. Jacob's giddy excitement over the Winchester repeater dissolved as his eyes were drawn to Valerie like a honeybee to clover. The big grin he had been wearing melting into a shy smile as he gazed at her appreciatively.

Dan set the rifle case down and stepped to his daughter, giving her a hug. "You look so beautiful," he whispered kissed her cheek, his eyes threatening to water.

"Thank you Daddy," she whispered happily as a blush colored her cheeks.

Matt, meanwhile, was struggling with the flimsy plastic box, nervously trying to remove her corsage from its stubborn enclosure. Valerie giggled at his struggle as Jacob stepped up and tried to help Matt retrieve her flower. That's when she noticed the writing on his fist, a little black letter on the knuckle of each finger.

"What's that?" she asked grabbing Jacob's hand, inspecting the letters that spelled out 'HATE' across his knuckles, turning Jacob's hand over in her inspection, baring his palm, she saw four additional letters, which spelled 'LOVE' written on the backs of his knuckles.

"Matt did it," Jacob answered pulling his hand away as he spared a glance in Dan's direction. "With a marker, before we left his house. He said one side is for love, the other for hate."

Valerie shot Matt a questioning look, while Dan looked at the two young men with a suspicious eye.

"I'm going to get the women," Dan commented in passing, his eyes still appraising Matt and Jacob curiously as he left the room.

Matt waited for Dan to disappear from the den before he answered Valerie's appraising look. "One side is for us, the other is for anyone who would question it."

Valerie pondered Matt's answer before crossing the room and retrieving a black marker from the desk and presenting it to Matt along with an offered hand. Moments later, all three shared the same scrawl across the knuckles of their right hands. Jacob fixed Valerie's corsage to her dress just in time to pose for a barrage of flashes from the three different cameras. Pictures taken and best wishes handed out like water, the trio filed out of Valerie's house and into a waiting limousine.

Jacob didn't know what to expect, he had never been to a dance, let alone a senior prom. Whatever he was, or wasn't, expecting, he never imagined the large hotel the limo pulled up to, he was thinking maybe it would have been the school gymnasium or something. This was anything but that, the hotel itself was reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's block houses in the Los Angeles area. The building itself was constructed of cement blocks cast with a geometric design, giving the building a unique character beyond that of more typical materials.

If the facade of the building was impressive, the ballroom the prom was being held in was truly awe inspiring. The walls were the same cement cast blocks found on the exterior, while one wall was almost completely glass, large windows stretching from the ground up a good twelve feet high. The windows were separated with columns of the square cast blocks. Each of the columns held a frosted glass sconce that was at least as tall as Jacob, a series of chevrons reaching towards the gold gilt ceiling that gave the room a warm luscious glow.

Valerie made her grand entrance in style, the perfect dress, perfect hair and make-up, and the perfect set of guys hanging off each of her arms as they entered the room. The decorations were sparse, mostly just bouquets' of silver and gold balloons draped in white netting.

Beyond the fancy room and adjoining patio where the prom was being held, the school dance was a typical one, and current music, which was hard to dance to, filled the air accentuated with the occasional classic mixed in. The punch was red, and despite every movie the trio had ever seen that featured a prom, this punch had never been spiked. The cake was white and way to sweet for their taste.

The hours were filled with the usual good natured bickering broken up with bouts of dancing to the loud cumbersome music. Matt danced with Valerie for the most part but, Valerie managed to drag Jacob and his two left feet out a few times as well.

Matt giggled, the first time Jacob stepped on Valerie's foot, the effort earning him a quick jab in the ribs, just as he did every time Jacob winced from Valerie's acrylic nail tipped finger stabbing Jacob in the flesh between his ribs.

By the third time Valerie dared to venture out with Jacob to the dance floor, only to have her foot stepped on again, she'd had enough. Matt out right laughed as Valerie roughly shoved Jacob in the chest, pushing him away from her and her sore feet.

"I swear he is doing that on purpose," Valerie commented as she staggered on wobbly footing, taking a seat in the empty chair a seat over from where Matt was sitting and enjoying the show. "Once I could see," she continued to whine as she reached down and began rubbing her sore foot, "but every other freakin' word is..."

"Sweets," Jacob chuckled out Valerie's nick-name as he ambled up and dropped in the open seat between Matt and Valerie. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Jacob started but failed to finish as he began to laugh.

Valerie issued a scathing look accentuated with the smallest smile as she slipped her shoe back on. "Somehow, I don't believe you," she snickered.

"I'm hurt," Jacob feigned shock, clutching his hand over his heart for effect.

"I see you brought your pansies out to play," Jay Henderson sniggered while approaching the table where the three of them were sitting, leaving the clingy looking blonde plastered to his side giggling with contempt.

Jacob's fists balled as he started to stand from his seat, ready to silence this oaf for good. It was only the pressure of Matt's hand curling around to Jacob's inner thigh that halted his advance on Jay. Jacob followed Matt's unspoken directive and received a light squeeze and pleased pat to the flesh of his thigh as a reward.

Jay and Wendy Carmichael watched the display with a mix of shock and repulsion. Her eyes were wide, as her mouth threatened a nice home to wayward insects, while Jay just leveled the pair with a disgusted sneer.

"Not tonight," Matt said simply, turning his attention from Jacob to Jay "You can berate me anytime you want," he said, noticing Jay's eyes hadn't left the vision of his hand resting comfortably on Jacob's thigh. "Hell, I might even take offense at it, but not tonight." Matt's words came out cool, lacking the intensity of emotion his eyes delivered.

Jay found himself dumbfounded for a moment; he didn't know how to respond to the statement from Matt's lips, or the casual way in which Matt was openly rubbing Jacob's thigh. Jay's mouth opened several times to deliver a scathing retort, only to be struck dumb at the last possible second.

Matt watched with satisfaction as Jay turned his attention away from Matt and Jacob, the dumb jock didn't even spare Valerie a second glance as he retreated into the writhing crowd before disappearing all together.

Jacob sat back in his seat, smiling as he watched Jay and his, whatever she was tonight, walk away and meld into the crowd feeling nothing but immense pride in Matt and the way he disarmed Jay with just a few simple words.

"God," Valerie huffed. "I so wanted her to say something," she said in reference to the ditzy blonde that clung to Jay as if he were the last great lie, "it would have been funny to point out that her beau has asked me out every week for the last three years. I bet she would have gotten so confused," Valerie laughed; at least Jacob hoped the strangled sound was a laugh. As the devious snigger ebbed, Jacob knew one thing for certain; he never wanted that manic chuckle ever aimed at him.

"So who wants to dance?" Jacob asked, breaking the silence that had descended onto the small group.

Valerie issued Jacob a sideways glance and a slight shake of her head. "Count me out," she replied, "you've done enough damage for one night."

Matt chuckled with Valerie's response and accusation, earning Jacob's attention in the process.

"Well?" Jacob asked with an arched eyebrow, his eyes twinkling in the glowing low light of the ballroom.

"Well what?" Matt asked, unsure of what he may or may not be agreeing to.

"Would you like to dance?" Jacob asked with a small playful grin.

Matt scoffed.

"Dance with me," Jacob said, grabbing Matt's hand as his head motioned to the dance floor.

Matt looked first to Valerie and her sublime excited smile, before turning back to Jacob, feeling a heated blush rise from his jaw line to the top of his cheeks, Matt nodded his head in acceptance to Jacob's request. The smile that bloomed on Jacob's face was both electrifying and contagious as Matt felt it mirrored on his own face as he stood with Jacob and together they headed to the dance floor.

The music was slow as they found space, the steady, molasses like, murmur of bass mimicking the cadence inside of Matt's chest. That surprised Matt, he was sure his heart should have been beating a hundred times per minute, shaming even a hummingbird. He was however, oddly calm, as Jacob moved into him and started a slow swaying dance.

They were being watched, some smiled, others stared, but in the end it was Jacob's shoulder Matt's head rested upon, and he didn't care about anyone else in the room, or the world. The perfection was fleeting as Matt found the end of the song came all too quick, but capped with Jacob's warm lips brushing tenderly against the nape of his neck before leaving a feather of a kiss, a kiss which Matt curled into instinctively.

The absence of the Jacob's lips as they left Matt's neck left the tiny patch feeling uncommonly cold as Matt began to notice the sounds of cheering. It wasn't a loud thunderous roar one might hear in a stadium crammed to bursting, it was closer, quieter, aided by the congratulatory pats he felt being issued to his shoulders. Those weren't Jacob's hands he felt on his shoulders, his hands still lingered where they were wrapped around Matt's hips.

Matt raised his head to see the faces around him all smiling, clapping like he was David having slain Goliath. All except for the sour visage of Jay Henderson whose dark eyes bore into Matt with a sinister intent.

Jay, minus his blonde leech, meandered through the dispersing crowd as the next song started, stopping only when he knew he was in perfect earshot. Jay's elbow nudged one of his fellow team-mates in the lower back.

"Hey Adam," Jay chided as Adam turned around with an annoyed look. "What do you think about this years prom queens?" Jay laughed, his head motioning towards Matt and Jacob.

Matt could feel the blush dissolve from his cheeks as he blanched under Jay's snarl. He felt shame, not shame in Jacob, or for enjoying the moment they'd just shared, but shame at the innate way he pulled away from Jacob's loose hug under Jay's accusing gaze.

Jacob looked confused, his arms that still hung limply open, ready for Matt's return, falling with the light shake of Matt's head. All the movement around them ceased as couples quit their own private little worlds and intruded on Matt and Jacob's.

Adam looked stuck in thought for a fitting derogatory remark to add to the melee, the brown-haired, and brown-eyed young woman he was dancing with wore a constipated, thin lipped expression as her eyes switched between Matt and Jacob. Meanwhile Jay laughed with an arrogant roar.

A diminutive smile perked Adam's angular face as it was lit for a moment in a wash of red light.

Matt tensed, taking small steps backwards until he felt Jacob at his back. He didn't know what to expect from Jay now that he had a willing audience in Adam. Jacob gave Matt's shoulder a quick squeeze as he guided Matt behind him, ready to take on the pair if that's what it came down to. So preoccupied was Jacob, running through a series of actions and their reactions, he failed to notice Valerie and a series of chaperones pushing their way through the perimeter of stalled dancers.

"Grow the fuck up and quit being an Ogre."

In all the scenarios that plagued both Matt and Jacob's minds, that phrase wasn't one of them, nor was the way in which Adam shook his head in disappointment at Jay before turning and resuming the dance he was having before Jay had interrupted.

"Fuck yeah," a familiar voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

"Do we have a problem here?" Ms. Frost asked, ignoring Matt and Jacob, her eyes focused on Jay.

"These two f..." Jay started pointing beyond Ms. Frost's back to Matt and Jacob.

"Jay," Ms. Frost interrupted, with a wave of her hand, the patience in her voice wearing thin. "I'll remind you that there is no tolerance for harassment. So you may want to rethink your words carefully."

"They came in here and ruined 'my' dance and..." Jay growled with displeasure, forgetting that the young woman he was issuing his tirade to, was not a student.

"That's it Henderson, you're out," Ms. Frost shouted, louder than any woman of her petite build should have been able to. "NOW," the teacher continued, her arm tipped with a pointed finger jutted towards the exit doors, when Jay failed to move fast enough.

"Fuck you and your queers bitch." Jay yelled without notice of Coach Jacovy or the Vice Principal, Mr. Decker, approaching from behind.

With the poise of a saint, Ms. Frost calmly shook her head. "Keep digging your hole, Henderson."

Whatever scathing slur was about escape from Jay's mouth next was silenced with sharp wince as his neck was seized in the strong grip of Coach Jacovy.

"You heard the lady," Jacovy whispered into Jay's ear tightening his grip on Jay's neck for added effect. "Out now," Jacovy sneered, tossing Jay's neck from the palm of his hand like a piece of litter.

Coach Jacovy and Mr. Decker didn't hang around, following Jay as he slinked out of the ballroom like a beaten dog. Ms. Frost watched Jay's exodus with some modicum of pride before turning her attention on Matt and Jacob.

"I'm sorry guys," she said with a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about him anymore, you guys just have a good time," Ms. Frost smiled, reaching out and grabbing Matt's shoulder as she did.

"OH MY GOD," Valerie huffed, rushing up once all the teachers had cleared out.

"Are you okay?" Jacob turned, asking Matt.

"You're here," Matt answered with a smile, trying to play it cool even though he was slightly trembling over the encounter.

Jacob smiled, knowing Matt too well to believe he was alright over the exchange. He still pulled Matt to him in a tight hug, delivering a kiss to Matt's cheek.

"Hey, not on the dance-floor," Valerie chided.

"Jealous?" Matt asked pushing Jacob out of the hug.

"Whatever," she giggled rolling her eyes, issuing a playful shove to Matt's shoulder.

"Hey," Jacob interrupted as his eyes followed Adam off the dance floor, "I'll be right back," he said giving Matt another smile.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked, an edge in his voice despite the smile Jacob offered.

"To say thanks," Jacob said, giving Matt's hand a quick squeeze before releasing him to Valerie. "Guard him with your life," he winked at Valerie before walking away.

The trip across the room to where Adam had landed at a table to people watch would have been a lot faster without Jacob's new found popularity. Too many times his progress was halted by some one offering congratulations or wanting to know what had happened.

"Hey," Jacob offered as a greeting to Adam after navigating the dance floor.

Adam spared Jacob a look; looking bothered that he even gave him that. "Hey," he responded in a gruff voice that had Jacob second guessing his effort.

"I just wanted to say thanks; you didn't have to do that," Jacob stammered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It was nothing," Adam answered with a dismissive shrug that earned a quick swat on his side from the brunette that was his date. The slap she issued with such little effort in turn earned her a sharp annoyed glance from Adam before he continued to look out at the dance floor.

"It had to cost you a friend," Jacob muttered, not liking the less than welcome responses he was getting.

Jacob's comment pulled Adam's eyes from scanning the dance floor, "One of my best," he shrugged.

Jacob stared at Adam while Adam looked back, both at a loss for words before a velvety voice broke the constricting silence.

"Adam," the brunette cooed, "aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Jacob right?" Adam questioned, looking away from the girl at Jacob.

Jacob nodded.

"Jacob, this is my sister Chrissy," Adam nodded his head to his left where his brown haired date sat, now rolling her eyes. "Chrissy, that's Jacob."

"Christine," Adam's sister clarified as she held her hand out to Jacob. "Nice to meet you, don't let sullen here bother you that much, he's just eternally moody."

Jacob took her hand, giving it a light shake, "I just wanted to say thanks and sorry for ruining your night," Jacob blushed.

Christine giggled, "Shuddup, you made it exciting," she winked, while Adam rolled his eyes with an exasperated huff.

"That was great," a new familiar voice broke into the conversation.

Jacob turned to see a pair of glacial blue eyes and a smiling face, pointed directly at Adam. He watched as Adam looked up and smiled, before looking away only to have his gaze go right back to Brendon Murphy.

"You think so?" Adam blushed.

"Yeah," Brendon beamed.

Jacob gave Christine a small wave as the two guys began discussing something else, before he wandered off in search of Matt and Valerie. Adam Conner; that was an interesting turn of fortune, so interesting that Jacob wanted to shout it as he strolled up to the table where Matt and Valerie were sitting; instead, he bit his tongue as he sat with a knowing, happy smile on his face.

"What's that smile for?" Matt asked as Jacob sat in the reserved chair next to him.

"Nothing," Jacob shook his head, keeping Adam's secret.

Matt accepted the answer with little fuss, he knew Jacob would tell him later, if not, he had learned a few tricks over the last several months that would aide him in obtaining the reason for the knowing smile.

Once the prom had ended and the limo had dropped them off back at home, Matt, Jacob, and Valerie climbed into the pony and cruised by a few of the after parties, running into friends, and chatting, recounting the night's excitement, while having a few drinks but, as it always happened, the trio gravitated towards each other for the most part, ending up at the not so secret quarry with a handful of people that opted to tag along. Away from the larger group, they sat reminiscing over the past year. Valerie even got so bold as to share embarrassing stories of her and Matt growing up in the small town. Mostly, they were embarrassing for Matt, who was skipping rocks into the placid waters of the quarry, all by the light of paraffin fire logs thrown into a shallow pit and lit on fire.

Valerie slowly began to nod off as the final fire-log was fighting to stay alive, and the stars slowly began to fade into oblivion while the skies above them lightened with the approaching dawn. The voice of Gene Austin was floating out of the mustangs speakers with a simple melody in the background.

"Dance with me?" Jacob asked, using a stick to stoke what was left of the fire.

Matt laughed at him lightly while shoving their shoulders together, "Get real."

"I'm serious," he said sounding sincere. "How do I tell the kids we never danced on prom night?"

"We did," he reminded Jacob with a light chuckle.

Matt continued to laugh lightly, watching Jacob as he stood and held his hand out to Matt, who reluctantly allowed Jacob to pull him to his feet. Valerie opened her eyes and watched the two of them dancing. Their tux's disheveled after the long night, white shirts slightly unbuttoned, ties long since abandoned to the back seat of the Mustang. Shoes and socks off in a pile to the side as they danced cheek to cheek in the soft decayed granite sand of the quarry beach, their bodies moving in perfect rhythm with each other and the melody drifting from the radio.

She smiled quietly to herself with Matt's laughter as Jacob dipped him, then returning him to the point where their noses were touching as they stared at each other. The dance they shared lasted long after the song had faded, leaving the call of birds twittering in the dawn as their symphony.