Love... or something like it

Part 31

EPILOG

Nell was running late and she was nervous. She looked around her room knowing that she had gone there for a reason but blanking totally on what had brought her there. She looked down at herself. Shoes: Check, Dress: Check, Underwear: Check, Hair: Check, Make-up: Check... nothing was standing out until she looked in the mirror. The tickets! She grabbed them off the mirror where she had taped them to ensure she didn't forget them. She tucked them into her little gold purse that only fit her phone, her lip gloss and the tickets. 

Persey had come home to do her make-up and hair and had insisted that she tuck the gloss in her purse because she would need it for touch ups. Nell disagreed because she couldn't imagine herself ever touching up her make-up. 

Her gold strappy sandals and the gold belt and the gold head band all matched the gold purse all insisted upon by Persey. Nell had bought her dress from a discount rack in the back of the dress store where her friends spent hours trying on every single dress that tickled their fancy. Nell had felt overwhelmed by the silk and satin and lace and frills and flounces. She wandered away from the main part of the store and found her way into the back corner where the unloved dresses go to die, or at least become props or costumes or sold as a bulk shipment to a second hand store. Nell had walked around the racks of off sizes and weird cuts, she looked at each one and wondered about it. Eventually she had found something that made her smile, something that reminded her of who she was and what parts of herself she had wanted to celebrate. While Avery tried on every fitted dress in the store and Bella only wanted pink and Tracey wanted something short, Nell had no idea what she was looking for. Well that was until she found it. 

Nell stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror and couldn't help but feel elegant. She had never felt like that before and had chased the feeling when watching her mom do simple things with grace and poise that Nell had never expected to have. The dress was a bright sunshine yellow with a soft tulle ruched overlay. She looked like belle from Beauty and the beast but softer. The big tulle skirt was light and fluffy and She loved every bit of it. She heard voices coming from down the stairs and she knew her date had arrived. 

"Hey Sunshine." Charles said looking dapper in his suit with a nineteen twenties flair. 

"Hi Handsome!" She smiled brightly. He helped her with her corsage while Persey and Phoebe took pictures. 

Soon an on slot of cars pulled up and a slew of well dressed teenagers and their families flooded the front lawn. Avery, Tracey and Bella grabbed Nell away from Charles for pictures and the Chaos ensued. Flashes and smiles came from every direction as they posed for pictures together and alone, in small groups, big groups and couples. Nell couldn't take the smile off her face as the group posed for the final picture with the stretch limousine they had rented. 

The group piled in and they were off to the final celebration of High School. It was prom night. 

Nell elbowed Charles gently as she gestured subtly to Avery and GJ who were flirting and consumed with each others attention. Charles grinned and put his arm around Nell's shoulders. They had suspected something was starting to spark between them when at the pool part the week before Nell had seen a little hand holding going on. GJ was known to toss his arm around Girls and Nell could see that this was different, When he put his arm around Avery it was soft and he touched her arm with his hand. Normally he wasn't so intimate. Nell was happy for her friends. 

"You look amazing Sunshine." Charles whispered in her ear.

"I'm glad you think so. I picked this dress-" Sha started.

"Because it is the colour of sunshine." He finished grinning. He nuzzled into her neck and kissed her blow her ear sending a shiver down her spine.