"We are not bound by the Earth. We are all radiant beings made of stardust. Once you know this truth you will be forced to reach for your true potential."
Some drunk fool at a bar.
Zigmund Van Diemen's disappointment from the news stayed in the background because the accompanying joy which also came was front and center. His date for the prom next week and closest friend, Joy Eno, got back with her boyfriend Stephan Spader. Even with the couple
reuniting meaning that Ziggy was not going to the prom with her, how could he not be happy that his friend, Joy, was getting what her heart desired? His best friend's happiness was more important to Ziggy than going to a dance.
Joy and Steff's relationship had been an on-again and off-again one for the last four years. Those two getting back together was as surprising as the girl getting her dream man at the end of a romcom. This fact still did not change Ziggy's disappointment in not having a date for the prom. He was only going to the prom with Joy as friends and that was all he wanted from their friendship. Ziggy made the suggestion he escorted his best friend to the prom when she was crying over not having a date to the prom. With Steff dumping Joy, to go out with Molly
Walsh, Ziggy thought that those two might not get back together before the prom.
The young man who loved to dance and was looking forward to looking debonair in his tux. Plus the prom was named Footloose and it had an ‘80s theme. Ziggy knew and loved all the hits of the ‘80s from his parents playing them when he was growing up, and now, he always has either ‘80s on 8 or New Wave on the XM. Also, it would have been great to
have his best friend to share this teenage rite of passage with. Joy has been Ziggy's closest friend since they met 5 years ago. Their friendship was strong as soon as Ziggy, as part of the welcoming committee, said hi before giving Joy a tour of the school.
Ziggy thought going to the prom with Joy was as great and sweet as strawberry ice cream. He would be able to reminisce with his prom date about that good night for the rest of his life; instead of also wondering whatever happened to the lady he shared that special evening
with. Now he would not even be able to get sentimental about his time at the prom. At least he would be able to hear all about Steff and Joy reconnecting at the prom.
Joy was not prepared for Ziggy's response to her good news. She fully expected that her closest friend would be happy for her; Zigs wanted Joy to get what her heart’s desire. She could not have envisioned that he would back out of taking her to the prom. That was for the night he was there to help mend her broken heart and agreed to take her to the prom, she was insistent that no matter what neither of them would back out. Her Zigs taking her to the prom just felt right. In her eyes, it should be him and no one else. Sharing was what made their friendship so strong, and that night was something special to share. Joy knew that night should be shared by them.
Even with getting back with Steff, Joy was dead set on keeping her word. There was only a week until the prom so it would be as hard as ice cream kept in a deep freezer for Ziggy to find a date. If she knew that Ziggy would try not to keep his word then Joy would have told Steff that they would not be back together until after the prom.
"Zigs, you are still going to be my date to the prom. We agreed to it, so you will not be backing out. I told Steff and he was fine with it."
Steff said yes to what he believed would not come to be only because agreeing with Joy keeping her word made him look like he matured. That now, Joy's boy was putting their relationship ahead of his wants. In fact, the only reason Steff was fine with Joy going with another boy was he knew it would not happen. Steff did not change. The boy who was full of himself knew he would just talk Ziggy into not going. Agreeing also kept those two from having their first fight right after getting back together.
"Joy I only agreed to that for I thought you and Steff would not get back together. It would not be right if you two didn't share your prom night together. A boy should be taking his girl to the prom, not the girl's best friend."
"It also is not right for you not to go to the prom. I want you there to enjoy that night."
Joy wanted Ziggy there also to share that night with her. They have shared so many of the rituals of adolescents together. They had their first taste of alcohol when Ziggy snuck a six-pack out of his house. Ziggy was the first person Joy told about her first kiss and Joy got the honor to be the first to hear about Ziggy's. The first time their heart was broken the other was who was there to help mend it. When they got their driver's license the other was the first person they picked up to go for a joy ride.
Their sharing of monumental life events was going to keep on going after high school. They were going to share moving out of their childhood home together. They both were going away to college at Villanova. Leaving home was a big step into adulthood, but neither of them knew anyone else they would rather share it with. Joy and Ziggy will help each other phase into their new situation and also share all of their new experiences with each other.
"I know Zigs, but the prom will not be the same without you there. It will be fun going to the prom with you. Plus, Steff and I will hang out at the after-prom. I want you there."
"Joy, it is better for you to go with Steff, he is your man. Plus, you know that we will talk all about that prom many times. I love hearing all about the joys in your life. I want what is best for your relationship and our friendship. How can you think I could enjoy the prom if I am keeping you two lovebirds apart? A friend would put their friend's relationship over going to some dance."
"Fine, but I will make this up to you. I owe you big time. I am just saying you better be up early the next day for we are going out for breakfast so I can tell you all about the night. Cause you are still going to the after-prom weekend."
Ziggy was right, those two would end up talking about the prom many times. Just like they talked more about the Winter Formal than Joy did with Steff, and he was her date. Her boyfriend only went to the dance because he was obligated to take his girl. That night meant as much to him as a person's Facebook photo of their supper did to most of the people who viewed it on their page.
***********
Jordan Kerr hated being normal for the sake of normal. He believed that too many people were normal just to fit in with society. He thought that too many people just fit into the boxes society put them in to conform so they did not cause issues. Conforming held everyone back
from their true potential. This was from people wasting too much time and energy on fitting in instead of being the wonderful person they could be. Trying to fit in stopped people from showing kindness more often because it was out of the norm to do so. Jordan knew people were kind by nature and not expressing it hurt them from reaching their true potential.
Jordan loved people and that was why he was so against being normal to fit in. His goal in life was to make sure people found the confidence in who they were to shine like the starmen they were. He knew the world would be so much better if people just reach their true potential and helped others to do so. Jordan believed greatness was in everyone for we were all made of stardust. That people conforming held them back from shining.
Wanting to make the world a better place by bringing out the best in himself and others made Jordan fearless. Jordan's boldness made it so the boy has been wearing what he wanted to school since 6th grade. Sometimes that meant a skirt and blouse with makeup. His choice to express his feminine side when it suited him made some people call him a crossdresser and other people saw him as a transgender girl.
Jordan did not see himself as either because he was just dressing how he wanted to. Jordan also did not waste his time correcting or confirming their opinion on it. He knew some people had to put others in boxes so he let them. The boy who was beyond needing to label others just was himself and hope his brightness helped others to see the truth about him. That he was beyond those labels and boxes they used to sort out people.
Jordan's abandonment of social norms was the catalyst of why him and his boyfriend, Dave Penkula, broke up. Dave wanted Jordan to wear a tux to the prom. Them breaking up led to Jordan not having a prom date. Jordan was saddened not by losing a date, but that his man was not confident enough in himself to be with someone who he cared for. Now they both were going to miss out on a great night with their friends because Dave wanted Jordan to fit in the box others expected him to be in.
Jordan and Ziggy were lab partners in AP Physics. The Monday after they both lost their date to the prom they were talking at the beginning of class. Hearing the selfless act which Ziggy did was the inspiration for a great idea for Jordan, ask Ziggy to the prom. Ziggy doing the right thing made Jordan see that stardust shining from within his lab partner.
Going to the prom with his friend made sense to Jordan. Before Joy got back together with that boy, Steff, his lab partner was going with someone only as friends, so why not Jordan? They got along well and hung out once in a while outside of school. Jordan also knew that Ziggy wanted to go to the prom almost as bad as he did; Ziggy because he loved the music and the style of the ‘80s and Jordan wanted to go for he found the perfect prom dress for the ‘80s theme.
That prom dress was the reason Dave broke up with him. Dave loved Jordan but was not ready to handle his man being in a dress at such a formal event. Dave wanted to dance with his man in a great tux. Also, even though Dave's friends were supportive of him being gay he knew they could not handle being around Jordan when he was in a dress. He did not want to be an outcast from his social group at the biggest social event of his life. Dave just wanted to conform so there would be no issues between him and his friends.
"Hey Ziggy, why not go to the prom with me?"
This question led to a perfect example of how Newton's First Law of Motion could be applied to conversations. The outside force of what others would think made Ziggy unable to give an answer. He wanted to say no, but also did not want to hurt Jordan's feelings.
Jordan knew that Ziggy needed some prodding to get the affirmative answer the optimist expected. The man who was not going to take no for an answer forced the subject by saying, "Come on, it would be a good time. We both don't have a date and we both want to go."
Jordan giving those reasons why Ziggy should agree to go to the prom was a perfect example of how Newton's Second Law of Motion could be applied to conversations. Jordan's reasons forced Ziggy to give an answer. "Jordan, I do not like men like you do. I am flattered by the offer but have to say no."
Ziggy's response led to the perfect example of how Newton's Third Law of Motion could be applied to conversations. Ziggy thinking that Jordan liked him in a romantic way led to an equal and opposite reaction. "Oh Ziggy, it will not be a date. You are a nice good looking man, but I do not like you that way. It will be just like how you were going to take Joy. I have the perfect dress for the occasion and want to wear it. I just know we will have a great time. Come on you know you want to go. I hear you singing all those songs from the ‘80s to yourself when you are working out the equations during lab."
"Yeah, but we are both men."
"Who cares what others would think? We are out of here in a month. All it will be is two friends hanging out with couples. Plus, it was no big deal what others thought when it was Joy."
"I don't care what others think. It is just I never thought about taking a guy to the prom. With Joy, it was just taking a friend."
"It will still be just taking a friend to the prom if we; and others were talking about how you two were finally getting together."
"No they weren't. Were they?"
Ziggy did not pay attention to what others said. Most of his classmates knew any bit of gossip which went around the school. He swore that his high school would be full of Rhodes Scholars if they paid attention to the information taught in class like they did with rumors. He knew the world would be a better place if people did not pay so much attention to the innuendos which came from hearsay.
Ziggy did not like the idea that people thought that he was only friends with Joy because he wanted to get with her. He felt that it sullied their friendship. Ziggy was hurt by people thinking he had a hidden agenda when he was just himself around his best friend. Ziggy wanted people to see the truth in their friendship. It would show people the connection they had was special and more people should strive for that kind of friendship. One where the gender of the people did not matter.
"They were. Come on, would I lie to you?
“Anyways, it does not matter what they were saying. It did not change who you are or your friendship with Joy. Just like you taking me to the prom will not change who you are or our friendship. I just think we will have a good time and you get along with all my friends and I do with yours. I just think you, no both of us, deserve going to the prom. Are you going to miss out on a great night just because of people talking about things they do not know?"
"It will be great to escort you to the prom and hang out with our friends."
"The night will also be great because we will all shine like the stardust we are made of."
*********
It did not take long for the students of Mount Lebanon High School to know who was Jordan's new date for the prom. This was for the speed of a rumor spreading could be written as the scientific equation of S=J*P2, where J was the Juiciness of the information and P2 was the popularity of the people involved squared. In this case, popularity dealt with how well known the people were. Everyone knew Jordan for he was the boy who wore high heels.
How juicy Ziggy taking Jordan to the prom was, made the rumor move so fast it had a sonic boom. The news exploded on social media and was actually approaching the speed of light. If it made it across that threshold, social physicists speculated that the rumor would actually travel back in time and start spreading before Jordan and Ziggy made the date for the prom.
Joy was happy that Ziggy was taking Jordan to the prom. It made her feel less guilty about her best friend not being her date. Also, now he would be there to share that special night with her. Hearing who Ziggy's date was no big deal and she paid no attention to that fact. It would not matter if her best friend was gay or not. Also, Joy knew her friend was straight; she saw how her Zigs looked at girls, that man loved the fairer sex.
Joy knowing her Zigs so well was why she got mad at Beth Breznak for saying something which was not true. Beth was just joking around about how Ziggy had finally gave in to that he could not get a good woman, so he got the best imitation of one he could find.
The lady made that joke to get a laugh, but also to build up her ego. Beth's self-image took a major blow when Ziggy did not pay notice to her flirting with him. She was opening herself up to being in a relationship with him and it hurt she did not get the desired results. Beth actually did not like Ziggy, she liked how a boy wanting her temporarily made her feel good about herself.
Even with being the most beautiful girl in her class, Beth suffered from low self-esteem. The low self-esteem came from guys only being interested in her looks and, how Jordan would say, not the stardust inside the lady. It made her feel less of a person when none of the
boys ever gave her a compliment on her intellect or personality. The quick fix to feel better by having some guy chase her because of her looks only added to the long-term issue of being seen only by her cover. It reinforced that men only saw her as a piece of eye candy.
Beth was so much more than physical beauty. Like everyone, she was made of stardust. Beth really shined when she was behind the camera. That girl wanted to be a photographer, even if it meant just owning her own portrait studio. The lip service compliments Beth's suitors gave on her photography reinforced to her that people thought only her looks mattered. The girl had the ability to go beyond the superficial exterior of a moment and capture its true essence. That was where the real beauty of life resided. Her skills were evident in the pictures she took for the school paper and the everyday moments used in the yearbook.
Joy was not having someone joke about her Zigs behind his back without them getting retribution. Plus she wanted to make sure her friend knew that joke was out of bounds. The lady who was defending her friend’s honor said, "You know that if Ziggy asked you out, you would say yes quicker than your panties drop when a boy gets you in the bedroom."
"Oh fuck you!"
"Calm down, it was just a joke."
"There is nothing funny about a girl enjoying sex, you alluded that I was a slut as joke."
"There is nothing funny if Ziggy likes men. You alluded he was gay as a joke. They both didn't have dates and wanted to hang out with their classmates."
Beth quickly dropped the subject because she knew that Joy would not understand the difference between the jokes. Beth was wrong, Joy totally understood the difference. Beth's joke was at the expense of someone other than herself while Joy's was at Beth's expense. Making jokes at other people's expense was easy for people as they were not spending their social capital to get a laugh. Yet these same people never wanted others to make jokes about them.
************
Ziggy met up with Joy to have lunch and was so happy to tell her the news about having a date for the prom. He knew that him now going to the prom again, would make his bestie feel better about Steff being her date instead of himself. Plus that man with a huge sentimental heart would now be able to reminisce about that night with Joy.
"Hey Joy, we will be able to hang out at the prom after all!"
"I know! You are taking Jordan."
Joy did not ask her friend why he did not tell her earlier for this was his first chance. Ziggy was not the type of person who liked to share important things with others via social media. To him, telling people good news was so much better in person than via text or on the phone. Being face to face was more personal, plus he got to share in their happiness which came with the news.
Up until now, Ziggy was all calm when someone asked him who was he taking to the prom. Jordan's words of wisdom about them going to the prom together changed nothing about it, either of them rang true. Remembering that he was the same person made it easy for Ziggy to just laugh at someone if they said something smart about it.
This time was different, hearing Joy say she knew made him panic. Even with not ever seeing Joy in any other light than a dear friend, he did not want her to think anything was happening between him and Jordan. He knew the panic setting in was not because he thought being gay was wrong. He felt it would be wrong for Joy not to know the truth about him. Their friendship was too important to Ziggy to have anything not out in the open. "It is just two friends going to the prom, like me and you."
"I know Ziggy."
Joy and Ziggy were both happy when Vince and Jon came to the table. This conversation was starting to get a little awkward for both of them. The two friends who shared everything were not used to feeling a little uncomfortable around each other. Ziggy did not like how he was worried about what Joy thought. The best thing about being friends with Joy was Ziggy always felt free of judgment. Joy did not like that she was happy it was not a girl that Ziggy was taking. She took it as her thinking that none of the ladies which were available to be Ziggy's date were good enough for her friend.
As the two latecomers to lunch joined Joy and Ziggy, Vince opened his mouth and said, "Hey there Ziggy, heard about your hot date for the prom."
Jon joked right back at Vince. "You are just jealous that Ziggy's date is going to look better than yours."
Laughing Vince said, "True, but with a face like mine, I am lucky to get anyone to be seen in public with me.
"Seriously Ziggy, it is so cool that you will be at the prom. We are going to have a great time. Plus, the night is going to be livelier with Jordan and his crew around. They're legends."
Vince was right, Jordan and his friends were legends. People who accepted those people as just being who they were, always had a good time when they were around. This was because Jordan's circle of friends were positive people who provided encouragement for others to be their best. They never forced anything on anyone. The naysayers would say they laughed too loud, were freaks and geeks, and not in the cool crowd. Most of those naysayers were just jealous that that group was being who they were, instead of trying to fit in like the naysayers.
*************
Steff was driving his girl home along with Alan and Ian. He loved the news about Ziggy for it gave him more ammo to joke around about him. "Joy, babe, aren't you happy that Ziggy finally is comfortable being who he is? Now, you two can talk about men more. Maybe after the prom we can double date with that fabulous couple."
The backseat peanut gallery erupted in laughter. Joy did not like that Steff was acting like the old Steff. To her, it seemed like her boyfriend changed as much as the world did on New Year's Day. "Steff! Quit it."
Steff did not take Joy as being serious about quitting joking around about Ziggy. How could she want him to? This was too good not to get laughs about. Plus, girls like the bad boys and the next time Joy said quit it she will add in you are so bad.
"Sorry babe, I forgot how sensitive Ziggy is. I promise I will only compliment him in his taste of men."
"I told you to quit it. This is not funny at all. Instead of mocking Ziggy, you should be grateful that he backed out of taking me to the prom. He did that for us and this is how you are repaying him.
"Ziggy is also the reason we are back together. He always told me to go after my heart's desire and it desires you. Right now I am questioning why it does."
Steff did quit right then. The boy who got his girl back did not like that she brought up them breaking up. He had a chance to upgrade and it did not work out. What boy would not have done the same as him? There was no way Steff was going to let Joy dwell on them starting over once again. The last thing Steff wanted was to have Joy dwell on the negative aspects of their relationship.
The lady in the passenger seat was Steff's safety girl, the one he settled for when he did not get the girl of his choice. The man who thought he could do better knew as soon as she went to Villanova and he was at Pitt that he would break up with her. Steff already had it planned so they could hook up on school breaks. He would tell her they both needed to put their time and effort in school and the long-distance relationship was hurting her chance for success later in life. That he will always be there for her as friends and giving up what he wanted, being with her, was him putting her above himself.
*************
Ziggy had a huge disagreement with Mark Twain, Ziggy believed that golf enhanced a walk. According to Ziggy, one of the best things in life was being out on a sunny spring afternoon on a lush green fairway with the trees, and lakes. The scenery being as beautiful as an Ansel Adams picture and the simple object of hitting the ball with a club gave Ziggy peace. That was the main reason he was on the golf team, to enjoy a nice walk.
The inner balance which came from him being at practice got a disturbance from his teammate, Dave Penkula. Everyone felt a little on edge around him. Dave was devastated that he and Jordan broke up. He felt that Jordan chose a gown over their relationship. It was beyond Dave's comprehension how some fabric stitched together could be more important than the great relationship he had with his man.
The man, who was feeling like a writer without a pencil, felt an even greater devastation when he found out that one of his golfing buddies was taking Jordan to the prom. He had to spend time with the man who was helping Jordan live out one of his dreams. Dave should have been the one helping Jordan to make his dreams come true.
What made it worse was Ziggy was not interested in being with Jordan, yet was going to Prom with him. That his golf buddy did not care about being seen in public with a man in a gown, yet he who loved Jordan who like to wear a dress did. Ziggy being able to do what he could not, made Dave feel like maybe that fabric stitched together should be more important than him.
The least Dave could do for his ex was make sure that Ziggy treated him well. "Zigs, make sure that Jordan has a great time at the prom."
Ziggy said, "Dave, I will. You know that you can still take him. You should be the one making sure Jordan has a great time there.”
"I would but I want my man to be in a tux when we are at the prom."
"What is more important, the clothes or the person in them?"
"I could ask the same thing to my sweetie. I mean Jordan. He picked that gown over me."
"Yes, but it is what he wants to wear. He picks what he wears and you pick what you wear."
Ziggy pointing out that Jordan should be able to wear what he wants made Dave feel bad about how they broke up. Dave knew that Jordan should be able to wear what he wants and wished he could ignore it. The heartbroken boy knew that he was not letting the stardust inside of himself and Jordan shine. With knowing the right thing to do and not being able to do it, Dave quickly changed the subject to the next match. There was no way Dave wanted to keep on talking about the double bogey he committed in his personal life.
Ross Herweg was standing by the classroom door in his trademark pink and black. The senior who was waiting on a friend, Jordan Kerr, had always worn those two colors when he could. If those colors were good enough for the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be in wrestling then they had to be good enough for him. Those colors were great on him because they brought out his confidence. He was assured of himself since kindergarten to wear his favorite wrestler's colors that fact made his stardust shine from him. Most boys that age would stay away from pink because of the razzing from the other boys. Ross paid no mind to what those other boys said. He knew they were wrong about it not being manly. Bret Hart wore the pink and he was a man who backed up his words, stood up for what he believed in, and never backed down.
The man whose stardust shined by just wearing the colors he wanted, needed to know if one part of the word in the halls was true. He did not have to confirm whether Jordan and Ziggy were dating was false speculation. He knew Jordan's heart only belonged to Dave. Ross needed to know if those two were escorting each other to the prom. He wished it was true. Ross knew that soon his cast of friends will be going their separate ways and wanted everyone at the prom to make more memories to have about their time together.
Jordan's warm glow was all that Ross needed to see from his best friend to find out the information he wanted. The man who was going to get to wear his dream dress on the biggest night of the year was happy to confirm to Ross what was already known. Ross was happy to hear that, which also meant Jordan was not going to be able to go to Seth's after school; his friend was going to get pictures of him in the dress to help Ziggy pick out the right corsage. It was an excuse to wear that dress but Ross understood that Jordan needed to take any opportunity to wear it.
***********
Bill Kerr was waiting with his Canon camera for his eldest child to come down in his prom gown. Jordan wanted the pictures of him in the gown to show Ziggy. It would help coordinate their outfit, and also for his prom date to get the right corsage. There was no way it would be the perfect coordination like his ex's pastel yellow suit, but that was fitting. Dave and Jordan were a couple and they should complement each other perfectly while he and Zigs were just friends. Jordan did not know that Ziggy would be able to perfectly coordinate his suit with the dress, he owned the same suit as Jordan's ex did.
Bill could not be any prouder of Jordan, than he was today. His child's heart was broken by his boyfriend because of Jordan picking out the perfect gown. Still, Jordan was not backing down from wearing what he wanted and found a way to still go to the prom with a date. Bill was happy that Jordan did not let losing his man make him start to conform. Jordan was well on the march to be his own person.
Bill knew people had to be free to be who they were from his given name. It was Tecumseh. Bill was named after his father's favorite general. Naming their eldest son after their favorite general was a tradition in the Kerr family. It was a way to give them a role model to emulate when they take part in another tradition of that clan, joining the Army. Bill's father admired General’s Sherman determination, so his eldest was named Tecumseh.
Bill only followed his namesake by agreeing that "war is hell", give your all to attain your goal, and changing his name. Knowing the true horror and cost of war, Bill was the first of the eldest Kerr's boys in six generations not to join the military. Because of Bill forgoing the tradition, his father refused to help with any of the cost of his eldest son's higher education The man who was making his own future was able to obtain his degree from CMU in electrical engineering by working at the university full-time overnights. Bill wanted a clean break from the military traditions of his family so he legally changed his name to William. Picking William was a way to rebel against his father, Patton Kerr, wanting to uphold the ways of the family. Bill still had Sherman's name but on his own terms.
The man knew true happiness was by forging your own way in the world, was stunned by how beautiful his son looked in that prom gown. To Bill the job of the parent was to help their children become strong enough to be their authentic selves. Jordan's strides in that gown made the loving Father know that his eldest had the strength to match Hercules. Jordan had the strength to wear that gown liked he owned it, and Bill could not have asked for anything more from his son.
Seeing that smile on his father's face made Jordan become even more radiant in the pastel blue and yellow polka dot strapless midi gown. Those polka dots matched the yellow of the sun and Jordan found that fitting. The Sun is just the formal name of the closest star to the Earth and this dress helped bring out the stardust in Jordan to make him shine. Jordan loved how his gold heels, purse, faux golden pearls necklace, and bracelet accented the outfit.
After the mini photo shoot, Bill suggested to his son to put on a different dress and they would go out and have curry for dinner. It made total sense to Jordan's dad for many reasons. His wife, Yennifer, was working late tonight, so it was only them. The only thing in the fridge ready to cook was some hot dogs. His wife would love having some Aloo Chana Balti with rice and garlic naan waiting for her when she came home. It would be a waste on how great of a job Jordan did on his makeup to not go out. Plus, Bill did not want to cook or do dishes.
Jordan knew Ross, along with Seth and Kenny would love some curry, so he suggested to his dad that they pick them up. Bill thought that was a great idea. He knew that curry was always better when shared with a group and he enjoyed his son's friends company. They made him not feel so old and helped him stay connected to his convictions that people should be who they were.
***********
Ross was just in his basement chilling and watching Youtube with Seth Ambrose and Kenny Kowalski. They were in the mood to do something but could not come up with anything. The three friends were being particular today about the entertainment for the evening. They did not want to do anything just for the sake of doing something. In the words of Kenny, the idea would have to be bang-up to get them out of their hangout.
Ross' phone rang and it was Jordan with the bang-up idea they were looking for. He invited them for curry with his dad. They loved hanging out with Jordan's dad. He treated them like adults and made it so they believed that they could hold on to their convictions even when they were well into adulthood.
*************
Ziggy happened to be walking into school at the same time as Steff. Even with them sharing as much in common as an anvil and a parachute they both engaged the other in a conversation. Steff to score points with his girl Joy, he knew that he would need to build up as much goodwill with her so he could continue being his old self. Ziggy for he wanted to make sure that Steff felt welcomed by Joy's circle of friends.
As soon as the two who were having a forced conversation walked into the school's lobby they saw Jordan. Ziggy's date was wearing a pencil denim skirt and a white puff-sleeved blouse. Jordan planned on wearing skirts and dresses all week to totally embrace his feminine side. He wanted to be in touch with it at the prom so he got the most enjoyment out of having her in the foreground.
Steff and Zig could not help but notice Jordan. The man in the skirt was sparkling and the glow coming from him added to the shimmer of the silver which was weaved into vertical stripes down the blouse.
Steff was happy to see Jordan while with Ziggy. It would give him a chance to joke with Joy's best friend about his date. It had the added bonus of being able to make Ziggy look bad to Jordan. Steff was under the false impression the only reason Ziggy was taking that boy to the prom was to make others think he was a good person. Ziggy could not be as nice as he plays off in public.
It got better for Steff when Jordan’s smile got bigger seeing them and he started to walk towards them. Jordan wanted to share the picture of him in his prom dress with Ziggy. He wanted to explain why instead of going with the bow tie and cumberbund which came with the tux, he should use the one which Jordan bought for Dave's suit.
Steff waited until Jordan was in earshot to say there is your date to the prom and he looks so pretty today.
Those words fazed both Ziggy and Jordan as much as fans booing at home affected the visiting team. Ziggy and Jordan knew exactly what Steff was doing and were disappointed in Joy's man. Ziggy knew that there had to be something special about Steff because of Joy's feelings for him. He just wished that the boy would show it more often. Jordan wanted that stardust which Steff was made out of to start to shine.
Keeping the beat of the conversation better than Neil Peart, Zig said, "Yes, he does."
Hearing how Ziggy's positive affirmation of that little boy's joke made Jordan feel even better. That statement made Jordan dismiss his concerns that his date would need some time to relax for being with a man in a dress at the prom. Jordan did not want to subject Ziggy to another smart comment from the idiot Steff so he called off showing the picture right then. "Ziggy if you don't mind, at lunch I want to show you a picture of me in my gown."
Steff saw a chance of adding another rib to both of those two and took it quicker than a child ate a slice of birthday cake. "I would love to see it also."
Jordan knew that either way, he was going to have to hear more stupid comments coming from Steff and thought what better time than right now. It would be best to get it out of the way. "Jordan I will love to see it now."
The boy who loved his prom dress was more than happy to show it. He knew that Ziggy's confidence in who he was would act like armor against the arrows Steff was firing at him.
"I have the perfect tie and pocket handkerchief to go with my dress. They are blue with small yellow polka dots on them. I was going to give them to Dave. Too bad you cannot rent a yellow suit like Dave's. That would have gone so perfect with my dress."
Steff said, "Yeah, too bad Ziggy, you two would have looked like the perfect couple then."
Ziggy knew exactly what suit Dave was going to wear and owned the same one. "Steff, don't worry, Jordan and I will look like the perfect couple. I have the same yellow suit as Dave. The golf team all bought the same suit to wear when we traveled to the state championship match last year."
Ziggy continued talking while changing the directions of his comments to Jordan. "I would love to keep them, for they will go great with that suit, and also, it would be a little memento of our night at the prom."
Jordan said, "Of course you can keep them. It is sweet you want to remember the night, plus I have nothing which goes with that tie.
Also, I forgot you are on the team with my man. Sorry, I mean Dave. I love golf, but Dave just gets too competitive during those matches. That game is a great way to relax while having a walk in nature. It is so hard to play a round with him during the season because he is so worried about improving his game."
Ziggy understood why Dave could be a killjoy on the course. Dave got a full scholarship to Wake Forest to play on their golf team. Ziggy's teammate needed to make sure that he never lost the edge of being competitive. That edge rubbed off on the rest of the team and was how they made it to the state final. "Yeah, Dave can be pretty intense on the course. I also love just relaxing when playing a round, we should play a round Saturday morning at the after-prom. I will set up a 9:00 tee time."
Steff walked away from those two. It irked him that he did not get the reaction out of them which he wanted. Those two laughed because they were like rubber and Steff was like glue. His attempts to get under their skins bounced off of them and stuck to him. It might have been childish to get enjoyment to see him sulk away, but they did not care. Before they went to start their day Ziggy said he was happy he was escorting Jordan to the prom and they were going to have a great time. Jordan agreed.
************
That little conversation between Ziggy, Steff, and Jordan was too juicy for their fellow classmates around them to ignore what was said, even if they wanted to. How succulent that little conversation was made it too tantalizing not to share. They might have witnessed the start of a new romance and also a reveal about Ziggy. People loved sharing good news. If two people finding love while going to the prom was not good news, then nothing was. Right up there with sharing good news was people letting others in on revelations. If Ziggy being gay was not surprising, then nothing was. Many people thought he was in love with his best friend, Joy.
The gossip made it to Joy before her first class started. The rumors of Ziggy and Jordan flirting and how Steff tried to make light of how they felt wer even juicier than yesterday's big story of the prom date. That meant it traveled even faster.
Joy was not happy hearing the hearsay. First Ziggy was not gay, he could not be. There would be nothing wrong with her best friend wanting to be with a man, but it just did not feel right. She would have known before others. People saying what was untrue about Ziggy made the girl wished more people would just mind their own business.
Joy also was not happy about hearing that Steff was up to his old tricks. Why did that boy of hers need to always be joking around? He should be more encouraging to other people instead of trying to get a laugh by making people uncomfortable with who they are. It was like Steff needed to ridicule what was different so he felt good about his decisions.
Lastly, Joy was hurt about the round of golf those two were going to play. It was on Saturday and she planned on spending the entire morning being with Zigs. She knew her best friend good enough to know that he made sure that they would still have breakfast together. Joy just wanted it not to feel rushed and Zigs having plans right after it would make her feel like they would be hurried.
The first person who found out about Joy's displeasure was Beth. Beth could not help herself and joked about being right about Ziggy's sexuality yesterday. To Beth, it was just a harmless joke. To joy, it was anything but harmless. Joy took it as Beth believing the gossip for it helped make her narrative about Ziggy true. Joy saw the truth was Beth was covering up that she would much rather be her at the prom with Ziggy than her date Ian Cornell.
"You know that Zigs is not gay. You just hate the fact that he never flirted back with you when you liked him."
Beth was pissed that her friend went for the same put-down in response of her going for the same joke about Ziggy. In Beth's eyes, her friend needed new material. The lady who did not like being reminded of the past told herself it was the lameness of the joke which got to her.
Beth liking Ziggy was true, last year, but that was distant history for the high school senior. A year in the social life of a high school student equaled a decade of normal time. Yeah, she still might like to flirt with Ziggy and would go out with him, but Beth convinced herself that crush, which was now small, was a thing of the past.
"Lighten up you need to quit being so serious. I know he is not gay, it was a joke. I swear I can't even talk with you anymore."
"Good, then don't."
"There you go taking things too serious again."
"There you go giving out what you can't take again."
The next person who got a taste of Joy's displeasure was Steff. Joy did not waste any time by saying hi to give her boy that bitter taste he deserved, "I thought I told you to quit it."
The confused boy said, "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I am talking about. You joking about Ziggy and Jordan. I told you that was not funny and you should be acting more grateful towards my Zigs."
Hearing that, gave Steff a way to show his anger. The boy who wanted to be seen in the best light possible would talk about Ziggy going behind his back. Steff knew that Joy hated people doing that.
Steff did not want to get into a fight with Joy. He was trying to be cool about Joy being annoyed with his actions. He only needed to put up with her for a couple of more months. He could take her nagging for that long if it meant he had a sure thing in the bedroom.
"Tell, Ziggy if he has a problem with me to bring it up with me instead of you. He needs to man up."
"Zigs said nothing to me. It is all around the school for people heard it. You don't know him and he is nothing like you."
"That is a good thing for we would not have got back together if I was like him."
"I agree. We would have never broken up. Our relationship would not be on-again, off-again, so much if you were dependable like him. Zigs says that you just need to mature some and will be an even greater guy for me to be with than you are now."
"He doesn't know me and I'm already a great guy for you."
"Yeah he doesn't, he would not always stick up for you if he knew how you talked bad about him."
Steff knew he was going to have to bite the bullet and start to make up right then. If they fought this close to prom there was a chance Joy would not be in the mood for his after-prom plans. "Sorry babe. I love you and I just get upset when you are upset. I know Ziggy did not mean anything by saying I need to change. He just doesn't understand how passionate our relationship is and that leads to fights. We are still learning how to deal with two strong people being together."
Steff waited to find out if the insincere words sounded sincerely enough to his audience of one. He knew they should be for he said what Joy wanted to hear with conviction. When Joy's face started to shine like new porcelain, Steff knew she bought his words. Even with this being planned as time together, Steff wanted out of there as quickly as possible. If he left there would be no chance his true feelings about their fight would betray his acting. "Babe, I need to get going and talk to Ms Foreman before class, love you."
Joy did feel better after hearing what Steff said, but she wanted their little fights to stop. Steff might have changed but the bickering did not. The bickering always came back. For some reason, it seemed to have come back earlier. Joy did not know it but the reason was for both of them were just going through the motions of being in a relationship.
This time when they got back together there was no honeymoon period. The reunited couple would always start the relationship all lovey-dovey at first. Then little things about him started to annoy her and she knew little things about herself would start to annoy him. Joy knew she had to work on getting better about the little things she did and not letting his little things get to her. In truth, Joy should have only been working on the latter, and Steff should also just let the little things not get to him.
Steff bailing on Joy did not matter, she could just go see Ziggy now. They would talk and make more plans to hang out at the after-prom weekend. She knew that Steff would not want to do anything until Saturday evening, he was never much of a day person. Joy liked hanging out and chilling in the afternoon most of the time, but Joy was not going to do that when everyone in their class was at Seven Springs Resort. There was just so much to do and too many people to see. Steff hanging out in the room without her would be fine to Joy, a couple did not need to be connected at the hip in her eyes.
Seeing her best friend, made Joy's displeasure about her boyfriend quickly go away. How hers Zig's eyes brighten up seeing her just made her feel so good about herself. What made her feel even better was Zigs greeted her with a hug. She did not have to say she needed one, he could just tell. Joy was waiting for the day when Steff knew her so well that he would do the same.
During the conversation, Joy brought up that they could go horseback riding on Saturday afternoon. She could tell that suggestion made her BFF feel bad. Maybe he was allergic to horses. Then she found out why when she asked him what was up.
"Joy I already made plans with Vince, Jon, their dates along with Jordan's friends to go to the waterpark. I was waiting until I saw you with your man to invite you two along. It will be great. I thought that you would be spending the afternoon with Steff. It is prom weekend I should not be the one monopolizing your time. It is a time for you two to make memories to share for the rest of your lives together."
"Oh. you know Steff, he is not big in doing things in the afternoon, especially after a night out."
"Then you two should spend a lazy day together, soaking up being back together. But if you like I will go horseback riding with you."
"No Zigs, you are right. I should be with my boy. You and I will have our breakfast together to share."
"And also a walk before it. Instead of waiting for the shuttle bus to the main resort building, we can walk this nice little trail up to the restaurant. That trail comes out of the woods right at the patio where they serve breakfast. It will be great, us two soaking up the bright morning sun while having breakfast al fresco."
Joy could not shake the feeling that even with Zigs being right, he was wrong. They needed to have more than just the breakfast together as their memory of prom weekend. She had Steff and thought that was going to be forever, but Zigs would become less and less a main part of her life. They had four more years of being a daily occurrence in each other’s life at Villanova, but after that, they will go their separate ways.
It gave the lady, who was mourning a future loss, comfort to know Zigs planned to make going to that breakfast special. That little hike in the woods would give her another mental souvenir of their friendship. It would be placed alongside all the other great memories Joy had made with her Zigs in her mental curio cabinet.
Dave Penkula was feeling as good as a person with their first hangover. Jordan's ex was also like a person who had way too many the night before because he was the only one to blame for how he felt. Even with protesting about how Jordan should be wearing a tux to the prom, Dave knew it was his fault they were not going together. Worse, they broke up because he was too bullheaded to give in.
Dave never even imagined that Jordan would find a date with another man at this close to the prom. Without a date, he thought that by prom night Jordan would give in and wear a tux. Dave would have said the reality of Ziggy and Jordan going to the prom was impossible. There were not that many high school students who were confident enough in their sexuality to come out as gay. Then the few men who were would want their men to be in a tux when dressed for a night out. A sharp-dressed man holding in while they dance was his dream prom date. That sharp-dressed man should be Jordan.
What made the situation worse for the lovelorn man was that he liked when Jordan would wear dresses and skirts. Jordan had long slender legs and a short skirt really showed them off and Dave was a legs man. To him, nothing beats a sexy pair of legs. He also liked how confident Jordan was about wearing what he wanted to wear. Seeing someone being who they were, not only gave Dave the confidence to be who he was, to let others know he was gay, and also to ask Jordan out. Dave doing both at the same time was one of his favorite memories. Those events also changed his life.
It was four years ago, their freshman year on the Friday of the first home football game for Mt Lebanon. That meant it was School Spirit day. The school was a sea of blue and gold. All the football players were wearing their jerseys, the cheerleaders and band were in their uniforms and the majorettes were in their sweatsuits. Most of the student body was also in blue and gold. To Dave, the best outfit was Jordan's. He was wearing a gold blouse with a blue skirt. All Dave could think of was those legs.
Even with Dave being as generic as a hamburger from a fast-food restaurant, he knew he had to ask Jordan to the game. The only reason Dave was bland was because he felt like he had to hide himself so others would not figure out he was gay. Just saying he was gay would not add any flavor to Dave. That statement without action would have felt like a feeble attempt for attention, plus just declaring something was not his real style. The real style Dave envisioned himself having was going for the brass ring and right then Jordan, his dream boy, was that brass ring.
Dave walked up to Jordan full of confidence. Even with being sure he was going to be rejected, as his classmates were that they were going to win tonight, the boy who wanted to be the best version of himself had no fear. He knew each step was bringing him closer to being who he actually was. Plus, Jordan was a friend so he would let Dave down as gently as possible.
How could Jordan say yes, the only thing Dave had going for him right then was he had the potential to be a great man. Reaching for that potential, made Dave start to glow to Jordan. Reaching for their true potential was the one quality which Jordan was looking for in a boyfriend, so little did Dave know the answer was going to be yes.
The boy in a cute outfit knew what he saw as Dave was approaching him, a person who knew they were reaching for their true potential and letting the stardust inside shine. Seeing someone start their journey to be the best they could be put a smile on Jordan's face. That someone being a smart and charming friend made the smile even bigger than normal.
Dave said, "Jordan, I would love to go to the game tonight with you."
Jordan's intuition told him that Dave was the boy for him. That they would help each other grow into the best men they could be. He quickly said yes and twisted his wrist to offer Dave his hand to hold. Dave took Jordan's hand and felt at home.
The man who evicted himself from his own home saw Steff in the halls. Dave might not have the official title of Jordan's boyfriend, but that technicality was not going to stop him from acting like he still was. Dave was going to make sure Steff learned better manners.
"Hey, watch what you are saying about Jordan."
"I only gave a compliment. I said he was pretty."
"Oh shut up and listen to me. I know you look down at him for being who he is. Your cute comments to your friends have a way to get around the school. Other people, like me, overheard them. You were too far away from me to say anything right then, but I will now. I might not be with him right now, but I do not like anyone talking down about him or anyone else just for being themselves."
Steff did not like anyone telling him what to do and knew the perfect way to get back at the man who was telling him to mind his manners. "Ahh, it is cute that you still love your ex. Too bad you will have to wait for the perfect gentleman, Ziggy to mess up. Jordan is going golfing with him on Saturday."
************
Jordan was wearing skin-tight black capri pants with a bright pink t-shirt, flats, and a smile when he walked into physics. The smile came from feeling good about embracing his feminine side and Ross's quip that he could rock that outfit better than Jordan. His best friend's statement was the same pithy remark as always when Jordan wore something feminine and in Ross's colors. The good feeling came from Jordan knowing that the joke had some truth in it. Ross would own wearing that outfit because of his colors and not care what anyone said.
Jordan was feeling good when he walked into physics. His mood got better seeing the guy who was his prom date. He took his seat next to Ziggy and a hint of vanilla and cinnamon came along with him. As his prom date took his seat, Ziggy started to think of Joy. Unconsciously noticing that scent was what brought thoughts of his best friend to Zigs. Thinking of his best friend always made Ziggy's mood better and he wanted to share the happiness with others. The man, who wanted to have others feel like him, could tell that Jordan was pleased with how he looked and said, "You look great today."
Jordan turned redder than the stripes on the American flag from the compliment. He was not used to men, other than his ex, ever saying anything positive about his looks when dressed femininely. Those kind words made Jordan know that his date was going to be a gentleman at the prom and treat him like a lady. Ziggy was going to make sure that Jordan felt as beautiful as he looked.
Jordan said, "Thank you. It is easy to look good when one feels good. It adds to my confidence when wearing Heartbeat. I just love how that smells on me."
Excitingly Ziggy said, "That is by XOXO, I love that smell! I bought that perfume for Joy two Christmases ago."
As he extended his slender arm Jordan jokingly asked Ziggy if he wanted to get a better smell as he offered Ziggy a sniff. Ziggy was feeling playful and went along and sniffed. He then said, "That scent does work on you well."
Jordan continued the banter by saying, "I would say, if I didn't know better I would say you were flirting with me Mr Van Diemen."
Ziggy kept it up by saying, "Who’s to say that I am not, Mr Kerr?"
Even with the class being physics, those two had chemistry. Their friendship was growing and both of them were going to be so much more comfortable at the prom with each other. The two men who were going to the prom together knew it was harmless flirting. Jordan might not be with Dave but his heart still belonged to his ex and Ziggy did not feel anything sexual towards Jordan.
Even with the little exchange between those two being playful, the eavesdroppers did not take it that way. Seeing the joking around as what it really was, would not be as juicy as it would be for those two starting the courtship ritual. The interaction the eavesdroppers just witnessed being the prologue of a romance, would be something to talk about. Them wanting to hear their own voice made it clear that those two were flirting. Soon the rest of the school would know.
************
Rumors were like sleds, they made tracks. These tracks made the circulation of other related rumors faster. The good news of a new couple in love was all around the school by the end of the next period.
So The Jordan and Ziggy Were a Couple Express rolled down the tracks and made three stops at Beth Station by the start of the next period. That revelation made Joy taking offense and getting defensive about Beth joking around yesterday to now make sense. Ziggy's sexual preference must be a secret they shared and Joy did not want it to get out before her friend was ready for people to know. Protecting each other was what friends did.
Ziggy liking men also made Beth understand why he and Joy never were a couple. Those two were so close and meshed together well. The reason was there was no chance of sexual tension between them. Unreciprocated sexual tension was the biggest cause for the platonic relationship between the sexes to end during high school. It was hard to maintain a level of closeness when one person wanted the relationship to be more than the other. It becomes easier when people become more mature.
Beth was happy for Ziggy was now showing his true self and not hiding it anymore. A person was not able to reach their full potential if they were holding back part of who they were to others. For the world to be the best everyone in it has to be at their best also.
The lady who now felt closer to Ziggy knew she had to apologize to Joy as soon as possible. Not listening to her friend when she told her to stop was wrong. That communication breakdown caused a rift between them and it needed to be repaired.
************
Jordan saw Dave sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria facing the wall. The senior entering the lunchroom did not like seeing this sight one bit. Professional wrestling was as real as Jordan's ex sitting alone was normal. Jordan went to join him to see what was wrong. They might not be a couple anymore, but Jordan was hoping that one day soon they would get back together. Jordan knew it was bad when the sad man's answer to do you mind if I join you was "Nope, go ahead."
That answer was dull. Jordan could not see any of the stardust inside Dave shining, so he went straight to the point of asking what was wrong. Dave said, "Nothing."
Dave's answer was a lie. Dave did not want to bother anyone with his issue, let alone the man who he thought moved on from him so soon. To Dave, there should have been more time before he heard about Jordan being with another man. To top it off, it was Ziggy. Those two being a couple made no sense. Ziggy never showed any interest in men before. Preferences do not change overnight. Jordan might have been in a very feminine phase of his gender fluidity, but that did not change the fact that Jordan was all man.
Jordan did not like how that man sitting across from him reverted back to how he was before they got together. "Sweetie, we were together for almost 4 years, so don't say, nothing. We might not be a couple right now, but I know you. I love and care for you and I want to know what is bothering you."
"Love and care for me enough to be going to the prom with another man."
"You are the one who called off going to the prom. I always dreamt of wearing a nice gown to the prom. You know I have always been the woman of our relationship."
"That doesn't mean you need to dress like one on our big night out."
"I can dress how I want."
Hearing those words reminded Dave about the conversation he had with Ziggy. Ziggy was able to handle Jordan being in a dress at the prom, so Ziggy was the better man for the man who owned Dave's heart. "Sorry, I know. I am just hurt that you and Ziggy are already together."
Jordan held in his laughter. That statement was daft, but treated it seriously. Jordan knew that Dave believed what he said. "I am not with Ziggy, we are just going as friends. What makes you think we are?"
"J, please don't try to protect me. I heard about you two in physics class."
"Sweetie, Ziggy and I, were just joking around. I am not ready to be with anyone else other than you. Also even if I was, Ziggy wants a girl who has more up here and less down there."
The man who was trying to comfort Dave pointed first at his chest and then at his groin when saying the last part. Dave smiled at the joke and said. "Sorry, it should be me taking you to the prom. Let's get back together. I messed up. Let me take you to the prom."
"Let's get back together, but I cannot let you take me to the prom. There is only three days until the prom and it would not be fair to Ziggy for me to back out."
"He would understand, he did the same for Joy."
"The only reason he did it for Joy was because he knew Steff could not handle his woman being with another man at the prom. Even with it being just two friends together, that little boy of hers would be too jealous."
"I will be jealous if another man took you to the prom."
"If you will be too jealous of me being with a friend then we should not get back together. Unlike Joy, I do not deal well with little boys."
***********
As Steff was walking towards Joy to join his girl on their way out for lunch, the boy thought about how he always joked to himself that Ziggy was gay. He now knew why he laughed when doing so. The best jokes were always based at least a little in the truth, and Ziggy was into men. The boy was amazed that he had not figured out that fact earlier. First, what real man would be like Ziggy? Also, he turned down Beth’s advances. What red-blooded man could? Her looks were like a hard fall, breathtaking. Plus, Beth had a great personality and was talented with her camera. Lastly, Ziggy being gay explained why he was such close friends with Joy. In Steff's world boys and girls could not be friends with each other.
Steff and Joy started to talk about the day as they were leaving lunch. That daily walk to their next classes was a couple of shared moments the couple had. The stroll was used to keep updated about the happenings in each others' life and around the school. Those two did not spend lunch together while eating because Steff felt that Joy hampered him and his boys from being boys. Steff and his friends could not have locker room talk with her around.
Steff broached the subject of Ziggy and Jordan. He knew that was on her mind. The man, who wanted to be on Joy's good side, made sure to be serious about what he found funny - Ziggy being a pecker puffer. There were only three days to the prom and Steff did not want to lessen his chances to get some.
The real reason Steff found Ziggy being gay as funny was he was scared of how close that boy was with Joy. Steff was now relieved from the fear of losing Joy to Ziggy. If pressed he would realize that fact.
The boy, who was insecure about his relationship, knew that Joy would never cheat on him, or that Ziggy was not the type of man who would be with another man's girl; still, he did not like it. If Ziggy ever declared his love for Joy, Steff's subconscious knew that she would drop him in a heartbeat. Steff was Joy's fallback boy. The worst part was he had to be friendly with the guy who could take his place at any moment. This tension led to him never getting as attached to Joy as he should have or wanted to.
His harmless comment elicited exactly what he did not want, Joy's wrath. Hearing that rumor being spoken so matter of factly by her boy evoked fear in Joy's soul. For some reason, Ziggy being gay made Joy scared that she would not be as close to him as she wanted to. For some reason, Ziggy being gay made it so they did not work out as well together as before. Now, they were more of a substitute for each other instead of a complement.
Ziggy wanting men also ruined how Joy pictured the future; her and her husband and Ziggy and his wife being close friends. She pictured going out for Sunday brunch, her and Ziggy sitting next to each other and the faceless man and woman across the table from them. Then after brunch, her and her Zigs would spend some alone time together to keep their friendship close, while the other two would do whatever.
Joy told her man to never repeat that lie again. Steff used the logic that everyone was saying it, so it must be true. That flawed argument did wear down some of Joy's resolved to not believe the hype. Coming closer to terms with the future of not having as much of Ziggy in it as she wanted, made Joy lash out even more. She did not want to face that truth. She left their time together abruptly and told Steff she was taking the bus home.
The boy who was blindsided was truly apologetic. The majority of the feeling of repentance came from him wanting for Joy to be in the best mood possible for the prom. A minority of it was from him not liking to see his fallback girl upset. She might only fit in his short-term plan, but Steff cared about her as a person. He saw her as a great person, just not the one.
A couple of periods later Steff was blindsided once again by Joy. This time the unsuspected action came via an apologetic text from Joy. It also asked him to get a hall pass.
Joy came to the acceptance of her Zigs being gay when she talked to Beth. Beth was serious about knowing she crossed the line with the joking earlier this week. Then Joy's friend stayed calm while facing the storm of Joy's anger about the subject. Instead of trying to defend her statement about Ziggy being gay, Beth was there for a friend who felt hurt by the truth. Beth knew that the anger was from how Joy found out about her best friend's secret. It had to hurt that Ziggy did not open up to Joy. Joy found it impossible to refute Beth's logic about Ziggy being gay. No single man could resist the temptation to at least flirt back with Beth, yet so many times, Ziggy did.
The feeling of loss of her future with Ziggy made Joy looked past how untrue Beth's statement was. It was true no single boy could resist taking the chance to get with that stunning beauty named Beth. Hell, the only reason most boys in a relationship could, was that they were scared of losing what they already had. A bird in hand was better than a better bird in the bush.
The flaw in Beth's logic was Ziggy was not a boy, but a man. He never played back with the flirting for he saw that story play out multiple times with Beth. Beth's interest in the supporting character in this tale was feigned. The protagonist would always lead a boy on to get him interested enough to chase her. Then the climax where the poor boy who finally want to go from flirting and dating to going steady always had the same outcome, Beth saying no. The girl, who enjoyed being chased but not getting caught, always used the same reason why she did not want to get more serious; the so-called object of her desires was only after her because of her looks.
Ziggy felt bad for Beth telling and retelling this tragedy over and over again. It was like her dating life was on an endless repeat cycle. He knew the drama was from Beth not feeling good about herself. That she used others wanting her to temporarily boost her self-worth. Ziggy would have been open to her flirting if Beth saw herself how any true man did. She was a total package, her outer beauty was insignificant to the inner beauty trapped inside her. Once she let that stardust she was made out of shine, it would be hard for anyone not to be blinded by what was genuinely the most beautiful part of Beth, her true potential as a person.
************
Ross had second lunch so he did not get to sit with Jordan. Instead, he sat with Ben Scorvanko and his crew. The only reason he sat with them, was that they knew each other since before kindergarten from being from the same neighborhood in Mount Lebo. To Ross it was no big deal that he was not with his crew, they spent time together before and after school. Plus one does not grow as a person when surrounded by the same people all the time.
Ross and his friends never had lunch together when in high school. Everyone who hung out in Ross's basement after school joked that they got broken up into the three different lunches because Principal Patterson would not take the chance of having too much awesomeness in a confined space.
Ben was a typical high school senior, he did not think before he opened his big mouth. He made a comment about Jordan being a little slutty by getting with Ziggy so quickly after breaking up with Dave. Ben meant no harm with what he said, but it caused harm to his weak bond of friendship with Ross.
Ross had two big issues with that off the cuff comment. One, he knew that Ziggy and Jordan were not a couple, Jordan was still in love with Dave. The other big issue was that Ben was holding Jordan up to a higher standard than he held himself or other males. Just this past fall Ben was with his new girl, Helen Rogan, right after dumping Becki Klink. It irked Ross that Ben was holding females up to a different standard than males. Ross' best friend was male, but he knew that the troglodyte sitting across from him was treating Jordan like a female.
Ross being mostly a typical high school senior, had to defend his friend. "Ben, that is such a profound and true assessment of Jordan. How did you become so wise and able to read people so well?"
Ben looked as confused as an American trying to use the metric system. Then Ross converted his statement to imperial so that his dumbfounded lunch companion could understand. "Oh, I thought we were making statements which were demonstrably false.
"You have no right to say that about Jordan. Jordan and Ziggy are only going to the prom as friends. Even if they weren't, you got with Helen the night you broke up with Becki. Was that slutty of you?"
"Calm down, I meant nothing by that."
"If you meant nothing then say nothing."
*************
Joy was not the only one who was having a bad day from that rumor about Ziggy and Jordan. The man, who was going to be pretty at the prom, along with his date were also. People thinking that they were a couple did not bother Jordan. People passing bad judgment on him and Dave not knowing the truth until Jordan told him, did.
The whispers that Jordan was a slut and that he never loved Dave did start to get to him even more. He loved embracing his feminine side, but thought it was so unfair that if he did not wear a dress no one would say anything about him having a new prom date. If Jordan acted more like a man, he knew that the people would be saying that he was just getting back on the horse. Some of the same people who Jordan defended about their sexual activity were joining in calling him a slut behind his back.
The hurtful words were not the reason for Jordan's pain. Also, how those words affected Dave was a reason for the pain. The pain came from the hallways of the school not shining as much as it used to. The stardust, which was in his fellow classmates, was dulled by them not reaching for their true potential. The world would not keep on becoming a better place if these people were not reaching to be their best. Even with Dave knowing the truth, Jordan was concerned that those negative words about their time at each others' side would hamper his ex's journey to letting himself fully shine.
Jordan was also concerned that those words would destroy any chance they had of getting back together after the prom. Jordan loved Dave and so wanted to get back with him and could have at lunch, but did not. If Jordan and Dave were meant to be together then Dave would understand that Jordan needed to keep his word to Ziggy. He was not going to back out of going to the prom with Ziggy. Dave should know that Ziggy took a huge chance by saying yes and Jordan's date for the night reward should not be getting dropped when a better option came along.
************
The smell of the renewal of nature was in the air as Joy and Ziggy walked home together after being dropped off by the bus. It was fitting to Joy that the season of rebirth was when also her friendship with her Zigs changed for the better. She was a little hurt that he did not tell her about who he really was, but understood. Past experiences told her that sometimes the best words to use to state something important were actions. Words took people believing what was said, where actions made what needed to be believed seen. It was hard for people to not believe what they have seen. This news was something that needed to be seen. Joy knew that if her Zigs said he was gay, she would have laughed it off as a joke.
Even with wanting to start exploring the changes in their friendship, Joy was going to wait until they got to her house to do so. Ziggy's closest friend was going to do what she always did when she wanted to talk, invite him in for a drink. The lady who was ready to be there for her friend who was always there for her knew it was still a touchy subject for Ziggy so they should wait until they were in her room to talk. Also, she wanted to get to the juicy parts of liking men with her Zigs. She wanted to hear about anything he did with another man. They could exchange pointers about how to please men and also share how they liked to be pleased by men. This talk was going to make them even closer. Sharing something as personal as what you like while being intimate strengthened the bonds of friendship.
Ziggy also wanted to talk but for another reason. Unlike Joy's reason not being true, Joy's closest friend was. Ziggy was concerned about her taking the bus home today. He saw how upset Joy was after talking with Steff and wanted to make sure she was alright.
Joy's best friend felt guilty that he already got another date for the prom. Joy having to go stag and him having a date was not right. First, it was easier for a man to go to a prom solo. Ziggy was kicking himself for saying yes to Jordan. Also, Ziggy knew that having a great man at her side was a huge part of Joy's dream night at the prom. Wanting an escort was not because Joy needed a man to enjoy life, the reason was for she wanted the prom to be her first real night out with a man. The night would be a truly memorable evening if it was filled with romance, dancing, and great company. Ziggy knew he could provide two of them, and everyone knows that two out of three ain't bad.
Ziggy asked Joy if he could have something to drink right before she was going to offer him one. That question meant that he wanted to talk to her about something, and Joy believed she knew what that something was. Her Zigs was finally going to open up to her about his sexual orientation. This was more than just being there for a friend, it was an honor. Joy swelled with pride when she said yes.
As they went into the Eno's residents, Ziggy quickly said hi to Mrs Eno. She returned the greeting and went back to reading her book. Ziggy was the only boy who was allowed in Joy's room. This was due to the trust Mr and Mrs Eno had in Joy's best friend. The trust came from him being there for Joy and also for them. That young man was always helpful and offered to lend a hand to Mr Eno when he needed help in moving some furniture from his parents' home.
Mr Eno brought it up in conversation at a 4th of July picnic while talking with Steff and Zigs. The topic was just part of the small talk, Joy's dad could never find a topic to talk with Steff. That boy had some annoyingly ill-informed opinions about the world. Both Steff and Ziggy thought it was Mr Eno indirectly asking for help. Their responses to someone needing help showed their true characters. Steff came up with a vague excuse of already having plans for that day and Ziggy jumped at the chance. Mr Eno knew that Steff's plans were the same as Ziggy's, nothing. Right then the man asked himself why doesn't his daughter like Ziggy instead of Steff.
Joy joined her Zigs with two bottles of Snapple and gave him one. They both placed the bottles down for the drink was only a pretense to talk. As always the person who asked about having a drink started the conversation. "So is everything alright with you and Steff?"
The protocol of them talking was always the person who needed to, would bring up the topic right away. Them being able to be so forthright was from their close friendship. Joy did not like that Ziggy was not comfortable in following the status quo. "Yes, everything is fine. Why do you ask?"
"I saw you storm off after talking with him and then you taking the bus home. I am just concerned that you two did not have another big fight so close to the prom."
Ziggy caring about her relationship status warmed Joy's heart. Even with her friend about to share a huge part of himself with her, her Zigs was looking out for her well-being first. Being there for the other was what their friendship was about. Neither were looking for what they could get out of the friendship, but how to be there to help the other be the best they could be.
Joy hugged her Zigs. Joy thought that there were many great things about her boy, but Steff could not make her feel so safe and warm with his hugs as her Zigs did. No one else could make her feel that way, only her Zigs. The hugs feeling so good and different from anyone one else's now made sense. It was from her Zigs being gay. The feelings in the hugs were solely from friendship. The hug was pure caring incarnate.
Joy said, "Thanks for caring. Steff and I cleared that up. I took the bus home because I also wanted to talk with you.
"Tell the truth I thought you were going to bring up what I wanted to talk to you about. I am so happy for you and Jordan."
Hearing that Joy believed the hype behind that rumor, really hurt Ziggy. Other people coming to the same false conclusion did not bother him. In fact, Ziggy was making sure he did not correct anyone. Correcting someone made him feel like he was saying there was something wrong with being gay. If anyone would have asked, he would have told them the truth. Sadly, no one did. The juiciness of what they heard overrode them needing confirmation about if what was said was true. His fellow students took the non-denial as Ziggy giving confirmation to the rumor.
Joy thinking Ziggy was gay felt as wrong to him as having his shoes on his wrong feet. This rumor needed to be known as false right away to Joy. It would lead to them not being as close for one of the friends would see the other as who they were not. Knowing the other was what made their friendship so strong. Honest representation of oneself to the other was what kept it so those two knew each other so well.
"We are not a couple."
"OK, not yet; but having your first date at the prom is such a good start. Jordan is going to be so lucky that you like him. You will help him forget about Dave."
"Joy, I am not gay."
"Zigs, gay or bi it is fine. You know that I love you no matter what."
"I do know it is fine and you would love me if I was; but I am not gay."
"Come on the entire school knows that you are. If you were not ready to be out in the open you should not have asked Jordan to the prom. Also flirting with him in class today does not help in keeping it private.
“I understand you coming out to Jordan first, but I thought after people were talking about it you would open up to me."
"If I was gay, I would have told you already. I do not keep anything from you. I can't. You know that J.”
"I do not understand why you are taking their words over mine about who I am. Jordan and I were just joking around in class, it was not serious. I thought that you would always believe me when I told you something."
"Oh, I do. It is just, admitting being gay is hard and you are just not ready to say those words."
Ziggy got up and started to leave. Joy was hurt that she felt that her Zigs was cutting her off from part of his life. This would start them to drift apart. In truth, she was cutting Ziggy out of her life and making them drift apart by listening to everyone else other than him. True closeness between people depended on trust between them. Joy not believing her best friend was what started to form a divide between them.
Joy's pain came out in her words. "So you are just going to leave instead of talking about it."
Ziggy's voice also shared his pain when he said, "If you would listen to me you would know that there is nothing to talk about."
Chapter 4
On Thursday morning the school's lobby was more crowded and louder than normal. It was the day before the prom and everyone wanted to tell anyone else who would listen about their plans. The lobby was filled with the energy of the promise of tomorrow being the time of their lives. None of Joy's classmates were hoping tomorrow night was going to be more than expected; they all believed that they knew the prom would exceed expectations. The prom was going to be magical, how could it not? Tomorrow night was going to be filled with good times amongst close friends to form memories that they felt would last a lifetime.
The only person who was immune to the effects of the upcoming night of ecstasy was Joy. Joy arrived early to school, got a ride in from her father, for the same reason the energy was filling the air, to talk about the prom. Unlike the rest of the teenagers surrounding her, Joy wanted a specific audience, Ziggy. She wanted to do the discussion about the prom at school instead of the bus on the way there to give herself time to come up with the right words. Instead of just wanting to talk to anyone, Joy needing to talk with a special someone put a damper on her being able to be connected to the energy.
The reason Joy needed to talk to Ziggy was that last night was the first time her best friend did not return her call. Ziggy sending a text to answer her question left her in a daze and only the light of hearing her best friend's voice could lift it. Ziggy knew Joy inquiring about if they were still on for breakfast on Saturday was just a pretense to what the call was really about. That she wanted and needed to talk to him. Joy needed to make things right between them and Ziggy was not giving her the chance.
Then Joy felt that buzz that was in the air as her Zigs entered the school. It was different than the little tingle she felt every time she saw her best friend. She started to think about their breakfast on Saturday. Thinking of how much enjoyment they have over a shared meal, fixed the broken part of the conduit which connected them. All in the lobby know knew they were going to have the fairytale night which everyone deserves at the prom. The prom turning out better than a John Hughes teenage flix was a guarantee.
Ziggy had a pep in his step, a smile on his face, and waved as he passed by Joy. As quickly as that conduit was fixed, it became broken again. This was not supposed to be. Ziggy and Joy always hung out before school. This felt as wrong and uncomfortable to Joy as wearing a bra two cup sizes too small.
Joy called out, "Hey there Zigs, why didn't you call me back yesterday?"
Ziggy kept on walking as he said, "I was busy, so I just texted you the answer."
The vague 'I was busy' was a bad sign to Joy. She knew that each of them always made time for the other unless there was no way possible. If that was true,then the reason why would be shared. Not wanting her time with Ziggy to end, Joy tried to stretch out the conversation by asking him, "Where are you going?"
Ziggy then stopped and said, "I need to talk with Mr Foreman. I have a chance to get the George Westinghouse Scholarship. Talk to you later."
Hearing those words made the lobby feel as crowded and loud as an NFL Stadium on a Sunday in May to Joy. It harkens back to when she was the new kid and having no idea what the future held. If Ziggy was offered and accepted that exclusive scholarship that meant he had to go to CMU instead of Villanova. Even with Villanova having a higher rank school of business than any other school she was accepted to, Joy did not like the prospects of going there solo.
Joy quickly thought about if it was too late to transfer schools to join Ziggy. Those two both were accepted when they applied at CMU, but made the joint decision to choose Villanova instead. CMU also had a highly ranked school of business so she would still get a great education. It was cheaper than Villanova so her parents would like that. Her mom would love that Joy would either commute to school or live so close her daughter could come home anytime she wanted to. The campus was next to Pitt so it got rid of the hassle of having a long-distance relationship with Steff. The decision of transferring was as simple as making a cup of tea.
***********
Jordan thought to himself, "They said I am a slut, then I will dress like one." He wore his short bodycon black skirt with a black crop top and 5" platform open toe heels. He had glitter on his chest, his top showed off a magnetic belly ring, and did his makeup as provocative as he knew how. This choice of outfit would be passive-aggressive if anyone else wore it. Jordan was doing so as part of his response to the rumors.
Jordan wearing this provocative outfit was his way to protest what people were saying about him. His plan was to directly confront the people he knew were calling him a slut behind his back to have them back up that assertion to his face. He was not being confrontational to feel better about himself. The man who was made of stardust was doing so to hold a magnifying glass up to those people who put him down and believed the lie. He wanted his actions to make them think and see how wrong they were in saying what was not true. Jordan hoped that the intensity of light shined on those people's actions would ignite the stardust inside of them.
Sam Pinsinski gave a look of surprise when he saw Jordan. He was one of the people who Jordan overheard calling him a slut. The man who was making a statement with how he was dressed march right up to him and said, "You should not be shocked, you said that I am a slut."
Sam did not like being directly confronted by the person he down talked yesterday in a private conversation and acted surprised when he asked what. Jordan was not going to let Sam off the hook and pushed the subject when he said, "Come on, I heard what you said to Heath Dorian. Don't you remember, or do I have to repeat it to refresh your memory?"
Sam tried to defend his words. "I didn't really mean it. I was just commenting on you having a date with Ziggy right after breaking up with Dave."
"No, I don't. We are just two friends going to the prom together."
As sarcastic as the high school student he was, Sam said, "Yeah, right."
At that moment Jordan knew his words and actions were in vain. The kids in his school were going to believe what makes a better story over the truth. They were striving for enjoyment over being the best version of who they were. The journey of fulfilling one's true potential meant that people had to miss out on a cheap laugh to get contentment with who they were.
Jordan was also feeling bad about himself. His actions, might have had good intentions but now, he knew they hampered him in his journey to be the best he could be. Jordan knew hampering another from shining also hampered oneself. Calling people out in such a dramatic way led to embarrassment to those who did wrong and stopped them from shining. People feeling embarrassed led to them being defensive. When people closed in rank to protect themselves it kept the stardust within them from shining.
Jordan also felt like an object and he knew why. The boy was dressed to draw attention to himself. Attention itself was not a bad thing, it was when the attention was unwarranted which made it bad. Unwarranted attention came from things that were superficial and corrupted any social interactions. What was unimportant becoming too strong of a focal point became a barrier to the stardust shining from anyone.
The man who was not letting his best side show, did get help in being able to move past his mistake. Ziggy treated him just like any other day. Jordan's prom date looked past the skimpy outfit. Then Dave joked that no matter how hard Jordan tried, it was too late for them to go to the prom together. The joke was not only to show Dave looked past the physical with Jordan, but also he was fine with how the prom was going to work out.
That humorous remark also reminded Jordan if someone was assured enough in how they were it did not matter what they were wearing, the stardust would shine bright. That the essential essence of the person was way more powerful than anything superficial. Jordan quickly went from feeling like he was dressed like a slut, to a man who was just wearing what he wanted. By the end of the day the man, who was going to let his light shine no matter what, found Sam and apologized to him. Sam did the same because he knew he talked without thinking or knowing the entire situation.
**********
Ian could never understand why people were interested in gossip. It was of none of his concern what people did as long as it did not directly affect him, so why were so many other people so intrigued by it?. He felt it was none of his concern who liked who or who was doing what. If those people wanted him to know they would have told him.
Also, the rumors which were based on gossip were as reliable as a badly upkept 20-year-old car. This fact about gossip made Ian wonder why so many people treated it like gospel. Instead of verifying it, too many people just went with repeating what they heard. This led to people believing what was said, because it was said many times. He saw believing something only because it was repeated many times as a form of circular logic.
What irked him when he did pay a little bit of attention to the rumor mill was the same people who believed it because it was said, were the same who got the most upset when something which was untrue was circulated around the school about them. Those people were part of the issue of why rumors were taken as being valid as the finding in a well prepared peer reviewed research paper, yet they hated it when a baseless unfounded rumor about them was accepted without others giving a second thought.
Ian's normal reaction of apathy towards rumors was what made him feel so odd about his reaction to hearing about Ziggy and Jordan being a couple. Ziggy being with Jordan just did not sound right to him. That should have been all the time he gave to that rumor. Instead of not caring or paying attention to the word in the halls, hearing those two were a couple annoyed him.
Ian knew he needed to do something, anything to fight back at what was being said about Jordan and Ziggy. At the same time of wanting the truth to be known, Ian also knew he had to handle it the right way. Saying something to a person who believed something without anything to back the statement was useless to him. He knew that they were not using logic to back up their belief in what they wanted to believe, so they would not rethink it.
Then Ian saw his chance to do something as he bumped into Ross walking down the hall. He was going to tell Ross he knew the rumor was not true. Ian was socially adept enough to know saying that to both Jordan and Ziggy would be tactless. There was nothing wrong with being gay and that was how it would come off. Ross on the other hand, Ian knew he was not happy about how people were talking about his friend. Ian could show his support and solidarity by talking with Jordan's best friend about him knowing the truth about the rumor.
"Hey there Ross, I don't know why so many people think that Jordan and Ziggy are a couple."
"Because people like Steff say it and people like you say nothing."
"Hey don't put this on me. I don't believe it. I don't say anything for it is none of my concern. Plus if I say something it can come off as me being homophobic."
"Then why bring it up to me if it's none of your concern?"
"'Cause it's wrong dude. That is why. I know how you and Jordan don't like it, so I am just saying I know better. I am trying to show you some support."
Words of support are little help. They do not do anything about the issue at hand. To Ross Ian's words were just as good an action as the people who put the yellow ribbon support our troops bumper stickers on the back of their cars and think that is enough to help. Instead, those people should be more proactive.
Not wanting to help Ian to get the false sense of him being part of the solution Ross ended the conversation by reiterating that the boy, who wanted a pat on his back, should say something when people said something which was not true. Most of the time Ross's suggestion of being proactive in being part of the solution got as much notice as the healthy choices on a fast-food restaurant; but this time was different. It resonated with Ian like the ringing of a church bell. It also had the same effect on him as a church bell to someone with true faith and called him to go towards Ross's suggestion.
************
Joy came out of the lunch line looking around like she did not know the layout of the cafeteria. In a way the room was a foreign landscape, she had nowhere to sit. Going to sit at her normal table did not feel right. Ziggy would be there. It was strange to Joy that even when she was next to Ziggy she felt so far away from her best friend. Their closeness was never about how close the proximity of their bodies was, but the connection of their souls. Now that connection was so strained that if Ziggy was right next to Joy she could not feel his presence.
Even with being Steff's main squeeze, going to his table did not feel right either to the lost girl. Most of the time when her boy was around his friends, she felt like an outsider. Their connection in the relationship depended on the situation. This was from Steff not letting his social world mesh with his relationship.
Joy not wanting to feel any more like a stranger in a strange land picked to sit with Steff. Joining that table made more sense, at least there it was normal for her to feel out of place. Joy needed to feel like she belonged and a girl should always feel welcomed by her boy. Plus, she had to tell her boy the good news about CMU.
It was tougher than a marine's love to their juvenile delinquent child than for Steff to hold in his displeasure of Joy coming to his table, but he did. She knew this was his time with his friends and Steff needed it. Today started out great as he was going to talk with Mr Forman about his chances of receiving the recently vacated George Westinghouse Scholarship. Then the day turned to the worse when his teacher and unofficial guidance counselor informed him that it would be a long shot with Steff only being on the waiting list for CMU. The bad news got worse when Steff found out that another hurdle for him to get the scholarship was Ziggy was interested.
The boy who had nothing going his way cursed who was now quickly becoming his nemesis, Ziggy. First, his classmate had to finally semi come out as being gay right before the prom, and now, this. Steff had nothing against homosexuals, but the friction Ziggy not admitting to who he was to Joy was causing Steff to have to be there for his girl. Steff could not figure out why Ziggy would not embrace who he really was like the way he was going to embrace Jordan on the dance floor.
Steff was smart enough to know that none of how Ziggy was putting up barriers to what he wanted was his friend's fault. That still did not stop him from being annoyed at him. Intent only went so far, the results were what really matters. Good intentions gave leeway to ill feelings about bad results but almost never absolute absolution.
If Steff knew Ziggy would have finally submitted to his sexual desires to be with a man, then he would have insisted Ziggy still took Joy to the prom. He still would have gotten what he really wanted out of the prom, a great night of sex. There would have been the added bonus of not having to put in the groundwork beforehand. Ziggy would have gotten Joy in the best mood possible and she would have shared that in the bedroom with the boy who did nothing.
Joy sat down and Alan and Ian did not hide their cringes. Steff quickly gave them a look of disapproval for them to stop. They liked Joy, but she was not part of the group. When she was around, instead of all four of them being together, it became Joy and Steff in their own little group and Alan and Ian in another. Those two did try to connect with her but Steff always put a stop to it.
"Hey there Alan and Ian, sorry about joining you for lunch but I have some news to share with my boy."
They both understood, but Steff did not. He said, "Joy you know we catch up on the walk out of lunch."
"It is big. I am not going to Villanova, but CMU instead. Our colleges are going to be right next to each other. We do not have to worry about the hassle of being in a long-distance relationship."
"Don't change your plans to try to stay close with Ziggy. You two will drift apart, he sees you as competition now."
"We will stay close and he will not see me as competition."
Projection is extremely common with people and most of the time they do not even know they are doing it. In most cases, people just assume that everyone else has the same perspective on their surroundings as they do. In this case, Steff projecting his feeling about Ziggy came from the subconscious. Deep down Steff saw Ziggy as his competition to Joy. The boy was always worried that one day Joy would break up with him to be with her Zigs. This was the real reason Steff always treated Joy as his fallback girl, deep down he knew he was her fallback boy.
Each time they broke up Steff's innermost hope was that Joy and Ziggy would finally get together. Little did he know that if that ever did happen, that would not only free him from regressing back into a doomed relationship, but would let the stardust he was made out of start to shine.
"He does, he wants the same thing out of a relationship as you."
"I hope that you do also."
"Don't twist my words. I meant physically. He is a fag, he wants to be with men."
"Use more respect when you talk about my Zigs."
When Steff said fag and Joy continued with the conversation like the rumor was true Ian heard those church bells again. It called him to action, "Come on, you both know that Ziggy is not gay. Plus Jordan would not be with anyone so soon after breaking up with Dave. Them going to the prom is not a date."
Steff was truly remorseful and shocked. Steff did not like that he put down someone by demeaning who they were. The boy who did not like how he just acted was taken back by Ian adding his opinion into this private conversation. This was between him and Joy, and Ian knew better than to join in. Steff saw this as none of his friend's concern, "Ian stay out of this, you don't know what you are talking about and this has nothing to do with you. What straight guy would go to the prom with another man?
“Sorry, I am just so pissed off. His personal drama is now coming into our relationship; plus, it is making you make a bad decision. Villanova is the best school for you. I only want what is the best for you."
Ian disagreed this had nothing to do with him. It irked him how people were talking this rumor as true and needed to set it straight. Saying what was on his mind also made him feel better. It might not change anyone's mind, but he knew he had to try. Just in case his words acted like a church bell to whoever he was talking to and called them to come towards the truth. "This does because I am sick of hearing all these rumors which are not true.
“A straight guy who is just going to the prom to be around his friends and do not care what other people think."
As Ian and Steff continued to bicker with each other Joy started to think about what was best for her, having her Zigs close to her. Right then she saw him as her Zigs because the static which was breaking down their connection was disbursed by her sticking up for him. Disagreements, misunderstandings, arguments, and squabbles were always overpowered by the strength of the close bond and the pact of true friendship when one friend needs to be there for another.
Joy got up and went to the only place she knew she would feel like she was at home, her normal lunch table. Alan started to pester Steff to go after her. Steff knew better. They both needed time to cool down. Plus, Ziggy, not him, was not the one who Joy went to when she was upset, even when Steff was not the cause.
Joy sat down and everything felt like it was back to normal. At that moment Ziggy was more concerned about the down look on Joy’s face than what she thought about his sexuality. His sweetest friend needed him and that was more important than anything else.
"Zigs, with you having a chance of getting that scholarship, I am going to look into going to CMU instead. So we keep with our plans of going to school together."
"Joy, only do that if that is what you want. Until right now I thought your heart was set on going to Nova, so don't change your school because of me. Sooner or later we are going to stop spending every day together."
Joy could not envision a future where she did not see her Zigs every day. She thought that they would end up working at the same company, him in R&D and her in production planning. They would have kids the same age, going to the same school. That would mean so many music and dance recitals, games, and other school functions spent together. It would be great to see Ziggy as a father, she knew he would be a great one and hoped that her future husband would be half as good as Zigs.
"Oh Ziggy. It is not for you, CMU is the best school for me. Steff thought the same thing that was why I came over here. You having a chance of getting that scholarship just made me rethink my decision. CMU is the better all-around choice. Going there will be a great education, closer to home, at a school right next to the one my boy is going to and also cost less money. You being there was just an added bonus."
Ziggy agreed with Joy's reasoning about transferring school, knowing she was doing what was best for herself. Ziggy then started to pay attention to help smooth things between Joy and Steff, "Any money your boy just did not word his concerns about you changing your school right.
“I am happy that my chance of going to CMU made you see what would be best for you. I never want you to make a decision which puts me over what is best for you."
Joy wished that Ziggy knew that him being close to her was what was best for her. It was also what was best for him. They brought the best out in each other. Right now was the perfect example. Even with them having a strain on their friendship, it went back to normal. Instead of letting the fallout they were experiencing get in the way, they were there for the other when it was needed.
Their relationship stayed in the past until the end of lunch. That was when Jordan came over. While shopping on his phone the boy who wanted to be girly the entire weekend found the perfect golf outfit which was available for next day delivery. Before he ordered that adorable pleated white with two blue stripes at the hem golf skirt for Saturday, Jordan wanted to make sure that Ziggy would be comfortable being with a boy in a skirt out in public. Being cute was important but not as important as making sure Ziggy was able to enjoy being on the greens.
The time travel was ended by Ziggy commenting that he knew that Jordan would look great in that skirt. Ziggy saw the look of disappointment on Joy's face. Ziggy took it was from her being upset about him not admitting that falsehood she believed. A small part of it was. Most of Joy's disappointment was from she would much rather have heard Ziggy saying those words to her instead of Jordan.
This moment was exactly why those two could not just act like they never had that conversation yesterday. In a close friendship, both people had to be on the same page about who the other was. A disagreement about something as fundamental as who someone really was would always come to the foreground, The friction between the truth and fiction would rub against their connection until their bond was broken.
The last couple of minutes of lunch were silent at their table. Joy bolted as soon as the bell rang. She needed to get away from feeling lonely when next to her best friend. It was wrong for a person to feel awkward around someone who was so close to them. Ziggy was hurt that he was glad to see Joy go away. He knew that feeling was a sign of their friendship becoming strained.
Chapter 5
It was finally prom night and both Jordan and Joy were waiting for their dates. Both of them looked as stunning as the glare of stardust shining in someone's face for the first time. Jordan's outfit of a shoulderless blue with yellow polka dot dress perfectly captured how optimistic and playful he was feeling. That dress also captured how Ziggy and his date for the night felt how the ‘80s were.
Joy's blue gown with a gold embroidered design, a dip hem detailing, a Bardot neckline with fold-over sleeves, and a box pleated skirt captured a regalness. How regal the dress looked on Joy along with the stoic look on her face also made her look withdrawn. She was lost in her thoughts of how Steff was going to mess up the night and now she did not have her Zigs to be there for her to help get over the disappointment.
Jordan knew the night was going to surpass expectations when Ziggy showed up early in a pristine PT Cruiser GT. The man in his dream dress knew his date was considerate enough to make sure they had more than enough time to get the perfect per prom pictures. If being so early was not enough, Zigmund's dad got out of the car wearing a tux and a cap to look better in his role as their chauffeur.
In his greeting to Jordan, Ziggy mentioned how stunning that Jordan's prom dress was on him. Jordan said, "Thank you, Zigmund." How dapper and formal Jordan's date looked in his outfit, a pastel yellow suit and the blue with yellow polka dots bow tie and pocket square, it was more fitting to call him Zigmund right then. Using his date's given name added to the pomp and circumstance of the moment.
Jordan's and Ziggy's parents took pictures to chronicle the traditions which came from Ziggy picking up his date. All the pictures were perfectly able to capture the magic of the moment. Zigmund putting the blue delphinium with yellow roses corsage on Jordan's wrist. Jordan putting the yellow rose boutonnière on Zigmund's lapel. Pictures of Jordan with his parents and Zigmund with his. A great one of the happy couple standing under a blossoming cherry tree. Finally one of Zigmund opening the car door for Jordan.
On the other hand, Joy's reservations about the night were justified when her date showed up half an hour after they were supposed to be leaving. Her bad feelings were confirmed even more when Steff was a little unbalanced coming out of the limo. The woman who did not expect too much from her boy was let down when the first thing out of his mouth was the smell of booze. Joy hoped that her boy would not have started drinking before the prom. Now it would be hard, if not impossible, to get Steff out on the dance floor.
Alan and Ian came bouncing out of the limo also. Joy could tell that those two have not been drinking that much yet. Joy was relieved to see those two were just about sober because she knew they would help cover the fact that her boy was under the influence of Dionysus' drink. They would help run interference between Steff and Joy's parents by making sure they never got close enough to smell his alcohol on his breath.
Steff already wearing a generic red rose boutonnière and a black cumberbund and bowtie added to Joy's disappointment. She had a great golden rose boutonniere which went with her gown and her boy's cumberbund along with the bowtie did not help to tie their outfit together. Steff looked great, but his look did not complement her blue gown with gold embroidered design.
Joy also knew they will be running even later after getting a couple of hastily taken pictures of the couple with her family. Even if they had time there would not have been a picture of the magic moment of Joy putting the boutonniere on Steff because her boy refused to take off the one he was already wearing. The picture of Joy and Steff in front of the limo was one of two people who would rather be somewhere else. Steff in the limo getting to the prom and Joy at her Zig's side.
The lady who felt like she got the booby prize of prom dates chalked up her thinking that it should be Zigs here instead of Steff because her best friend would have been on time. Her Zigs understood how important the picture taking part of the prom ritual was. Zigs would have mentioned how radiant Joy looked in her dress. Zigs would have been sober when he showed up early, so they both could get a high soaking in the moment together. He would have been wanting to be in the picture instead of the limo going to the prom. As they went to leave Joy had to cough to remind Steff to be a gentleman and get the door for her.
************
Ross was standing on one of Mount Washington's observation decks holding his girlfriend, Natalie Billington, and enjoying the view of Pittsburgh's skyline. The view was as breathtaking to Ross as Nat was in her disk sequin pink cocktail dress with a white sequin heart design. What was even more breathtaking to him than how Nat looked was her picking that dress so Ross could wear his custom tux.
Ross had a retro 80's look and excellently executed the look of his idol, The Excellence of Execution. The long tail blazer had Bret Hart's signature white star epaulets with tassels. The slacks had a pink satin stripe down the side. His hair had the wet slick back look and the accessory which Ross loved the most, his vintage hitman wrap-around shades were on.
Even with being in one of the many magical moments which will fill the weekend, Ross could not help not to notice the observer of the observation deck, Dave Penkula. The man who was going to the prom stag was immune to the magic of the moment. He felt like an outsider. The group of classmates he shared the limo with were like a painting to him and he was in an art gallery admiring this beautiful work of art.
Instead of being pulled into the magic of the moment, Dave was lost in what should have been, him holding Jordan as they stood next to Ross and Nat. Dave still had hope that he and the perfect man for him would get back together after prom’s weekend, but getting back the person who owned his heart, was little consolation to missing out on this magical weekend with him. The worst part was in a couple of minutes Jordan was going to be joining them at the observation deck for pictures, yet Dave's ex would still be too far away for his liking.
As Dave was in the land of what should have been, Jordan and Ziggy arrived. As a force of habit, Dave went to go get the door for Jordan. He stopped himself when he saw Mr Van Diemen get out of the car to do his chauffeur duty, which Dave saw as an honor. Seeing Jordan with a smile on his face and being treated how he should put a smile on Dave's face. The smile came from some of the stardust in Dave igniting.
Right after getting out of the car Jordan's eyes adjusted to see that the spring sun was bright, but pale in comparison to his group of friends who were waiting for him. The one who was shining the most, to Jordan, was Dave. This brightness did not come from the man who going to the prom stag was being the most in tune with his stardust. It came from Dave losing his dullness and striving to be the best person he could be.
Seeing the quality which first made Jordan attracted to Dave made him go towards him to greet him with a hug. Then out of the corner of his eye, Jordan saw Ziggy and stopped himself. He was still going to hug Dave, but needed to join the group with his date at his side. Jordan knew that not walking side by side with Ziggy would have been treating him as his date in name only, and that would not have been fair to any of them.
Dave was the first one who greeted the last arrivals. He gave Ziggy a pull-in handshake and a hug to Jordan. The hug was an ordinary one between them so it felt like home. This was for any ordinary action those two did together felt extraordinary.
Ross wanted to get this group going to Station Square. They were not running late but he wanted to get in the optimal spot in the promenade line. Right before the midsection of the queue, when the people who were already sitting were still paying full attention to the proceedings. Too soon there would not be a big enough audience for his liking and too late he would not have felt like the center of attention. He wanted everyone to see his tux.
As Ross approached the newcomers, Jordan and Dave were dominating the conversation. Ziggy was happy about feeling like a third wheel. He knew that Dave should be Jordan's date and he should be the one going stag. Ziggy was about to announce what all three of them wanted but did not say when Ross arrived and quickly said, "Come on guys, let's get the pictures taken and get this party on the road. Jordan, Ziggy get your picture. Then we will do the group ones and then down to Gateway Clipper."
Ziggy changed his intentions, instead of announcing that Dave was Jordan's date, he was just going to let it be. He knew that what really mattered was what was real, not who had the title of Jordan's date. Ziggy made sure that the two who were really going to the prom together got the first of many memories immortalized by saying, "Before our pictures Ross, get one of Jordan and Dave."
Dave said, "No, Jordan is your date tonight."
"Yeah, so what? Two friends can get a picture taken before the prom."
Jordan added, "Come on Dave. We both want it."
Dave agreed to the picture because Jordan was right, but was not going to intrude anymore on Jordan and Ziggy's time at the prom. He made a mental note to make sure that he did not sit next to them in the limo. Afterward it will be easy not to make Ziggy the bystander, he was going to mingle while the rest of the group waited in line to enter the prom and then sit with his friends from the golf team. The man who was getting his stardust to shine was more than happy to be an observer tonight. It would reinforce an important lesson. To always let those who are dear to you shine how they wanted to shine.
Jordan and Ziggy were at their table for almost a half hour when Joy and Steff finally arrived at the Gateway Clipper Fleet dock. The latecomers saw that there were only 6 couples left in the line to get on the riverboat, Empress, which was hosting their prom. Steff could not believe his luck that he did not have to wait in line. Being the only one who did not read the tension in the ride to the docks, Steff declared they made it in perfect time.
The second time in as many tries, Steff got out of the limo as stable as an infant learning to walk. Joy thought for sure that they would not be allowed on the boat. In a way, she was hoping that either Alan or Ian were not as good at running interference with the chaperones who were collecting the tickets or the group was told they arrived too late. What should have been a magical evening of dancing and hanging out with her friends turned into being around her obviously oblivious drunken boyfriend at a table with his friends. Then to top it off she would have to see the evidence that her Zigs was keeping who he really was to her. That her and her Zigs’ time as friends was coming to an end.
Neither of Joy's hopes came true. Steff was able to pull himself together long enough to make it past the ticket takers so Ian and Alan did not have to help sneak their drunk friend onto the boat. Plus it was Mr Anatar and Kerr at the gate. Those two were going to turn a blind eye to kids being late or drunk as long as they were not belligerent. They did not want to be known as buzzkills.
Joy was once again disappointed with how her best night of her life was going during the entrance. She and Steff were the last couple to make their grand entrance and by then almost no one was paying attention. They were all chattering at their tables. Her disappointment in not making a grand entrance was lessened by a new one, how her drunk boyfriend announced that he had arrived.
Steff could not believe that no one was paying attention to the last couple's entrance to the prom. They should have known that the best was saved for last. To get the attention he deserved Steff gave out a huge, "WOOOOOOOOOO!!" That barely added to anyone to call their attention to the stairs. The ones who did just thought it was Steff being Steff and quickly went back to their conversation.
Walking down to their table led to yet another disappointment to Joy. Her Zigs was too engaged in his conversation with Jordan, Ross, and Nat to look up at her entrance. Joy just wanted her Zigs to see how stunning she looked during her grand entrance. She needed someone to genuinely appreciate how she looked tonight.
Ziggy gave up looking for Joy's entrance because he assumed she must have gotten into the ballroom before him. There was no way his best friend was going to be late for the biggest night of her life. There was also no way that Steff could be inconsiderate enough to make them late. There was no way that Ziggy would have thought the truth, he gave Steff too much credit.
**********
Even with the fissure between Joy and Ziggy growing, Vince's prediction of the night would be legendary when he found out who was taking Jordan was right. The night surpassed his great expectations. The two tables the huge group was sharing were filled with laughter and movement between them. The two groups easily merged as one. It became an epicenter of the good vibrations.
The positive energy at the table became a magnetic force and started to draw the students at the other tables around them into the joyous feeling. The two tables quickly became three and then four. Then the next thing there was ten tables mingling between each other and having their own private party which everyone was invited to.
The only reason the entire prom was not swallowed into this one huge merged group was the natural barriers of columns and the dance floor. This did not stop the mood of comradery from spreading and more of these epicenters from spawning. By the end of the night, the biggest barrier was broken so that all these groups merged into one.
Nobody, not even Steff and Joy, was immune to the effects Ziggy and Jordan's prom entourage had on the affair. Steff was loving mingling with his classmates and Joy talking to people took her mind off all the disappointments of the night. It was easy for the good spirits to possess everyone at the prom, they wanted to have a good time. The easiest recipe for enjoying oneself is to want to and find other people who are in the same frame of mind.
The reprieve from the night not being what Joy expected soon ended when Vince and Jon stopped by her table. Her friends who were visiting from the first epicenter of fun tried to coax Joy to come over to their table before dinner was served. Joy declined, saying that she will catch up with them after dinner.
The real reason Joy declined was seeing her two friends reminded her about Ziggy and Jordan. Joy was jealous of Jordan spending time with her Zigs and being the first to know the truth. Even with her knowing how she felt was wrong, Joy could not shake the feeling. Joy also knew that if she went over there and was catty towards Jordan that would strain her friendship with Ziggy.
On their way back to their table Vincent and Jon bumped into Beth. She was with her real prom date, her camera. Beth was taking pictures to use in the school's newspaper and the yearbook. She only wished that she had more rolls of film. There were too many moments that her classmates would love to have captured by her.
That 35mm Canon film camera never let her down in capturing the moment and she was happy to have it right now. The biggest reason was the picture of yearning she got of Ziggy made her see two truths. One who Ziggy was really pining for, Joy. She figured that out by following his line of sight and the target of Ziggy's look was Joy.
The other truth Beth had was an epiphany which Ziggy had already figured out about her relationships. Beth used them for a short-term way to feel better about herself. Right then Beth knew she had to quit repeating the same mistake. From now on the girl who took another step on becoming a woman and letting her stardust truly shine was going to be single for the right reasons instead of being with someone for the wrong ones.
************
After dinner, the DJ started the dancing portion of the evening with an Mt Lebanon Prom tradition. He played Chuck Berry's, "You Can Never Tell", for an unofficial twist contest. This being the first song started way back in 1995 during the second reign of John Travolta's coolness. It was to reenact the dance scene from Pulp Fiction. The prom committee continued the tradition even after the reason why it started was mostly forgotten by the student body because it was a great and easy way to get people out on the dance floor.
One of the few who did not forget why the Father of Rock N' Roll’s song was played for the twist contest was Jordan. He was a huge Quentin Tarantino fan so dancing the first dance was not an option, but mandatory to him. As the DJ was being the MC and welcoming the kids to this portion of the night of their lives, Jordan got up and grabbed Ziggy by his hands. Jordan wanted to be the first couple on the dance floor because they were the only ones who got to introduce themselves.
Ziggy was a little reluctant and that reminded Jordan of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Ziggy was still settling into his surroundings and was not ready to dance. The estrangement from Joy was affecting Ziggy more than he knew. To lighten up the mood the man who wanted to play Mia Wallace playfully called Ziggy, Vincent. This led to the desired results but only Jordan knew. Ziggy flashed a quick smile to let Jordan know everything was fine but kept on playing off as if he was opposed to being on the dance floor.
Dave was sitting with his friends and was happy to see Jordan was getting the prom he wanted. Dave's ex deserved to enjoy this night. He also reminded himself that he was getting the prom he deserved. He wanted to remember feeling like an audience member to remind him of the lesson of the night, let people shine.
Dave became irritated with Ziggy putting up resistance to going to the dance floor. If Ziggy could not dance with a man then he should have never agreed to go to the prom with Jordan. The man who self regulated to be a bystander almost interjected himself into the prom until Ziggy took off his shoes. Dave thought well played. He knew then Ziggy added the nice extra touch of playing the role of Vincent and went back to enjoying the show.
Jordan followed Ziggy's lead and took off his high heels. Then to go for a more laid-back cool look, Ziggy undid his blue with yellow polka dot bow tie. Then they started the twist. Even with no trophy to be won, Jordan was staying in the moment and playing Mia. Ziggy played along and looked as intense as a dog looking at his master's dinner.
Steff and Joy took Ziggy's look as being desire for Jordan. The man who was making this night one to regret for Joy used their false conclusion to redirect her anger at someone else. Joy bought Steff down talking Ziggy quicker than an Apple fanboy got the newest iPhone. She needed her Zigs to be lying so she was not to blame for their friendship falling apart.
Ian knew exactly what Ziggy and Jordan were doing, recreating an iconic scene from a great movie. The man who heard those church bells again, went to where they led him. He tried to correct his friends. Even with Ian being right about the dance being obvious, neither of them listened. The truth was inconvenient to the narrative they wanted to push. The narrative helped them easily navigate out of a hard situation.
The contest ended and everyone was clapping the unofficial winners, Jordan and Ziggy. Most were clapping because they were enjoying watching new love blossom, but a few who were not on autopilot did so because of the great job they did in reenacting that great dance moment. Right then the reason for the accolades did not matter to either Ziggy and Jordan, they were enjoying the moment in the spotlight. They were confident enough in themselves to not let what people perceived about them hamper their stardust from shining.
As Jordan was in the spotlight, he saw Dave smiling and it broke his heart. Jordan knew that smile should have been brighter. Dave was enjoying himself but was not fully in the moment. Jordan knew what was missing for this to be the perfect night for Dave and himself, Dave, and not Ziggy, at his side. Jordan thought, "Dammit, Dave should be right next to me soaking in this moment. This should have been a moment we treasured together." Jordan was right, this should have been a moment they put into their shared mental safety deposit box. Now with it being a memory from two different perspectives, this moment would never be as magical as it should have been.
As Ziggy was in the spotlight he made eye contact with Joy. For a fleeting moment, the smile on his face grew from the sunshine of seeing his best friend. Then quickly black clouds came over the bright skies as Joy quickly turned her gaze away from him. Even with enjoying himself, Ziggy knew this moment should have been him sitting with Joy. Thinking of where he should have been, brought even more dark clouds. It has been a couple of day since he and Joy had a real conversation. The disconnect with his friend made Ziggy not feel whole. He knew a part of him was missing and had to rectify the situation before it became the new normal.
Jordan and Ziggy not being with who they should have been, made it so they both did not want to dance. Ziggy was not feeling right not being around Joy, and Jordan only wanted to dance with one man tonight, Dave. They both collected their shoes and started to prepare to leave the dancefloor.
Before leaving the dancefloor, Ziggy wanted to go back to a more formal looked so he started to awkwardly retie his bowtie. Not wanting to watch his date’s clumsy attempt to get his look back, Jordan helped. This made Ziggy a little self-aware. The embarrassment came from him not being able to do a simple task of male grooming. The people who wanted to watch a romance form believed the redness was from Ziggy being so close to the object of his desire.
***********
Ziiggy and Jordan stayed seated until the DJ started to play some ballads. The first one was, "Almost Paradise." If either of them were paying any real attention they both would have realized how fitting the title was to the night. The night was a great one, which they would hold dear, but that someone special was missing to make the memories from the night the best they could be.
The song itself did not matter to Jordan. He wanted to slow dance. For a moment Jordan so wished that he broke down and did the wrong thing of dumping Ziggy for Dave. That thought quickly went away because Jordan knew that the momentary joy of dancing with his man was not worth the cost. Preventing him from being the best person he could be. There would be many more nights that he could be held close by the man who owned his heart.
Ziggy could tell that his date wanted to dance so, being the gentleman he was, Ziggy took Jordan's hand and led him to the dancefloor. Ziggy was hoping that dancing would take his mind off of how he was going to handle breakfast with Joy tomorrow. He hated the idea that he was going to have to be firm with his best friend about the truth. She was either going to have to believe him or else they would need some time apart until the truth became self-evident to her. Ziggy knew that by the time Joy realized she was wrong too much space between them would have formed and, their friendship would not go back to how it was.
Dave could not be happier for Jordan and sadder for himself as he watched the faux couple on the dance floor. He knew it should be him, but Dave was not a participant of the prom but an observer. Then the next song, Cyndi Lauper's, "Time After Time", played and Dave knew this was a sign that audience participation was encouraged. The title of the song was a common saying between him and Jordan. They swore to be there for each other time after time. Also their first Halloween together, Jordan dressed as Cyndi Lauper, because in Jordan's words, he's so unusual.
Dave also could not take seeing Ziggy being the better man than him anymore and was about to do something about the situation. Jordan gave Dave the strength to be who he was, so the man who was sitting alone knew he was wrong not wanting his ex to be who he was at the prom. Even with Dave being confident he would get back together with Jordan after the prom, he was not going to let his insecurities ruin them not having some fond memories of the prom. Dave was going to ask for one dance.
Dave busted through the fourth wall onto the performance he was watching and found out it was real. The dancers were not actors and he saw no directors behind the curtains orchestrating this moment. Dave did not feel out of synch and that added to his confidence. The walk reminded him of almost four years ago when he started to come into his own on that fateful day he asked Jordan to the football game.
Dave asked if he could have this dance with Jordan. Ziggy said yes. Jordan said no but the tone of his voice said he would love to. Jordan knew one dance would lead to another and another. He did not want to abandon the man who helped him fulfill his prom dreams. The man who already knew that Jordan was only with him in body, let go of the embrace he had on his date. Taking Jordan's hand he offered it to Dave and said, "Jordan, dance with who your heart and mind are with."
As Ziggy was walking off the dancefloor he could not help that the smile on his face grew. The man who was now solo at the prom was as happy with himself as the first kid amongst their friends who solved the Rubik's Cube when he thought about the little part he played with those two sharing the prom together. Ziggy knew he was helping those two lovers reach their full potential by them being with who they should be with. Even with being on his own, the young man was still going to have a great night. He was surrounded by friends and making memories that would last a lifetime.
Steff could not help himself, he loved to find humor in other people's misery. It was funny to him to put people down. "This song is perfect for Ziggy. Time after time he gets dumped for the better man."
Joy smiled and laughed when she heard Steff's joke. Her boy thought that she had finally quit being a stick in the mud about his jokes. The truth was her laughter and smile was from her realizing part of what Steff said was true. The song did capture Ziggy's essence. Time after time Ziggy was there for others. Time after time Ziggy did what was best for all. Time after time Ziggy did something amazing just by being himself.
Joy's joy grew when she figured out why she believed the rumors of Ziggy being gay. Joy would have found any girl other than herself not good enough for Ziggy. She had romantic feelings for her best friend.
Joy also figured out why she was disappointed about Ziggy spending time with Jordan, she was jealous of the man in a dress. Joy now understood why she wanted to be the one who pinned the boutonnière on Zig's lapel. Joy also understood she did not deserve that honor. The privilege of sharing the small intimate moments comes from being the person who truly shared the big moments. She knew what she had to do next, make herself worthy of putting a boutonnière on Ziggy. Joy was going to share the rest of this big event of her life with her Zigs so she was worthy of sharing all the small intimate moments with him.
When Joy looked at Steff she quit laughing and her smile disappeared. Her mood becoming more serious came from her realizing why the rest of Steff's lame attempt at a joke was not funny. Ziggy was not dumped by her for the better man. There was no way that this little boy sitting next to her was better than Ziggy, yet he kept on making jokes at his expense. Steff made jokes which put others down to lift himself up. Joy did not want someone like that in her life, let alone to be the person with whom she shared it.
The boy, who could be called garbage because he was about to be dumped, was clueless on why Joy's facial expression changed when she looked at him. He had no idea that at that moment Joy quit seeing Steff how she wanted to see him and started to see him as he actually was towards her, a self-centered entitled brat.
Steff became even more lost when his date picked up her purse and got up to leave the table. She just went to the restroom a couple of minutes ago and she knew he was in no state to dance. The boy, who did not know he was now at the prom stag, asked Joy where she was going. Joy kept on looking towards her future, instead of back at her past, when she said, "To be with the man who should have been my prom date."
As the lady walked closers towards the man she loved, Joy started to sparkle like the glitter in the nail polish on her fingertips. Each step she became more radiant until she was shining like the crystal chandeliers on the ceiling of the ballroom. Ziggy turned around and saw how dazzling his friend was. Seeing Joy's joy quickly chased away any bit of sorrow Ziggy was feeling about the state of their friendship. There was no time for sadness when next to such happiness.
Joy placed her purse down and started to take the boutonnière off of Ziggy's lapel. How content, happy and confident Joy was made it so the man, who did not know he had a girlfriend, could not ask what was going on. The lady who was rightfully sharing the small intimate moment with her Zigs then pulled out the clear plastic calm box which was holding a blue rose. The lady put the flower in the buttonhole and gently tied a knot in the stem, to secure it in place. Then she put Ziggy's old boutonnière in the clam box. Joy was going to make sure that Jordan got the flower and had the chance to put it on the lapel of the rightful owner, Dave.
Finally, Ziggy's curiosity overpowered the hold Joy's actions had over it and he asked what are you doing.
With a calm strength in her voice, Joy said, "Putting a boutonnière on my date's jacket."
Before Ziggy could object, Joy kissed him. Their lips touching for the first time ignited the stardust in Ziggy's soul. Now the man, who found out he was in love with his best friend, joined her in shining like the crystal chandeliers on the ceiling of the ballroom. After their first kiss during what became their song Ziggy took Joy by the hand and led her to the dancefloor.
How bright they were while in a close embrace slow dancing drew everyone's attention, even Jordan and Dave, being lost in each other's love, noticed those two dancing. How could they not, Ziggy and Joy were the only couple that was shining brighter than Jordan and Dave. Jordan was so happy for the man who took him to the prom and the lady in his arms.
The man, who got his man back, was the only one who was not amazed at how those two were glowing. Everyone else gave too much credence to the miscommunication they had with each other and themselves to think that they could be this close right then. Jordan knew better, he knew it was natural for them to shine because they brought out the best in each other. Jordan knew bringing out the best in someone else brought the stardust people were made out of to the surface for others to see.
As Joy and her Zigs were starting the new stage of their relationship, Steff pulled out his phone to take some pictures. He knew his ex well enough that she would have wanted a picture of her putting the boutonnière on her Zigs. Steff might not have been the best boyfriend to Joy, but now he was going to act like he should have when they were together. As he got the phone out, a better option to take the pictures walked by him, Beth. "Hey Beth, take some pictures of Joy and Ziggy. You have a great eye and they would love to have this moment captured by you."
Beth was more than happy to oblige, because she knew that Steff was telling the truth about his opinion of her photography skills. His compliment made it so Beth felt like someone else finally was seeing her true self. Steff knew Beth was able to capture the essence of the moment in still life. Pictures were breathtaking and beautiful when they capture the moment unadulterated and she was able to do that. Her picture of Dave teeing off at the State final last year won an award. Anyone who saw that shot knew the absolute determination and drive he had to win one for their coach, Dr Stevenson.
Joy's ex sat at the table and processed what just occurred and also his entire relationship with Joy. He figured something out, why he was fine with treating her like his fallback girl. It was because he was her fallback guy. If the man who rightfully owned Joy's heart ever staked claimed for it Steff subconsciously knew their relationship would have been over.
After the song was over Joy and Zigs went out one of the side doors to find a quiet place to talk. They were on the boat's deck gazing at the stars in each other's eyes and enjoying the scenery and the location.
"Joy, I love you. I always wanted you to have what your heart desired. I never thought it would desire me, that was why I would not let myself see that I desired to spend and share my life with you."
"I love you also. We have been a couple for over 6 years but never realized it. I would always picture growing old with you, never anyone else.
“I am sorry about..."
Joy's actions were more than enough to atone for not having faith in Ziggy, so her man kissed her again to get past the subject. He then told her it was fine.
Joy disagreed. "No, it isn't fine. I did not take my best friend's word about who he was. I lost my faith in you. I will do my best to always keep it. I could not admit to myself I loved you, so you being unattainable eased the pain of not having what I needed. You to always be at my side."
"It is fine now. We kept something big from ourselves and each other. That helped cause the trust to be broken. Both of us sharing our true feelings for each other will make it so our faith in each other will grow."
The two turned around and looked into the prom and saw all of their classmates enjoying the night. The new couple smiled when they saw Jordan and Dave dancing. How in sync their movement on the dance floor was made it like those two never broke up. The reason was that they never did. They might have said they were no longer a couple, but their hearts were still beating as one. Seeing the one soul which shared two bodies reminded Joy she had to give that boutonnière to Jordan. Dave and Jordan would want that physical souvenir to go along with all the mental and emotional ones which they were making tonight.
The couple could also saw the whispering between people about what they witnessed. Instead of going with the boring truth of one couple getting back together and another realizing they were already one, most people bought the new rumor. That Jordan and Dave breaking up along with Ziggy coming out and having a prom date with Jordan was a huge ruse for him to get the person of his dreams.
Some of the gossip-mongers found how Ziggy played the long game as the most romantic courting process ever. Him building a strong friendship made it so their love had a strong foundation to grow was as touching as a Hallmark card to them. Others thought Ziggy should have been more upfront with Joy. It was sad that those two missed out on time being a couple.
The rumors and hearsay would not matter to Joy and her Zigs. They knew the truth and those who were dear to them would believe it. The rest of the people would just keep on believing what they wanted to be true.