Primrose's POV
I arrive for my shift at Cathy's Cafe and step inside. On the weekends, I work to make some extra cash. Every penny counts when I go to live on my own. The sooner I get out of this town, the better.
I head towards the back, and my manager asks, "Are you going to your school's Valentine's Day dance tonight?"
"Of course. I finally got a guy to ask me to be their date." I say sarcastically.
She playfully rolls her eyes and says, "When I was your age, I would still go to dances with my friends. Nothing wrong with not having a date."
"Third-wheeling isn't fun either. I'm just going to binge-watch something on Netflix." I say.
She laughs and says, "Have a good shift."
I return to the main area and see someone waiting to be served. "Hey, my name is Primrose. Can I start you with a drink?" I ask, looking at my notepad.
"Oh hey!" I hear them say.
I take my eyes off my notepad and see it's Alex. "Oh, uh, hi," I say. Isn't there supposed to be like paparazzi? I don't know...
"I never got to apologize when I was at your house. I felt rude about our interaction when Cassy suggested snacks. I didn't know she would order you to make them." He says.
"It's fine," I say, shrugging.
"Do they usually treat you like that?" He asks.
"...No. Anyways, is there something you want to order?" I ask, extra cheerful.
He's quiet for a moment and then says, "I'll have two Sprites. I'm waiting on my other friend."
"Great, I'll be right back," I say.
I fill up two cups with the soda and place them back down on the table. I noticed Matt had arrived and asked, "Are you guys ready to order, or do you still need a few minutes?"
"You ready?" Alex asks Matt.
He nods and asks for our beef soup and cheese sandwich. Then Alex orders the sandwich of the day.
"I'll be right back with your orders," I say, walking away.
I wait in the back since there aren't many customers. "Is Alex King really here?" The manager asks me.
"Yep," I say, uninterested.
"Do you think you could ask for his autograph for me?" She asks. "My cousin is obsessed with him."
"Why can't you do it?" I ask.
"I have things to work on here." She says, pointing at a bunch of papers.
"No way. I don't want to look like a crazy fan." I say, not moving.
"If you do this, I will let you get food for free." She says, trying to convince me.
"My food is already free for working here..." I say.
"I'll make you clean the restrooms. I don't make you do that because you're my favorite employee." She says, grinning.
I glare at her, and she smiles. "Thank you! Just have him sign this." She says, handing me a piece of paper.
I take the paper and sigh. "Make sure Alex writes it to Kelly."
I walk back out and see their orders are ready. I grab the dishes and then walk back to their table.
They murmur a thank you, and I say, "My manager was wondering if you could sign this..."
I notice Matt hide a smirk, and Alex shrugs. "Anything for a fan." He says.
"She said her name was Kelly," I mumble, wanting to leave them alone.
He hands me the paper, and I say, "Thank you. Enjoy your meal."
I fast walked back to my manager and gave her the paper. "You're welcome," I say.
"Hey, it's an excuse to talk to a celebrity." She says.
"I'm good... And he's not that popular." I answer.
"Is being on the radio not popular enough for you?" She asks.
I pretend to think and say, "Nope."
I serve a few other customers, and they finally finish their meal. I go to collect their checks and see they tipped me $50.
"Thank you guys so much! Have a good day." I say, starting to clean the table.
"Your name's Primrose, right?" He asks.
I nod and ask, "And you are?"
Matt laughs and says, "She needed to humble you."
Alex shoves him and rolls his eyes. "I'm Alex."
"I'm Matt." He says, waving.
"Oh, I know. My friends are obsessed with you." I say with fake excitement.
"Really?" He asks, surprised.
"Nope." I deadpan.
Alex laughs and asks, "Will we be seeing you at the dance tonight?"
I laugh and say, "Definitely not. And if I were somehow forced, I would never take off my mask."
"Mask?" He asks, confused.
"Ya, it's tradition for everyone to wear them. It's supposed to make it fun and mysterious." I say.
I spot another table waiting to be served and say, "I have another table to serve, but have fun tonight."
"See you, Rose," Alex says, walking away. I smile, knowing I haven't heard anyone give me a nickname in years.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
After I vacuumed the living room, I saw Cassy and Tiffany getting ready for the dance. Cassy sees me staring and glares at me.
"It's not nice to stare. I get you're jealous that you're not going, but can you cry about it somewhere else?" Cassy asks.
Tiffany laughs and fakes a sympathetic look. "I'm sure she's used to not getting attention. One look at her, and all the boys are running away."
"At least I know how to blend my makeup properly. It'd be a shame to have my neck a different color." I say, looking at Cassy.
"And people only talk about dances for one night. I'm glad I didn't peak in high school. It only goes downhill from there." I say, walking away.
Tiffany scoffs, and Cassy tries to fix her makeup. I pass by Esme, and she says, "Vacuum the kitchen. There are ants in that one corner." How fucking hard is it to clean up after yourself? You're a fucking adult.
"Better yet, vacuum this whole kitchen. You're obviously not allowed to go to the dance, but it's not like you had any plans. So really, you're welcome." She says, walking out.
"I'll be back by 10:30, so the ants better be gone. I'll check on you when I get back, and you know the rules." She yells before leaving the house.
I hold in an insult and start cleaning. Only a few more months of this hell... I can do this. An hour later, I finish and decide to take a shower. My phone vibrates, telling me I got a notification.
Lilac 💜:
Hey...
What do you want?
I'm parked outside
Why?
I slipped through your backyard :)
I'll call the cops on you
I hear a knock at my door and move to open it. Lilac is carrying two long dress bags, and I try to kick her out.
"No," I say, trying to dry my hair.
"Come on! This is our last semester of high school!" She says.
"You know why I don't care for dances," I say.
"I'm your date. Now you have no excuse." She says, unzipping the dress bags.
"I never said yes," I say back. I glance at the dresses and say, "They look beautiful..."
"You'll look back on this day and regret not going to it. Even if you hate tonight, at least you went! There will always be times you can relax and watch Netflix." She says, trying to convince me.
That is true... I think we should go. I bite my lip and finally give in. "Fine," I mutter.
"We'll take many photos so I can remember this moment. Maybe you'll finally have something to post on your Instagram." She says, laughing.
"Or I'll keep it at 0 posts forever," I say, grinning.
She rolls her and hands me a dress. "Put this on, and I'll do your makeup." She says, shoving me into the bathroom.
Outfit:
I step out, and Lilac gasps. "This dress looks perfect on you!" She says excitedly.
I smile and say, "Thank you for picking it out."
She steps into my bathroom to change while I brush my hair. She opens the door, and I'm stunned.
Lilac's Outfit:
"Damn... You look beautiful." I say.
"I love the leg slit. It exposes just the right amount. And if it's too much, fuck it. The school can't kick me out." She says, grinning. They technically could...
After Lilac finishes my hair and makeup, we take pictures. I scroll through our photos and say, "I think I have some pics worthy of posting..."
Lilac laughs and asks, "Should we get going?" I nod, and we walk towards her car.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
We walk into the gym, and I see a huge crowd in the middle. I adjust my mask and glance at the decorations. Lilac drags me to the snack table, and I laugh.
"I suggest you stay away from the drinks," I say, staring at the suspicious bowl of punch. I notice someone walking in my direction and give them room to look at the snacks.
He walks up to me and asks, "Would you like to dance?"
I look behind me to see who he's talking to and realize he's speaking to me. I quickly looked at Lilac and saw she mouthed, "Go."
"Okay," I say, taking his hand. A few seconds later, the song changes, and I raise my eyebrow.
He smirks, and I ask, "Is this your song request?"
"I was curious to see if you could keep up with my dancing." He answers.
"Really?" I ask, starting to take control of the footing.
He chuckles and quickly dips me. Surprisingly, our steps are flowing perfectly. I quicken the pace, and he follows along.
"Not bad." He says.
I laugh and say, "I was a professional dancer when I was younger."
"Impressive. I feel like we're clicking well for our first dance." He says, guiding my feet.
"I'm not sure... You seem like you're having a hard time keeping up." I say, changing directions.
"Someone's a little cocky." He says, pulling me closer. I adjust my hold and follow his feet.
I smirk and say, "I only speak the truth."
He laughs, and I smile. When the song gets louder, I lift my leg at the last beat.
"Wanna do a spin?" He asks.
"Why not?" I ask, oddly feeling safe in his arms.
He lets me go, and I smile in the spotlight. But all of a sudden, my heel got caught on one of the floor decorations. Curse these high heels! I use my hand to stop my fall, thankful I didn't twist my ankle.
I hear some people laugh and feel grateful I have a mask on. The mystery person helps me up and rambles, "Are you okay? Please tell me you didn't sprain your ankle in those heels. I can take you to the hospital or-"
I adjust my mask and shrug. "Not my best ending to a dance," I say with an embarrassed smile.
"You still looked beautiful. I didn't know someone could slip gracefully." He says, trying to make me laugh.
My lips curve upward, and I say, "It's just the makeup."
"No, inner beauty matters too." He says, helping me stand.
People go back to dancing, and he guides me out of the gym. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asks once it's just us in the hallway.
"Yes, please don't ever bring it up again. I don't need to remember that my second-to-last school dance ended up with me basically falling on my ass." I say with a chuckle.
"Not a fan of school dances?" He asks.
"Senior year is the only time I've gone to the school dances. It's our last year, so why not?" I answer.
"What stopped you before? Not that I'm judging. This is my first school dance since freshmen year." He says.
"Never had a date. It sucked third wheeling, but I accepted that it's okay to be on my own for these things... Or I'm trying." I say sheepishly.
"Well, I'm honored to be the first for you." He says with a wink.
I laugh, and he says, "Since this is my first and last Valentine's Day dance, do I introduce myself at the end?"
"If you want to. Or we can go our separate ways and never speak again." I say, half joking.
"That won't do. Don't freak out when I take this off." He says, about to pull his mask off.
"Ooh, is this like a Phantom of the Opera type of deal?" I tease.
He grins, and I recognize his face. "Alex?" I ask, surprised. There's no way...
The gym door slams open, and Lilac spots us. She grabs my arm and says, "Cassy's leaving, and it's almost 10:30!"
My eyes widen, and I turn to Alex. "Um, I-" I get cut off by someone squealing and see a few people exiting the gym. They're all about to crowd around Alex, and I stupidly wave before sprinting with Lilac.
I glance back at Alex and notice he picked up a bracelet off the floor. I glance at my wrist and see my bracelet is gone.
<~~~~~~~~~~>
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