It’s been two days since I went over to Jake’s house and got his number, and we already have thousands of texts back and forth. I wake up to my phone buzzing on the end table. I grab it and open the screen. A text from Jake appears.

Jake: Hey, Smartie. I'm having a party at my house on Saturday. Will you come? Dress nice… maybe some popular kid will ask you to Homecoming :)

I smile. I've been invited to a party at Jake Easton's house! The last few days have felt like dreams, but this is even more like one. But also… that text makes it seem like he would never want to ask me to Homecoming. To tell you the truth, I really wanted him to! Oh, well. I'll go to the party, and I'll dress nice. People are going to wonder at who the new cool girl is, and they're going to be amazed.

I enlist Mallie's help to find the perfect outfit. We go to the mall on Friday, and though it takes a while, we find the perfect dress. If needed, I can wear it to Homecoming as well. It's off white with a short skirt and a halter top. The back is completely open until my lower back, and Mallie says,

"Whoever you dance with is going to have the time of their lives." I laugh and say,

"Yeah, and they should also be aware that my dad trained me in self defense!"

"There'll be people around. Don't worry, girl; you're going to have fun!" Mallie assures me. Then she grabs me a lacy halter top bra in the same off white to go with the dress. Next we get a pair of nice pumps (off white, of course). Finally, she grabs a headband of off white daisies.

"We'll put your hair in a bun so it won't get in the way." I agree with everything she says because there is no use arguing with Mallie. We pay and her mom drives us back to my house. Mallie will stay the night and then help me the next day to get my party on.
…..
The next day, Mallie spends the morning getting me ready. First, I soak for about an hour in a bunch of expensive oils that she got from who knows where. Then she twists my hair into an intricate bun, pinning the daisy headband on top. I slip the bra, dress, and pumps on, slowly revolving to look at myself from every angle. Mallie wastes no time in rubbing nicely scented lotion into my shoulders, neck, and back and spritzing perfumes under my chin and at my hairline. She hands me a pair of earrings; long, dangling daisies. Then, she does my makeup: gold eyeshadow with gold flecked eyeliner and mascara. My lips are again painted with Infinite Rose. Finally, Mallie pronounces me ready.

"How are you getting there?" she asks.

"My dad's driving me," I say. She nods,

"Have him take the white sports car that you guys own. It'll work well with your outfit."

"Okay, I'll try to convince him." Mallie smiles,

"Make me proud tonight!" Then she packs up her stuff and leaves.

At five, my dad drops me off at Jake's mansion in the sports car.

"Wow," he breathes.

"Riches aren't everything," I say, patting him on the arm and stepping out of the car. Mom's white handbag swings on my arm. I walk into the front entry and am greeted by a butler who takes my handbag and puts it in a safe place that is easily reached. I then walk towards the music and walk into a huge room with a dance floor, many chairs, and a lot of food.

"Smartie!" Jake calls. He's dancing with several of his friends, but I don't like the song and so I go sit down. Pretty soon one of the popular junior girls who I never talk to comes up to me.

"That dress is absolutely to die for!" she says.

"Thanks. I'm Monica."

"I'm Amelié."

"Cool," I say. Then she walks away, and I am left to my thoughts again.

After about five minutes, a new song comes on, obviously for couples, and Jonathan Reeves comes over to me.

"Hey. Do you wanna dance?" I look at him, surprised.

"Oh! Sure." He grins and leads me to the dance floor. The song starts building up and we assume the proper positions, my arms around his neck and his hands resting on my bare back. His hands are cool and calming, and it doesn't feel wrong to have them there. As the song goes on, he rubs the skin of my back, and I feel every tense muscle loosen. I relax fully in Jonathan's arms, thinking that if Jake doesn't want me, Jonathan would work as well. Then the song ends and we part ways. I quickly run to the snack table and grab a handful of chips before turning to find Jake right in front of me.

"Wanna dance? Last dance I didn't have a partner."

"Of course I'd love to dance." Then I am again lead to the dance floor, except this time, people give us the center because of Jake's status. We start to dance, my arms around his neck and his hands on my bare back, just like with Jonathan. As we continue to sway, he does the same things Jonathan did. Maybe it's because of my dress. Anyway, it feels different with Jake. I feel sparks, and I know he feels them, too. Soon, our chests are pressed together, my face buried in his shoulder, his warm hands massaging my back. I feel safe and secure in his arms, like nothing can ever hurt me.

After a few more beats, Jake pulls his face back a tiny bit.

"Monica, will you to Homecoming with me?" I stare at him in disbelief.

"You want to go to Homecoming with me?"

"Of course I do! You're so amazing and sweet, and you really care about people. I just hoped you'd care enough about me."

"Oh, Jake! I'd love to come to Homecoming with you! And don't worry about if I care about you. I promise, I care about you more than you know." Now, most of this was true, though I wasn't sure how much I truly cared about Jake. He was just a part of the plan. I didn't think about that too much, though.

"And, Monica, is there any chance you'd want to be my girlfriend? You'd have to deal with being queen of the school." My mind races, am I dreaming? Being queen of the school is exactly what I need!

"I'd love to be your girlfriend," I smile. Jake lets out a sigh of relief. As a new song starts, Jake eases me against him again. I rest my head in the nook between his neck and shoulder, my arms wrapped tight around his neck. We sway slowly to the music, and I know people are watching and whispering, but Jake murmurs,

"Don't let them get to you. In a few hours, you'll be their queen." I smile into his shoulder. His hands rest on my back, rubbing all my worries away.

We dance for two hours straight, the time blurring into what feels like minutes. As another song begins, Jake and I decide that this is our last dance for tonight. At the climax of the song, Jake leans down and we kiss.

His hands press against the skin of my back, and my hands tangle in his hair. His lips are gentle and soft at first, but as we both grow more confident and comfortable, our kiss gets rougher and rougher until I finally pull away, shaking.

"Monica?" a voice asks from behind me. Jake goes pale. I turn around and my dad is standing there, an indecipherable expression on his face.

"H-how long have you been here, Dad?" I ask.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes, but you were too busy kissing a boyfriend that I didn't know about."

"Sorry, Dad," I wince. Jake tightens his hold on me, and my dad raises his eyebrows, but he thankfully doesn't press.

"We need to go down to your grandmother's for a week. She's dying," he says.

"But the Homecoming dance!"

"I'm sorry, Monica."

"Dad, do I have to go? Last time she saw me she called me a disgrace to mankind and said that she never wanted to see me again. Saying we hate each other is an understatement."

"You don't have a place to stay!" At this, Jake cuts in.

"Mr. Abbey, she could stay with me."

"With her boyfriend? Absolutely not!"

"Sir, this is my dad's mansion. They could put her in a guest room on the other side of the house from my bedroom."

"This is your house? Who is your dad?"

"Gerald Easton," Jake says. My dad's jaw drops for the second time that night. I remind him again,

"Riches aren't everything, Dad." He smiles,

"I know, sweetie. Okay, if they put you far away from your boyfriend, you can stay here while your mom and I are gone."

"Thanks, Dad!" I squeal, throwing my arms around his neck. He hugs me back and then says,

"Let's go grab your stuff, Monica, and then I can bring you back over here."

It isn't long after I get back to the Easton mansion that Jake's party ends and all the popular kids go home. Jake slips his arm around my shoulders,

"Do you wanna go hang out in my room?"

"Don't we need to clean up?"

"The maids do the cleaning."

"Right." He laughs and scoops me up,

"So, do you want to go hang out in my room?"

"Sure," I laugh. He carries me up the stairs slowly. I know for a fact that he moved all my stuff to the bedroom next to his, but my dad doesn't need to know that. Jake brings me into his bedroom, asking,

"So what do you want to do?"

"I thought you had ideas."

"Well, I thought you should decide." I smirk, an idea alighting in my head.

"Have you ever seen the Princess Diaries movies?" I ask.

"No."

"Well, better late than never." Jake raises his eyebrows but turns on Disney Plus. He then hands the remote to me, and I quickly find the first movie.

"We'll watch this one, and then after this one we'll watch the second one." Jake nods his consent. I start it, sighing with contentment as Mia Thermopolis and her cat, Fat Louie appear on the screen. It's two in the morning when we finish the first one. Jake insists that we watch the second one, and I laugh at how enthralled he is with the story. He punches me lightly in the arm,

"Thanks a lot, Monica." I grin and stick my tongue out,

"Dork!"

"Ooooh, fighting words," Jake says. "Well, this is one thing you can't beat me at."

"Wha…" he grabs me and pushes me to the floor, his legs on either side of me, holding me in place before starting to tickle me. I squirm, laughing till my face turns red. Though I cry for Jake to stop, he doesn't; instead, he tickles me harder. I can't stop laughing as I press my hands against his chest, trying to push him off. Finally, though he doesn't stop his tickling, he asks,

"Do you surrender?"

"Yes!" I gasp amidst laughter, "I'll do anything, just stop!" Jake stops his attack on my sides but doesn't move otherwise. He just stares into my eyes. To break the silence, I ask,

"So are we going to watch the movie?"

"In one minute. First…" he doesn't finish his sentence. Instead, he stretches out on top of me and brings his lips to mine. His hands go under my head, and I clutch his shoulders. After thirty seconds of straight kissing, Jake takes his lips off mine and rolls off of me.

"Let's watch the movie now," he says, pressing play. Jake, laying with his back against a floor pillow, enjoys watching my reactions as the movie goes on. When Mia has to greet Nicholas and realizes who he is, I act out her part as it happens on the screen. I sing 'Breakaway' with Kelly Clarkson as Mia leads all the orphans in the parade. Then, when Mia is sneaking out with Nicholas, I curl up next to Jake with my head on his chest. It wasn't planned for me to actually like Jake, but I really do. And now, I'm going to be queen of the school! Jake has his arm around my shoulders and his thumb massages my exposed arm. It's soothing, and I find myself getting sleepier and sleepier until, for the second time that week, I fall asleep in Jake's bedroom.