Falling for the Foreigner

Chapter 56- An evening in Paris

Till the acceptance letters don't come I don't think I'll be at peace. The thought about college and university lives rent-free in my mind. If someday it leaves my mind our talks in the canteen bring it back. Last 4 months of high school are left, none of us have championships left, we only have to prepare for our finals now. Finals and prom is the only thing left to look forward to and then we'll be off to university, maybe in different states. 

Well my dad is always wants me to take up extracurricular activities, so he is very happy that I haven't stopped my weekly football sessions with Liam. I have gotten so much better at playing, more skilled than I was in India and when I played for my school there. Football time is a very serious time and we rarely talk random stuff during that time. One week we train and the next week we play a game the next, it gets more and more aggressive  each week. Sometimes Wesley and Andrew also join us to practice because even they can't participate in games now. You'd expect him to go easy on me because I am not a regular player and his girlfriend but he does not.

"They are going to announce it today on the speaker today, during lunch!", Emily exclaims. The prom committee will finally announce the theme for this year's prom. I have always only heard about proms and seen it in movies but this will be my first time attending. The hype is real and I really hope it is worth it. Emily has been hyping it up for us for the past week. I don't think the dress choice will be affected much because of the theme but I need good pictured from my first ever prom. I don't think anybody could properly pay attention is the lectures, everyone was too excited for lunch break and even the professors knew it.

We all sit around the table in the cafeteria devouring our food when a familiar tune plays through the speakers, announcement time! Almost the entire cafeteria bursts into cheers. It took a moment for all of us to calm down.

"I know all of ya'll have been waiting to here this so we won't be delaying any more", the principal announced through the speakers, "Our theme for prom 2021(let's just imagine covid doesn't exist please) is.....'An evening in Paris'. Have fun and let the preparations begin! Thank you"

We were all shouting like hooligans after the announcement. All kind of noise filled the room, a concoction of sounds. Couldn't have selected a more romantic theme. Emily starts telling us how they plan to make our gymnasium look like Paris with a cut-out of the Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, pretty lighting and stuff. They have to do all this stuff in one month, the decoration, the food, the props, I have to shop as well. My procastinating ass will probably wait till the last 10 days to buy a dress.

I sit at my desk trying to study psychology when my phone buzzes- a text from Andrew telling me to come to the front gate. My dad's at work and my mom's gone out to buy some groceries so I am home alone(2: Lost in New York; ignore my humour lol). I walk out to see Liam is standing just outside the main gate with Andrew and Emily. As I step out, music starts playing. Oh God. Liam breaks into a dance to Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon. I honestly never thought I'd see a day where Liam would dance voluntarily. He does a pirouette, a jump, an amazing  choreography and then finally ends with him on 1 knee. I can't take my eyes off him in his black sweatpants and purple hoodie. Emily rushes with a cardboard to him and he turns it around, still on his knees.

"It would be on 'pointe' if you went to prom with me", pointe shoes were drawn on the side. I love all this stuff when it is shown in movies but I don't know how to respond to them in real life, I am still working on it. I don't know long I stand there contemplating how to say yes to him with sounding too plain, before he calls out my name. 

"Yes", I say with a slight squeal after snapping out of my trance. 

"My knees are dead", he says as he gets up and I go out to hug him.

"I couldn't figure out how to say yes", I whine to him.

"Y.E.S", Emily spells it out for me.

"Haha", we all fake laugh for her.

"Thanks genius"

 I honestly would be so embarrassed if my parents were home, I still am not very comfortable with this kind of stuff with them, its a long way to go. We discuss a colour for my dress and his tie which is very likely to change when I actually go to buy a dress. Andrew recorded the entire promposal and sent it on the group and now everyone has no other work except to make fun of how long I took to reply.

"I can hear the crows caw through the video"
"I seriously think I saw the sun set and moon rise during that pause"
"Nyra that reply was too quick, you seemed desperate to say yes"
"Finally understood what they mean when they say pregnant pause"

What can I say, I have friends with a great sense of humour.

My home comes home as they are about to leave, getting the mail with her.

"I think this is from Juilliard, its addressed to you", she says giving me an excited smile. My heart starts pounding so loud that I can literally hear it and my blood rushes loudly through my ears. Everybody looks at me expectantly to open the letter. But what if I am rejected? I don't want everybody to be there if it is a rejection letter. But looking at everybody's faces, I slowly tear open the envelope to remove the letter.

I only read through the 5 words before my countenance brights up:

"Dance audition on 31st March"

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