PROM: Beneath the Sheets

[Taylor McCarthy]

"Oh, I couldn't think of it." Taylor said, taking the threat of physical violence and the glare that could freeze a lake enough for a group of kids to play hockey upon it surface as a sign that Lucy was, indeed, finding just as much amusement in this as he was. "I don't think I've got the legs to pull off that dress you're wearing."

Even though he was going to milk this hilariously inconvenient moment for all it was worth, Taylor did absolutely nothing to impede Lucy's progress toward the door. In fact, he even allowed her to move a step ahead of him so he could move along behind her, using his much broader frame to offer at least some manner of cover between her and those on the stage who were undoubtedly trying to locate the girl. Taylor was nothing if not chivalrous. After all, he really wasn't in the mood to sit idly by and watch Lucy share what was supposed to be some stupid excuse for a romantic dance with someone else.

[Lucy James]

Just as the brunette reached the door, one of the teachers that often hung around whenever she was in detention stepped in front of her and blocked her path. She uttered some stupid line about how the people on the stage was waiting for her, and without even waiting for the girl to protest, Lucy found her arm grabbed and the teacher started pulling her towards the dance floor. Clearly, these people cared little about whether or not the students actually wanted to participate.

Lucy could already feel the growl build up at the back of her throat. The teacher muttered something about assigned dance partners for those didn't come with any dates; well, she supposed at the very least she didn't have to stand up there with that wimp of a kid, Quinn. Their encounters usually didn't go over too well, and that was probably for the best. She didn't know how long she could resist not slapping the living shit outta him.

Though, even as the teacher continued dragging her towards the dance floor, the brunette tried with all her might to snake her way out of the woman's hold.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Now, this just didn't seem right. Taylor went to speak but no words came as Lucy's progress was halted and she started her involuntary journey back toward the dance floor where she was, apparently, being waited for. His eyes narrowed. To say Taylor was displeased with the situation would have been an understatement. He felt the familiar surge of anger rush into his being and threaten to take hold. If it had been a student dragging Lucy along against her will, Taylor would have snapped. Only the thin veneer of authority the teacher held kept Taylor from losing control.

Thankfully, the red haze didn't creep into his vision and the white noise that roared in his ears faded suddenly. There was a loophole he could exploit. He flinched as if someone had just pinched him and started after Lucy. "Excuse me, ma'am." He said, moving alongside the duo. "You're mistaken. Lucy isn't in need of an assigned dance partner." His eyes flicked from the teacher to Lucy, but just for a moment. He took in the look upon her face and returned his gaze to the older woman. "She has a date." And with that he lifted a hand it indicate just exactly who that date happened to be.

[Lucy James]

Lucy's eyes narrowed again when the Irish boy once more interrupted her time with a teacher. Her eyes watched him carefully. She wondered whether or not this was him trying to do her a favor, or just his own incapability of watching her with someone else. It had become acutely aware that the boy was both overprotective and easily jealous during their various encounters. Or maybe, it was simply a little bit of both.

Lucy knew when to keep her mouth shut though and her gaze returned to the teacher who sighed. She didn't seem all too pleased about the way things panned out, but she didn't argue either. Finally, she let go of Lucy's arm, and sort of nudged her towards the boy. Rubbing the now slightly sore spot of her upper arm, the woman looked at the two teens and rushed them towards the dance floor.

Well, shit. Now she had to share a dance with Taylor? Somehow, the romantic notion of it all seemed all the less inviting. It was bad enough that the constant conflicting emotions raged through her body whenever he was near, but now she had to share a "romantic" dance with him in front of the entire school?

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor, in his infinite wisdom, had only mapped out his plan so far as to prevent Lucy from having to dance with some random douche-bag high school kid who would undoubtedly try to get a little handsy during the proceedings. He had certainly not gotten to the part where putting himself into the position he had would involve him having to take the other boy's place. Sometimes being able to think quickly while lacking foresight was much more of a curse than a blessing.

He cast Lucy an almost apologetic glance as they were ushered toward the center of the dance floor. He gave her a shrug. It wasn't as if he'd planned this. He'd have rather not come in the first place and leaving before any of this prom court BS was, what he'd thought was the worst case scenario of attending the event. Now, here he was, facing the blue eyed girl with a wide circle of their fellow students around them, watching, waiting.

"It could be worse." He offered a bit of a sheepish smile. "At least you don't have to dance with some drooling idiot who'll try and cop a cheap feel." Everything they had gone through, all the evasion, deflection and suppression of their own feelings, it had to be for something. There was something between them that neither wanted to admit. If she was to be forced into this dance, and it was apparent she was, then Taylor wanted to be the one to share it with her. He reached out to her, preparing to take one of her hands in his and settled the other upon her hip should she draw close enough to do so. "What've you got to lose?"

[Lucy James]

Standing in the middle of the circle with so many unfamiliar faces around them, Lucy for the first time in ages, felt absolutely caged and self-conscious. Her eyes flicked between the various faces staring at them and the rest of the dancing 'couples'. This was the last place she'd wanted to be, and the last thing she wanted to be doing. This wasn't the thing people expected Lucy James to do. She wasn't this kind of girl. She'd never wanted to be.

The familiar voice echoed through the raging storm inside her head and a pair of blue, uncertain eyes darted towards the boy. There was no snarky response. No malicious attempt to push him away. Just a girl, looking more like a caged bird or some kind of zoo animal than the usual edge she usually carried. Even Lucy couldn't help but feeling utterly terrified and nervous at the wake of the new situation she found herself. She didn't resist when she felt him pull her close. Uncertain eyes peered up at him. She hadn't been at the center of attention since she'd been twelve years old, and it wasn't a feeling she welcomed.

The grip on his hand tightened as she moved the other to his shoulder. "You'd be surprised," she croaked, her eyes flicking over the crowd once more.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor immediately caught the look on Lucy's face. It seemed as though a host of dormant emotions had instantly surfaced as she was put on the spot. It was alarming to see the expression in her eyes as she turned them up to him and tentatively moved into his embrace. He didn't know what was going on, didn't know why she was suddenly so distressed. It didn't matter. She had nothing to fear. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, Lucy wasn't alone. Not anymore.

"Hey." Taylor said, his eyes locked on hers as he spoke. His voice was soft and soothing as he welcomed her into his arms. "It's okay." He offered her a faint smile and a reassuring nod. Slowly his body began to move in time with the music. Nothing fancy, just a gentle swaying to the beat. He wasn't going to push the envelope here, his focus was strictly upon Lucy at the moment. "I'm here. I've got you."

[Lucy James]

Once again the brunette's eyes sought out the source of the familiar voice that brought a lot more comfort than she cared to admit. Although it didn't chase the various demons away, it went a long way to put the brunette's mind at ease - if only just a little bit. Letting out a shaky breath, she kept her gaze firmly on the boys. She didn't look away for a second. Not even as their bodies started moving to the music. Nodding slowly at his words, she couldn't wait for this moment to end.

Despite being adept when it came to dancing, her movements were stiff and distracted. Even she couldn't quite shake the feelings lingering, constantly tugging at her entire being. But, likewise, it was also easy to get lost in those warm, brown eyes that offered such safety it almost made her heart swell.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Lucy was still uneasy. Taylor could tell by the look in her eyes, as well as the way her body seemed to refuse to sink into the fluid ways of moving he was used to seeing. The rigid, almost unfeeling way in which she moved to the music was a telling sign of her discomfort. Taylor gave her hand a squeeze and shifted his hold on her waist, slipping his arm around her and pulling her even closer to him.

Their bodies touched, now slowly swaying to the music as one. Taylor offered another faint smile as he studied her gaze. He, too, found his mind racing as he struggled to come to grips with what all seemed to be going on. Something tugged at him. Lucy deserved better. She deserved to feel comfortable in her own skin. To have friends that cared and would be there for her. Deserved to be happy. It was foolish to think he could give this to her but Taylor would try. She could scream at him until his ears bled if it would make her feel better.

Lost in the surge of emotions was the simply fact that Taylor liked being so close to Lucy. He may have been the oh, so cliched jealous, protective guy. He knew this and it was becoming apparent Lucy knew it as well. That didn't mean his heart was anything less than in the right place. He cared about her. He loved the way she made him feel when she was near. Without a word he pulled his hand from her and reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. If he didn't think she'd assault him with a barrage of insults he would have told her just how beautiful she looked.

[Lucy James]

Flinching slightly at the sudden touch against her cheek, Lucy's eyes squinted at the boy. Her lips pressed tightly together as she watched him almost with cautious. Of course, her distressed emotions was no longer directed towards the boy, but that didn't stop them from shining through. Despite the comfort she found in the smile and those brown eyes, it did little to nothing to chase away the demons popping up inside her head.

The closeness only caused her chest to tighten and her body to grow more stiff and tense. Quickly, the brunette pushed herself away from the boy. Looking around for the quickest way to remove herself completely from the situation, the brunette made a beeline towards the door. She didn't care if people stared or thought she was crazy. That was the furthest thing from her mind right now. She just had to get away from the prying eyes and the spotlight she'd come to hate so much over the past few years.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor saw the distress and worry in Lucy's eyes. It twisted at his heart when the emotions looked as though they had risen to near panic. He'd started piecing together the right combination of words that would ease her mind, even though he was certain of the futility. There was something far worse than the displeasure of being pulled in front of a bunch of kids Lucy didn't know and probably instantly hated at play. Even someone as dense as Taylor could see that much.

He was just about to speak when he felt the hands pushing against his chest. If Lucy had run out on any other boy they probably would have stood there, open mouthed, as she scurried away. Taylor, however, was able to recover from the surprise and, within mere moments, understood the brevity of the situation. Without acknowledging a single person, Taylor started forward, rushing after Lucy. He trailed along behind her, close enough to let her know he was there but far enough away to give her space. He was no worried and that shone plainly in his eyes as the two made their way outside.

[Lucy James]

Pushing the doors open, Lucy quickly made her way through them. There was a slight comfort to find in finally being out of the gymnasium. But the emotions still lingered. She didn't know if it had been better if the boy had stayed behind, but she wasn't overly surprised that he'd followed. In a way, she figured it would have been easier. She could have pulled back, licked her wounds and never have to discuss it again. Now she had to do that with someone lingering close by.

Making her way towards the south wing, Lucy had no intentions of returning to her room. She needed a breath fresh of air, and what better place was there for that than the roof? "You should go back," she replied as she continued down the hallway. Of course, if past experiences had taught her anything, it was that the boy wouldn't at all listen. 

[Taylor McCarthy]

"I should do a lot of things." Taylor replied simply as he stepped up beside Lucy. He looked her over briefly, as if to make sure she was none the worse for wear, and then turned his attention back to the front, in the direction she was walking. He didn't know what was going on, just that Lucy had panicked and taken off. If she truly thought he was going to stay behind at a dance he'd only attended because of her when she wasn't even there, then she didn't know him nearly as well as she may think.

He fell silent, though, as he knew better than to push Lucy for details. He was, without a doubt, curious to what had triggered he sudden outburst. It hadn't simply been being put on the spot or having to dance with him. He saw the way she looked at him right before she ran away. She had gotten some sense of solace from his presence but it hadn't been enough. All he could do now was to let her know he wasn't going anywhere. If she wanted to talk, she would do so and Taylor would listen. He reached out and let his fingertips fall onto her shoulder as they walked. His touch didn't linger, it only remained long enough to prove his steadfast refusal to leave her to cope alone before falling away.

[Lucy James]

Had the circumstances been different, Lucy may have found the boy's stubborn nature amusing. He was at least as stubborn as she was - if not more. She felt the hand on her shoulder and in response, she simply sighed. It became clear to the brunette that no amount of running away and pretending did little to nothing to chase the demons of her past away, and for the most part, she was fine. It was in certain situations that the deep rooted emotions got triggered though, and it shook her to her very core.

Even now, she could feel the angst bubble up inside, boil for each step she took. Getting out of there made it better sure, but she was far from okay. Within minutes, they reached the door leading to the roof top. Opening it, the brunette moved through the open doorway and skipped up the steps. Pressing her weight against the door at the top, she allowed the darkness of the narrow staircase to settle as she took a deep breath. Her hand hovered on the handle, but she didn't make a move to turn it. Not yet.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Lucy was a complicated creature, to say the least. Taylor had, in a way, been struck by her the moment they met. That initial meeting between the two of them had stuck in his mind for reasons that differed from what lingered when the two met now. The nature of his attraction had evolved to the point where it was a totally new set of feelings and emotions that sparked when she was near. Taylor was sure someone, somewhere had a name for all that but he'd be damned if he knew.

It took Taylor a moment to figure out where Lucy was going. At first he thought she was heading back to the dorms. He wasn't so well versed in the layout of the school just yet, but when she opened the door to the staircase that lead upward, Taylor figured it out. He slowed to a stop when Lucy leaned against the door at the top of the stairs. Tentatively he dared draw closer to the blue eyed girl. Carefully, almost cautiously he reached out again, this time both of his hands coming to settle upon her shoulders. "Lucy..."