Jada stares at Nancy as she tells her everything that happened from the first meeting in the bathroom till the last time he took her number in the bathroom.
"That is amazing Nancy! Damn, you told me how good-looking your crush is but yeah I can testify to that now… Nolan is one good-looking boy", Jada answered with a big smile on her face.
Nancy was not expecting that reaction from Jada, she expected Jada's judgy eyes and rejection but her response was different from that.
"You are not weirded out by that? I mean he is Tara's brother and he is…"
"Younger?", Jada added, she scoffed softly and rose up.
"The look I saw in his eyes, Nancy… that boy likes you and I know deep down in you that I am right, if you like him, I would say go for it… Tara would understand eventually, at least she would want the happiness of her friend and brother".
Nancy blushed, "what do you mean happiness, it's not like we dating yet", she muttered.
"Not yet…", Jada added.
Nancy inhales sharply and then exhales before applying cream on her face.
THE NEXT DAY.
The atmosphere in school that morning was different from the other days, it was Prom in a few days and everyone was getting proposals for prom while some had no one to approach them.
Nancy walked next to Tara as they watched girls being proposed to in the hallway and also some noises being heard in class as a result of proposals being accepted.
"I hate proms", Tara rolled her eyes as she kept walking, her shoulder fancy bag swinging along with her.
Nancy had only done Prom once back in New York and it was fun with Aaron the boy she accepted his proposal out of pity.
She loved and envied the girls being proposed to but she did not see herself wearing prom dress that year.
"What about you? Do you have any crush or anyone to go with that day? It is literally in a week…", Tara asked.
"Ohhh right! Jay, have you seen Jay? Damn, I should propose to him for prom, I don't mind I would do it… you know I added him on Instagram yesterday and he has yet to accept me, he is probably busy, did you two talk last night?", Tara asked.
Nancy turned her head to Tara, she knew Jay had double-texted her last night before going to bed to check on her, but telling Tara the truth might make her feel down, so she lied.
"No he didn't", Nancy answered and as she approached her classroom, She turned to Tara and waved bye.
The squeaking of some girls in the classroom caught her attention immediately she stepped in, Nancy saw a guy hugging his girl who had accepted to be his prom and their friends had cheered them on.
"Hey Nancy", Jay said as soon as the girl sat down.
"Hey… everyone getting proposed to ey?", Nancy asked while looking back at Jay.
Jay nodded and let out a bright smile.
"What about you? You don't have a boyfriend you going with?", he curiously asked.
Nancy shook her head and sighed softly. "No… I am good, It is not for me, and apart from that I am single, I don't have a boyfriend… I would have had no choice but to go if I had one", She said giggling.
Only if Nolan was her boyfriend, and he had walked in right now with his friends, holding a big bouquet of flowers with a heartfelt letter, and looked into her eyes, asking her to be his prom.
But all that was just fantasy, he is probably asking Stacy right now, or she is asking him.
"She is so desperate", Nancy thought.
"Nancy? You haven't answered my question", Jay repeated.
Nancy realized she had gotten lost in the thought of Nolan again and had missed his question, she brushed off her imagination with a gentle smile.
"Sorry…"
"It's fine, I said since you are not going and I am not going, we could go together, be each other's prom, that would not hurt right and it would not be a lonely night, I am good at dancing", Jay said smiling, his breaking voice exposing his nervousness.
Nancy stared at him while smiling.
Jay is a very good-looking guy and everything Tara said about him was right, and for a girl like Tara to fall for his charm, it means he could pull any girl he likes, he has a beautiful smile and set of teeth, which is one of his best features.
Judging from how he had kept texting Nancy but ignored Tara and always smiling and looking at her in a sweet romantic way, she realized Jay liked her.
If he had come a few weeks before she met Nolan, she would have considered his proposal but she does not see herself going to the prom without Nolan which is impossible.
"Awww that is so sweet Jay", Nancy answered in a calm voice, trying to watch her words to not hurt her friend.
"I just don't want prom this year… I know it is my last prom in high school and blah blah but I have had a rough months, I don't see myself dancing or anything… I am sorry", she added while staring at Jay.
He masked the disappointment with a huge smile.
"No… no it is fine", he said while resting his back on the chair and smiling at Nancy who still looked like she had more things to say to him.
"But hey… what about Tara? She doesn't seem to have a date and she is a big fan of Prom… y'all can even win the prom king and queen", Nancy said while wiggling her eyebrows at him in a silly way.
Jay snorted, he put his hands at the back of his head and locked them together.
"I will just be like you that day and not go… and apart from that I bet Tara has a lot of boys kneeling down right now to be their date", he answered.
"Yes, she is pretty", Nancy added before turning back to her seat.
"You are prettier", Jay complimented.
This made Nancy take a quick turn, her blushing face turned to her smiling from ear to ear.
It was lunch break and almost every student was in the cafeteria, while some were eating, others were proposing or getting proposed to.
"Lexy! Would you be my prom",
"Yes!".
Nancy sat with Jay and Tara as they watched the couple hugging each other right after accepting and everyone was in awe.
Nolan and his friends sat far behind Nancy, she had seen him when she had almost gotten to where she would sit but he was not looking.
Stacy and her two friends coming in immediately caught Nancy's attention.
"I bet she is going to meet Nolan, she likes being around him", Tara said as they watched Stacy smiling while walking past them.
"Nolan is tired of her, sometimes he puts off his phone so she won't call for the hundredth time in a day… out of all the girls in love with my brother, she is the most consistent", Tara added.
Nancy kept quiet but all that Tara said was seeping into her ear, she looked down at her food and kept eating.
"Does that mean he doesn't like her?…" she thought, and a soft smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Stacy sat on Nolan's lap and almost immediately he told her his legs were aching, the girl felt his weird energy but still overlooked it, she stood up from his legs and chuckled.
"It has been a long time since you played basketball, why do they ache", Stacy asked as she sat down opposite him feeling embarrassed at the instant rejection Nolan had given her.
"Won't you ask Stacy out for prom?", one of her friends mentioned.
Everyone at the table including Nolan's friend went quiet and all eyes were on Nolan waiting for a response.
Stacy giggled softly, she gently hit her friend on the shoulder as if she had not just planned that with her friends before coming to see Nolan.
"Stop Luna… he would ask me when it is time… don't rush…".
"I don't think I am going to prom this year", Nolan interrupted sharply, while playing with the apple juice in his hand.
Stacy now had a straight face, Nolan had just rejected her twice and he did not even seem sorry about it, he didn't think twice before rejecting her.
Her chest hurt.
The "ouuuuuu" sound of Nolan's friend echoed through the cafeteria, and this drew half of the student's attention, including Nancy and her friends.
She turned and saw Stacy's sulking face, her eyes moved to Nolan who looked so unbothered at whatever was happening, he was still playing with the apple juice when Nancy and her friends watched.
"Wow, seems she got rejected even before the prom proposal, she has always been his prom date for two years now, guess Nolan grew tired of it", Tara gossiped.
Nancy watched Nolan's face, she had never seen his look so unbothered and uninterested.
Stacy glanced around, she saw eyes on them and this made her rise and walk out with her friends.
"That was mean… I like it!!!", one of Nolan's friends mocked.
"You should have given her to me, I can take her to prom and buy her flowers", another said.
Nolan sighed softly, not interested in what his friends were saying, he had not been himself since last night and also had trouble sleeping, the thought of Nancy and how he had developed feelings for her kept him up.
He had found her Instagram last night under Tara's following list and had stalked her account for a long time, smiling at how pretty she looked in her pictures back in New York.
The girl has not updated a new post since she arrived in North Carolina.
He finally looked up and saw Nancy's gaze on him from across.
He blinked rapidly and stopped playing with the juice in his hand, there she was looking at him, the world around him stopped for a second, he stared back and after a few seconds, she shifted her gaze and returned her attention back to Tara and Jay.
All Nolan could see was the back of her pretty brunette, he didn't want to stop looking at her pretty soft face, he wanted more of her, he wanted more of her stare, his longing for her increased and so as his heart.
"I need her", he muttered to himself.