58| Who Ever Said a Porkchop Couldn't Dance?

IT took me a while after Billie left to calm myself down and come to terms with everything. Thankfully, none of the girls tried to talk to me about the situation, although I knew they had definitely heard what was going on out there. But regardless, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about the entire fucked up situation. I managed to pull myself together enough to let Gracie finish curling my hair and to get myself completely ready for prom. I even managed to pull myself together enough to act normally and not like my drug-addict sister had just tried to get money from me in order to buy more cocaine for her and her hippie boyfriend.

Hours had passed and the boys would be here any minute to pick us up in the limo we'd all pitched in to rent for the night. The plan was to head to Downtown Columbus before the restaurant so that we could all take pictures before dinner. We were all dressed and ready to go and I was just hoping that tonight would go smoothly. I was hoping that I could forget about my sister for the night and focus on having a good time at my senior prom. I didn't want to regret anything about tonight.

"They're here!" Bianca yelled from the foyer, peeking out of the front window.

I took a deep breath and Gracie must have noticed my apprehension. She placed both of her hands on my shoulders and took a deep breath of her own. "It's going to be okay, Log. You don't have to worry about Billie tonight. Tonight is about you and Noah. You hear me?"

I sighed but nodded. She was right, after all. Tonight had nothing to do with my sister and everything to do with Noah and I's relationship. I loved him and I wanted nothing more than to have an amazing and unforgettable prom night with him.

"Thanks, Gracie," I said and she shot me a smile before we headed out to the front of my house. I shut the door and locked it behind me before spinning around.

All of the guys were standing outside of the limo waiting for us. I watched as Tanner grabbed Bianca's hand and helped her inside the limo, Charlie nervously hugged Savannah as she walked out, Porkchop ran up and grabbed Gracie, spinning her in circles. I hated that I felt so on-edge and nervous. But then I caught a glimpse of Noah and my heart fluttered like it always did with him.

"Pierce," Noah greeted as I walked up to him.

"Locke," I said, grinning as I took ahold of his hand. Noah's eyes scanned me up and down from head to toe. I rolled my eyes once his eyes met mine again. "You know, it's awfully rude to stare."

"I guess I just can't help myself," Noah shrugged, then pulling me in towards his body and placing his hand on my chin, our mouths inches apart. Noah gently pressed his lips against mine. "Allow me to show you to the limo."

I smiled and Noah lead me towards the limo, helping me in and taking a seat beside me towards the front. There was a cooler with water bottles and sodas in the middle of the long seats, bright lights that changed colors, and an aux system which Bianca was already hooking her phone up to. It was typical Bianca to be in control of the music anytime she was given the opportunity. Noah reached over and interlocked our fingers together, turning his full attention towards me.

"You okay?" He asked. Dammit, of course he noticed that I was acting a bit off. I needed to pull it together. And as much as I knew I could tell him anything, I didn't want to tell him about Billie. Not tonight.

I nodded. "I'm perfect," I lied, squeezing his hand tighter. "I guess I'm just a bit flustered because of the fact that I'm going to prom with Noah Locke. How did this even happen?"

"I have no idea. Because I'm going to prom with Logan Pierce and she used to want to kill me," Noah added.

"Correction, I still want to kill you," I joked.

"Ha-ha," Noah said. "I don't care how this happened. I'm just so glad it did."

"Me too," I agreed.

"OOH!" Bianca yelled right as she started to play music. The song MAAD City by Kendrick Lamar blaring through the limo speakers. "This song is my jam, everyone! You best believe I'm about to break it down!"

Noah and I looked at each other and shrugged, listening as Bianca started rapping the entire song. As we danced along to the music as much as possible in the limo, I started to think less and less about my sister. Maybe tonight would be perfectly fine.

✯ ✯ ✯

After dinner, we rode in the limo to where the prom was being held at The Rivermill Event Center. It was only 10 minutes away from the restaurant, so Bianca made sure to play the best pre-game songs possible (Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus and Just Dance by Lady Gaga). Once we arrived at the event center and got out of the limo, we made our way towards the large brick building. It was an absolutely gorgeous venue. There were vines of ivy draping from the brick at the entrance and plenty of trees leading up towards it. The venue was an indoor-outdoor venue, with the dance floor inside. The outside was covered in fairy lights and places to sit down if necessary. It was absolutely stunning.

Noah held onto my hand, not once letting go as we walked into the large venue. The music was blaring from the DJ on the stage and the dance floor was packed with teenagers dancing. As per usual, there was a giant grind-circle in the middle of the dance floor. I shivered just thinking about it. That was undeniably the most terrifying part of dances. I had never ventured anywhere near the dreaded grind-circle.

"Oh, would you look at that. Zane is trying to impregnate a girl on the dance floor tonight," Cayden said and I practically choked on air. Noah and Cayden laughed at my reaction as I turned to see Zane on the dance floor with one of the school cheerleaders. They were grinding like they were in an X-rated film. Ew.

"I cannot believe you danced with him once," Noah scoffed at me and I shot him a death glare.

Cayden and Jeremy both looked at me with widened eyes. "You? You danced with Zane?" Jeremy asked. He struggled like he was holding in laughter.

"One time at a party. And only because I was drunk off of my mind," I said, glaring again at Noah. "You're a dick."

"Yeah, but you love his-"

"Shut up, Cayden," I said, interrupting him before he could finish.

Noah laughed and squeezed my hand. "Come on, Pierce. What do you say we hit the dance floor with the rest of the group?"

"And what makes you think I want to dance with you?" I huffed.

Noah smirked and leaned forward, his lips inches from my ear as he whispered. "The way your pulse is going mad gives me a pretty good idea," he said, running his thumb along my wrist before placing a small kiss on my neck. He pulled away with that stupid smirk plastered on his face. "So come on, Pierce. It's so clear you can't wait to dance with me."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny the feelings I had for him. The way he made me feel when his lips met my neck, increasing my heart rate and nearly stalling my breathing. It was so stupid how he actually made me nervous. Asshole. I gave in and lead Noah to the dance floor where the rest of our group was dancing to Ariana Grande like complete fools.

But I couldn't stop myself from joining in on being a fool.

"Ohhhhhhhh yes!" Porkchop exclaimed as the song changed to Toxic by Britney Spears.

Everyone in our group practically stopped dancing, backing up to give Porkchop some space. I was in no way prepared for what was about to go down. Porkchop immediately started doing the exact dance from Just Dance 2 like he had been practicing the dance on the Wii for years now. Honestly, it was quite impressive. The rest of us just clapped for him and stood back, laughing as he did his routine.

"The taste of your lips, I'm on a riiiiiiiiide," Porkchop sang, never once stopping his dance. "You're toxic, I'm slippin' under. With a taste of a poison paradiiiiissse, I'm addicted to you! Don't you know that you're toxic?"

Porkchop reached forward to twirl Gracie around, still singing and doing the dance. At this point, it was more than just our little group watching Porkchop put on this performance. Most everyone on the dance floor had gathered around to watch the scene unfold, clapping along and cheering him on. It was definitely a sight to see.

Once the song finished, everyone was cheering for Porkchop. Practically the entire boys' volleyball team went over and picked him up, chanting his name.

When they set Porkchop down and the crowd around us dispersed, Porkchop walked back over to us all and grinned.

"I didn't know you were such a good dancer," Bianca said, actually impressed by Porkchop's outburst.

"I owe it all to Just Dance 2," Porkchop said, bowing. "Who ever said a Porkchop couldn't dance?"

Just then, the current song playing faded out and the DJ started to talk. "It's time to announce your prom king and queen!" He announced and everyone cheered.

It seemed a bit soon to be announcing prom king and queen, but it made sense considering we had shown up over an hour late to the dance. It was just past 9:45, so it made sense. Everyone turned their attention to the stage where the DJ was standing up and walking up towards a podium where a cheesy crown and tiara sat. I rolled my eyes. To me, prom king and queen had always been a stupid cliche tradition. And having the crown and tiara made it that much more cliche.

"We asked you to cast your votes as you walked in tonight, and we've officially counted them all up!" The DJ exclaimed. "Here to crown the prom king and queen... Genevieve Duncan!"

I groaned and Gracie and I looked at each other, rolling our eyes. Here to crown the prom king and queen, the notorious, disgusting, rude ass bitch... Genevieve Duncan! I rolled my eyes and focused my attention on Noah, tugging at his hand. Noah looked down at me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Do we have to listen to this?" I asked. "It's such a stupid tradition."

"It's stupid, but don't you think we should be here? It is our senior year, after all," Noah said.

"But I don't want to listen to Genevieve-the-bitch," I complained.

"It'll take 5 minutes," Noah said. "And then I'll do whatever you want. Promise."

I groaned. "Fine," I muttered, turning my attention back towards the stage where Genevieve stood, her annoying voice echoing through the entire venue. God, it really was the most annoying voice on the planet. How I had gone 4 years listening to that voice on the volleyball court was beyond me. It made me wonder how Savannah had tolerated being friends with her for so long, too.

"The tradition of crowning prom king and queen has been around for decades now. And tonight is no exception," Genevieve said and I gagged. "You all cast your votes and I am here to announce the results. Drumroll please!"

No, I did not partake in the drumroll.

"And your prom king is..." Genevieve drawled, holding an envelope and then opening it. "Noah Locke!"

My eyes widened and I looked up at Noah who looked just as shocked as I was. He looked down at me and shrugged, making his way up to the stage. I caught eye of Jeremy and Cayden both giggling to themselves. I watched as Noah got up on the stage and Genevieve placed the ridiculous crown on top of his head. He shot me a wink and I facepalmed myself.

"And now for your queen..." Genevieve did the same thing, holding an envelope and opening it, giving a ridiculously fake smile before announcing, "Logan Pierce!"

And again, my mouth dropped wide open and I could see Jeremy and Cayden cracking up. Without looking at them, I gave them the finger before reluctantly walking up to the stage. Genevieve gave me her normal fake-ass smile while I gave her my own as she placed the stupid ass tiara on my head. Noah looked over at me and smirked, shrugging like he had no idea what the hell was going on. I gave him a death glare before shaking my head and laughing a bit. This was seriously happening right now.

"Wow. Would you give it up for your king and queen?" Genevieve said, motioning towards Noah and I. "We've got the immensely talented captain of the boys' volleyball team, Noah Locke! And of course, how could we forget the captain of the girls' volleyball team, Logan Pierce?"

I rolled my eyes. I desperately wanted to get off the stage. This was by far the most mortifying thing that could have happened to me at prom.

"You know, this takes me back to when Logan's very sister actually won prom queen her senior year," Genevieve said and I immediately tensed at the mention of my sister. "And here you are, Logan. Following in your sister's footprints. What's next? Are you planning on running away with your boyfriend here and getting into drugs? Because- if anyone out there wasn't aware of Logan's sister, Billie... she's actually a cocaine addict!"

My jaw clenched and I could feel tears threatening to pour from my eyes, but I wouldn't let it happen. Not here, not now.

"So, Logan. Planning on snorting any coke in the next few years?" Genevieve asked, holding the microphone towards me.

I just swallowed and did the only thing I could think to do at the moment. In one swift movement, I was running off the stage and out of the venue towards the back. Genevieve-the-bitch had done it again. Bringing up the one thing that made me tick.

I was wrong about prom queen being the most mortifying thing to happen to me tonight. I'd say bringing up Billie and her cocaine issue took the cake. My fists balled up together and in a moment of pure rage, I grabbed the stupid tiara from my head and threw it into a bush on the property. Stupid prom queen. Stupid Genevieve. Stupid sister.

✯ ✯ ✯

"And your prom king is..." Genevieve drawled, holding an envelope and then opening it. "Noah Locke!"

My eyes widened at the mention of my name. Excuse me? How was I the prom king? I looked down at Logan whose eyes were just as wide as mine. I shrugged before making my way towards the stage. It was the only thing I could really do, after all. Might as well accept the title that I'd made fun of for years on end.

I reached the stage and Genevieve placed the corny crown on top of my head. I rolled my eyes and looked into the crowd, spotting Logan shaking her head at me. I shot her a wink before Genevieve started speaking again.

"And now for your queen..." Genevieve did the same thing, holding an envelope and opening it, giving a ridiculously fake smile before announcing, "Logan Pierce!"

I held up my hand to my mouth, trying to contain my laughter as I watched Logan's expression. Oh, this was amazing. This was so amazing. Logan being prom queen was about the funniest thing I could've ever imagined for her and here I was, witnessing it firsthand. I watched as Logan trudged her way up to the stage, watching as she and Genevieve swapped unconvincing smiles before the tiara was placed on Logan's head. I looked over at Logan and shrugged, but she just sent me a death glare, then laughing a bit at the situation. I was glad she found it funny, too.

"Wow. Would you give it up for your king and queen?" Genevieve said. "We've got the immensely talented captain of the boys' volleyball team, Noah Locke! And of course, how could we forget the captain of the girls' volleyball team, Logan Pierce?"

God, Genevieve was so fake.

"You know, this takes me back to when Logan's very sister actually won prom queen her senior year," Genevieve said and my eyes immediately turned to Logan, noticing how she tensed up. "And here you are, Logan. Following in your sister's footprints. What's next? Are you planning on running away with your boyfriend here and getting into drugs? Because- if anyone out there wasn't aware of Logan's sister, Billie... she's actually a cocaine addict!"

My eyes widened and I felt my own fists ball up. Genevieve was just trying to get under Logan's skin like she always did. And it was definitely working. Logan was tense and I could tell just how bothered she was.

"So, Logan. Planning on snorting any coke in the next few years?" Genevieve asked, holding the microphone up to Logan's face.

Before I could gage what was going on, Logan was sprinting off the stage and out towards the back of the venue. I shot Genevieve a glare which she returned with an innocent smile.

"Oops... was that a bit of a rough subject to bring up? I had no idea," Genevieve said, laughing.

"You're a bitch, Genevieve," I retorted before running off the stage and following the direction Logan had left in. This certainly wasn't how I imagined this night going. I ran outside of the venue, stopping to look around for Logan. I mean, she was wearing a bright red dress. I would have to be able to find her.

I took off the stupid plastic crown and set it down on a nearby bench. I walked around the back area of the venue desperately searching for Logan. Genevieve was ruthless. She couldn't just let Logan be happy, she had to go off and spread some lie about her sister just to get under her skin. It was all so unbelievable to me how low she would stoop just to make Logan mad. And it pissed me off.

Finally, I could see Logan's red dress sitting on the edge of a small man-made pond. Her heels were off and her feet were dipped into the water with her head in her hands. I made my way over to her, sitting down beside her and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She stayed silent for minutes before I decided to break the silence. One of us needed to say something.

"Don't let her get to you, Pierce. She's just being a bitch to get under your skin. None of what she said is true," I assured her.

Logan waited a moment before releasing her head from her hands and sighing, shaking her head. "But what if it was true?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Logan let out an apprehensive laugh before looking down at her feet moving in the water. "I should've known that Billie wasn't the same as she was when she left. I should've known that Genevieve wasn't lying when she told me that she was back at the party."

"Wait a minute, Billie's really back?" I asked and Logan just nodded. "When did this happen?"

"Today."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Logan looked at me and shrugged. "I didn't want it to ruin our night," she admitted. "But it looks like it was bound to happen, anyway."

I pulled Logan in towards my chest, hugging her close to my body and running my hand along her back. So Billie was back, Genevieve hadn't been lying. Was she telling the