Serenity Falls

Chapter 56

Note: I've done a slideshow on the side of the pictures of each girl's prom dress, so take a look! Chelsie's dress was really hard to describe so it's easier to look at the picture, aha. The people in the pictures aren't them - just look at the dresses :)

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Whoever was on the decorating committee had done a good job – Olivia had to hand it to them. The gym was completely transformed from its usual appearance, and actually looked good, although it probably helped having thousands of dollars available in the school budget to spend on the very best decorations.

White net drapes were hung from the ceiling, swooping downwards towards the floor to create a somewhat magical setting. Tables had been set up at one end of the room, each covered in a pristine white tablecloth and decorated with expensive-looking flower arrangements. The other end had been reserved for the dance floor, designated by four columns, each securing more drapes. The colour scheme of blue and white had been followed throughout, and everything seemed to match perfectly. Even the satin bows which were tied to the back of each chair exactly matched the colour of the balloons that were scattered around the room.

"So... what do you think? Your first dance at Serenity Falls," Chelsie said, grinning, as she turned to Olivia. It seemed that she was more excited about Olivia attending than Olivia herself. The smile had not left her face since the car pulled up at the front of the school, and the way her voice was slightly more high-pitched than usual was also a giveaway.

"I think... Alyssa’s dad must’ve paid for all this."

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sheer volume of decorations that were packed into the gymnasium. Sure, it looked good, but it also must’ve cost an absolute fortune.

"No kidding."

It was still fairly early, and the doors to the gym hadn’t long been open. This meant that the place was still relatively quiet, seeing as most people preferred to turn up fashionably late. However, being one of the first people to arrive did have its advantages: they were able to take a good look at the place before it got too crowded, plus the fact that they were able to eye up everyone’s outfits as they began to arrive.

"You want a drink?" Fred asked them both, glancing in the direction of the bar that had been set up in one corner. "It’s probably a good idea to get some punch now before it gets busy."

"Yeah, okay," Chelsie nodded in response, and so did Olivia. Fred trotted off in that direction, leaving the two girls to stand there and examine the choice of attire of everyone who walked in the door.

"I like Lauryn’s dress," Chelsie said, leaning in closer to her best friend so her voice could be heard above the sound of people arriving and the beat of the music that was playing from the speakers. She nodded her head appreciatively as her eyes scanned over the sky blue dress that Lauryn was wearing. "Looks pretty."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed with a small smile, although she was still experiencing a slight sinking feeling as she noticed that every single person she had seen so far had a date. Even Lauryn was smiling cutely up at the slightly nerdy guy on her arm.

The hall was filling up rapidly and barely five minutes had passed before they found that they were now in close proximity to their classmates. Fred returned with the drinks and they stood there awkwardly for a few moments, sipping companionably and wondering what to do next.

"So..." Olivia said, willing to do anything to break the silence that had settled between them. "What do we do now?"

However, they were interrupted by the music dying down and feedback from the DJ’s microphone. Olivia wrinkled up her face, trying to block the high-pitched screech from reaching her ears as it echoed around the room.