Chapter 434) Promposed Problems

“Imagination is something that sits up with dad and mom the first time their teenager stays out late.”

~Unknown

Newcrest
Grainger Manor
Home to Heath, Caitlin, their twin teen sons Noah and Nolan and puppy Athena

Heath answered the door to find a teenaged girl with bright red hair, oodles of freckles and a nervous smile, while her big brown eyes stared up at him.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Ahem, hi Mr. Grainger. I am Emilee. Is Noah home by any chance?” the girl asked politely.

“Noah? My son Noah? Oh yes. Uh, sure … one second.” Heath was genuinely surprised, then turned back towards the hallway and yelled.

“NOAH! Someone at the door for you. It’s a GIRL here to see you!” Heath yelled into the hallway behind him.

Right after that Noah appeared at the door.

“Emilee?” he wondered.

“Hi. Got a minute? To … talk. Privately. Nothing bad, just wanted to run something by you. School-related. Kinda.” Emilee nearly coughed the words out, really nervous now.

“Yeah, sure. Umm …. let’s go up to my room for some privacy.” Noah offered without thinking.

He had no ulterior motives, was just nervous and his family circling their heads didn’t help so he wanted to go any place with a door.

“Not in five lifetimes!” Heath said, shaking his head behind his son.

“Oh – Right. Let’s go outside. Wait, too many neighbors out front. Let’s go out back.” Noah scrambled.

Under the watchful stares of three people, Noah’s dad Heath, his mom Caitlin and his twin brother Nolan, they walked what felt like a strange form of a walk of shame down that hall and into the Graingers’ backyard.

Once out there, Noah turned to Emilee, who then scrambled for words.

“So, you know senior prom is coming up and … I was wondering if you were going with anyone.” she asked.

“No. School dances are stupid. Dancing per se is stupid really. Everyone looks like a moron when dancing. Not my thing at all.” Noah said.

“Oh. So, you are not going? To Senior Prom?”

“I don’t know. Don’t think so. Why?” Noah really was clueless.

“Because … if you WERE going and didn’t already have a date … ahem …” Emilee pulled something out from underneath her coat, unfolded it, straightened it then held it up for Noah as she knelt down before him.

It was a sign, on it in permanent markers it read

‘Hey – since I cheered you on at your football game, will you tackle prom with me?’

Noah stared at it. Emilee stared at him. Then it finally clicked.

“Oh – are you asking ME to go to prom with you?” he finally realized.

“Uh, isn’t that obvious?”

“I guess. Oh – yes. YES!!! I’ll totally go to prom with you!”

Squealing Emilee dropped the sign, jumped up and into Noah’s arms, who caught her, pressing his secret crush against him really close, enjoying the moment until he opened his eyes to look up and see three faces plastered up against one window. GULP. Awkward to be his family’s evening entertainment. Yikes!

Rolling his eyes he gently plucked Emilee off himself.

“Thank you for asking, by the way. I couldn’t figure out how to do this prom thing so I just thought I’d save everyone the humiliation.” Noah said.

“Whom were you gonna ask?” Emilee wondered.

“You, obviously.”

“Oh. Well, cool, guess I beat you to the punch. Or .. to the kick off .. or insert something clever and football related here.” Emilee stuttered nervously.

“Touchdown I guess. I am not a kicker, so I don’t ever kick off. But tackle is good, like from your promposal sign I mean. I do that, tackling. Did it today. Were you at the game? Did you see me?” Noah stuttered back equally nervous.

“Are you serious? Of course, I was at the game, I am the cheer captain. I thought you saw me, too!” Emilee felt like all her perfectly planned hairdos, outfits and posing to look Insta-perfect for him to notice her, all those attempts at impressing him over the past months had been for nothing. WHAT?!

“Sorry, coach’s strict. Eyes and minds on the field only. If he catches one of us looking at the audience, we’re deaf for the rest of the day. I don’t even wanna know what he would do if I were to look at the cheer squat.” Noah said, even though it wasn’t true. All the boys DID look at the cheerleaders. Did they ever. Just not that obvious.

“Oh. Wow. He does yell a lot. We figured it’s because of the helmets.”

“Yeah, right … probably.” Noah said, while thinking ‘nope, it’s because we are a bunch of rowdy teen boys with hormones running wild next to a bunch of pretty teen girls dancing and cheering in tiny outfits, and we can’t remember anything from the playbook when all the blood goes from our brains to other parts of the body, but okay …’

“Right …”

“Right.”

An awkward moment turned more awkward when suddenly the backdoor was opened and a woman headed towards them, offering her hand to Emilee.

“Hi. I am Caitlin, Noah’s mom and it is so nice to meet you .. .ahem …”

“Emilee. Emilee Cameron.”

“CAMERON?! My maiden name is Cameron. Are we related? Could that be? No way, right?” Caitlin rambled on.

“Oh my God, here we go …” Noah mumbled.

“I don’t think so. I am from Brindleton Bay. My dad’s Rhys, mom is Samantha.” Emilee told Caitlin.

“Rhys Cameron? Oh my God, last time I saw him he and I were about as old as Noah is now, your dad and I are about the same age, I think he’s maybe 1 year younger than me. How old are you, Emilee? Oh, I get it! Emilee … after Rhys’ late mom Emily! Aww, that is so sweet! Yeah, I remember my dad mentioning that now. You look just like her too! Well, luckily we’re not really related then. So, that’s good, considering … ya know …”

“MOM!” Noah tried to stop Caitlin.

“What?! You’re going to prom! Finally! That is so cute that SHE asked YOU. Girl power, right? I love it. I had to ask Noah’s dad too. He’s also very … umm … what’s the right word …”

“MOM! Please! Stop talking!” Noah demanded.

“Has he even offered you a beverage yet, Emilee? Didn’t I raise you better, Noah?”

“Mom – you are literally KILLING me here!” Noah grimaced.

“Oh thanks, Mrs. Grainger, that’s okay, I am really not thirsty, I gotta go anyway, need to get back home. I am 17 by the way, same as Noah. Since you asked. I gotta go.” Emilee nearly ran to the door back into the hallway.

“It was SO nice to meet you! Noah, don’t stand there, walk her out to her car. GO!”

“Yes, mother. Of course, mother. Right away mother.” Noah groaned but hurried after Emilee.

“Brat!”

While Noah was walking Emilee out, Caitlin met up with Heath.

“He’s going to prom! Our little boy. And this little girl is so adorable. Aww, Heath. Say something!” she squeaked.

“I’ll say something if dad doesn’t: BARF!” Nolan, Noah’s identical twin brother grumbled.

“Nolan. I am sorry Cassie turned you down. Her loss. Your brother just had better luck. There are plenty of other pretty girls for you.” Caitlin told him warmly.

“It’s Cassandra, mom, not Cassie. And from where I sit, my loss too. I waited too long, now all the cute girls already have dates. And I knew better than to ask Emilee. She and Noah have been sweet on each other for months. It was getting painful to watch them stalk each other without either making a move.”

“All right, tell me about Emilee.” Caitlin asked.

“Cait!” Heath shook his head at his wife.

Looking at his parents, he shook his head.

“Nope! I am not telling you ANYTHING! Ask my brother.” Nolan said and ran up the stairs to his room.

“Just no, mom.” Noah said, he had returned and now ran past them to the stairs and up like his brother had moments earlier.

“When he is ready to tell us about her, he will. Same goes for Nolan, whenever he meets a girl worth his while. Evidently that Cassandra wasn’t it. We’ll see about Emilee.” Heath told Caitlin.

“So unromantic. I thought by now they both would have cute little girlfriends that come over, they kinda see us as bonus mom and dad, we all do family stuff together with them and we would get to watch them be all cute and innocent and sweet together. Instead, not even as much as mention of a girl until Nolan comes home from school uber-grumpy for no apparent reason, turns out there is a girl he really likes, but she didn’t want to go to prom with him. Now Noah also pulls a girl we never heard of out of thin air who actually shows up at our door to ask him out. Why did neither mention any girls AT ALL?! They are not usually shy! And we usually talk about everything. At least I thought we did! Guess not, guess we’re doing secrets now. I don’t like it.” Caitlin rambled on.

“Caitie … they are 17-year-old boys! They both have 99 problems each, and not trusting us isn’t one of them. The world just looks a lot different through their eyes. I kinda like that both our sons are late bloomers. At that age, the things that go through boys’ heads are no longer cute and innocent. Let’s just keep them as they are, so we don’t have to deal with Cameron Curses. Or Grainger Curses? Not sure which applies.” Heath told her.

“Oh. OH! I am going to talk to Noah!”

“Cait!” Heath tried to grab her, but she was faster this time and already halfway up the stairs.

After a brief knock she entered her son’s room.

“Noah. Daddy and I were wondering about … you know .. oh, what the hell, I’ll come straight out and say it: birth control.”

“WHAT?! Mom, what the hell?! I barely kissed her. Once. Well, twice actually. But just pecks. Mainly so she doesn’t notice the fangs.”

“Well, you know how quickly things can progress. Or, hopefully you do NOT know. Not yet.”

“Mom, seriously, I have a million other things to worry about than .. THAT. She doesn’t even know yet that I am a Vampire, nobody at school does, after all the drama Connor went through Nolan and I kept it a secret. THAT is my biggest hold up. Nothing will happen between Emilee and me before I can figure out how to break that to her in a way that she won’t freak out, not to mention tell anyone. I honestly don’t know how to get through prom without her noticing. You’ve been to prom, you KNOW what I mean. All the stuff you are worried about isn’t even on my radar yet. Besides, have you met your father? Grandpa Blaine has been sneaking condoms into Nolan and my pockets since we were 15! Every dang time we see him.” Noah exclaimed excitedly.

“What? Why have I never heard of that before?” Caitlin felt like a surprise guest in her own life right now.

“Because you are my MOM. How was that talk supposed to happen? Oh, look mommy what grampa gave me. Size XL too, guess I am his favorite? No thank you. I don’t need that in my life. It’s awkward enough as is. As is this conversation … can we like … NOT? Seriously mom, I can’t with any of this right now, if you love me at all, can we drop this. I need to be alone for a bit, just to process and figure out this prom thing.” Noah’s voice was full of teen angst and anxiety.

“Sure baby. Take your time. Just wanted to make sure you’re … aware. And safe. And if you need to talk, daddy and I are always here for you. Love you, baby boy.”

Leaving Noah’s room, Cait found Heath waiting in the hall. Smirking.

“Heath …. has my dad ever … when we were teens … has he … given you stuff. Like … wrapped roundish things for adults in the bedroom, if you know what I mean?”

“Oh yeah.” Heath confirmed, chuckling.

“Really?” Caitin sounded surprised and borderline shocked.

“Uh huh.” Heath made.

“What did you do with them? Cos I never heard about that, nor have I ever seen one, and you and I … we never … needed them until … much later. MUCH, much later.” Caitlin wondered.

“Put them in a drawer in Chase’s bathroom. Figured he’d put them to better use since he was older and was already dating Hailey.”

“What? OMG, poor Chase. Dad flooded them with condoms anyway, mostly as a joke! Chase was so socially awkward growing up and my entire family drowned him in prophylactics. HAHAHAHAHA, my poor brother! I have to ask him about that tomorrow.” Caitlin and Heath were still laughing about it when they went to bed that night.