Chapter Two - Date for Homecoming

Chapter Two

Sabrina's POV

Well, that's how my life buddy and I met. And ever since that day, nothing romantic has ever happened between us. That's how we both wanted it to be. Couples break up, but we're forever.

At least, that's what I liked to believe.

"Sab, eat. You could really use some food. You're too thin," Peyton teased, pushing some food toward me.

"Says the guy who could eat an entire truckload of food and still stay fit," I shot back, giving him a playful glare.

"You know why I stay fit? Because there's this thing called exercise, and you could actually try doing it. But no, you'd rather stay in bed all day."

He wiggled his eyebrows at me, looking far too proud of himself.

What could I say? Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.

"Okay, fine! You win today. Come on, let's go to school."

I grabbed my backpack, and he did the same. He walked ahead and opened the front door, gesturing for me to go first like the gentleman he occasionally pretended to be.

I rolled my eyes but walked outside anyway.

We climbed into his car, and he started driving toward school.

"Sab, the Homecoming dance is next week," he announced casually.

"I know. Can we please look formal this year?" I teased.

I wasn't about to let us show up in pajamas or matching onesies again. Don't get me wrong, those outfits had been iconic. We were practically head-turners wherever we went.

The problem was that we'd actually won awards for our ridiculous outfits.

And while I could appreciate our commitment to being different, I was ready for a change. This year, I wanted to look elegant, take pretty pictures, and leave without winning another award for looking like we'd just rolled out of bed.

"Um, Sab?"

I turned to look at him.

"Is it okay if we go with other people this year?" he asked calmly.

I froze.

Excuse me?

"WHAT?!" I practically shrieked. "But we're twins! Okay, fine, we're not actually twins, and we're definitely not the same height, but that's beside the point! We're always together! No one can tear us apart!"

Peyton simply smiled, looking far too entertained by my reaction.

"We're still juniors, and we still have next year, right? Just this once, I promise."

He gave me a hopeful look, and I could tell how much this meant to him.

I sighed dramatically, turning toward the window.

"Fine. Okay. As long as you're happy."

Then I turned back to him, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

"So, who are you going to ask to the dance?"

I poked his cheek repeatedly, making him laugh and attempt to push my hand away.

"Um... she's in my Chemistry class. Her name is Rowan," he admitted shyly.

I gasped so dramatically that he nearly swerved.

"OH, MY BABY BOY HAS FINALLY GROWN UP!"

"SABRINA!"

"I KNOW HER! She's really nice. Make sure you treat her well, young man, or you'll have me to deal with!" I warned him, pointing a finger at his face.

Maybe this was a good thing. I could finally get to know Rowan better, too. If Peyton was going to start bringing other people into our little world, I might as well make some friends along the way.

"I will be nice to her, Mom," he announced, bursting into laughter.

I gasped again, clutching my chest.

"Don't you dare call me Mom!"

But then another horrifying realization hit me.

"WAIT! If you're going with Rowan, who's going to ask ME to the dance? Nobody asks me every year because they all know you're going to take me!"

I grabbed his arm and shook it dramatically.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, PEYTON MEYER!"

He laughed so hard that I was tempted to throw his phone out the window.

"You're so dramatic, Sab!"

"AND YOU'RE A TERRIBLE BEST FRIEND!"

Before I could continue my very reasonable argument, he pulled into the school parking lot.

Saved by the bell. Unfortunately.

We got out of the car and headed toward the school building, making our way down the familiar hallways to our lockers.

Peyton and I shared four classes, but since I took mostly advanced subjects, we didn't have every class together.

We didn't have our first class together, either, so he stopped outside my classroom and gave me a quick wave.

"See you later, Sab!"

"Yeah, yeah. Go enjoy your new girlfriend!" I called after him.

"She's not my girlfriend!" he shouted back.

I grinned.

Not yet, anyway.

I walked into my classroom and headed toward my seat.

While waiting for our teacher, I noticed an album sitting on my seatmate's desk. Curiosity immediately got the better of me.

I mean, who could blame me? It was right there, practically begging to be opened.

I glanced at my seatmate, who was busy arranging his things, before leaning toward him.

"Hi! I don't mean to disturb you, but can I look through your album?" I asked, pointing at it.

He looked at me, then at the album.

"As long as you promise not to judge it. I'm just an amateur photographer, so don't expect anything amazing," he said, handing it to me.

I accepted the album, flipped it open, and immediately forgot how to speak.

Wow.

The pictures were beautiful.

Each photograph seemed to capture something special, whether it was the way the light fell across a landscape or the tiny details most people would overlook. There was something about his work that made ordinary things look extraordinary.

I flipped through a few more pages, becoming more impressed with every picture.

"These pictures are... wow. I honestly don't even know what to say. Just wow!" I blurted out.

He chuckled, and I realized I was practically gushing over his work.

"Oh! I'm Sabrina, by the way. I've always wanted to be friends with a photographer! And if you're an amateur, then I don't even know what that makes me!"

I continued rambling until he laughed so hard that I started laughing, too.

Apparently, I had a talent for embarrassing myself in front of new people. Wonderful.

"I'm Corey," he introduced himself, still smiling. "And I know who you are."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"Of course. I could check out your work, and maybe we could do a project together sometime. If that's okay with you?"

He seemed a little shy as he waited for my answer.

My face immediately lit up.

"Are you kidding? That would be SO COOL! How about we meet at the field after school? I brought my camera. I bring it every day, actually."

I grinned at him.

"You bring your camera every day?" he asked, amused.

"You never know when inspiration might strike!" I replied proudly.

We both burst out laughing.

"After school, then," he agreed happily.

Before I could say anything else, our teacher walked into the classroom. Corey and I exchanged one last smile before turning our attention to the front.

And just like that, I'd made a new friend.

Look at me, being social and everything.

---

My next class wasn't with Peyton, so naturally, I decided to check up on him.

Me: Pey, what's up? ☺️👊

Pey 💀👽: I just asked Rowan to the dance, and she said yes. 👌🙌

I stared at my phone.

Well, look at that. My baby boy actually did it.

Now he had a date. A beautiful girl to take to Homecoming. Someone to dance with, take pictures with, and probably spend the entire evening smiling at like an idiot.

And what about me?

Oh, right. I'd been abandoned. Betrayed. Forgotten. Left to face the horrors of Homecoming alone.

Me: Good for you, Pey. You're not a baby anymore. 👏👏🙌🙌

Pey 💀👽: Of course, Sab. Unlike your height, kidding. Loveyou!! 😘 I have to go to class now, bye!

I stared at the message in disbelief.

Oh, Peyton Meyer. You're going to pay for this.

Me: BLOCKED. 😤

Of course, I didn't actually block him. I couldn't survive a whole day without annoying him.

My next class, however, turned out to be a nightmare.

Apparently, word had spread that Peyton was taking another girl to Homecoming, and some of the guys had decided that this was their golden opportunity to ask me out.

Unfortunately, the ones who approached me were exactly the kind of guys I wanted to avoid.

One was practically staring at my chest the entire time he spoke. Another made a joke so inappropriate that I immediately wanted to wash my ears with soap.

Absolutely not.

I wanted a date, not a lifetime supply of regret. And I definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant at Homecoming. Thank you very much.

By the time the class ended, I was ready to throw myself into the nearest trash can and call it a day.

Thankfully, my remaining classes went by without much trouble, including the ones I shared with Peyton. Although, I did spend a good portion of the day glaring at him whenever I remembered that he'd abandoned our Homecoming tradition.

He, of course, thought it was hilarious.

I was going to make him regret being born.

Finally, the last bell rang.

I packed my things and headed into the hallway to look for Peyton.

I spotted him near the lockers and hurried over.

"Pey! I don't think I'll be going home with you today. I've got something to do," I told him.

He looked at me, confused.

"My football practice got rescheduled for today, so that's fine. Where are you going?"

I smiled.

"Well, I'm heading to the field, too. I'm meeting a friend. Wanna go together?"

He nodded, and we started walking. Luckily, he'd already grabbed everything he needed for practice, so there was no reason to stop by the gym lockers.

As we made our way toward the field, I couldn't help feeling excited.

I was going to hang out with Corey, look through more of his photographs, and maybe even work on a project together.

See, Peyton? I could make new friends, too.

When we arrived, I spotted Corey sitting on the bleachers. He waved as soon as he saw me.

I waved back enthusiastically and started walking toward him.

But before I could take another step, Peyton stopped me.

"Sab, I'm meeting him whether you like it or not," he said calmly.

I slowly turned toward him.

Oh, no. Not this again.

"Peyton," I warned.

"What?"

"Please don't try to scare him off. I'm trying to make other friends, too."

I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes, hoping to appeal to whatever tiny bit of compassion he had left.

He crossed his arms.

"Hey, I'm right here. Why do you need him anyway?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Because you're making other friends, too! You're going to Homecoming with Rowan, remember? Why can't I have other friends?"

He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again.

I could practically see the moment he realized I had a point.

"Fine," he finally said. "But I'm definitely still meeting him."

I sighed in defeat.

Of course he was.

We walked over to the bleachers, where Corey stood up to greet us. Peyton and Corey shook hands and exchanged a few words.

I watched them carefully, half expecting Peyton to interrogate Corey about his entire family history.

Surprisingly, the conversation seemed harmless enough.

After a short conversation, Peyton glanced toward the football field, realizing he needed to get going.

"I'll see you later, Sab. Don't forget to text me!" he called as he started walking toward his teammates.

"Yeah, yeah! Go practice, you football freak!" I called back, waving him off.

He shook his head, laughing, before heading toward the field.

Once Peyton was out of earshot, Corey turned to me with a curious smile.

"So, he's like your other half, right?" he asked.

I smiled.

"Yeah, but nothing romantic!" I quickly clarified. "We're just best friends. He actually just asked another girl to Homecoming, and I'm really happy for him. But now, I don't even know if I'm still going to the dance."

Corey raised his eyebrows.

"No one has asked you out yet? That has to be a joke!" he exclaimed, making me laugh.

"It's not like that! Some guys have asked me, but I don't like them. I'd rather go with a friend than someone who makes me uncomfortable."

Corey tilted his head, a small smile appearing on his face.

"A friend, huh?"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Instead of answering, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his sketchpad. He flipped to a blank page and started writing something down.

I stood there, watching him curiously as he scribbled away for about thirty seconds.

Finally, he turned the sketchpad toward me.

Written across the page were the words:

WANNA GO TO THE DANCE WITH ME?

— friend

I stared at the page, then at him, before looking back at the page again.

Did he seriously just ask me to Homecoming on a sketchpad?

His handwriting was so beautiful that I couldn't help admiring it. And although the word friend was written in tiny letters underneath the question, I had a feeling he was teasing me.

"I promise I won't do anything to you. I'm not a pervert, and I can even give you my birth certificate and other legal documents as proof!" he joked, still holding up the sketchpad.

I burst out laughing so hard that my stomach started hurting.

"YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE?!"

He nodded solemnly.

"Whatever it takes to prove that I'm a respectable young man."

We both laughed so hard that I was pretty sure the entire field could hear us.

When I finally caught my breath, I looked at him and smiled.

"Okay! Yes, I'll go with you!"

Corey immediately thrust his fist into the air and shouted, "YES!"

I started laughing all over again.

And just like that, I had a Homecoming date!

What I didn't realize was that the football team had been watching our entire interaction. The moment I glanced toward the field, they erupted into cheers and applause.

I laughed and waved at them, feeling my cheeks grow warm.

Among the cheering players, I spotted Peyton.

I waved enthusiastically, expecting him to grin or give me a thumbs-up. Instead, he simply gave me a lazy wave, his expression unreadable, before turning back to practice.

I blinked, momentarily confused.

Huh. That was weird.

Then again, maybe he was just tired. After all, he had football practice to worry about, and I was probably overthinking things.

I turned back to Corey, who was still grinning at me.

Little did I know that this Homecoming dance might turn out to be much more interesting than I'd expected.