All the guys except for Jake strip off their oxfords, the dean included, and swing them above their heads like lassos.

Jake comes dancing up to our table and crooks his finger at me. I skip up to him as he pulls me into his hips and grinds against me.

“Unbutton my shirt,” he says.

I grin at him and quickly unbutton all of his buttons. I even drop it low in front of him and shake my ass a little. He pulls me up, puts my arms up in the air, and slides his hand down the sides of me. I run my finger down the front of his shirt totally getting into it.

He pushes me back a little and says, “Get ready.”

The music switches and the lyrics scream, Aaaaare yooooou readyyyyy? The crowd behind me yells back, “YES!” Then a fast techno beat blares through the speakers.

The dean jumps out from the line and rips his t-shirt straight down the middle. On his white pasty chest is a red painted H.

Jake follows suit. Ripping his shirt down the middle. On his chest is a red O.

Ho? Do they think I’m a ho because I’ve been canoodling or whatever with Dawson? What is this, the freaking Scarlet Letter? Is he trying to make an example out of me?

Riley jumps up in line and goes next. On his chest is the letter M. And on down the line, boys rip their shirts off, reveal their chests and a red letter. E. C. O. M. I. N. G.

I read them across. HOMECOMING?

Is this some sort of skit to get people excited for homecoming? Like, to sell tickets or something? But then, Dawson slides in at the end of the line.

He has a bouquet of the palest pink tea roses in his hand, just like the ones I admired at his house.

I hear Peyton next to me go, “Ahhh, that is so adorable.”

Dawson walks over, hands me the bouquet, then he very slowly and oh, so very sexily, rips his shirt off too. On his chest there is a ?

He tilts his head at me and gives me a smoldering grin. “What do you say, Keatie? Will you go to homecoming with me?”

All of a sudden I feel sort of choked up.

But then I scream out, “Yes,” jump into his arms, and give him the kind of kiss that is definitely against the school’s decency policy.

I hug all the homecoming letter boys and even the dean, who now seems surprisingly cool.

Dawson takes my hand and we sit down at the table.

Peyton is gushing about how crazy it was to ask that way.

Whitney says, “How’d you come up with something so tacky, Dawson? You always asked me in a classy, dignified way.”

He rolls his eyes at her. “You mean a boring way? Keatie is a lot different than you, Whitney. I love that she doesn’t give a shit what people think, so I knew she’d get a kick out of it.”

Ace says to me, “I loved how you started dancing with Jake.”

Dawson looks straight at Whitney. “Some girls know how to have fun.”

The tension suddenly feels thick. I figure I better change the subject.

“And the dean! Ohmigawd! I really thought I was in trouble at first. Then I thought it might be like some new girl hazing. But I didn’t think the dean would be involved in something bad. So I just went with it. And when he took his shirt off. I about died! Did you see how white his chest is?”

Everyone at the table starts laughing.

“Told you she’d love it,” Jake says, elbowing Dawson.

“I did love it.”

Everyone starts focusing on their lunch.

I run my hand up Dawson’s thigh under the table.

Whitney scowls at us. “Ohmigawd, we’re trying to eat here.”

Dawson kisses my check then whispers in my ear, “You better stop rubbing my leg, or I’m not gonna be able to stand up. I’m hard as a rock.”

“Mhmm. Too bad we have class,” I say, messing with his hair. His face is close to mine. Our cheeks touch as we whisper in each other’s ears.

“I keep thinking how sexy you looked naked all weekend. I'm having a hard time focusing in class.”

“Then maybe you should start focusing on what's gonna happen tonight.”

“What’s gonna happen tonight?”

“You know.”

“I wanna hear you tell me,” he growls.

“You’re naughty.”

“I’m horny.”

“As many times as we did it this weekend, you shouldn't be horny for weeks.” I run my hand across the back of his neck and down his back.

“Tell me, please.”

“I’d rather surprise you.”

“I love your kind of surprises.”

The end