Monday mornings were usually terrible. This Monday was worse. Not because of homework. Not because of teachers. Not even because Noah existed. It was because the entire school had been called into the auditorium before first period. Hundreds of students filled the rows of seats while teachers attempted to create some form of organization. Unsurprisingly, they failed. The room buzzed with conversations. People talked across rows. Phones were secretly checked. Someone in the back was probably asleep. Everything was completely normal until the principal stepped onto the stage. Slowly, the noise died down. Mostly because everyone wanted to know why they were there.
"Good morning, students."
A collective groan echoed through the room.
The principal ignored it.
"As many of you know, our annual Spring Dance is taking place in three weeks."
The reaction was immediate. Half the room cheered. The other half looked horrified. Aiden belonged firmly in the horrified category. From beside him, Noah sat upright so quickly it was concerning.
"Oh."
"No."
"Oh yes."
"No."
"A dance."
"Noah."
"A romantic dance."
Aiden already regretted sitting next to him. Meanwhile, several rows ahead, Sophie had nearly fallen out of her seat.
"MIA."
"No."
"MIA."
"No."
"MIA."
"What?"
"The dance."
Mia immediately understood where this conversation was heading.
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Yes I do."
Sophie's grin suggested otherwise.
The principal continued talking about decorations, themes, tickets, schedules, and various details nobody was actually paying attention to. Most students had already become distracted by one important fact. The dance. Specifically, who they were going with. By the time the assembly ended, the entire school had become completely obsessed. Students poured into the hallways discussing outfits, dates, music, and plans. Within an hour, it felt like every conversation somehow led back to the dance. Aiden hated it immediately. Mostly because people kept stopping him.
"So, have you asked Mia yet?"
"What?"
"The dance."
"We've known about it for twenty minutes."
"So?"
Aiden walked away.
Another student appeared.
"When are you asking her?"
"I'm not asking her."
The student gasped dramatically.
"YOU'RE NOT?"
Aiden immediately regretted his wording.
"That's not what I meant."
The damage was already done.
Across campus, Mia wasn't having a much better experience.
"What color dress are you thinking of?"
"Sophie."
"What?"
"It's Monday."
"So?"
"The dance is in three weeks."
"Exactly."
Mia stared.
Sophie stared back.
Neither blinked.
Eventually, Mia gave up.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and endless discussions about the dance. By lunchtime, even teachers seemed excited. One teacher spent ten minutes talking about school dances from years ago. Another joked about students tripping on the dance floor. Nobody escaped. By the final period, Aiden felt like he was being personally attacked by the concept of dancing. The moment the bell rang, he grabbed his bag and escaped into the hallway. Unfortunately, he immediately ran into Mia.
"Oh."
"Oh."
For a second, both stood there awkwardly. Not because they didn't know what to say. Because they knew exactly what everyone else was thinking. The dance. The stupid dance. Aiden rubbed the back of his neck.
"So."
Mia laughed.
"So."
That somehow made things both better and worse. At the same time. A special talent they seemed to possess naturally.
"I'm guessing Sophie has been annoying."
"Very."
"Noah too."
"Good."
"What?"
"If I'm suffering, you should suffer too."
Aiden looked offended.
"That's rude."
"It is."
Neither could stop smiling. The awkwardness slowly faded as they began walking toward the parking lot together. Around them, students continued discussing the dance like it was the most important event in human history. A group nearby debated music choices. Another argued over decorations. Somebody was already talking about matching outfits. It was chaos. Complete chaos.
Then Mia glanced at him.
"So..."
Aiden immediately pointed.
"No."
"I haven't even asked anything."
"I know where this is going."
"You don't."
"I do."
"You don't."
"I absolutely do."
Mia laughed. And unfortunately, Aiden laughed too. Because he did know where this was going.
Eventually, they reached the school gates. The crowd around them had thinned out. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement, and for a brief moment, everything felt calm again.
"You know," Mia said, "everyone's acting like this is some huge deal."
"It is a huge deal."
She looked surprised.
"You think so?"
"No."
Mia laughed so hard she nearly dropped her bag. Aiden smiled. Then something occurred to him. A very obvious thought. One that had somehow been buried beneath all the teasing and chaos. Neither of them had actually talked about going together. Not once. Not directly. Which suddenly felt strange. Because the answer seemed obvious. At least to him. Mia looked thoughtful for a moment. Then smiled.
"Three weeks."
"Three weeks."
Neither said anything else. Neither needed to. Because despite the teasing. Despite Noah. Despite Sophie. Despite the entire school acting completely insane. One thing already felt certain. Neither planned on going with anyone else. The funny part? Neither had actually said it yet. And somehow... That made the next three weeks a lot more interesting.