Banner of Lucas Till as Lucas Chandler. I'm aware that homecoming is football season, but let's pretend it's baseball season, okay?

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Chapter 13: Luke's Fan Club: Unparty of One

"I still can't believe Alec Jennings asked you to go to homecoming with him," Emma sighed, swirling the tiny brush of the nail polish bottle around.

We were lying on Emma's bed, gossiping and she was painting our nails a pretty robin egg shell color. It was our spring and summer color, but I loved it so much that I convinced her to use that instead of beige or burgundy, something more fall and wintry. Besides, it matched her very soft comforter. I thought about stealing it, but she would know it was me. I kind of had an obsession with it.

"Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Stop fidgeting. You're going to have uneven coats," she scolded, shaking her head in disapproval. "Um...yes! If I told you that you were going to go to homecoming with Alec Jennings last year, you would've laughed in my face."

She wasn't lying; I probably would've done that. We were from two completely different social groups. He was popular, and I was kind of neutral and unseen. "But that was last year. And now I actually have a date that isn't on the chess team."

I had nothing against the chess team; they just weren't my first candidates for going to a school dance with, a formal event. Okay, semiformal, but still. Nerds didn't exactly scream fun, not literally, of course. I'm sure they did scream 'fun' when they were singing Spongebob songs or something.

"There was nothing wrong with Greg."

"He thought taking a pawn with another pawn was the most hilarious thing ever."

"You dated Beckett."

I was about to tell her that Beckett was gay, but didn't know if he actually wanted anyone else to know. If he wanted to tell her, then he'd tell her. I wasn't even sure if he was going to ask her. Even if he did, I wouldn't know if Emma would agree or not.

"That's different."

"How so?" she challenged, narrowing her eyes.

"Well for one, he's hot." It felt so weird saying that about a gay guy!

"Conceited," she waived off. "What about personality?"

"Was about as dry as a piece of old toast left on in the middle of the Sahara desert. So basically, he doesn't have a personality."

"That's rude."

"Why do you even care? Does someone like Greg?"

"No, I'm just saying it's not nice to pick on people."

"You brought it up!"

She sighed and finished putting the topcoat on. "I want ice cream. Do you want ice cream?"

"Sure, I'm always up for that!"

Emma smiled knowingly and blew on her fingertips. "We should wait for our nails to dry."

I groaned and glared at her. "You couldn't suggest that after they were dry?"

She shrugged and smiled innocently. "Oops, my bad."

"I hate you. I want ice cream."

"So call up one of your boyfriends and ask them to bring us some. From Italy."

"Italy?"

"You know, like gelato."

"You want me to call Ian, don't you?"

"Unless Alec has a plane...wait! Ian can just take us to Italy."

"I'm not going to ask him that! That's like taking advantage of his money!"

"If he's going to take advantage of you, might as well have fun with it."

"I'm not going to ask him, that's weird."

She sighed. "Fine, maybe one day we'll be able to go to Italy."

"Maybe if we started saving now, we could go when we're in our late thirties."

"Yes...but then we couldn't go shopping for cute Italian boys!"

"I guess you're right. By that time, we'll be married with children." I shivered at the thought. I couldn't picture myself getting that old. Or me as a mother.

"With Channing Tatum?"

I giggled and nodded. "Yeah, with Channing Tatum."

"I love Channing Tatum. Alright, our nails are dry! Let's go get some ice cream!"

"Can I drive?"

She shook her head. "You're a horrible driver."

"I'm not that bad!"

She scoffed. "And Michael Jackson's Asian."

"Fine, but I get to pick what kind we get!"

"We can just get two different tubs-like those tiny Ben and Jerry's!"

"Oh crap! Emma, I forgot to get a dress!"

She looked at me like I was crazy. "You're kidding."

I shook my head wildly. "I'm not kidding. It totally slipped my mind."

"You do know it's this weekend, right?"

I buried my face in my hands, inhaling the smell of fresh nail polish. How could I forget to get a dress? That's what every girl looks forward to during homecoming. "I guess I could wear my dress from sophomore year..."

She shook her head. "You're not wearing that, which was a horrible choice. I don't know why I didn't talk you out of it. And besides, you probably want a new one for Alec, don't you?"

"Well yeah, but it's too late now."

"It's never too late. Instead of ice cream, we're going dress shopping. Prepare to strip. A lot."

"Emma!" I laughed. I had the greatest best friend ever.

***

"OMG! Is that Alec's jersey?" a random girl in my grade gushed.

"Um...yeah."

"You're so lucky. I wish he would've asked me."

"It's just a jersey," I downplayed, trying to seem modest. It was kind of a big deal that I was wearing it.

"I don't get why he picked you to wear it. I'm way prettier than you."

Wow, that wasn't extremely rude at all. "Well, he did ask me to go to homecoming with him, not you..."

"He must really want to get into your pants. You're probably going to be horrible in bed," she said matter-of-factly, flipping her hair. "But if he had asked me, we could've been at it all night-"

"As much as I would love to sit here and talk to you, I would rather be part of the student section and cheer my date on."

Her lips drew into a tight line as she stuck her nose in the air and pranced away, probably trying to look attractive for the guys behind me. Was it bad that I didn't even know her name? Did she even know mine? Who cares, it's not like we were going to see each other again.

Alec was up and the crowd went wild with encouragement for our star player. Alec got into position, a determined and proud look on his face, his eyes focused on the ball ready to be thrown at him. He looked really cute right now. The pitcher had this cocky look on his face, like he was going to be the one to strike Alec out. He obviously didn't know what he was up against.

I saw Emma's blonde hair bobbing up and down as she made her way up to me. She had two bottles of water in her hand. I gestured for her to hurry up. "That line was so long! Who knew so many people were hungry?"

I shrugged and took my bottle. "Alec's up."

"Oh good," she said excitedly, stepping up onto the bleachers.

The game passed by quickly, and we were still the undefeated champions. I waited by the gate to greet Alec, who was covered in sweat. Too caught up in the moment, I ran right into him, my arms around him. He chuckled and returned the hug. "Nice to see you, too!"

"Oops, sorry. It's amazing how fast you can run out there. I mean that guy was practically tailgating you the entire time!"

"Tailgating?"

"It's not only for cars!"

"Okay, okay. So are you going to ditch me or are we going out to dinner this time?"

"Are we going to McDonalds?"

"I was actually planning on going to Red's for soup and sandwiches, but if you'd rather go to McDonalds..."

"I've never been to Red's," I admitted. I've heard of it, I've just never actually gone and ate there before.

"You haven't? That has got to change. Like now."

"Let's go! Wait...do you want to stay and connect with your fan girls or...?"

He pulled me closer to him. "I've got my number one with me."

I giggled and leaned my head on his chest. I saw the crowd of people parting a path for us-I felt like Moses. It was awesome. Well, almost. Girls still sent me looks of envy and some of them looked like they were seriously thinking about killing me. And it was all for Alec. Who was currently mine...kind of. I still didn't know what to call them.

"Chicken noodle or broccoli and cheese?" I asked Alec, mulling over which option I should pick.

"Are you sick?"

"No."

"Then go with broccoli and cheese!"

That argument seemed valid. I closed my menu and set in the middle of the table. "Okay, well I've made up my mind. A roast chicken sandwich, cut into two triangles, and broccoli and cheese soup."

"What a coincidence, me too!"

"Are you serious?"

"It makes ordering easier."

I shook my head, smiling. "That's not a good excuse. Wait! You talked me into getting both of those!"

He grinned sheepishly. "They're really good?"

"You better hope so."

The service was quick. It was like they had the food already made, but it tasted fresh. I'd have to come here more often. After the bill was paid and the food was eaten, my bladder was getting smaller and smaller. "I have to run to the little girl's room. Excuse me."

He nodded. "Sure."

I smiled and made my way towards the back. The bathroom was brightly lit, which was off for a bathroom. As I was doing my business, I noticed writing on the stall. 'Lucas Chandler' was framed in loopy hearts and swirls. Off to the side, there was a message pointing to his name. 'I'd do him' and then beside that, 'I did him.' Apparently Luke had a fan club. When we started talking, I'd tell him and he'd get a kick out of it, boasting about how half-naked girls think about him.

Alec was patiently waiting by the door. He looked up and saw me, smiling. My heart skipped a beat as I walked over to him. That jersey looked really good on him. I swear his eyes had a sparkle in them.

"Oh, I forgot to mention this before, but my Dad wants several autographs from you?"

He laughed. "He wants my autograph?"

"He says you'll be famous one day, and wants to make sure he has it made. And you owe him for being out with his little girl or something like that."

"Sure, as long as he'll allow me continue this seeing his daughter."

"That was such an un-Alec thing to say."

He laughed. "I try. So do I have to sign them now or can we do that later?"

"I don't think he really cares, just as long as he gets them."

He nodded. "So are we going to the normal thing where I walk you to the door and give you a goodnight kiss? Or shall I go park this car somewhere?"

"You can park it in my driveway, walk me to the door, and then I'll decide if you deserve a kiss or not."

"Ooh, I like this new take-charge attitude."

We ambled up to the door. I needed to make sure that Dad wasn't watching out the window; I didn't want to be caught in a lip lock! My eyes scanned the windows that were visible to the porch, but I didn't see any sign of life. Usually I would see the curtain move, but I guess he was out or sleeping tonight.

"So, have I been good?"

I pressed my lips against his. "It's a good thing you're cute."

He grinned. "I'm a double winner tonight."

"Good night, Alec."

"See you tomorrow, love," he said, attempting a bad British accent.

Before I closed the door, I said, "I'm not into Brits."

***

"I found it!" Emma squealed, running halfway across the store over to me, a hanger in her hand. "This is the one!"

She held the dress up for me to see. It was a shiny, silky, plum dress with ruffled sleeves, and a bow in the front. It was simple, yet appealingly cute. And finding it in such a short time was a definite win. "How much is it?"

She looked at the price tag. "Thirty-five dollars."

Exactly in my price range. This dress was sent to me from heaven, I'm sure of it. I sneakily snapped a picture of it and sent it to Alec so he could get a tie. I'm such a bad person for making him wait like that. He probably couldn't get a tie that matched now-not that it mattered. We were already picture perfect because his gorgeous self was in it.

He texted back. You're lucky that my dad already has this color tie in his closet.

Lucky me ;)

This homecoming was going to be the best. I could feel it.

***

I threw my keys on the counter and padded over to the fridge, looking for something sweet to eat. I was going to be morbidly obese by the time I was thirty, but I'd worry about that in my late twenties. Seeing nothing, I muttered to myself how Dad should go grocery shopping more often.

And that's when I saw the cupcake. A perfect little vanilla cupcake with pink whipped frosting and colorful rainbow sprinkles. Beside it was a light pink sticky note in Luke's handwriting.

Charlie,

I like those cupcakes on your pajamas. Here's one to remember the day we met. April showers bring May flowers. You're the flower of my life. April 17th, 2000

Love, Luke

That was sweet. Really sweet. Sweeter than this cupcake. I reread the note twenty times, just to make sure it was real. He said love. Maybe it was time to give him the benefit of the doubt-he was my best friend after all. You couldn't fake that for a billion years. He didn't know that when he met me at five years old that we were going to fall in love with each other. He didn't know that he was going to be insanely popular with the women.

But he did know that we were going to be friends, forever. I'm forever thankful that he decided to stick by my side, through thick and thin. I know now that Luke would never try to hurt me. And I was stupid for even thinking that. I wish I could just take back the last couple of weeks and redo them. With Luke.

I had a stupid smile on my face as I munched at my cupcake. I vaguely remember those PJ's, but I knew they had a pink cupcake on them. I didn't even know that we met in April. Luke was just good at remembering those details.

I spotted another sticky note on a lower cabinet door.

Charlie,

Remember when we made that two-man band in first grade? Here's your spoon.

Love, Luke

*flashback*

"That's such a cool guitar! Can I play it?"

Luke shook his head. "Nope, it's mine. And it's a ukulele, like in Lilo and Stitch."

"Oh c'mon," I whined, my eyes glazing over as I stared at the red instrument. "Please? It looks so cool!"

"My mom got it for me for Christmas. And you don't even know how to play it."

"You could teach me!" I suggested.

"But I'm not a girl!"

"Teachers can be boys," I told him.

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

I tapped my finger on my cheek, thinking of male teachers that I've seen around the building. So far, I couldn't think of any. "Well I'm sure there's one out there."

He scoffed. "Doubt it."

"But I want to be in your band!"

"It's called a one-man band for a reason."

"We could change it to a two-man band!"

"But you're a girl, not a man." He puffed out his chest to make himself look larger and tougher, which made me crack up.

"You're not a man, Luke. You're only six."

"Fine, but you can't play my ukulele. You're going to have to play something else."

I couldn't play an instrument. "But I don't have one..."

Luke had his thinking face on, when his face suddenly lit up. He had an idea. He wobbled over to my cupboard and pulled out a metal pot, throwing the lid back in. He then reached into the silverware drawer and pulled out a spoon and handed them to me. "There, drums. Go wild, but not too wild." I grinned toothily, well kind of. I was missing a few teeth. "Ready? One, two, three."

Luke began strumming and I began banging the pots with no rhythm. We both belted out random lyrics. I'm sure it was horrible to hear, but at the time, we didn't care. We were just two kids stuck in the moment, not thinking of future consequences...

"Charlie! Look at your spoon!"

What was he talking about? I looked down at gasped. The neck of the spoon was bent and there were tiny chips in it. The pot seemed okay, except for a few scratches. Dad wouldn't notice-he didn't cook often and it was on the bottom. But we used spoons. "What are we going to do, Luke? My dad's going to get really mad, and I'm going to be in time out!"

Luke quickly shoved the pot back into it's original position and snatched the spoon and thrust it into his pocket. "Your dad will never know."

And he never did.

I opened the cupboard and sure enough, the metal spoon that I used was there, dents in all. How he managed to keep that all those years, I'll never know. I stroked my finger over the imperfections on it. I had made a lot of memories with Luke. And I wanted more.

Then I went on a searching rampage for notes. I found a lot. I wonder if he did all of this during the time I spent at the mall. I'm pretty sure Dad okayed it, if he didn't, he made good use of his spare key.

The one I found last was on my dresser, attached to the mirror.

Charlie,

You should stop forgetting your bows. People are going to think that I wear them. I was supposed to give this back to you awhile ago, but here you go!

Love, Luke

Beside it was a baby blue bow. I suppose I had a thing for bows when I was younger. But Luke had definitely won my forgiveness, and he already had my heart. I'd tell him soon, that I'd love him too. I would do it tonight, but I have a feeling that would spoil Alec's victory, and I didn't want to do that.

He had definitely convinced me. We could be together, finally.