We've Come A Long Way [Prom - Vaughn!]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

Tamara had gone all out for prom. She put a lot of effort into it every year, wanting to look nice, but this year was different. This year she had a particular person in question that she wanted to impress.

If someone told her that she'd be setting out to look nice for Vaughn Gallagher in the chemistry class where they first met, she would have laughed derisively and told them to get out. She and Vaughn hadn't gotten off on the right foot by any stretch of the imagination. The majority of that first day of the project in class was spent tossing insults back and forth at each other.

Yet, as both she and Vaughn admitted later, it was almost fun having someone to bite back. Tamara like a good argument here or there, and while their first arguments had been full of annoyance and frustration, they'd taken on an entirely different tone as of late. Tamara knew she was coming off as more flirtatious and playful, and she didn't think it was entirely in her imagination that Vaughn's comebacks were more playful as well. They were enjoying themselves when they were arguing this time, and they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Vaughn even paid her a few compliments, while she paid him a few compliments.

Even if she didn't spend the night with him, she intended to have fun. She had friends that she could have a ball with. Her hair was tied up neatly into a bun and she was wearing a nice yellow dress that looked particularly summery in nature. She stood near the edge of the crowd, chatting with a few friends, not wanting to go too deep out onto the dance floor yet, lest she not be recognized.

Word count: 295
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: Ayup

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

He couldn’t believe it. Vaughn couldn’t believe that he was doing this. Prom.. prom wasn’t his thing. He didn’t dance. Hell, he didn’t even dress up. But no, here he was in his dorm, standing in front of the mirror in his tux and fixing up his tie. Prom. He was going to the prom. He didn’t have a date, but it would be ridiculous not to admit that he was going with the intent of meeting up with a girl, and one in particular. Tamara would be there, he knew it. It may have come up in conversation once, but Vaughn had been way too terrified to ask her. He was a ballsy guy, but not when it came to romantic things like this. Vaughn had thought he’d never fall in love again. Losing his girlfriend a few years back, the love of his life, the one girl he’d ever looked at differently and had ever considered spending his time and life with, had been beyond devastating to the young boy. From that moment onward he hadn’t thought he’d ever want a relationship again.

But Tamara... they’d started off on not just the wrong foot but probably with both. Vaughn had no idea how he felt this way about her now, but he did. He could only imagine what she’d look like tonight.. Nervously, Vaughn made his way down to the gym. He stopped in at the guys’ bathroom to fix his hair one last time before he handed the greeters his ticket and headed in. It didn’t take long for him to spot her, standing near the edge of the crowd. And man, she did look beautiful. His heart was pounding as he slowly approached her. “T- .. Tamara,” he stuttered out, clearing his throat immediately afterward. “You look wonderful tonight...” Wonderful was an understatement.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 307
MUSE the party scene by all time low
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES sorry i didn’t get this done as early as planned >.>

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

There were an awful lot of people who weren't all that into prom, Tamara was finding.

She honestly didn't get it. She was one of those girls who glamorized all of her teenage milestones. She'd invited a bunch of friends to her sweet sixteen birthday party. Prom was supposed to be a night to remember. She was also the type of girl who frequently fantasized about her wedding day. For a while, the man beside her in those fantasies had been Errol. Now, that vision was starting to be replaced by another.

Tamara continued to look into the crowd, figuring that he would be there. She would have no problems going up to him if she could only find him, but she was having difficulty with even that! She jumped a little when she heard someone's voice behind her, but she quickly eased up and turned around with a huge smile.

"Vaughn!"[/color] She blurted out, at a loss for words. He pulled off the tux look very well. She checked her hair to make sure that it was staying the way it was supposed to. She beamed when he complimented her.

"So do you."[/color] She looked out toward the dance floor, and held out a hand for him to hold. "You want to dance or wait a little bit?"[/color] She didn't care either way. This was like a dream come true for Tamara. Not only was she at prom, but she was with a boy...a boy that told her she looked wonderful, and even stuttered as he did so!

Word count: 275
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: D'aww

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

Love really was a funny thing. It came out of nowhere, unexpectedly, and it hung on and never let go. Sort of like a leech. Just a much more desirable one, not one that makes people cringe and run away from in fear. Worst simile ever. At the same time, however, the two really were similar. Vaughn wasn’t sure he could go so far as to say he was in love with Tamara, but she had really grown on him lately, and, well, he certainly didn’t hate her anymore. He was rather fond of her, and it almost pained him to say that he was fond of her in almost a romantic way. Vaughn had said he would never look for a real relationship again, he would never fall in love with another girl. It felt like a disgrace, like a slap in the face to his girlfriend’s memory, if he ever kissed her or hell, even hugged her too long.

But at the same time, she would have wanted him to be happy. She would have wanted him to move on with his life. Maybe get married some day, settle down, have a couple kids. It wasn’t good for him to dwell on the past as he did. And, well, Tamara did look extremely beautiful tonight, and he was so tempted. Maybe he could ask her here to be his girlfriend. Girlfriend... It was one of the scariest words ever created for the English language. But what would he do when he went back to England at the end of the year, at the end of the summer? He wouldn’t be able to leave her...

Hell, Vaughn wouldn’t be able to leave Tamara the way it was, whether they were dating or not. In that situation, he was fucked either way. He might as well be happy tonight, then. “O-oh, um..” he started awkwardly, though he did take her hand. It was warm, comfortable. It was like her hand fit perfectly in his. “We can dance right now, if you’d want to.. The DJ said he would put on a sl- ..” It was like that DJ could read his mind, because at that moment, a slow song did come on, and Vaughn smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, let’s dance.” Now was as good a time as ever.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 387
MUSE dammit by blink-182
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES <3

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

For all her fantasies about romance, and misconceptions about her...Tamara had never even had a boyfriend.

She was a whore, yes, but not in the literal definition. She was a drama whore. When it came to love, she had yet to find it. She'd kissed a boy, but it had been in grade school, and had been more of a 'let's kiss each other to see how it feels' than with any feeling behind it. Crushes were not a new thing to her, though. She'd liked boys from middle school on. Errol was just one of the most recent...and Vaughn.

The difference with Vaughn was that...well, with the way he was behaving, it almost seemed as though he liked her back. She'd finally given up on Errol, realizing that the object of his affections was Chess and not her. Vaughn, on the other hand, told her she looked wonderful. Vaughn, on the other hand, was focusing most of his attention on her. Considering most of Tamara's insecurities centered around how much attention she received from those around her...it was a most welcome feeling.

Vaughn wanted to dance. She was thrilled to hear it, and didn't even bother to disguise the huge smile that came across her face as a reaction to this. Not only that, but when a slow song began to play, Vaughn didn't chicken out or pull away. He confirmed that he still wanted to dance with her. She moved in closer to him. "Just promise you won't step on my toes."[/color] She teased as she put her other arm around his neck.

Word count: 274
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: D'aww

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

Vaughn had always thought that prom was just a stupid cliché tradition, an excuse for girls to go out and spend tons of money on huge fancy dresses they’ll never wear again, just so they can show off and compare who has the bigger dress. But for once, at this dance, Vaughn was actually having fun. He never would have come to prom if Tamara hadn’t been attending, and he knew that. There was nothing else that could have gotten him to the gym at this time of night. For the first time in his life, Vaughn had been distracted from working out, distracted from his future endeavors, because he had something to keep him rooted to the present. And her name was Tamara.

He wondered what she would say if he did ask her to be his girlfriend. She seemed to like him back, after all... right? Anyone on the outside would have been able to tell easily, but when you were on the inside, things were a little foggier. Oh God, he hoped she liked him, because he really wanted to ask. Especially tonight, when she looked so beautiful and so happy and... man. This romance stuff was hard.

For the time being, he’d just dance with her. He’d work up the nerve to ask her, or maybe to kiss her. Maybe he should kiss her first. Ugh, maybe he should just focus on dancing with her for now. He laughed gently, smiling at her. It was hard for him to take his eyes off of her face. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that,” he said as he carefully placed his arms at her waist, then began swaying gently and moving along with the song. He wasn’t the world’s greatest dancer, that was true. But for Tamara, he’d sure as hell give it a try.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 310
MUSE ups and downsizing by the swellers
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES <3

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

Tamara dreams about prom sometimes fell into the misconceptions that Vaughn had about them. Part of her fantasy was finding the perfect dress, making sure it didn't match those of her friends...and yes, she wanted to show off a bit too. She hadn't spent money on this dress for nothing, after all!

That wasn't everything, though. In her fantasies, there was always a boy with her. Not a boy that was there just for show either, but a boy that was there to spend time with her, to have a ball with her. She enjoyed attention for what she was wearing, yes, but what was the point of all of that if you didn't have fun while you were doing it? If you didn't have someone you could dance with?

At first, it had been her friends. She was going to have a blast whether she had a boy or not. Vaughn was there, though. Vaughn was there and inviting her to dance with him. This was like a dream come true for Tamara.

Tamara wasn't the world's greatest dancer either, but as Vaughn put his arms around her waist, she felt as though she were floating on air. "Then I think we're set."[/color] She moved in step with him, hoping that she wouldn't screw up herself. She seemed to be holding up pretty well thus far, however. The best part was? For once, she wasn't spying on what everyone else was doing. For once, she didn't care. For once...she wasn't being a nuisance. She'd found something else to occupy her attention, at least for now.

Word count: 273
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: I dunno

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

If he hadn’t met Tamara back in their chemistry class what seemed like ages ago, Vaughn knew that he wouldn’t have been at prom now. It was true, there was no reason other than Tamara for his attending tonight’s dance. And if he had met Tamara and just knew that she wasn’t attending prom, then he wouldn’t have been here, either. It scared him, in a way, that he would go this out of his way to do things for her, to spend time with her. He had feelings for her, and it was starting to get hard for Vaughn to deny them.

He had at first, obviously. There was no way he would admit to even himself that he felt like Tamara could be more, that he liked her as more than a friend. He didn’t want to betray his past, and that was what it felt like he’d be doing if he asked her out. It had taken him a long time to get to this point, where he felt like it wouldn’t be such a horrific thing to do. Maybe he’d kiss her. He was already dancing with her, after all. That was a huge start. A wonderful first step.

But if this was the first step, then what came next? What exactly was he supposed to do? Vaughn was more of a partier, a player, not the kind of guy who looked for relationships or romantics. He was trying, though, and that was probably evident to everyone in the room if they just glanced over. His eyes weren’t straying from Tamara for even a second, and he was smiling. He was smiling a lot. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” He was repeating himself. This wasn’t good. But he still didn’t know what to do next, how to make the next move, and he really felt like Tamara deserved to be told again just how wonderful she looked.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 325
MUSE walk on water or drown by mayday parade
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES <3

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

The junior would have gone to prom regardless, but she certainly wouldn't have been as happy as she was now. Tamara was actually dancing with a boy. Not that dancing with a boy was new, really, but a serious dance with a boy...

Tamara might have had a bit of an inflated ego, but when it came to Vaughn, she wondered if he was only saying that she was beautiful or if he really felt that way. She didn't receive compliments like that much, and beautiful was honestly a much better compliment than 'hot'. Both meant attractive, but the two words had very different connotations.

Did Vaughn really think that she was beautiful? Her heart practically leaped into her throat as he said it again. Why would he utter it twice if he didn't actually feel that way? What's more, what the hell did she say to that? For once, the insufferable chatterbox was at a loss for words. Some would call that a blessing.

"I'm not sure...did I tell you how handsome you look?"[/color] In reality, she hadn't. She'd told him that he looked wonderful, or, more specifically, blurted out a 'so do you' after he paid her the praise. It felt good to say it though. She just hope he wasn't only saying it for the hell of it, to be polite or something. She did know that, other than her uncertain thoughts, she was feeling pretty darn happy dancing with him, so she tried to let the thoughts loose. She was being told that she was beautiful, after all...shouldn't she just enjoy that?

Word count: 277
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: Keep hitting the 270s 0.o

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

Vaughn knew he was good-looking. He knew he had cleaned up well tonight and hell, he’d been told it before on multiple occasions. But yet now, when it was Tamara who was the one speaking to him, it had made all the difference. It meant so much more to him to hear it from her, that he looked handsome tonight, than it would be to hear it from a million different girls all at once. It was astounding, how Tamara meant more to him than any other girl he’d met in his past, ever since his girlfriend died. That girl still meant the world to him, which was why it had been so hard for Vaughn to let go of her and move on, to ever admit his feelings for Tamara, or that he even had them.

He was improving, though, and he was improving a lot. He’d told her how beautiful she looked, and she’d called him handsome, and the British boy couldn’t help but grin at her compliment. “Well, since we both think the other is so good-looking tonight,” he began, his heart practically pounding out of his chest. His accent, still evident everywhere, always shone out when he was nervous, too, and Tamara had probably caught that about him already, and could tell he was scared right now. But it was a good scared. “I suppose you wouldn’t mind if.. if I kissed you then, would you?” His heart was attacking him, it felt like, and he was worried his cheeks would turn red, but he was still smiling softly, waiting for her reply. Yeah, a good scared.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 271
MUSE sigh no more by mumford & sons
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES now i hit 270... what did you do?! ahah.

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

Tamara knew she wasn't lacking in the looks department either. Still, fact remained that she'd never had a boyfriend, and she did often catch herself wondering why. Even Errol, a good friend of hers, had his eyes set on someone else. She was too clouded by her own judgment to realize that it might perhaps have something to do with her own personality, and not the people around her.

Vaughn, however, brought out an aspect of Tamara's personality that she didn't show often, unless she really cared about a person. She could be nice, and honestly, it felt good to be nice sometimes. It also felt nice to be treated that way in return...but when it came to most of the school, it was too late to go back. Reputations were already established, and most were too set in their ways to go against that. Perhaps that was where Vaughn was different. He was an exchange student, so he had not been there the entire time.

His next words obviously hinted at something more to come, so when he left a pause, she almost felt tempted to tell him to hurry up and tell her.

What he did say seemed like something out of a fantasy. Tamara laughed, but it wasn't a mirthful laugh. No, it was a laugh of amusement, and a laugh of exhilaration. He wanted to know if he could kiss her? He was asking her? That was so...that was so...well, endearing. "Of course I wouldn't mind!"[/color] With that, she started to move toward him - as, after all, he'd made it pretty clear that he was interesting in her. What did she have to lose?

Word count: 293
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: It's contagiouuuuuuus...right as I get out of the habit. =P

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

If Vaughn wasn’t mistaken, he had just gotten permission to kiss Tamara. He was going to kiss her. They were going to kiss! His heart was pounding, and he was scared just a smidgen, but more than anything, he was happy. It seemed like he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it was finally here. And by her response, that meant that she wanted to kiss him, too. Vaughn felt like he hadn’t had many happier moments in his life.

He was scared only because of his past. He was scared about how this was going to make him feel later, like he was cheating on his deceased girlfriend. With marriage it’s “till death do us part,” but Vaughn still couldn’t look at it that way. He still missed her, a small part of him. The rest of him, however, really wanted to kiss Tamara, and that small part was about to be quieted.

Slowly, very carefully, Vaughn leaned in, barely swaying to the music anymore. He was smiling at her, a gentle, caring smile. And surprisingly, his nerves were fading, and in the second before his lips met hers, they seemed nonexistent. And then he kissed her. It was a nice kiss, a soft gentle one, not much more than that. Vaughn kept his lips there for a moment, no longer dancing, but just standing in the middle of the dance floor, kissing Tamara. As he pulled away, he was smiling more; it was a grin more than anything. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He’d finally kissed her.

Vaughn never stopped grinning at her, dropping his hands from her waist and reaching to take her hands instead. He’d had enough dancing for a moment. “I-if you didn’t mind that, I.. I have another question.” And surprisingly, his nerves didn’t return.

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 309
MUSE february air by lights
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES ..well that streak didn’t last long. xD

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

Once upon a time, Tamara had liked Errol. Well, to be fair, she still did - As a friend. Errol could be a complete jack ass at times, but she thought that habit of his was quite amusing...and it got things done. They'd uncovered things about RSOR thanks to this trait of Errol's. Plus she largely enjoyed throwing barbs back and forth with people, and Errol was quite good at this.

So was Vaughn, though. As an added bonus, Vaughn could be a nice guy when he needed to be. Even Tamara sometimes grew weary of just how bad Errol could get in his 'moods'. She liked the guy, but sometimes she did want to tell him to just stuff it. Vaughn, on the other hand, seemed a lot more balanced overall. If she told him to knock it off on one of the rare occasions she wasn't in the mood...he'd probably actually listen.

As their lips met, Tamara focused on this and only this, zoning out on what was happening around her. Her first...well, first real kiss. As they pulled apart, Tamara looked at Vaughn at once, wanting to gauge his reaction before showing one of her own. As a result, she was looking at him with a look that could almost be described as nervous anticipation. When she saw that he was grinning, however, a huge grin spread across her own face to match his.

The junior gladly let the senior take her hands, and she wanted to hear what he had to say next. Unfortunately, he left her hanging, which caused her to roll her eyes, but grin just the same. "Well, what are you waiting for?"[/color] She responded, happy yet somewhat impatient.

Word count: 296
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: And I'm out of it too! Wewt.

[Vaughn Lawrence Gallagher]

I’M IN THE ZONE, TURN

off my phone, i’ve got my own agenda

What was Vaughn waiting for? What was he waiting for? Vaughn had waited quite a long time already, and it had been killing him inside. Two conflicting sides of the argument, both within his brain at once, and it had really taken until tonight, until prom, for one to finally win over. It had taken until now for Vaughn to truly realize that he couldn’t ignore his feelings about Tamara, and more importantly, that he didn’t want to. At all.

He liked her. He really, really liked her. It had scared him for the longest time when he first finally realized it, but now it was like he was coming to terms with it. And really, he didn’t mind, and as time wore on, he found that he didn’t mind in the slightest. His past was finally staying where it should, and he was finally moving on. Here he was, at prom, with Tamara. Sure, he hadn’t asked her, but both of them had certainly come to the dance with the intent of finding each other there. They’d spent a good portion of the evening together – their entire time at the dance, actually – and they’d danced. It was a slow song, and then, they’d kissed.

And now, Vaughn was going to finally ask Tamara one very important question, possibly one of the most important of his life, or so it felt right now. He was going to ask Tamara to be his girlfriend. “Tamara,” he said after another moment’s slight hesitation, smiling gently at her. “I guess I was just wondering if, if you’d.. maybe want to be my girlfriend.” When the words were out, his smile widened. He wasn’t grinning, just giving her a handsome smile. If she’d let him kiss her, then that meant she had to say yes, right?

CAUSE I FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ TONIGHT *

TAGGED tamara!
STATUS done
WORDS 302
MUSE my fingers typing this
CREDIT me. lyrics are from i feel like dancin’, all time low
NOTES <3

[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Tamara Jade Ramachander]

Tamara hadn't wanted to admit what was happening at first either. She'd admitted her feelings for Errol to herself before, only to discover that his eyes were actually on Chess rather than on her. Why would she want to go through that again? What's more, their first meeting hadn't gone well at all, although she had noted even then that she found him physically attractive.

Now, it was more than physical though. She realized that she'd actually hit it off with Vaughn as a person, and that he was all but treating her like a princess. Had she known that he was a former king, that feeling would make a lot more sense. As it was, though, she did notice that there was something different about Vaughn. Something that she liked.

It was odd, considering that what was different about Vaughn had her at odds with most of RSOR. Vaughn wasn't quite so blatant about his involvement with the club, though, which might have meant all the difference. What Tamara had against RSOR was the feeling of being left out. She was aware that Vaughn was a member, as a result of his mentioning that he'd been on the London trip, but the subject didn't come up much when the two of them were together, or just talking...and therefore Tamara didn't press it. For once.

When she saw Vaughn's smile, she could already tell it was going to be something good. The question of truth came, and Tamara leaned forward at once and gave Vaughn another kiss on the lips. Now that she knew how he felt, it was much easier to show just how she felt as well. She pulled away, a large grin on her face. "There's your answer."[/color]

Word count: 297
To: Beth/Vaughn
Notes: ...290s now, evidently.