Chapter Text
The Hawkins Middle School Snow Ball was tonight. Dustin and Shelley had been practicing just about every free moment on their duet over the past few days. They were ready, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t a little nervous.
It had been an interesting month for Dustin. He had told his mom about Shelley, his new girlfriend, as soon as he got home that day in November. She was so excited for him and laughed with delight as Dustin told her how he and Shelley had asked each other to be boyfriend and girlfriend at the exact same time.
The next day, when Dustin and Shelley told the party the good news, they all said that it was about time. Dustin thought that Mike and Lucas would give him a hard time, but they were both too happy for him. They knew that Dustin had held the party together the past few years. He deserved a break, at least for a little while. Nancy stopped by at lunch and gave them both a big hug. Jane was especially happy for them. Dustin might have never gotten to know Shelley if he hadn’t joined the choir. She was glad that his kindness to her had been repaid.
Steve was so happy he could hardly contain himself. After school that day, he drove Shelley and Dustin back to their homes in his police cruiser, making them tell him their entire story again.
After that first day, things returned to normal, at least a new normal. Dustin and Shelley were using the morning tutorial sessions to practice for their Snow Ball performance. Jane and Dustin had caught up enough that they really didn’t the tutorials every day.
Dustin invited Shelley over to dinner to meet his Mom. They spent a great evening laughing and singing along to Claudia’s favorite Frank Sinatra records. Shelley had Dustin over to meet her parents. They were glad to finally meet this nice boy who they had heard so much about.
The Choir’s Christmas concert in early December had been a success. Mrs. Henderson and the Stark’s sat next to each other in the audience.
Because Shelley and Dustin were singing at the Snow Ball, all of the party volunteered to help with the decorations and organize the food. Nancy and Jonathan would be serving as chaperones, and Steve said he would be handling ‘security’. They all ended up dressing up and making a night of it.
When it was finally their time to sing, Dustin, resplendent in a grey suit and Christmas tie, and Shelley, in a green velvet dress with a red belt, walked up to the front of the stage as the spotlights came on. The music started, and Shelley started singing the first verse.
Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion--
Is nothing new…
Dustin took over.
Sometimes you picture me, I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear what you've said
Then you say, "Go slow", I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
At the chorus they sang together. Their voices were joined in harmony, perfected over long hours of practice.
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
Dustin really didn’t remember singing much of the song. They had practiced it so much that he knew it by heart. Instead he remembered seeing his friends in the audience, dancing with each other; Nancy and Jonathan holding hands and smiling at the back of the gym; And Steve, in his uniform, making it into the gym just in time to see them perform.
Dustin then looked at his friend, now his girlfriend. Her eyes were shining as she smiled at him. They sang, not to the crowd, but to each other.
The pain and humiliation from last year’s Snow Ball was forgotten.
They were holding hands as they bowed to acknowledge the thunderous applause.
When the spotlights went out and no one could see, Dustin turned to Shelley and they kissed. It was their first kiss, but not their last.
That night before he fell asleep, Dustin thought about the last few months and how his life had changed.
High School was better than Middle School and “Time After Time” was a great song.