EnglandXPunk!ReaderSchool Dance

You finally caved. "Alright," you hissed. Your friend, Maddy, cheered and hugged you in the hallway.

She had been trying to make you go to the school dance that Friday night, even going to the point of dumping notes into your locker in her loopy handwriting demanding you come.

Of course, she had to do the whole come-to-your-house-so-she-can-pick-out-your-dress thing. "You don't have a lot of dresses, do ya ______? How 'bout this?" She held up a frilly number you didn't recall buying.

You raised a brow, imagining that thing on you. You wouldn't look the part, with your dyed hair choppily cut and pierced ears and lip. "Nah, I'll wear this instead." You grabbed a more low-key white dress with black accents you had gotten at a store for a killer deal.

"Ooh, that looks great!" You both ate some macaroni and cheese from a box you had half-assedly whipped up and you drove Maddy to the school, her talking the whole way.

As soon as you reached the gym you knew this was going to suck. It was full of sweaty adolescents grinding on one other as pop music made the ground vibrate. Maddy disappeared into a gaggle of other friends, and you slipped away outside.

You went around the gym and sat down, checking your watch. You had exactly two hours and fifty-five minutes until you could leave. Maddy didn't have a driver's license yet and was counting on you for a ride when the dance ended. You leaned against the gym wall and sighed.

"Too loud for you?" You looked up to see some guy standing over you. Huh, British accent. Cool. You cracked a smile.

"Yeah; sorry, I'd like to still have my hearing later. I'm only here for a friend." He sat down next to you.

"You too? My friend Alfred lives for these things."

"Same with Maddy." You noticed he was staring at your face and you rested your chin in your hand boredly.

"You gonna stare at the holes in my face all night or are you going to start lecturing me?" His ears turned pink and he looked away.

"No, it's just, ah...I used to be a punk too."

"What? No way, you're pullin' my leg!" You nudged his knee with yours. "You got any proof?" He brushed his shaggy blond hair back from his ears to show still-closing holes in his cartilage. "Whoa, nice!"

"I have more." The Brit stuck out his tongue and your mouth fell open. This guy had a tongue stud!

"Holy shit!" You swore automatically. Alright, this guy was officially epic. "That's so awesome! What's your name?"

"Arthur."

"I'm ______. So, what's up? Why'd you take out all of your earrings?"

"Well, ah, I got into some trouble at my old school and my mum made me take them out when we moved. Make a new start, I guess. But she doesn't know about the tongue stud, and she never will." Arthur smiled mischeviously.

"Huh. My mom flipped tables when I got my stuff, especially this," You tugged at your lip ring. "She looked like this." You assumed her furious face and mimed flpping over a coffee table. Arthur laughed really hard.

"That's so bloody funny," he gasped out.

"I try."

You both started talking, getting into pointless chatter soon. You were arguing over the spelling of "plough" versus "plow" when a couple burst out of the gym and came in your direction, shamelessly sucking face. You made out frizzy black hair.

"Is that...Maddy?" Arthur looked pale.

"That girl's with Alfred." You stopped yourself from bursting out laughing and decided to make this as embarassing for Maddy as possible.

You wolf-whistled. "Whoo! Maddy-kins is gonna get some tonight!" She immediately broke away from Alfred.

"______? I thought you were in the gym!"

"Nope. Sorry, you can't do the nasty in the bushes like you hoped."

"Well, you're out here with that guy!"

"We were talking. Forgive me, hun, you don't get to see me with my hand down Arthur's pants."

Everyone except you was completely red faced.

Just how you liked it.