June pushed open the doors and stood at the entrance of the room. She squinted, waiting for her brown eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. All around, teens twirled and ran about. June felt a little out of place, wearing Cassandra's hand-me down dress from the year before. Of course, she had never planned to go to prom, considering she was only a sophomore, but here she was.

Her hair fell in soft ringlets down her back, pinned back out of her face with bobby pins. Her bangs just barely brushed over her eyes, having grown a bit too long in their time there. Her dress was a glittering gold and off the shoulder. While it wasn't exactly her style, she couldn't deny the it was gorgeous.

"Ready?" Grizz smiled down at her, offering his arm out to escort her in.

June took in a deep breath before deciding it was simply too late to turn back, and looped her arm into his. As her heels clicked on the wood floor, her eyes scanned for her two favorite blondes. She had gotten ready alone at home, so she wasn't sure what Allie or Elle would be wearing, but she knew they'd both be stunning.

"I'm going to grab us some drinks," Grizz shouted over the music.

"I think I should stay away from alcohol tonight, just get me a soda," She requested, an embarrassed laugh escaping her lips as she thought back to the last time she got drunk. She didn't need a repeat of almost losing Allie again.

Grizz nodded, a knowing smile on his lips as he headed towards the refreshments. June shifted her weight to one side and stared on awkwardly, not entirely sure what to do with herself. She watched him take a shot and scrunch his nose up at the taste, before pouring himself a mixed drink and her a regular one.

"Alright, what should we hit first?" Grizz questioned as he made his way over to her, offering her the non-alcoholic drink. "There's the Photo Booth that way, or we could dance?"

Grizz's friendly smile eased her nerves, causing her to shoot a smile back. Little moments like these were when she found it easiest to be at peace. She wished she could live in them forever.

"Let's do photo booth." She nodded.

"Works for me," Grizz shrugged, allowing himself to be led in that direction. Cassandra and Gordie were currently taking photos, so June took a seat at the station next to it. Various items and glow-in-the-dark paints were laid out in front of them, all to use as props for the Photo Booth.

"Oh hell yeah," Grizz muttered to himself, plopping down beside June. Almost immediately, he got to work drawing out planets and stars along his gray sweatpants with the glow-in-the-dark fabric paint. June couldn't help but giggle, partially at his excitement but mostly at the fact that he chose to wear sweatpants.

June didn't want to get paint on Cassandra's dress, so she helped Grizz design his pants and waited. There were other props she could use, such as big sunglasses or little signs she could hold up, but she would worry about that when she got up there. Once Grizz finally seemed satisfied with the design of his pants, he stood and striked various poses, modeling his creation.

"What d'ya think?" He questioned, a cheesy grin spreading on his face.

June eyed his pants as he spun around, then brought her fingers to her lips and imitated a chef's kiss. Truthfully, they actually had done a pretty good job.

After posing for photos for a few minutes, June knew she would have to step out of her comfort zone and find something else to do at the dance. She didn't want to spend the whole night sitting, simply watching everyone else have fun. No, she wanted to live her life for once.

"I think I'm gonna go grab a drink, want to meet on the dance floor?" Grizz shouted over a 90's track that June didn't recognize.

"Sure," She nodded, parting ways from the boy.

It wasn't long before they were reunited, this time a solo cup in his hand. His dancing made June laugh, reminding her of a baby deer who just learned how to walk. It was clear he didn't mind how silly he looked, which made the experience even more fun. June jumped and twirled around, closing her eyes and bobbing to the music.

Soon, Jason, Clark, and their dates joined the two in the center. Erika grinded on Jason, while Clark jokingly twerked on Gwen. On the outskirts of their little group, Luke and Helena clung to each other, swaying to the upbeat music with their foreheads touched together. June wondered what it was like to be as sure about someone else as they were.

Grizz took ahold of June's hands, twirling her around and having her dance offbeat with him. June was all smiles, and she wondered if all people who fit in always felt this good.

Of course, it couldn't last. Clark seemed to finally notice June's presence, causing a grin to spread on his lips. June saw him coming before Grizz did, his back turned to his longtime friend. Judging by the way he was looking at the two, she knew he was making some false assumptions about their relationship.

Clark clapped a large hand on Grizz's back, causing the taller boy to jump a little. He leaned back, allowing Clark to whisper something in his ear, the grin on his face the whole time. When Clark finished whatever it was he had to say, Grizz's face faltered a bit, and he let go on the hold he had on June's hands. She knew, Clark had said something about her.

Grizz checked his shoulder back into the boy, soft enough that it could be played off as a joke but hard enough that Clark got the hint to cut it out. Clark rubbed at the spot on his arm where he made contact, his grin growing wider as he began to laugh.

"That's basically admitting it!" Clark spoke louder now. The interaction seemed to catch Jason and Luke's gaze, drawing them closer to the other two with identical smirks to Clark. "Grizz is gonna get some tonight!"

The trio of boys laughed and clapped Grizz on the back, ignoring the red tinge the had begun to grow in his cheeks. In their minds, they probably thought his embarrassment was coming from being found out, rather than the truth. He was embarrassed that June had to witness what dipshits his friends were.

"I need another drink," Grizz grumbled with an eye roll.

The prospect of alcohol seemed to distract the boys from their teasing, causing them to migrate as a group over to the alcohol station. June stayed back awkwardly, unsure if she should tag along or if she even wanted to. Her attention was pulled away by a flash of navy blue, swaying on the dance floor. Elle.

The blonde's eyes opened at the exact time June spotted her, causing a shy grin to grow on her face. She looked stunning, just as June had predicted. She glanced down at her hands, suddenly insecure in the dress. Cassandra was much taller than her, what if it looked too big on her? Shaking her head, she shook away those thoughts and let her arms fall to her sides. She wasn't going to let overthinking ruin her night.

"Hey," June greeted, walking over to her with her head held high.

"Hey," Elle replied, the shy smile still on her face. As she drew closer, June could see the pink tinge of her cheeks. June figured she had to be overheated by the crowded dance floor, or embarrassed by her dancing. June hoped it wasn't the latter, because she was too shy to tell the girl that her dancing was enchanting.

"Well, um," June scratched at the back of her head, her confidence diminishing as quickly as it appeared. "You look really pretty."

"Oh! Thanks, Campbell actually got me the dress," Her voice grew smaller as the sentence went on.

Right. June thought, mentally rolling her eyes. Of course he did.

"It's uh, not really my style," Elle crossed her arms across her chest. Whether she was trying to cover her cleavage or the slits on the side, June wasn't sure.

"Well you look great either way," June forced a smile. She wanted nothing more than to stop thinking about Campbell picking out that dress for her, lusting after the way it would make her look. It was making her sick. "Wanna dance?"

A small smile grew on Elle's face, and she simply nodded in return. Soon, they were swaying together, every so often brushing against one another. June took ahold of Elle's hand, the way Grizz had with her earlier, and spun her around. She was sure this was the closest she'd ever come to a fairytale.

The fairytale was interrupted, as most are, by a dragon. Well, not a real dragon, just Campbell. Elle tore herself away from June when she caught him staring at them. She bowed in front of him, a smile on her face. June took this as a cue to leave. She made an excuse about needing a drink, and quickly excused herself from the two.

At the drink station, it was nearly impossible to find something that wasn't alcohol. She should have figured as much, the drinks were planned by a bunch of teenagers, what else would they get?

Beside her stood Harry Bingham, though she paid him no attention. Even as she picked through the various bottles and felt his eyes boring into her temple, she kept her eyes down. She had nothing to say to the boy, and hoped to avoid him at all costs.

"You look nice," He finally spoke, yelling over the music.

"Thanks," June sighed, still not looking up.

"Do you wanna dance—" The boy cut himself off as Allie inserted herself between the two, picking through the bottles of alcohol without a word. She glanced at June and offered her a small smile, which June figured was better than nothing.

"You came," She spoke, but to who, June wasn't sure.

"So did you," Harry replied. Of course, unlike June, he was too self-centered to think Allie could be talking to somebody else.

Allie poured a bit of whiskey into a tall glass, then without giving it a second thought, downed it. Harry chuckled at the girl's actions and the face she made afterwards.

"Here, you should have some of this. It'll taste better than straight whiskey," Harry offered the girl a glass. June wanted to scream as Allie accepted it.

"So," Harry started as Allie looked out over the dance floor. "You want to dance?"

June was baffled by how bold, and how desperate he was. Not even five minutes before, he was about to ask her the same question. Every fiber of her being prayed Allie would say no.

"It's probably simpler in the long run if we don't, and I'm not really in the mood," She spoke quietly, probably hoping June wouldn't hear. But, June was listening as closely as she could, pretending to busy herself with the bottles in front of her.

"Yeah, me neither," Harry played off his rejection.

A small smile played on Allie's lips, probably satisfied with the reaction she got. She glanced the opposite way at June, who tried to look innocent, as if she hadn't been listening in. Without a word, she grabbed the brunette girl's hand and interlaced their fingers. She thanked Harry for the drink before dragging the girl to the dance floor.

So much for not being in the mood to dance. June thought. Though she appeared calm, her insides were bursting with excitement. Allie just chose her over Harry Bingham. It was a dream come true.

The girls danced for a while, twirling and swaying about, similar to how June had danced with Elle. Except, it wasn't really similar. Dancing with Elle, there was a sense of uncertainty. It was new and exciting, with soft smiles and brushing against one another. With Allie, it was if they had been doing it for ages. They had high energy, giggling and bouncing around as if no one else was there. June didn't know which she preferred.

When a slow song came on, their fun ended. While June expected to dance with Grizz then, she spotted him sitting with Sam Elliot, and figured he probably didn't want to slow dance anyways. So her and Allie took a seat. June didn't even have time to get a word out before Will was tapping Allie on the shoulder and propositioning her to dance with him. She started out with a cold front that quickly diminished. June knew, Allie could never truly stay mad at Will.

June watched from her seat as Elle slow danced with Campbell and Allie and Will jumped around excitedly on the middle of the dance floor. While at first she smiled, because at least both of the girls looked happy, a sense of dread soon filled her. Was this how it was always going to be? Would June be stuck, forever, in this alternate dimension, falling for girls that would never love her back?

The thought made her sick.

✰

June happily accepted when both Cassandra and Allie offered for her to stay at their place again. First, she had to make sure Grizz got home safe, returning the favor after he did it for her. Now, she was on her way there. She couldn't help but feel a bit jittery. She was finally getting her little family back.

Upon arriving at the Pressman home and opening their already unlocked front door, June was greeted by Allie shouting out. Of course, she wasn't anxiously awaiting June's arrival, but instead, Will's.

"Nope, it's just me," June sighed, trudging up the familiar steps. Her excitement was gone.

Just as June made it up the steps, Allie emerged from the bathroom. She nodded her head in the direction of her bedroom, and June followed her inside. Both girls quickly changed out of their dresses into comfortable clothes before plopping on Allie's bed.

"So, where is Will, anyways?" June questioned, the boy normally staying there.

"I'm not sure," Allie sighed, biting down on her bottom lip. June could tell the girl had it bad for him. She really couldn't see why.

"Are things better between you two?" She prompted, wanting to make sure Allie knew she could open up to her.

"Sometimes I think they are, then I see him with Kelly, and..." She trailedoff, seeming to search for her words. "I realize I really don't know how to be just his friend again." June knew the feeling.

"You just do it," The brunette sighed, turning over on her stomach and resting her head in her hands. "You don't want to lose him completely, right?"

"Obviously not."

"Then you have to put aside what you feel for him. I mean, I know it's easier said than done, but you have to try at least. Just, every time you feel yourself getting jealous or sad, distract yourself with something else."

Allie mulled over the girl's words, her legs dangling off the side of the bed. She laid back and stared up at her ceiling while June looked at her. She wasn't great at advice, but she wanted to help in anyway she could. Finally, Allie's eyes turned back to June. When she spoke, her voice was small.

"Are you speaking from experience?"

June's face turned red from the question, shocked by Allie's boldness. Of course, the truth was yes, that was exactly what June tried to do with both Elle and Allie. But, June knew Allie wouldn't want to hear that. She knew the girl shouldn't ask questions when she didn't truly want the answer.

"I, uh," June stammered, pulling herself up to a sitting position.

"Never mind," Allie shook her head, dismissing the question she had just asked. Perhaps June's stammering was answer enough. "What time is it anyways? Cassandra should be back by now. Gordie's been waiting for her for awhile."

Allie glanced at the clock on her night stand. Both girls furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. Cassandra was punctual, she wasn't someone to stumble home in the late hours of the night.

The girls brushed off the occurrence, figuring she simply had more to clean up than expected. They tucked themselves into bed and calmed their worries, assuring themselves she'd be there when they awoke in the morning.

They were completely unaware of the horrors they'd wake up to.

A/N: Ah! Long chapter to make up for the fact that I haven't updated in forever. But! Good news. This semester has been full time classes, a full time job, an internship, and applying to schools. So, needless to say, I've been busy. But! The semesters almost done, which means I'm about to have a lot more free time. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter & my updates will become a lot more frequent! thanks for your patience!