Mary, Phyllis, Dave and I were having burgers in the secluded both in Big Al’s burger joint. We always went there after Dave had dragged us to the latest Anne Aragon movie. Dave had it bad. The rest of us humored him. Oh, we liked Anne Aragon but we weren’t fanatic fans like him.

We were a strange group. High school boys and girls are not supposed to be friends without romantic entanglements. We were. We had not been friends since kindergarten, only since third grade. To be honest my friendship with them had at times been vital to me and I’m not exaggerating. They had been a firm rock and a port in storm, to mix metaphors, when my life had been too crazy, which it had been all too often the last six years.

The fact that we had developed in different ways made our friendship even more unusual. Dave was a drama nerd. Ruggedly handsome and a good actor he was the inevitable male lead in every play the drama club put on stage. It was already a settled thing that Phyllis would be the valedictorian that year. Mary was the head cheerleader. Occasionally she even cheered for me. Well, not that often since I was only a replacement for the baseball B team.

Once upon a time I had been in the middle school drama club together with Dave. Then he had suggested that I take a female role. I’m rather tall but skinny and have soft features and a lovely hair that I absolutely refuse to keep short. Well, that was the reason I quit school drama.

Only indirectly though. I admit Dave had upset me. I also acknowledged that he had a point. I decided to put it to the test. Not in school, I wasn’t suicidal! My sister helped me to look like a cute girl and I went to an audition for a rather prominent part in a film. A girl part. To my shame I got the part. The problem was that compared with me Dave is only “slightly interested” acting. I just couldn’t say no to the part, even if it was a girl part. I was good. I got more parts. I even had made the difficult transition from child star to a more mature one as witnessed by my Oscar nomination for best female actress. I didn’t win but the dress I had worn was to die for (according to media). Still, I did the Hannah Montana thing. I only shot films when school was out. I never revealed in school that I was Anne Aragon, rising film star. Not even to my friends. However, staying in the drama club was too risky. I told you my life had been crazy for the last six years. This was why I treasured the normalcy of school and especially the friendship with Dave, Mary and Phyllis, untainted by any fame. I sorely needed that.

I told you that we had kept romance out of our friendship. Well, I decided to change that. The end of our senior year was approaching and we’d go our separate ways anyway so I decided to take a risk.

“Phyllis, will you be my date to the prom?”
“Sorry Pete, you are too late.” And then she leaned over and kissed Mary. How could I have missed that!

After, finally, breaking the kiss both of them looked in a strange way at Dave. He blushed and harumped and finally said something intelligible.
“Pete, will you be my date to the prom? You looked absolutely stunning at the Oscars.”
“You know?” I was too shocked to try to deny.
“Of course he does. He has known from your first film” Phyllis and Mary said in unison. OK, so they really were very close.
“ NOT true. Only from the second.” Could Dave get any more embarrassed?
“It took me and Mary much longer. Not until the fourth film.” Phyllis went on.
“Fifth I think” Mary corrected.
“Anyway, Dave insisted that we keep our knowing secret. Not only from the rest of school but from you as well. He said you needed us as “Pete” and not as the famous film star.”

I was stunned. Dave had given me this invaluable gift. The gift of being me, just me. To have a somewhat normal childhood. And I could see on his blushing face how much that had cost him. No, I couldn’t refuse to be his prom date. This was worth blowing my cover. Well, high school would be over in only weeks and then there was a completely new life after that. As an adult being Anne Aragon would be completely different. And Dave had given me the gift of secure childhood. I still couldn't fathom how he had managed to do that or even why.

Our entrance at the prom caused quite a stir. I wore the same dress I had worn to the Oscars. I admit it was overkill but Dave was worth it.

First Mary and Phyllis caused a big stir though, coming together and in quite amazing gowns. And a passionate kiss as soon as they had entered. I felt better when I realized I wasn’t the only one that had missed their romance. Of course I was the big surprise.

Dave kept floating around on a cloud all night. I don’t think there was one faculty member present and not many students, that didn’t compliment me on how brave I was to come out and particularly on my amazing Anne Aragon look-alike performance!