Time Warp: Everything Changes [M]

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ was standing there in front of her mirror, taking a deep breath and continuously smoothing out her dress even though it was ruffled and that was the style of it, how it was supposed to be. She was just nervous. She hadn't been to a school dance before...not one like this anyway, it didn't count when you were in middle school. This was the Fall Formal. It was a dance you got asked to and you dressed up. AJ had been asked. Not like it was a huge deal, it was her best friend Oliver. They'd always sworn that these type of things were lame and that the music was usually horrible. Besides, there were crowds, which they both hated. But they'd mutually agreed to go, to just say they'd gone to one dance. Besides, it would be better if they were together.

She sighed, wondering if she should have put more curls in her hair. It naturally had a slight curl to it so she didn't spend a lot of time fumbling with the curling iron. It seemed futile. She straightened her necklace, a key and a lock on silver chain and grabbed her phone from her desk again, seeing if Oliver had texted her.

She wanted him to be here now so she'd stop fumbling with her appearance and worrying about it.

[Oliver Barnes]

Walking towards AJ's house was the extremely nervous fifteen year old Oliver. He straightened his navy blue tie, subtly standing out from his standard black button down shirt. The boy didn't know what was considered formal and not, and he was afraid to either under or overdress for the occasion. He decided against wearing a jacket, but his arms were cold from the Minnesota air. Oliver shivered, walking at a faster pace. The plan was to pick AJ up from her house, walk the few minutes down to the school and spend the night together. Then, maybe by the end of the night he'd be up to confessing his crush for her.

Maybe.

His feelings for this girl were eating away at Oliver's insides, and his notebook, which for once he had left at home, was proof. Oliver was absolutely crazy for her. Now that they had crossed the hurdle of freshman year, maybe it would be alright to take things to the next level. Be able to cuddle and kiss her and whatnot. He blushed at the thought, shaking his head.

Swallowing hard, Oliver approached the house he knew all too well and knocked three times, his hands clammy with anticipation. Honestly, he had been surprised she agreed to go with him to the dance. They both hated crowds and parties, so disaster was inevitable. He'd just make a joke about how ten minutes was a good record for them and they'd be able to say they tried going to at least one dance.

While waiting, Oliver slipped his hands into the pockets of his black slacks, fumbling for his gift. Nothing too lavish or expensive or anything. It was a simple silver chain that he bought with money saved up from reffing local basketball games. Hopefully she'd like it.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Upon hearing the knocks on the door, AJ's mom, Victoria, was in the living room reading a book, something AJ had picked up from her. She answered the door with a smile. "Hello, Oliver. AJ's still upstairs. You can go up if you like." He was such a nice boy and after seeing him over so many times, it was nice to see them actually going somewhere that wasn't the bookstore or the library or just staying in doing homework. "You look nice."

---

AJ thought she heard voices downstairs over the soft volume of music she had playing from her iHome in the background. Music like Iron & Wine and Snow Patrol helped calm her a bit, although she still felt like her hands were shaking. It was her mother talking to somebody. Was Oliver here? She glanced at her wall clock. He was on time, as always. Impeccable.

Why was she so nervous anyway? Was it just the thought of the social gathering aspect of a dance or who she was going with? Oliver was one of the people she was most comfortable around! It didn't make sense.

[Oliver Barnes]

With a small wave, Oliver entered the house, smiling. "Hey Mrs. Lane." He answered. "Thanks. Nice change from the plaid and basketball shorts huh?" He joked, laughing. He could be funny, around people he was comfortable with. The Lanes and the Barnes families were super close, and he knew them as well as his own blood. He started going up the stairs, his heart hammering away inside his chest. Oliver paused in front of AJ's door, giving a slight knock before entering.

"Hope it's alright to come in." Oliver added before opening the door, relieved to see her fully dressed. His jaw dropped slightly, but Oliver composed himself soon after. "I... wow. AJ." He nervously laughed again, running a hand through his hair. "You.. you look great." His hand shook, reaching into his pocket with a shy smile. "I... I took the liberty of getting you something small. You know, just to us and being more social." He rambled, pulling out the small silver chain. "You can add more charms to it too." Oliver added, holding out the bracelet. On it was one singular chain, a quill. He saw it and thought it was perfect. "I saw the charm and couldn't resist."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I would have screamed if it wasn't," AJ told him when he opened the door. Her dress was a light pastel pink and had a sweetheart neckline on it. "It's not too much? I'm not usually one to go strapless, but my mom liked this one best and I really like the color." She was rambling now. "Sorry, I'm just really nervous about this. I want to actually stay the whole time since I spent money on this dress, but somehow I'm not so sure I'll make it." They were going together to prove that they could make it through a social night, just to try it for once.

"You clean up nice. I'm surprised you're not wearing plaid though. I figured you wouldn't be able to resist." She grinned in his direction as he pulled something out of his pocket and held it to her. She let it fall between her fingers and brought it closer so she could examine it. "It's simple. You know I love simple." Simple was elegant and clean. After hearing what he said she put her finger on the one charm on it. A quill pen. "That's the perfect one to start it off with. You really didn't have to buy me anything though. I didn't know it was a gift giving occasion or I would have bought you a plaid tie," she said jokingly.

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver left the door open behind him, as they were planning on leaving soon. Least he hoped soon. If they waited too long, he might change his mind. His eyes landed on AJ, with a soft smile. No, he wouldn't be changing his mind. She looked... great. So beautiful. He felt... odd, almost proud that he of all people was the one to take her to the Fall Formal. "Trust me AJ, you look great. The dress suits you perfectly." He assured his equally nervous friend. His eyes flitted by the neckline, lingering at the chest a bit longer than socially acceptable. Oliver blushed, laughing nervously, again. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

Walking over to his friend, Oliver slipped his hand into hers, giving a reassuring hand squeeze and smile. "It's okay, I'm... I'm so nervous too." He admitted with a chuckle. So nervous. "We got each other's backs. And we'll last as long as we can. If all else fails, I'll take you to Olive Garden or something and we can have a nice dinner." Unlimited breadsticks was friendly on his budget, or lack thereof. "Don't beat yourself up too much, alright?" He gave another squeeze.

"I'd been planning on wearing plaid but Ma said I should be less predictable." Oliver joked, grinning at AJ. He did love plaid but decided that his mom was right. Dress up a little more. Leave a better impression. Plus, Oliver decided that he did look good in black and navy blue. Hopefully AJ thought so too.

"Of course I know you." Oliver said, licking his lips nervously with his same old timid smile. "And I know. I just saw it... and well, call it an impulse buy." He grinned. "I would wear that tie down to tatters. Seriously though, just wanted to get you something so you'd remember this day."

Still holding her hand, Oliver gestured towards the door. "Well, you good to head out?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Okay, good," AJ said again, smoothing out her dress even though it wasn't wrinkly, a nervous habit. She stopped; however, when Oliver walked over and took his hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. "Well as long as we're both nervous, although I'm not so sure two nervous people going somewhere together is really a good idea." She was mostly joking. After all, she'd been friends with him since middle school and they never had any problems feeding each other's nervousness. But she nodded at him. "Okay, at least I get rewarded with breadsticks if I fail at being social like a normal teenager," she mused with slight laugh.

She didn't notice the way his eyes lingered on her, maybe it was because her mind was elsewhere and she was bursting at the seams with nervousness. "Well, your mom was right, although I still would have gone to the dance with you even if you did wear plaid." She smiled. "You look good though." She took her free hand and straightened his collar.

He did know her, probably better than she knew herself. "As long as you don't start making impulse buying a habit, I think I can accept his gift." It was simple. AJ didn't like flashy or chunky, or in your face. It's why she only had on the necklace she never took off, the silver chain with the heart shaped key on it, but now she had something to wear on her wrist.

When he gestured to the door she took his hand out of his for a moment. "Hold on," she told him, holding out the bracelet to him. "I want to wear it." Although she was sure with her shaky hands she wouldn't be able to fasten it.

[Oliver Barnes]

Smiling, Oliver chuckled. "Maybe it isn't the best idea, but two wrongs make a right don't they?" Not that they were wrong as people, but their nervous habits made life a little harder compared to most teenagers their age. "Breadsticks fix everything." OLiver concluded, grinning from ear to ear. "Plus, who says we need to be super social creatures anyway?" They had each other, that was the important thing. He had his sports teams as well, but he wasn't close to any of the guys like his relationship with AJ.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." He joked, his breath catching in his throat as AJ adjusted his collar. Oliver wanted nothing more than to take both her hands and hold them. Just hold them for awhile. It had taken so much to get to this point. Oliver had worked up the nerve to ask her to the dance and then the two had mustered up the courage to actually follow through with the plans. "Thanks."

"You better, I think it was a no refund gift." Oliver joked, cheesily grinning. With this girl, he felt free to come out of his reserved shell and crack jokes. Even if they were bad ones. A softer smile appeared on Oliver's face. His own hands were shaky as well, but he managed to take hold of the bracelet, opening the clasp and slipping it around AJ's wrist. His fingers lingered near the skin, before Oliver pulled his hands away with a nervous laugh. "There we go. All dressed up with somewhere to go."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I know that's how the saying goes, but I'm not sure the person who first said that was being very logical," AJ pointed out. At least she had someone to share her insecurity with. "You're right. We'll see how it goes."

She smiled at him when she finished straightening his collar. "Now that doesn't mean you should wear plaid to the dance," she said and punched him in the arm for his comment about the gift, although it hadn't been hard at all. After all, she'd never thrown a real punch and never wanted to. "That's a horrible joke."

She let him put on her bracelet and twisted her wrist to examine it when he finished. "Well then I guess we better get going." She took a deep breath.

[Oliver Barnes]

"They use that in math so it has to be logical." Oliver playfully fought back with a grin. Afterwards, the grin slipped into a frown. "Amanda Joy Lane!" He scolded with a pout, rubbing his arm. "That hurt. Next time I'll buy you a no refund plaid shirt and you'll have to wear it." Part of him wanted to stay in her room and... woah, okay, he never thought of that before. His cheeks flushed for a second, before he managed to brush away the thought. No. He was having a good time joking around with his best friend, that was all. Hopefully the dance wouldn't kill the mood.

With a smile on his face again, Oliver lead them down the stairs, reassuringly holding AJ's hand again. "We can do this." he whispered before reaching the bottom of the stairs, bombarded by AJ's mom with her camera.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"In case you haven't noticed, math isn't really my thing as shown by the amount of times I've failed quizzes and gone to summer school for it," AJ responded. She hated math, the subject made her feel inadequate, like she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. She pulled her hand back and covered her mouth, laughing. She had a habit of doing that, as if the appearance of her laughing was something she had to hide.

"Is that a threat? It's not a very good one. You know I own some plaid. It's not a punishment to wear it." She shut the door to her bedroom as they left it and when the reached the bottom of the stairs, there was her mom standing at the ready with her camera.

"Mom, we have to get going," she told her after several photos. She looked to Oliver for help. She actually wanted him to drag her out the door.

[Oliver Barnes]

"Right, right. You know, I told you I could tutor you goof." Oliver laughed before gently nudging AJ with his shoulder. Unlike most kids, he didn't necessarily struggle with math. He wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst. "Promise you I'd help you get a solid B."

He smiled at AJ's quirk of covering her mouth. It was really frickin cute when she did that. Frowning, Oliver shrugged soon afterwards. "Yeah, I got nothing. Maybe I'll get you plaid pants or something." Even he wouldn't go that far.

After being bombarded with the mini photoshoot, Oliver chuckled and met Mrs. Lane's eyes. "My face is gonna break from all this smiling." He joked, lightly interlocking his fingers with AJ's. "We better get go though, else we're going to be late for the dance. Don't wanna miss out!" He feigned the excitement as his heart pounded, hammering wildly in his chest. Sure, Oliver was excited for the formal dance but also incredibly nervous.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Out of all people, how do you get to be proficient at math?" AJ asked, a pouting look on her face. It wasn't fair. "That probably wouldn't have helped anyway. Math isn't my thing, you know that."

She wrinkled her nose at his suggestion of plaid pants as they'd headed down the stairs and after minutes of being photo attacked by her mother, she was grateful when Oliver helped them get away. Always there to save the day with a lame joke. He dragged her out the door with their hands intertwined and she barely got out a 'Bye Mom!' When they were walking down the front steps, she smiled over at him. "Nice save. We needed to get out of there."

[Oliver Barnes]

"I get by." Oliver said with a shrug, his modesty coming through. He wasn't a spectacular math god but compared to most students, his mind didn't flake out. "You should be happy, cause that means a friend can help you. And I know, I know." Oliver said with a chuckle, shaking his head slightly.

After they escaped from AJ's mom and her camera, Oliver let out a sigh of relief. His anxiety and nerves were beginning to take over, now that they were on their way over to the high school. Their hands still entwined, Oliver sent a shy smile towards AJ as they walked in the cool evening. "No kidding. We would have been late. She seemed... pretty excited." He laughed.

The walk had been full of chatter, which Oliver appreciated since talking with his best friend had helped ease his anxiety about the whole night. Now, they were standing in front of the school, still hand in hand. Together. "Well, we made it." he joked, staring up at the hung up poster, autumn themed poster. He breathed in sharply, exhaling loudly as other students filed into the school with no problems. He kind of resented them for it. "You good?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"You getting by means that you're passing which for me would be a miracle," AJ commented, but she knew that Oliver was always modest, never one to brag. "She was very excited...." Although AJ supposed she wouldn't mind being late, or so late that the dance was over... But she couldn't think like that. She was going to go and have fun with Oliver at her side. That was enough to make her comfortable.

When they arrived in front of the schoo, AJ stared up at the banner, squeezing his hand in her own as students walked excitedly into the school in front of them. "Wow, they make it look so easy," she said, her stomach fluttering with nerves.