Just Remember to Breath: Lily tag Haden

[Lily Spencer]

Lily was freaking out. In fact she was hyperventilating a little. She took the glass of water that her brother handed her into her hand and took a few sips.

"Calm down, Lil. You look perfect...now I really do have to go..." Lily's brother of course had his own date to meet up with while Lily waited here for Haden. Only Lily was a nervous wreck. Dress shopping had not gone so well, and she'd ended up with a hot pink number that was much to short instead of a conservative red dress like she knew Haden would like. After all, Haden had told her not too show too much skin at school, but it was the prom but still... He'd said he liked red on her but none of the red dresses had fit right. It really was stressful.

"Just go," Lily said shaking her head, knowing that her getting upset was starting to scew her families opinions of Haden, who of course Lily had only had good things to say about. But her brother's cautiousness about her seeing them combined with Lily's freaking out that he wouldn't like how she looked was making her parents worry.

Lily watched as her brother headed down the stairs. He was going to drive over to a friend's house where their limo would be and then they'd go pick up their dates. Haden was coming here and she was pretty sure they'd have a limo to themselves...or maybe Haden would just be driving. She wasn't sure. Still, she was very worried, mostly about the shortness of the dress.

As Lily's brother exited the Spencer home, he caught a glimpse of Haden walking up to the front door. There were a million things he wanted to say to the other boy...threaten him to treat his sister right and all that, but much like Lily, he didn't have the guts to say these things and just nodded at the other boy before heading out.

When the doorbell rang, Lily jumped, her heart was pounding as she listened to her mother opening up the door for Haden. She stood up and let out a small sigh as she glanced over her appearance one more, knowing it was too late to change anything. She headed out of her room and down the stairs to the living room where Haden was standing. Oh! He looked so good! Getting excited, Lily accidentally took two steps instead of one, tripping slightly but catching onto the railing before she actually fell. Her cheeks immediately turned bright pink, matching her dress. "Um...hi," she said, forcing a smile despite her embarrassment as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

[Haden Kiley]

Opting for the simple classic black tailored suit and a silver tie, Haden left his house after kissing his mom goodbye. She was so happy that he was actually attending his own prom. "And why couldn't she have come here? Roles have been reversed nowadays. Women can pick men up." Their earlier conversation had started with. And with his trademark chuckle, Haden squeezed his mother's shoulder reassuringly. "And women still want to feel special and us as men, need to oblige them. And that means picking them up in a stretch limo..."

"With a corsage and you dressing up like the gentleman you are, I get it. Comb your hair back would you? You look like you just got out of bed."

And that pretty much ended the conversation and Haden found himself in front of Lily's place. It was big but Haden thought it wasn't any bigger than his. He wouldn't admit it to anyone of course; he wasn't an idiot. He was a little bit of a snob but he didn't need anybody else knowing that. Stepping out of the limo, he took out the corsage he had bought to match what Lily said was a hot pink dress. He didn't know what it looked like of course but he didn't need to know anyway. He liked being surprised. And her color choice was already surprising. As long as she didn't reveal too much...

Meeting her brother at the foyer, Haden shook his hand briskly and nodded. The look in his eyes was all too familiar to Haden. It was apparent in all brothers whose little sisters Haden was dating. "Don't worry," he said in his most convincing voice before walking further in to be greeted by Lily's mother. "Mrs Spencer, pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely..." his sentence was cut short when his peripheral vision gave him a glimpse of Lily at the top of the stairs.

To say he was surprised at her dress choice would be a gross understatement. The dress was a little too short and revealed way too much but Haden bit back his words and gave her the charming smile he knew she was waiting for. When she slipped and almost fell, Haden stepped forward instinctively but didn't need to as she recovered from the slip-up. The smile came back on as he reached a hand out for her to take.

Haden turned to Lily's mother and grinned. "...Lily," her mother smiled before leaving the two of them alone. He turned back to Lily and pressed his lips on the area where her jaw met the upper starting of her neck. He adjusted her hair and looked at her. "The dress is a little...short don't you think?" He said before handing her the simple white rose corsage with a lace ribbon attached to it to tie around the wrist. "Would you like me to tie it for you?" He asked, purposely looking into her eyes.

There was a tone in his voice that was immediately condescending and authoritative. He was a bit peeved that she was showing so much skin. And it was a formal event with people from their school. The least she could have done was wear something that had a longer skirt. He wasn't going to get angry with her. She would probably realise her mistake anyway.

[Lily Spencer]

And the first words out of his mouth were exactly what she feared...what she'd been stressing over... As much as Lily wanted to play it cool, all the stress leading up to this moment, showed and she was visibly upset. "I know...I just...dress shopping didn't go so well...and I'm already so short...I didn't have time to get alterations...this one fit off the rack...so I...I'm really sorry...I didn't mean to," she stammered. She was like a child...a pathetic and whimpering one. She liked Haden so much, she really did, but sometimes he made her feel really bad, only she didn't even really notice. She was so focused on her feelings for him and she didn't see what he was doing to her.

Lily nodded simply when he asked if she'd like him to tie on her corsage. He was still being pretty nice, so perhaps he wasn't too angry with her for the dress thing. Most boys his age tended to be pretty vulgar. They liked seeing girls in skimpy clothes and encouraged it. Really, Haden should have been commended for promoting girls to be a bit more conservative. It wasn't necessary to show so much skin. Lily only hoped that Haden realized that she hadn't intended it. It was just that all of the long dresses had been so long that she'd tripped over them and out of the short ones this had been the only one that had been the only one that wasn't either too tight or two big. If she had had more time she probably would have kept looking...but oh, she had to stop thinking about it, stop focusing on it. She needed to relax and attempt to have a good time. She needed to breath.

Haden tied on her corsage and Lily put her happy face back on in time for her mother to return to the room. Her dad followed this time and they took a few photos of the couple before allowing them to leave. Lily followed Haden to the limo, still nervous, it felt like butterflies were bouncing around her stomach in swarms. She looked around as she stepped into the limo. It was just so big and just for them... Lily wasn't used to things like limos. While Lily's family was by no means poor, they weren't exactly rich either, and even if they were, Lily rarely had the occasion to be driven around in a limo.

She sat down beside Haden, as she did so, her dress hiked up a little and she did her best to pull it down as she looked away from him and down at her knees, hoping he let it go.

[Haden Kiley]

The remorse he heard and saw coming from Lily was enough to let him know how sorry she really was. He supposed it made sense for her to have not found anything at such a late hour. He should have at least helped with maybe paying for alterations to be done in a short period of time but he didn't so, he forgave her by placing a kiss on her forehead. Haden pulled her chin up and gave her a reassuring smile. "Just don't wear something like this to school, okay?" He spoke as though he was speaking to a child.

Running his fingers through her loosely tied hair, Haden couldn't help but admit she looked amazing. The dress showed curves he didn't know she had. It really complemented her skin tone as well. Overall, she looked really good. He tied the corsage around her wrist and offered his hand for her to take and he escorted her to the limo. Once inside, Haden offered the girl some sparkling water to help her calm her nerves. "Don't look so nervous, Lil." He said softly, a tone that could only be described as calming. Lily really had nothing to worry about. For tonight, she was in good hands.

With the skirt riding up Lily's knees, Haden's body reacted as most guys' did. But the difference was, Haden didn't get all sleazy about it. All he did was pat her thigh and sighed. "Maybe I should get you a personal shopper." He said. And as an afterthought, Haden turned her face to him and gently pressed their lips together. "I hope you understand that I just don't want other guys to look at you the way I want to look at you."

Soon, they arrived at the hotel and Haden helped Lily get out of the car. They walked up to the hall where the prom was and people stared at them. Boys were staring in the way Haden did not like at all while girls were looking at her like she didn't belong. Haden frowned just slightly before pulling Lily closer to her as they made their way through the crowd to a table. "Would you like a drink?"

[Lily Spencer]

Lily nodded obediently when he ordered her not to dress like that in school. "Oh...I never would," she assured him, not really sure why it mattered. However, she was more than willing to reply. After all, she really did like Haden and wanted to please him. She was still unclear on whether he was her boyfriend or not, but if she wanted him to be, she was sure that she needed to shape up and start getting things right.

She sipped on the water and blushed about his comment about a personal shopper. "Just for dresses maybe," she said. "You know I get most of the stuff I wear from my sponsors," she pointed out. Of course that could include dresses if she wanted any but only sundresses and more casual ones. Nothing formal. Formal wear was what really got Lily in trouble because she knew nothing about it. She didn't know which styles were fashionable or what looked good. It had been a huge disaster really.

Once they'd arrived at the hotel, they headed out of the limo and into the dance. Lily was nervous. She was so nervous that she didn't even notice people staring. She just looked around, taking it all in. "Oh, no," she said, "I'm still good from the water I had in the limo but we can go get a drink if you're thirsty," she offered, as she ran her hand over her hair. She'd gotten it put up which was also new for her. Usually when she wore her hair up it was just in a ponytail or something, but she actually preferred to wear it down most of the time.

[Haden Kiley]

"I'm going to get a drink for myself. Wait for me?" He stated before going over to the drinks booth. Once he was gone, a dark haired boy notoriously known around school for being the male version of Sloane Taylor came up to Lily. "Haden Kiley, huh? You must be really desperate to want to go out with him. Should have come to me first. Sean Denvers. You look stunning." He slid a hand up from Lily's knees to the inside of her thighs.

"Seriously a wrong thing to do, Denvers." Haden yanked Sean out of his seat and pushed him away. Haden grabbed Lily and pulled her away from the crowd. When they were at a safe distance, Haden stopped walking and turned to look at anywhere else but at Lily. "That's exactly what I meant. You don't know who would want to...do anything to you. You understand now why I didn't want you to dress inappropriately? Huh?" His voice was commanding and low.

Like reprimanding a child, Haden had to use a level tone of voice. "I told you something like this would happen. Did he do anything else to you?" Haden asked after several moments of silence between them.People were staring so Haden pulled Lily close to him and softly pressed his lips on hers as they swayed gently.

"I don't care if you liked the attention or not. If anyone does that to you again, you tell me. If you don't...well don't try and find out what I would do." He had a calm smile on his face but his heart was raging in the cavity. "You're mine, you hear me? Mine." He had never been possessive of anything but Lily had to know no one should mess with her. Or him for that matter.

[Lily Spencer]

Lily nodded and stood there as she was told when Haden went to get a drink. She wasn't really paying attention to anyone in particular...just looking around and taking it all in. That was when she was approached. The boy was very aggressive... As he reached down to touch her leg, Lily winced. She attempted to kick him even...something that would have been an easy task had she been in sneakers like she usually wore, but was much more difficult in heels. "Don't touch me!" she hissed, reaching out in an attempt to push him away, but before she could really do anything Haden came to her aid.

In what seemed like a whirlwind of events, Haden got rid of the other boy and began to reprimand her about her dress once more. Lily wanted to cry. She could actually feel it starting to happen...that lump in her throat...her body temperature rising. It was then that he kissed her...doing the thing that usually seemed to solve everything. But this time it seemed different...it was rough, not sweet. And he gripped her so tightly...

And then...well then he accused her of liking the attention, which changed her entire attitude. She no longer wanted to cry...she was actually kind of ticked that he thought that of her. And she was his? Really? Under normal circumstances this revelation would have elated her...after all, she wanted to be his. But he was so angry as he said it...it was almost...scary.

"I already told you I was sorry about the dress," she snapped. "If you would have asked me to the prom earlier, I would have had more time to find something. It's not like I can go out and get a new dress right now so you're just going to have to get over it," she said. The look on her face was unpleasant for a moment before it sunk in that she'd just snapped at Haden. Haden...the boy that she liked oh so much... She bit down on her lower lip. Uh oh...

It was then that Lily's brother, Jordan, came rushing over. "Lil...you look really upset..." He hadn't seen what had happened with the other guy...just what was happening now with Haden, who he already didn't trust. "If you want to hang out with us for a bit, that would be okay...Kendra doesn't mind," he said referring to his date. He still didn't have the guts to look Haden in the eye and simply focused on his sister.

Lily looked from her brother to Haden then back at her brother. Haden still seemed so angry and Lily didn't like it. She wasn't completely certain what was going on but he seemed more aggressive that usual. "Maybe that wouldn't be a terrible idea..." she trailed off as she looked to Haden, with uncertainty in her eyes. What was going on?

[Haden Kiley]

The telltale signs of Lily about to cry were undeniable and Haden actually felt bad for making her go through that. But it was for naught as her expression turned into anger and she snapped at him. "Convincing argument." He murmured just as Lily's brother came over. It was obvious that Jordan was intimidated by Haden but he wasn't about to take advantage of that. He knew what could happen if he provoked someone like Jordan.

Or Lily for that matter.

Then the brother suggested Lily ditch him and when Lily actually contemplated it, Haden let her go as though she had scalded him. He looked at her in disgust for a bit before he wiped the look on his face in favour of a disappointed look. Truth be told, even he didn't know what the hell was going on. One minute he was 'defending' Lily's honor and the next he was being spat at. Or at least he thought he was defending her. Apparently she didn't think so.

"You know what...go ahead. If you didn't want to spend time with me, you should have said so earlier." He said angrily. "I don't need this from you." He started to walk away but he turned back around because despite him having the reputation for being a jerk, he knew he was still a gentleman. "If you don't have a ride later, just take my limo." He then walked away to the bathroom.

Looking at the mirror, he noticed a difference that he didn't like. What was going on, he had no idea. Splashing some water in his face, he reveled in the coldness of the water. Why was he so angry at Lily? No, he wasn't angry at Lily. He was angry at the fact that she was a beautiful girl and that dress was just completely indecent and guys were a very indecent bunch. Sure he appreciated some skin every once in awhile but Lily was his project. No one was supposed to look at her the way he thought he was entitled to.

He exited the bathroom and looked around for Lily but didn't see her. Had she already left?

[Lily Spencer]

He left. He actually left her there. Lily hadn't been expecting that. She really didn't want to go with her brother and his date. Haden had just been getting kind of intense and a little scary so she thought maybe if he thought she was leaving that he'd be nicer...try and get her to stay. She hadn't really wanted him to leave. Maybe she wasn't as sure about it all as she had been before. Maybe her head was telling her to run...to get out of this as fast as she could...but her heart was telling her that she still very much liked Haden. No, she was not in love, but very very much in like was a pretty accurate assessment.

"Just stay away from him Lil," her brother said. "That guy's a jerk. I don't like you going out with him anyway," Jordan finally admitted, guiding his sister over to where him and his date were. Lily followed him, but she was definitely sulking. Jordan took to his date and they were dancing but Lily just sat down at the table by them, sitting down and still sulking. This really wasn't how she'd been expecting this all to go.

She could see Haden when he returned from the bathroom, but Lily being super short was hidden behind all the people standing up. He seemed to be looking around...was he looking for her? Was he looking a pizza girl? Maybe she was here too and Haden had decided that she was more worth his time. Lily didn't know. She wanted to go over to him but she was nervous. Why was she nervous? She was dating Haden...they hung out all the time. But she'd saw a different side of him tonight, one that she hadn't liked so much. She thought about the things Grey had said to her. He was really nice. She wondered if they would become friends. Perhaps, if he kept showing up to classes they would. She sort of wondered what Haden would think about that. If that pervy guy who had tried to feel her up was any indication, he wouldn't like it so much. But Grey hadn't tried to hit on her, not even a little bit.

The crowd sort of shifted so there was an opening allowing Haden to see Lily sitting there all on her own. She caught his eye...their eyes locking for a moment. She wasn't sure what to do. She gave him a tiny wave deciding she'd let him make the next move. After all, she'd already done enough things wrong she didn't want to mess things up more by talking to him when he didn't want to talk to her yet...

[Haden Kiley]

Once Haden finally spotted Lily he couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why he had acted like a jerk back there. Lily really didn't deserve it. Sure he was only aiming for one thing with the girl but nobody deserved getting a psycho as their date. He unbuttoned his tux and took it off as he walked over to her.

Sitting beside her, he offered his tux to her. "I should have done this from before instead of chewing you out." He said softly. Pulling up her chin with a finger, he gave her a genuine smile. "I'm sorry, Lil." He pulled himself closer and pressed his lips on hers in a brief kiss. "You raised some good points too. I shouldn't have asked you so late." He sighed and dropped his hand down to his side.

This wasn't going as planned. Although her gaining some confidence made him think that it was. He wasn't trying to be presumptious but from the girl who couldn't even look at him properly when they first met to someone who talked back to him because he didn't give her enough time to get a new dress, he thought he did somewhat of a good job.

"You still wanna stay or you wanna get out of here?"