After changing into her dress and shoes and letting Veronica brush some mascara on her eyelashes and some blush on her cheeks, Elodie was ready to go.
However, that took ten minutes, so she had been sitting and waiting for forty.
It had nearly been an hour since they'd arrived at the Cooper household—Elodie entering by the window in order to avoid Alice Cooper—and she had heard enough giggles and 'Oh my god! You look beautiful!'s to last her a lifetime, and the night hadn't even begun.
Finally, another twenty minutes later, Archie arrived and the five were ready to go. They had agreed to take two cars, Elodie and the boys in one, and Veronica and Betty in another. Elodie entered the dance with two boys on her arm, the other two girls not far behind.
Elodie tightened her grip on Archie as she looked at the decor.
Pictures of Jason were everywhere.
"It's okay. We're okay Elle, were okay" Archie whispered to the girl. She bit her lip before nodding and continuing on.
Kevin took her out onto the dance floor and they chatted and danced until Elodie noticed something.
"Um Kevin, I think a certain football player is trying to get your attention" She whispered, turning them around so he could see.
"Oh my god" Kevin whispered.
"Gotta go?" Elodie guessed, an eyebrow raised.
"If you don't mind?" He smiled.
"Go right ahead" Elodie let go and gave him a little shove before exiting the dance floor herself. She opted for climbing to the highest set of bleachers and people watching.
You could get so much from just watching someone. Everyone. Elodie could see Kevin and Moose disappearing into the boys bathroom to do god knows what, Veronica was sipping punch and talking to some random person, and Archie and Betty were dancing. She asked him something, smiling. His smile faltered. He gave her a response. She let go of him, her eyes watering.
"Yikes" She whispered as Cheryl Blossom called for quiet. She introduced the musical entertainment, but Elodie found herself bored.
Then came Cheryl's speech.
Elodie rolled her eyes by the first sentence if it, and—quietly this time—made her way out of the school, unnoticed.
She texted Archie that she was going home as she climbed into her car and headed to Pop's.
She threw on her army jacket and entered the diner, waltzing herself over to one of the furthest back booths, where she usually sat, only to find it pre-occupied by a certain blooming author, hunched over his laptop. The screen gave him an almost-sickly blue glow.
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