01 | Emily Heart

I glanced at the clock again as Mrs. Anderson talked about what she planned on doing for summer vacation. Does she really think we want to listen to her talk about spices for the entire class?

Moving slowly and quietly as to not get caught, I started to pack my things into my bag time grew closer to the end of school. All I wanted to do was rush out of this hellhole and cuddle myself with blankets as I watched a bunch of random movies while eating junk food.

Is that too much to ask for?

I wasn't the only one dying to get out of here. Everyone in class looked as dead as I was, and yet, Mrs. Anderson didn't seem to notice. That, or she just doesn't care. Before she could talk about her husband taking her to Africa - wait, when did she stop talking about spices? - the bell rang, and that's when the chaos started.

Fucking finally!

People got up and ran out the door before they could suffer another second of Mrs. Anderson.

"Hey! The bell doesn't dismiss you! I do!" I heard Mrs. Anderson yell at us.

"Fuck that!" Some kid yelled back, and I laughed.

I waited until everything looked calm, and the hallways weren't so crowded until I made my way to my locker. I just needed to grab a few books and I'd be on my way. Luckily, my locker was just a few feet away from the classroom. When I opened my locker and cleared my locker, I heard the sound of heels making their way over to me.

I sighed. Just what I needed.

I'm not going to lie, but she's beautiful. Her red hair always looked perfect in whatever style she put it in. Her clear skin and almost hourglass body was something I envied. She was practicing to be a fucking model for God's sake, and honestly, she'd done a fantastic job. Sally was flawless, but her attitude was complete shit.

Now, I'm not a violent person, but holy fuck did this girl test me. I felt the same way towards her friends who supported her verbal abuse.

"Emily, I heard you still don't have a date to prom," Sally said with a fake frown. "How sad."

One of her friends snickered. "Who would want to go out with you?"

"Riley, was it? Or perhaps Rebecca?" I ask, tilting my head.

The girl glared at me. "It's Rachel."

I winced. "Right. Sorry, I don't remember irrelevant people. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"What? Can't handle a little criticism?" Sally smirked.

"No, I'm just allergic."

"Allergic to what?"

I close my locker and smile. "To narcissistic bitches like you."

Without waiting for a reaction, I walk pass Sally and her friends before making my way to my car. Exams were already over, and there was a week until prom before graduation following soon after. Seniors were busy making plans, and the student council was making sure everything went according to plan.

I don't have very many friends. My dad was in the military, and that meant we always had to move after every few years. I hated leaving my friends behind, especially when we didn't have any contact, so I decided not to make any. It saved me less pain when I would leave. Besides, I don't mind being on my own.

But I hate the bullying I received. I don't know how or why it happened, but when I first moved to California for my junior year people just had this disliking towards me. At first, I tried to figure out why, but eventually, when I couldn't gain anyone's acceptance, I gave up. If people didn't like me, that was fine, it's their business. I wasn't going to waste my time and effort on them.

Knowing that no one was home - because my parents are always busy with work - I walked up to my room, throwing my bag somewhere before turning the T.V on. I scrolled through channel after channel, not being interested in any of them before one caught my eye. It was about Tyson Kross, a famous singer and model that was well known around the globe. Apparently, he received another reward for something that I really didn't care about.

A part of my wishes I was like him. He was a confident and outgoing person. From what I've heard, he's easy to make friends with and beloved by almost everyone. He also looks like a fucking Greek God. His dark, brown hair was always in a ruffled mess, claiming that he gave up in brushing it. His eyes were as light as creamy chocolate, and his body was just a bonus. I've seen him on the front page of a summer magazine one time and I shamelessly stopped and stared.

If only I was as half as beautiful as him.

Before I knew it, an idea came to mind. Possibly the worst or best idea I've ever had in my life.

I grabbed my laptop from my desk and went his Twitter before typing.

This is weird, and you're probably not going to ever see this message. But I was wondering if you could consider going to prom with me? You see, I don't have a date, and it's in a week, June 24th and it starts at 6:00 pm.

Would you consider being my date?

Bit of a warning though, I'm not particularly liked at my school. Nevertheless, if you do decide to go, I attend West Charter High School which is in Los Angeles, California. Oh! And my name's Emily Heart.

To top it off, I added a decent photo of myself so he knew what I looked like. Reading the message over, I cringed and shook my head. I sound way too desperate.

There was no way I could send this to him, he'd think I'm a freak! He'd probably think that I'm one of his crazy fans that will kidnap him if he does decide to come. Oh God, why did I even think this would work?

I'm such an idiot.

I sighed and went to delete the message, but nearly had a heart attack when I realized I hit send.

Well fuck.

***

It's been a week, and I was relieved that I didn't receive anything after sending that stupid message, but I was also anxious as fuck. What if he saw it? He knew what I looked like and could most likely expose what I had written. The whole world would know how much of a freak I am.

Why am I such a dumbfuck?

My mind would always drift off to the message I sent to Tyson, and come up with every embarrassing scenario of what might happen. Ugh, I just messed up my entire life. I wish I had the ability to turn back time, then all my problems would be solved. Can I steal Hermione's time-turner?

Today - unfortunately - was the day of prom. I still plan on going, without a date of course. But at this point, I honestly don't give a fuck. It's the last dance of my high school year and though I won't be doing anything other than watch other people have fun, I know someone's gonna smuggle in alcohol and I'm here for it.

I know this is a very important night for my classmates since it would be the last time they would be a high school student and have all the seniors together besides graduation. However, it really wasn't important to me. I've only been to West Charter High School for two years, and since I wasn't close to any of my peers, I wouldn't be missing anything. Hopefully, I won't ruin their dance with my mood, but then again they don't pay attention to me so I'm sure that won't be a problem.

I laid on my bed, wondering what I was gonna wear. If I could, a hoodie and a pair of jeans would suffice, but I gotta actually try now, don't I? I sighed, considering taking a dress from my mom's closet when it hit me. Before my grandma died, she had given me a dress that I haven't even taken out of the box. Let alone touch. There was never a right time to wear it, but today was definitely the right day.

Grandma Penny and I were very close. She was the one I would go to since my mom was always working. She and uncle Jerry mostly took care of me when my own parents didn't have the time. I was devastated when she died, and uncle Jerry closed himself out. He didn't talk to anyone, he just locked himself in his room. I had to stay strong because I knew that's what grandma Penny would want me to do.

Wearing this dress to prom would kind of be like taking grandma Penny with me.

The dress was a high-low gown. I loved it because it was simple, yet elegant at the same time.

The dress was a beautiful rose-gold colour. It was sleeveless, and small beads decorated the chest while underneath the beaded design was the bodice. It goes loose once it reached the waistline, flowing down with frilled ends, and there was a slight gap that would show off my legs.

The dress went well with my light brown hair and my kind of tanned skin. I didn't go outside much, but I do once in a while. I applied a bit of makeup and curled my hair into lengthy curls. I tied it into a bun, having a few strands of hair framing the sides of my face. I looked at myself through my full-length mirror and smiled at what I saw.

Who knew I could actually look pretty.

There were still three hours remaining until prom, so I just watched binge-watched Stranger Things again. When it was about quarter-to-six, I decided to head to school. When I arrived, I handed my ticket in and walked to the gym. I walked in and saw many people who mocked me with shocked expressions. I received many compliments from them, but I didn't really like how they were now being nice to me because I changed.

The dance was being held inside the large gym of our school. Colours of silver and white and a hint of black covered the gym. For once our student council made a great decision on something. The place was lit up with soft golden lights everywhere. The middle of the gym was cleared for dancing while tables of food were pushed against the walls. Fortunately, there were also a few empty tables. I sat down at one of the tables with a bottle of water that I bought.

Even though I was just watching everyone, I was actually having a good time. Especially when Marcus - the class clown in our year - started dancing on a table like a lunatic. It was a bummer the teachers sent him home.

Just as I went to grab something to eat, I saw Sally gracefully make her way over to me with her boyfriend, Carlos.

"Don't you just look adorable," Sally cooed before laughing.

"Where's your date?" Carlos asked, a small smirk making its way across his face.

"She doesn't have one," Sally answered, and just as she opened her pretty mouth to ridicule me more, she was interrupted by a group of screaming girls. Sally and Carlos turned around to see what the commotion, while I didn't bother. It probably doesn't concern me anyway.

But boy was I wrong.

I nearly jumped when I felt someone tap my shoulder. When I turned around to see who it was, I didn't expect it to be the person I accidentally sent that shit of a message to.

Tyson Kross.

He wore a classic black tuxedo, but what surprised me was that he was wearing a tie that was a similar colour to my dress.

Huh, what a coincidence.

"Are you Emily Heart?" He asked, but all I could do was blink at him with wide eyes. I felt like my voice suddenly disappeared.

"Y-Yeah, that's me," I managed to say.

He smiled. "Well, Emily, I believe I'm your date for this evening."

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Sally's eyes go wide while her jaw practically dropped to the ground. People around us gasped as Tyson extended his hand out for me to take. The moment my hand slipped into his, I knew this was going to be a night that I would never forget, and that my life would change forever.

Maybe sending that message wasn't such a bad idea.

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