PART 1 - Prom-gate
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Peering into her locker mirror between classes, Miley tucked a curly tendril of her dark hair behind an ear and freshened her lip gloss. She saw Adrian approach in the reflection behind her.
"Hey Miley." Adrian said, leaning casually against the next door locker.
"Hey Adrian." Miley smiled. "What's up cutie?"
Adrian was the male version of Miley at school; popular and good looking. He was a star athlete and the baseball team's best pitcher. Most of the girls at school had a crush on him since he was cute, charming, well-dressed, and from a wealthy family. Miley had always liked Adrian, he was friendly and more humble than most of the other jocks, though she never felt any romantic chemistry.
"I was wondering if you had a date to the prom yet?" Adrian asked.
Miley blinked, "Prom? God, I forgot all about it. I've had so much on my mind lately, when is it again?"
"It's in four weeks, the first weekend of May." Adrian replied, "So no one's asked you?"
Miley shook her head. Charlie hadn't brought it up, though with everything they'd been going through it occurred to Miley that he forgot all about it too. " Uh, no..." Miley replied distractedly.
"Do you want to be my date? My dad has a brand new Corvette at one of his dealerships and he said I could take it for the night. I thought we could have a nice dinner and..."
"I'm sorry." Miley interrupted. "That's really sweet Adrian, but I'm dating Charlie now. I'm sure we're going to go together."
"Charlie White? I heard a rumor you were going out with him, but I thought it was just gossip."
"For once the rumors were true." Miley smiled, "But thanks anyways. I'd have totally taken you up on the offer otherwise."
"That's cool." Adrian smiled, "Charlie's a lucky guy."
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"Prom?" Charlie asked, his face twisting.
"Yeah, it's in four weeks." Miley said as the two ate lunch side by side, on one of the school's picnic tables. "I totally forgot about it until Adrian asked me to go with him this morning."
"Wait... Adrian Miller?"
Miley nodded, picking at some fruit with a plastic fork.
"Adrian Miller asked you to prom?" Charlie asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Miley grinned at him, "Yes. Don't worry sweetie, I turned him down. I told him I was going with my adorably cute boyfriend." She leaned aside and kissed Charlie's cheek.
"Prom..." Charlie repeated, considering.
"What's the matter?" Miley asked, sensing Charlie's hesitation. "Don't you want to go?"
"Not really?" Charlie answered.
"Charlie. It's our senior prom. You don't want to take me?"
"Miley, most of the kids at this school treat me like dirt. The last thing I want to do is go hang out with them at some stupid dance."
"It's not just a stupid dance, Charlie." Miley was growing irritated, "And it's not about everyone else. It's about me, and a hot dress, and a corsage, and dancing with my boyfriend."
"I don't even like dancing... couldn't we just go see a movie or something that night?"
"A movie!?" Miley exclaimed. "You want to skip prom and take me to a movie!?!"
"Miley, calm down, I just..."
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Miley snapped, getting up from the table. "I can't believe you Charlie! It's our senior prom and you won't take me?"
"Miley, please, just sit..." Charlie started to urge.
"Just forget it!" Miley interrupted, angry. "If you won't take me to prom I'll just have to find someone who will!" With that she stalked off towards the school, leaving a shell-shocked Charlie alone with his lunch.
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"Trouble in paradise?" Stacy asked, trying to hide her smirk.
Miley was too busy staring daggers into Charlie's back to notice Stacy's expression anyways. The two sat together as lab partners in Biology, a class shared with Charlie who sat at a table closer to the front of the room.
"Charlie, my /ass/ of a boyfriend, doesn't want to take me to prom." Miley fumed.
Stacy had to bite her lips to keep from giggling.
Miley looked aside at her best friend. "What's so damn funny?"
"You and Charlie." Stacy replied, grinning. "There's always some new catastrophe with you two. First it was the 'I Love You Scandal', now it's 'Prom-gate'. You're like a tabloid couple. It's all sex and drama..."
"Well, Charlie's not going to be having sex anytime soon." Miley said, turning to bore some more holes into Charlie's back with her eyes. "I can promise you that."
Stacy stifled another giggle.
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"What's up with you and Miley?" Brian asked, glancing over his shoulder. "She's giving you the Vulcan Death Stare."
Charlie sighed, afraid to look. "She blew up at me because I don't want to go to prom." He tried to focus on their biology lab project instead of Miley.
"Why don't you want to go to prom?" Brian wondered.
"I... can't dance." Charlie whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear.
"So?" Brian retorted.
"So... I'll make a fool of myself!" Charlie hissed.
"Well, you better learn quick dude. Miley looks seriously pissed."
"I know... I know..." Charlie lamented, "She even threatened to go with someone else, can you believe that?"