18 Chapter Eighteen

"Senior Prom? As in dressing up and spending the night dancing in heels until my ankles break?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, sounds right. But Princess, you don't have to wear heels if you don't want to." He said and I let out a very unladylike snort. I quickly covered my mouth but the damage was done. Kyle busted out laughing and my face got red and hot. After a couple of minutes he got serious again and looked at me. "What do you say about prom?" He asked.

"Fine. But if Sara or Christina comes near me with a pair of stilettos I'll murder someone." I said in my most jokingly serious voice.

"Sometimes you scare me, Princess." He said. We settled into a comfortable silence.

"Are you taking the NYU scholarship?" He asked me after a while. Thinking of college brings the conversation we had about his college acceptances back to my head.

After a long day of shopping, we were both grateful to be back in Kyle's room. I sighed in contentment as I grabbed his hand. He reluctantly let me lead him to the bed as I placed the bags on the floor in front of the closet. Kyle sighed and laid down. His head was on my legs, using them as a pillow. He closed his eyes and after a few minutes I thought he fell asleep. I started to play with his hair and I heard him sigh with content.

"Princess?" He asked me, his eyes still closed.

"Hmm?" I was twirling his hair in my fingers.

"You know I love you right?" he asked me and without missing a beat I instantly replied.

"Yeah. I never said I doubted you. Why are you asking?" I asked as he turned his head to look at the table beside his bed. I followed his gaze and saw three envelopes there. I picked up all four.

"New York University... Harvard... Yale... USC (California) Kyle, these are all acceptance letters. When did you get these?" I asked him.

"This morning. I didn't expect to get into any of them." He said to me and it finally registered in my mind that he applied to colleges away from Georgia. Despite the tears already forming in my eyes, I told him the one thing I knew would make him feel better about his decisions.

"Whatever you pick, just know I'm happy you made it, not only to one college, but to four." I said as one traitorous tear fell from my eyes. I went to wipe it away but it hit Kyle's face before I could stop it. He opened his eyes and looked at me. I tried to look away before he could notice I had been crying but nothing got past him.

"Baby, look at me." He said as he sat up and moved to where he was beside me. "Please, Devyn, look at me." He pleaded, using my full name. I looked over at him and started crying even more.

"Dev, why're you crying?" He asked, making me look at him in pure horror. Did he honestly just ask that?

"You really don't know?" I asked, laughing humorously. When he shook his head no, I got up.

"Where're you going, baby?" he asked. I sniffed once and replied.

"I'm going to see Erik. I'm sorry Kyle, but-," I started but I was cut off by him pulling me back down and onto his lap. I was about to say something when he silenced all my rebuttals by placing his lips on mine. I didn't hesitate to kiss back. His hands went to my hips and I wrapped my hands in his hair. His tongue grazed my lip, asking for entrance, which I gladly allowed. I moved to where I was straddling him. His grip on my waist tightened as I pulled away, breathless.

"I don't have to go. I can stay here, with you." He said as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Yes, you do. You have to go. It's college for crying out loud. I mean, these are once in a lifetime opportunities." I told him even though the thought of him leaving broke my heart into a million pieces.

"I don't want you here just waiting day by day for my call or for me to visit. Wherever I go, I'm going to want you beside me." He said.

"I'm not going to be that girl. The one that follows her boyfriend to college. I'm sorry but I won't do it."

"Then be the one that supports her husband. Marry me before I leave for college. Come with me as my wife."

I don't know if he thought that was his way of proposing or if he didn't think before he spoke, but we haven't spoken about it since then, until now.

I sighed. "I don't know, Kyle. It's really hard to decide right now." I told him.

"I've thought about it. I'll take the scholarship if you take yours too." He told me.

I shook my head; that didn't sit well with me. "Kyle, i want you to take the scholarship that you want. Not the one that puts you close to me. Okay?" He nodded.

"I understand, Devyn. We can talk about this again later, but I understand you want what's best for both of our futures." He smiled lovingly at me.

"Kyle?" I asked hesitantly before it got silent again.

"What?" He asked looking at me, his eyes swarming with emotions.

"Is there a reason that girl was latched onto you like a leech?" I asked him and he sighed and flopped onto his back.

"Karlee had a crush on me. Still does. When I called her and explained to her my problem she saw it as an opportunity to strike. If I would've known how it would've played out, I wouldn't have gone through with it. She thought if you saw me with someone else that you'd try to get me back and to, and I quote, "prove how deep your love really goes for me.' I didn't think about it from a girl's point of view." He explained and I guess I understood.

"You never did anything with her?" I asked to make sure. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "The only person in this world that I will let touch me from now on is you." I laid my head down on Kyle's chest and listened to the familiar beat of his heart. I started drawing shapes on his chest with my finger.

After some hours of laying here, waiting TV, and cuddling Kyle yawned. I chuckled.

"Goodnight babe. I love you." I said but he was already asleep. I sighed to myself and closed my eyes. In a matter of minutes I was drifting off to sleep.

===

Third Person Point Of View- Prom Day

The morning of prom had arrived swiftly and quietly. Sara, Christina, and Devyn had all gone dress shopping 3 weeks in advance so that Erik and Kyle could match their tuxes to their dresses. Even though Devyn said she wouldn't be wearing heels, Christina and Sara talked her into a nice pair of wedges.

All three of them sat in Sara's bedroom, Devyn and Christina procrastinating getting ready, when Sara suddenly sat up and groaned loudly. "Okay you two! We did not spend $200 on those dresses for you not to wear them! Get your ass in gear and let's get going. You have a night of fun and dancing and no getting pregnant to get to!" She grabbed both of their hands, jerking them hard enough to almost pop their shoulders out of socket.

Devyn whined, "But I don't wanna go!" Sara raised her eyebrow and opened her mouth to say something but Devyn continued, "What if i make a fool of myself? I don't even know how to dance! And Gabriella is going to be there and she hates me! And—oh my gosh what if Kameron's there! Ugggh!" She groaned and flopped back down on the bed. Sara sighed.

I should have known she didn't want to go. Kyle should have known she didn't want to go.

Sara sat down on the bed next to her and Christina, who was now laying beside Devyn again, pulled Devyn over so there was room for Sara to lay down next to both of them. They now all laid with their head against the wall and their feet hunched up, staring at the ceiling.

"In Kyle's eyes, you would never make a fool of yourself. To him, you are perfect." Sara whispered.

"And you know, I don't know how to dance either. We can go out and not-dance together." Christina said, nudging her best friend, a smile hinting at her face.

"As for Gabriella—," Sara started.

"—And Kameron—," Christina cut in.

"Fuck what they think, Princess." Kyle finished. Devyn sat up, not knowing when he came in. He was leaning against the door frame. His arms were folded over his chest and his signature smirk donned his face. She smiled at him. She got off the bed, pulled her riding up shorts down, and walked towards him. He pulled her in a tight hug, and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry about tonight; everything will be perfect. Just please get ready. For me." He pulled away and looked at her. She nodded and stepped away. He left, closing the door behind him.

Devyn turned around and looked at Sara and Christina. "Alright, girls, we've got four hours. Let's get to work."

===

After the girls were ready, Sara stepped out of her room to let the guys know to go down stairs, so the girls could make their grand debut. She stood downstairs with her camera, taking pictures. She yelled for the girls, making sure Christina came out first. It was what they had discussed before Sara had got the boys. Devyn wanted to make Kyle wait to see her. She could try to fool them as much as she wanted, but they all knew.

Devyn was so nervous for Kyle to see her.

As Christina came out of the room and down the stairs, you could hear in the intake of breath from Erik. His jaw was ajar, and all he could do was stare at her. Her short, chin level hair was curled and she had on a red dress with an off the shoulder bedazzled neckline. She was also wearing a simple (knockoff) diamond necklace with silver heels. Sara had made sure to keep her makeup natural. She didn't want to take away from the simplistic nature of the dress. Christina stepped off the final step and Erik gave her his hand, which he gladly took.

"You, You look amazing." He said, stuttered over his words. He was blinking rapidly, causing Christina to chuckle and blush. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder as they waited for Devyn.

Devyn walked out of Sara's room slowly, afraid of the remarks she'd get. She was holding her navy blue dress up, not letting it touch the ground, but after looking at Sara, she let go of the dress and stood tall. She walked towards the staircase, but unlike Erik, there was no intake of breath or jaw drop with Kyle. Kyle stood there, stoically. No reaction as she came down the stairs. It was impossible for Devyn to tell what part he didn't like. Was it her dress? She picked out a beautiful navy blue and nude glitter tulle sweetheart neckline spaghetti strap dress. Or was it the heels? She knew she said she wasn't going to wear them, but she had decided otherwise. Or maybe he didn't like the makeup? Yeah, it was heavy on the eyes but that's because Sara said it would look good with the dress, and it did.

Devyn stepped on the last step, but then she stopped. She refused to go any further. "Kyle." She said in a small voice. "What don't you like?" She asked him, hurt filling every word. She saw Erik removing himself from his date, ready to step in if needed. Kyle took a step towards Devyn, reaching out to touch her face.

"Princess, you covered your scars. You covered the one thing that makes you the strongest person I know." He whispered, continuing to uncover the scars on her forehead and collarbone. He then gently picked her up by her waist and placed her on the floor. "Now you look perfect." He said. Devyn blushed.

He thinks I'm perfect with my scars showing.

Sara squealed and ushered them together to get more pictures before they left. Everyone rolled their eyes at how much of a "mom" she was being but complied anyway. Once the pictures were over, they were on their way to the local hotel where Prom was being held. They had all agreed to get food afterwards since they didn't know how long they would really be staying.

They walked in, hand in hand with their significant others, excited to dance the night away and have fun and let the decisions of a high school senior run off their back for just a little while. The first thing Erik and Kyle did when they made it inside was lead their dates straight to the dance floor. As soon as Christina and Devyn saw the pitiful dance moves of their dates, the insecurities they had earlier that day melted away and all they did was feel the music and move their bodies. Little did they know that across the dance floor, they were being watched.

Kameron and Gabriella sat at a table with drinks watching Devyn and Kyle laugh and dance and have the fun they wished they were having. Kameron looked over at his supposed to be date and felt a twang of regret.

I asked her here and all we've done is sit here and watch our exes. What kind of date am I?

Kameron coughed, gaining Gabriella's attention. A slow song echoed around the room. "Do you uh maybe want to dance?" He asked, suddenly scared of her answer. He was never this way with Devyn. With Devyn he took, never asking, never scared.

Surprise flashed in her green orbs before it disappeared. She stood abruptly causing her black dress to ruffle downwards. She extended her hand to Kameron and he took it. They made their way to the dance floor and she laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed. He wrapped his arms around her, but even as he had his arms around another girl he couldn't help but glance at Devyn.

She was wrapped in Kyle's arms and had a smile on her face he hasn't seen in years, one that hasn't been there since before she got involved with him. He realized then what that really, truly meant.

She really isn't my kitten anymore. Maybe she never was.