Have Some Hope

Chapter 17

I sit in the small limousine that my dads rented for our prom. No matter how many times I tried to talk them out of it, the refused and I eventually caved in.
Meadow sits in one of the four corners of the limo and goes through the mini fridge. She takes out a cookie and starts munching on it.
I stare out the window until my dads inform us that we are almost to Chip's house. Me and Meadow wait nervously, me more so than her as she has to wait until we get to Valley's to see her date, excited to see the boys.
We drive up to Chip's house and Meadow gets out to find the boys. A few minutes later I hear a knock on the limo's door. Andy unlocks the car.
I hear Meadow pushing the others away and then see her climbing in, smiling triumphantly. Flo walks into the limo in a black suit with a blue tie. He takes one look at me and blushes harshly.
"Hey! Other people want to get in! Stop staring at your girlfriend!" Chip yells from outside. Flo sheepishly runs in and sits down beside me.
Chip and Kai walk into the limo hand in hand. They are both wearing red suits. They sit down across from us holding hands. Meadow sits in the corner, her flower crown slightly askew.
Simon drives off as I get up to go fix it and I fall backwards. Before I can hit the floor, a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me back up.
Flo's face is inches away from mine and I can feel his breath on my lips. I pull back sharply and blush.
"Sorry," I apologize, running my hands through my hair. He waves me off, looking slightly disappointed. I walk over to Meadow and sit beside her.
"Turn towards me please, " I tell her. She turns towards me and I quickly make work of fixing her flower crown. Simon stops at Valley's house and Chip gets out to get the girls.
"How do I look? Do you think that Caroline will like my dress? Oh god! What if she doesn't like my dress!" She panics. I smile at her and grab her hands.
" Meadow, it's going to be alright. She's going to love it, I promise, " I reassure her. She nods, mentally preparing herself for it. Chip knocks on the door.
Andy opens the door and he walks in, sitting back down next to Kai. Rain and Valley walk in. Rain is wearing a blue and green dress and Valley is wearing a tuxedo with the same colors.
I stand and go sit back down next to Flo. Caroline walks in. Her flowing white dress had sunflowers trailing the bottom of it. She looks over at Meadow and smiles.
"I guess angels can get even better looking," she says sitting down. Meadow's cheeks flush a bright pink. Caroline grabs her hand as Simon speeds off.
"Have fun you guys!" Andy calls back when we arrive. We get out of the limo and wave to him. They speed off after telling us when they're going to pick us up.
We walk into the school, couples side by side. Flo grabs my hand and holds it between us. I smile up at him and he smirks. He pulls me into the building and pays for our tickets.
We walk into the cafeteria, which is now decorated in fairy lights and streamers. The music is loud enough but also low enough to talk over. 
We all grab a cup of punch, and after Kai's evaluation, realizing it's not spiked like we had originally thought. I sit down at a table next to Flo and watch the other couples dance.
I sip my drink as the song goes by, Kai and Chip dancing crazily to it. I hear Flo laugh and look over. He's watching Meadow and Caroline.
Caroline had tripped Meadow and then caught her in her arms. Meadow sits there glaring at Caroline. I smile and laugh when Meadow pushes Caroline away.
The song ends and Flo stands up. I look over at him. He walks over to me and puts his hand out. He puts one knee on the ground and smirks up at me.
"Kind lady, may I have this dance?" He asks. I smack him on the head lightly and drag him out to the dance floor. We dance slowly to the song.
" I was never taught how to dance, so sorry if I'm doing anything wrong, " I apologize. He waves me off and smiles.
"No. It's fine. I don't either," he replies . I laugh and we sway to the music. I make sure that I don't step on his feet, knowing that he would probably have sore toes if I did.
He lifts me in a tiny twirl and then sets me down. He puts his hand on my cheek. I look up into his jade eyes.
"Will you, Hope Polaki, do the honors of being my girlfriend?" He asks me. I smile and nod. He looks into my eyes and smiles. His gaze goes down on my lips.
He leans down and catches my lips in his. He pulls away quickly and I laugh. I peck him on the lips as the song ends. I grab his hand and search the cafeteria.
I walk over to Valley and Rain, who are showing off their dance skills to the rest of the classes.
We sit at a table watching them. Kai, Chip, Caroline, and Meadow come sit down by us shortly after. Flo rubs small circles on the back of my hand.
Valley lifts Rain up in the air and throws her. She lands in Valley's arms smiling. They walk over to us. I stand up and hug them. Meadow jumps on Valley.
"That was amazing!" She screams. Valley winces from her being so close but smiles regardless. Meadow gets off of Valley and walks over to Caroline.
"We've been practicing together since we were kids. This was nothing," Rain brags. Valley groans and hides her head in Rain's shoulder. 
"Okay people! We are going to announce the prom king and queen now!" The announcer states. Valley and Rain take the seats next to us.
The cafeteria quiets in anticipation. Meadow grabs Caroline's hand and squeezes it. I smile at their nervousness. I watch as the announcer is given a piece of paper.
He slowly unfolds it, getting groans from the crowd. He chuckles into the microphone. He slowly brings the mic up to his mouth.
"The prom king is...... Jack Malik! " He says. The crowd cheers and our table jumps up in joy, despite not knowing who Jack is. The announcer states the queen and then the rest of the kids go back to dancing.
None of us are particularly bothered that we weren't nominated. I watch as the others go dance. They dance in no order but its okay.
I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't met them. I had lost all hope in my future, but it all came back when I met them. And I wouldn't trade them for anything.
"Hey Hope! Come dance!" Chip says pulling me out onto the dance floor.