JD opened the passenger door for Melissa. She was dressed in a fairly conservative sapphire and silver gown. The hem of the loose flowy dress reached her knees, and although it wasn’t fitted, every movement showed off her curves. She was all smiles and blushes as her dad waved enthusiastically when they drove away.

JD felt a little shy. His suit wasn’t anything fancy but his tie matched her dress perfectly even with little silver accents in the pattern. They talked about school, grades, and plans for after graduation. Every conversation though ended with an awkward silence.

Once at the party, JD felt a little better. His friends were there and he even took the time to hunt down Marc to get some pictures taken with Melissa.

“Hey man! How do we look?” JD asked his best friend.

“Oh, hey. Hi, Melissa. You two look great!” Marc took in everything. Melissa was wearing a stunning gown and just a touch of make-up, just enough to really make her eyes stand out. JD was, as always, well put together. Although the suit was simple, the man was shining. They looked like a couple, all smiling and giggling. Marc took a few pictures of them posing before moving on. He gave JD a wink and walk off to snap some pics of the buffet and the wall flowers that were hogging it.

JD asked Melissa to dance. It wasn’t a slow romantic song, but it wasn’t a wild party song, so they were able to continue the awkward conversations. “What do you think of ‘The Inclusive Party’?” JD asked. Really he wanted to know if she was tolerant, or bigoted.

“The party in general? Or the part about being inclusive to those that identify as LGBT?” Melissa asked with her head cocked to one side.

“Ah, both?” JD cocked his head too.

Melissa smiled, “Well the party itself is nice. I am enjoying my time. But did you know I’m one of the officers in our GSA?”

“Uh, GSA?”

“Gay Straight Alliance, it’s like a club,” she nodded her head.

“Ohh! Ok, so, the inclusive theme isn’t lost on you?” JD asked with wide eyes.

“Not at all, although I voted for a different name for it. Now every other event will sound exclusive.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I said! No lie, on the first day of school, that’s what I was saying to Marc,” JD laughed.

“Marc?” she asked.

“The guy who took our pictures earlier. He’s my best friend.”

Melissa wrinkled her brow for a minute before she said, “Oh, yeh. He’s a good friend?”

“Better than the other two knuckleheads that follow me around.” JD looked over to where Dylan and Connor stood by the buffet.

Marc wandered around, taking couple pics for a few people who asked. He took a few shots of the group that had decided to dance. He even took some more of JD and Melissa as they danced. He grabbed himself a bite to eat, took some more pics, and then decided it was time to jet. He started to feel a little sick and didn’t want to be there anymore. On his way out, he turned and waved to JD. Both JD and Melissa waved back and all of a sudden Marc’s stomach hurt worse. He stepped out into the cool evening air and walked home.

At home, Marc laid on his bed and started reviewing the photos he had taken on the camera’s view screen. He gave up trying to see much on the tiny screen and loaded them up on his laptop instead. He browsed through, separating the good from the bad. Every time he passed by one with JD and Melissa though, he felt it again. A kind of sick feeling in his stomach, but it was also tight in his chest. Marc wasn’t an idiot though. He knew what was going on and he hated it. How could he, after so many years, fall in love with his best friend? He curled up in a ball on his bed cradling his face in his hands. He couldn’t hold back the tears any more than he could have stopped what happened.

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he woke up to a few texts from JD.

JD: Party was fun.

JD: I am taking Melissa home now.

JD: Wanna head out to see if there’s any adventures to have when I get back?

Marc rubbed his eyes and stretched before rereading the messages again.

Marc: Sure. Lemme know.

Driving up to Melissa’s house, JD felt a little tension. He had fun with her, but it didn’t really feel the way the movies made him think it would feel. Still he smiled at her as he put the car in park. She smiled back, then turned to look out her window. Only the porch light was on to her house. She looked at JD again and leaned over to kiss him. He was caught a little off guard, but he leaned in as well. Her lips were soft and he felt her hair tickle his cheek. She leaned in closer and tried to deepen the kiss. It was a little more than JD expected, but he tried to roll with it as she slipped her tongue in his mouth. It didn’t last long though, he broke it off blushing and pulling away. He glanced at her home afraid of who might be watching.

“I enjoyed tonight,” Melissa said, still leaning towards JD.

“I,” he stuttered a bit, “I did too.” He looked in her green eyes and saw her cheeks turn pink. He reached up, like in his dream, and brushed her hair off her cheek. It was the same, but not. He felt mechanical about it, not natural. Still he leaned in for one more kiss before saying goodbye.

The drive home was short, but he sorta wished it had been longer. He felt very confused. He had just as much fun talking and laughing with Melissa as he did with Dylan and Connor. In fact, as a group they had a good time. The one on one bits were nice too, but there was no heart racing. No breaths being stolen away. Maybe he had just been too nervous. Or maybe he just needed to know her better. Love at first sight, or even love on a first date, that was probably just made up for the movies, right?

JD sat in his car outside his own house. He was lost in thought. Marc came out without waiting for a text. He hopped in the passenger side, and hoped his realization from earlier was not plastered all over his face.

“Marc,” JD started, “Let’s go find some asses to kick,”

“Let’s, but don’t forget we got a game tomorrow. We can’t be out all night,” Marc reminded the super hero