I was in hell. I've never liked taking photos, but this was particularly bad. Shoved into a tuxedo - which my mom had surprised me with, because she'd clearly been conspiring with Ellie for a while - and forced to stand in a series of poses with Melissa while my mom cooed at stupid things like how 'different' I looked, or how well my tie matched Mel's red dress.
Then there were group photos, at Ellie's insistence, and I was forced to fake a smile, even though Louis and I were standing right next to each other. He and I also kept getting told to 'stand closer' by the parents taking the photos, and I was instructed to put my arm around his shoulders at one point. It wasn't as if I could talk to him during any of that, and it felt like torture.
For all my mom's talk of this being a night for me and my friends to remember forever, the people seeming to get the most joy out of it were definitely the parents. Of course they were, though. They'd all been served champagne, while all of my classmates and I had to be satisfied with sparkling grape juice. Only three of us in the whole year were still under eighteen. But Elohim High had never been good at nuance.
The school's parking lot had been decorated for the occasion - a small stage had been set up in front of the gate at the grand sandstone entrance, and extra greenery had been moved in to augment the usual trees that dotted the sidewalks. A red carpet had been run along the path to the slipway where cars could pull up right outside the entrance, and a lot of the parking spots had been filled with tables bearing drinks and snacks.
It seemed a bit over the top, given that everyone would be hopping in our limousines - or whatever other vehicles people had wrangled - and heading off to the fancy hotel in town which held the ballroom where the real dance would take place. The parents had been invited to stay for as long as they liked afterwards though, and the drinks seemed to be flowing, so my guess was that the school was going to take advantage of this emotional evening by pumping them for donations one last time.
"You could at least look like you're trying to enjoy yourself, you know." Melissa smirked, picking at the neckline of her dress. "I wore one of those stupid adhesive bras for this."
I chuckled. "My apologies to your boobs."
"Damn right." She grinned. "Poor things aren't even getting groped tonight."
"I could try, but my heart wouldn't be in it."
"You wouldn't know what to do with them, is the problem." She laughed. "But I'll settle for you just telling me I look pretty."
"You look beautiful."
"Thanks." She beamed at that. "Yeah, the red was a good choice. Look at the two of us. Gingers, embracing it."
She stepped back and twirled. I wasn't just trying to be nice - she really did look amazing, in her red dress with black accents, as the light of the sunset played off her coppery hair. She'd even done her makeup darker to match. All she needed was a pair of horns, and it would have made an excellent, if overly elegant, devil-themed halloween costume.
I only had two splashes of colour in my tux - the matching tie and pocket square that she had organised for me. I think that was the case for most of the guys - certainly everyone in our group. John had a green tie to match Sarah's dress, Jamie and Jess had their matching deep blue that brought out their conveniently matching eye-colours. Sue's boyfriend - whose name I had immediately forgotten - was actually wearing a white suit and tie with a black shirt, to match her very cool geometrically patterned black-and-white dress.
Ellie, of course, made sure her pairing was the most spectacular. Her deep purple dress with gold accents made her look like royalty, something that she'd clearly been going for. Her hair had been braided up into a crown, and tresses of it draped regally down her back, studded with pearls and little golden star. Gary was dressed simply, but he wore a matching golden tie, intricately knotted, and instead of a pocket-square he had a small spray of golden flowers. We'd both been Ellie's projects today, but he'd definitely gotten more attention. Luckily for me.
If Ellie's look was the most impressive, Angela's was definitely the biggest transformation. She'd ditched her glasses, worn makeup for the first time I'd ever seen, and straightened her usually frizzy hair, pinning it up in a simple but elegant knot. She wore a pale blue dress that really made her eyes stand out. Everyone who saw her did a double take to figure out who she even was.
And then there was Louis, who as always, cleaned up so well. He'd also ditched his glasses, and styled his hair. He wore a simple tux, like me, and his pale blue tie was also matched to Angela's dress. I'd seen him looking this good before, even if I was too stupid to realise what it had been doing to me at the time. But being aware of it... it was kind of taking my breath away.
"He looks good, doesn't he?" Mel asked softly, putting her hand on my arm.
I looked over at her and sighed. "Yeah. He really does."
"Any chance you two idiots are going to try and talk again tonight?"
I fidgeted nervously. "Well, it hasn't gone well so far."
"Yeah." She let out a deep breath. "Sorry, I know you hate it when I stop the jokes and get sincere, but you two are very frustrating."
"I know." I grinned. "Sorry about that."
"You will be." She adjusted her dress and pulled at my arm. "Now, come on, I think we're getting ready for the limos to take off. Ellie's the committee member who got to pick the order, so you know we'll be leading the procession."
"Right."
