"You look dashing, sweetie," Liza smiled at me as I fidgeted nervously at the bottom of the stairs. I wasn't sure why I was nervous. Maybe it was the restrictive nature of the tuxedo I'd rented, or perhaps the thought that I was going to have to be surrounded by my classmates for a few hours in a confined, sweaty, dancing space. Or maybe it was just the idea that I was going to prom with an actual girl. I hadn't thought about that being a possibility since I first learned of the concept of prom. 

"Thanks," I said, smoothing down the front and straightening my bow tie in the mirror beside the front door. It was all my aunt's doing. If I'd had my way I would've just worn a button up shirt and called it a day. She'd nearly had a heart attack when she heard me say that, and had immediately dragged me to get a rental. The bow tie was also her idea and that weird flower wrist thing I was supposed to give to Emma. I didn't object because if she'd had her way, we would've also been renting a limo, and I had to strategically pick my battles to arrive at this relatively harmless compromise. 

"Come," she gestured for me to get closer to her. I glanced her way and realized she was holding her camera excitedly and I immediately fought down the urge to run. "It's awkward prom picture time."

"I'm glad I'm meeting Emma there," I said as I moved into a suitable position and started to pose for her. I did as many classic poses as I could think of, including finger guns and over the shoulder, praying that the images would never resurface after today.

After a while of that, I looked at the time on my phone and said, "We should probably get going. We're already going to be a little late."

"Right," Liza nodded, turning in tight circles trying to locate her keys. She eventually found them in one of her coat pockets, and after shrugging a different coat on, she opened the front door and gestured for me to lead the way to the car. I shot Emma a quick text that we were running behind and would be there soon before climbing into the passenger's seat. 

For the first half of the ride, my aunt was practically buzzing with excitement. She thankfully didn't say anything embarrassing to me, so I counted my blessings. 

It didn't escape me that the closer we got to the venue, the more quiet and deflated she became though. 

I let her stew in silence until we were parked in front of the hotel's lobby, where several people I recognized were already heading inside to find the rented ballroom.

"What's wrong?" I asked instead of getting out of the car. 

Liza glanced at me briefly before turning her eyes to the steering wheel.

"It's just," she began, "it's another monumental moment in your life and I'm the one experiencing it with you instead of Olivia."

The mention of my mother squeezed my heart a little bit. Instead of letting it show, I reached out and took my aunt's hand.

"She's here," I assured her. "Trust me. She wouldn't miss it for the world."

My aunt smiled sadly, the moment bittersweet as she squeezed my hand.

"I'm sorry I'm such a downer. It's prom night. You're supposed to be having the time of your life!"

"It's okay," I chuckled softly. "I'm glad you're here."

Her smile grew into a less sad one. 

"Now I need you to leave," I finished. 

Liza rolled her eyes and pushed my shoulder as I opened up my car door and stepped out. 

"Have fun!" she called before I shut the door. "And make sure to do something stupid!"

I shook my head as I shut the car door and turned to enter the building. Liza was always saying things like that to try to reverse psychology me into behaving. That was my theory anyway. Either that or she just really wanted me to live a normal, rebellious teenage life. Either way, it made me smile, and I guess that's what really counts. 

I found Emma inside the lobby, sitting in one of the plush chairs in the waiting area and playing a game on her phone. 

"Hey," I said once I was a little closer.

She looked up and smiled.

"Hey," she replied, standing up. She was wearing a pale blue, floor length gown that complemented her skin tone nicely. Her greyish blonde was in some sort of up-do that I could only describe as a fancy bun with a bunch of little jewels in it. She looked beautiful.

"No glasses today?" I asked.

She punched me playfully in the shoulder. "Out of all the things you could've said about my appearance and you chose that?"

"I mean, I am gay. What did you expect?" 

She rolled her eyes and started walking towards the ticket booth. We had ended up buying our tickets in advance, so all we had to do was hand them to the man collecting them by the entrance to the ball room. 

"You do look beautiful though, really," I said once we were admitted in. 

"Thank you."

"This is for you, too," I said, handing her the small takeout-esque box that held the flower bracelet, which after glancing at the box I remembered was called a corsage. 

"How gentlemanly," she smiled as she accepted it, taking it out and slipping it onto her wrist. "It even somewhat goes with my dress."

"You can thank my aunt for that. I was lost when we were trying to pick one out."

I looked around the ballroom, noticing that this year's theme was indeed Hollywood like the posters strewn about the school suggested. They even had a miniature light up Hollywood sign at one corner and a red carpet for people to walk in on. There was also a fog machine running somewhere, allowing for laser lights to become visible streams stretching across the room.

"They did a nice job," I commented. Emma agreed.

I spotted some of the guys from the soccer team through the crowd, and even caught a glance of what could only be Elliot's golden blonde hair somewhere in the sea of people.

The current song was upbeat, and honestly not really identifiable as an actual song. It was mostly just a bass line and a beat. It made me feel like this was some sort of club instead of a high school prom. But I suppose that was what was popular with people my age. I didn't listen to a lot of music, so I wasn't very in touch with what the DJs were playing. 

"Do you want to dance?" I asked anyway, looking at Emma before jutting my head toward the crowd of people that were either jumping up and down or twerking.

"If you can call that dancing, then sure," she smiled.

I wasn't going to lie to myself. I was an awful dancer, but it was fun, just being around other people and making a fool of yourself, knowing everyone else looked just as ridiculous. I was surprised that Emma actually seemed to be decently good a dancing. She let the music move her and it seemed so effortless. I was a little bit jealous.

The song suddenly switched to something much slower and I watched as couples all around us started pairing up and slow dancing.

"Uh," I said, ready to suggest we take a break to visit the snack table, but when I looked back at her, she simply rolled her eyes at me. It seemed to be becoming a common occurrence for the night.

"Come here," she said, holding her hands up so she could place them on my shoulders. 

My hands found her waist and we started to gently sway to the less aggressive tune. It wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it was still awkward, but it was a bearable awkward. I just had to remind myself that it was a completely platonic gesture and that we were just dancing as friends. 

I didn't have to overthink it for long before I felt another hand on my shoulder.

I turned confusedly to find Dennis, my old friend from the soccer team who had stuck up for me after I was outed. 

"Do you mind if I cut in for a dance with this beauty?" he asked me, sending a charming smile to Emma, who blushed profusely at the attention. 

"Not at all, man," I said, looking at Emma, "as long as she's cool with it."

She nodded to me, and I took that as my cue to leave. As I was walking towards the tables to find a seat, I couldn't help but glance back at them. Emma was blushing even more and I couldn't help but start forming ship names for them in my head. 

Once seated, I let my eyes roam over the amassed crowd. I smiled softly as I spotted Elliot and Jordan dancing together, Elliot's head resting on Jordan's shoulder. They were positively adorable. I couldn't help but think of Jason and what it would be like if I were dancing with him right now. For some reason, the thought felt nostalgic and warm.

It was as if the universe was tuned into my wishes, because as my eyes were drawn to the front entrance by a flash of bright red hair, I saw a familiar figure enter behind none other than Holiday Tucker. 

My angel.

×××
A/N 

TwO aGaIn? In A rOw? WoW!

I'm thinking one more chapter after this... we'll see how it goes. The end is almost here my dudes! What do you think's going to happen next?

Hope you liked this,
-Mora Montgomery