Chapter 37
Senior Year Traditions
CHARLOTTE
The weeks following the tournament were a blur of activity. Our sponsors were eager to capitalize on our success and had us star in a few television commercials. Thankfully, they were considerate of our school schedules and filmed at our homes. They even spared me the stress of speaking on camera, which was a relief, given my anxiety.
Besides the commercials, we also had a slew of interviews to attend, which were a bit more challenging for me due to my fear of public speaking. Fortunately, TJ and I were able to do joint interviews since we lived so close to each other, which eased my nerves considerably.
However, TJ couldn’t shield me from the sudden surge of attention at school. Word had gotten out about TJ’s participation in the tournament, and, given his popularity, nearly the entire school had tuned in to watch.
This sudden fame was a bit overwhelming for me, as I’d always preferred to blend into the background. Tracy did her best to support me at school, but I was still uncomfortable with all the attention.
Two months after the tournament, things were finally starting to settle down. Our next tournament wasn’t for a couple of months, so we were focusing on finishing up our senior year.
It was a Friday afternoon, and I was lounging on TJ’s couch, my head resting in his lap. TJ, Tracy, and I had just finished studying for our history final and were taking a short break. TJ had ordered pizza, and we were waiting for it to arrive.
“Hey, we should go dress shopping this weekend,” Tracy suggested.
“Um, why are we going dress shopping?” I asked, puzzled.
“Because we need the most fabulous dresses ever for prom, obviously.”
“Are we going?” I asked her.
“Yes,” Tracy and TJ both quickly replied.
“My date will be upset if I don’t go, since he already has his tux,” Tracy
added.
“Don’t you have your tux too, TJ?”
“You have a tux?” I asked.
“I assumed we weren’t going, since you haven’t asked me.”
“Baby, I’m actually a little hurt. You agreed to go with me just after New Year’s Eve. Don’t you remember telling me that if I got your number before prom, you would go with me?”
“Oh, right, you wanted to dump pig’s blood on me,” I replied.
“What?” Tracy asked, confused.
“That was Charlotte’s strange imagination, but she did promise prom.
You need to go get your dress.”
“Okay, fine. I suppose I did promise. Do you want to go tomorrow?” I asked Tracy.
“I’ll have to check with Mom when she gets home from the hospital tonight, but I doubt she’ll have a problem. Don’t you need to check with
yours?”
“I’ll text her, but not really.”
Charlotte Tracy and I are going prom dress shopping tomorrow. Apparently, I’m going with TJ and didn’t
realize it.
Mom Of course you are going with TJ silly girl. Get whatever dress and accessories you want. Just put
it on the credit card.
Charlotte Thx
“Mom’s good with us going tomorrow,” I told Tracy.
“So, I don’t get to spend tomorrow with you?” TJ asked, running his fingers through my hair.
“How about you come to my place after we’re done? Your computer is still over there from when you came over to game with me the other night,
so you’ll have to go there for practice anyway,” I suggested.
“Alone time with you—count me in,” he said with a wink.
“Get a room, you two,” Tracy said.
“Gladly,” he replied, causing me to smack his chest.
The doorbell rang and Tracy ran to the door to get the pizza. Yay, food!
I was super hungry. I got up and went to the kitchen to get plates and water for us.
Since TJ and I officially started dating, we were basically never apart outside of school and sleeping. I was over here so often that I knew where everything was, and I no longer felt bad about going through the cabinets to get things.
“Thanks, baby,” TJ told me as I walked in, giving me a quick kiss. He had scooted the coffee table over to the couch while Tracy and I were getting the food and drinks.
Tracy put the food on the table, and I gave everyone a drink and a plate.
We each grabbed a slice of pizza while TJ hit play on an action movie. It was a good show about car racing, but I honestly didn’t see the whole thing.
After I finished my pizza, I laid my head on TJ’s shoulder and fell asleep.
I was woken up by feeling my body being gently carried.
“Hey, why can’t you carry me? I’m tired too,” I heard Tracy whine, causing me to snuggle in closer to TJ.
“Easy, I don’t love you—at least, not like that,” he casually replied.
Did he just say that around Tracy? We had told each other that in private, but we never said it around our families.
“You—what?” I heard Tracy exclaim through a haze.
“Shhh, don’t wake her,” TJ said as he carried me into Tracy’s room and laid me on her bed.
“With all the girls you’ve been with, why is she still sleeping in my bed? I’m sure you guys have done stuff,” I heard Tracy say.
“Um, actually, we haven’t.”
“What? Really?”
“Not that it is any of your business, but I love her and am taking things at her speed. She is pretty innocent, you know.”
“Wow, I’m impressed,” Tracy said.
“Yeah, anyway, I’m going to bed now. Night, sis,” I heard TJ say before I fell back asleep.
The next morning, Tracy woke me up early so we could eat breakfast and then head to the mall. I sat next to TJ and ate some cereal while he gently rubbed my back.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he told me, kissing my head.
“Morning, baby.”
“Are you almost ready to head out?” Tracy asked.
“Ugh,” I groaned.
“If you don’t want to pick out a dress, you could just wear anything you want, babe. You don’t have to wear a fancy dress,” TJ told me. He was so sweet to me. I really did love him.
“I want to dress up for you, baby. I’m just not good at it,” I admitted.
“That’s why I’m coming, duh,” Tracy told me.
I was never really into clothes shopping, so I was glad Tracy would be with me to help me pick out a dress. I desperately needed her input.
“I guess I’m ready now,” I told her.
“I’ll miss you today,” TJ told me.
“I’ll miss you too,” I replied, leaning in to kiss him. He slowly moved his hands to my back, pulling me closely up against him as he deepened the kiss. I quietly moaned at how good he felt against me as I moved my hands into his hair to pull him closer. A loud throat-clearing caused me to pull away from TJ.
“Once again, get a room. This is the kitchen. Gross, you two,” Tracy complained.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, my cheeks turning red.
“You are so beautiful when you blush,” TJ said, pulling me back in and kissing me again. His kisses really made me go weak in the knees. I instantly pulled him closer to me, once again deepening the kiss as we
wrestled for control.
“GUYS!” Tracy yelled.
“Whoops. Sorry again,” I said.
“We better go before you two start making out some more,” Tracy said, pulling me to the door.
“Bye, baby. Once Tracy gets home, you can come over,” I told him as Tracy shoved me into the car.
We were about five minutes into the drive when Tracy turned down the radio to talk to me.
“So, not that I really want to know details—but have you two really done nothing?” she asked me in shock.
“Um, we’ve made out,” I admitted quietly.
“But nothing more than that?”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, getting worried.
“Not bad—just shocking. My brother has a reputation for a reason. He earned it,” Tracy told me.
“Should I be worried? Is he upset that we haven’t done anything?” I was starting to panic. What if he broke up with me because I wasn’t fulfilling his needs? What if he only wanted me for—that?
“Calm yourself. I think he’d rather go the rest of his life not getting any and be with you than get some every night from other girls. You know, he told me he loves you? I’ve known for a long time now, but he actually admitted it,” she told me.
“I know he loves me. He told me back at the tournament. So you don’t think he’s upset about us not taking things farther? I really do love him, and I want to make him happy,” I confided in her.
“I wouldn’t worry about that. He’s crazy about you and seems very happy to wait as long as you want to,” she told me, easing my mind a little.
“Now, let’s go find you a dress that will make him regret being okay with waiting.”
