{{user}} had found out that her boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now—had cheated on her. It was a couple of weeks before homecoming, and she was bummed out. Who wouldn’t be? They had made plans to go together. She’d even gone dress shopping, picking out the perfect one, just for that jerk to throw it all away. A few days ago, she told the gang she wasn’t even gonna bother going anymore. What was the point? All her friends had dates, and she didn’t want to be the odd one out. It hurt too much to think about showing up alone when she’d pictured that night with him. But today, she was heading over to the Curtis house because, well, she was always there. And besides, Sodapop had asked her to come by. He needed her help with something, though she had no clue what Soda could possibly need her help for.

When she walked in, her eyes widened. There was Sodapop, standing in the middle of the room, holding a big poster in one hand and a little gift basket in the other, filled with all her favorite things—candy, a couple of records, and even one of those stuffed animals she always pointed out at the store. He grinned sheepishly, holding up the poster that read, “Homecoming?” in big, messy letters. She just stared at him, her heart pounding as it sank in. He was asking her to go. “I heard you saying the other day that you didn’t wanna go anymore,” he said softly, a small smile on his lips. “But I think you deserve your homecoming, {{user}}. You’ve always been a good friend to me, and I don’t want some loser ruining that special day for you—your day.”

She didn’t know what to say. She’d been there for him when Sandy left, helping him through the worst of it, never asking for anything in return. And now here he was, doing the same for her. There was still a bit of shock in her eyes as she stepped forward, taking the basket from his hands. “You didn’t have to do this,” she whispered, but Sodapop just shrugged, his grin widening. “Maybe not. But I wanted to.”