Edited
Oh, dear.
I could feel my breath constricting in and out as I peeked through the curtains to see the auditorium filling up faster than I could've imagined. The entire front row was completely filled, going all the way back towards the center rows. I gulped as I watched more and more people shuffle in, and with each new person that entered, came with it the familiar faces of people from school.
The show wasn't set to start for another hour, so it was mind—blowing to see this many people already here, waiting for it to begin. I had never realized how big of a deal the Prom Fashion Show was until I was actually in it.
Aiden and I had arrived here together about two hours ago, upon which all the girls and boys were separated from each other; the girls took left stage, meanwhile the boys took right stage to prevent any accidental sightings from happening. Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if some of the boys tried to sneak over and get peeks of the girls, but there were teacher chaperones guarding the entrances to each stage room, so I doubt they would risk it.
As soon as I'd arrived the beauticians had whisked me away and immediately began their work on my makeup, but I was so nervous about them making me look like a clown that I pestered them the whole time. There was no way I was going to let them cake my entire face with makeup, so after fifteen minutes of bickering with the two girls that were working on me, Autumn came and stood in, making sure they didn't make me look ridiculous.
So, right now, I don't have a clue what I look like, but you know it's fine, everything's completely fine. I'm not freaking out at all. I'm just counting on the fact that Autumn told them to keep my makeup natural and minimal. After all, I don't want my first time wearing makeup resulting in a complete disaster.
"I can't believe you're making me do this!" I hissed at Autumn as she appeared next to me, dressed in nothing but a pink, silk-looking robe. Her hair was styled in a beautiful curled chignon updo that she had done herself. She had also done her own makeup, so she's been waiting for two hours just to get into her dress, which the directors have locked in a closet somewhere.
I peeked out again to see more and more people filing in. So many people were coming in that at this rate it felt like the auditorium was going to be at max capacity before the show even began. It wasn't until I laid eyes on a familiar petite-framed woman, and the tall man that accompanied her that I really started to panic
"Oh my god!" I cried, frantically pulling the curtains in front of my face to hide myself. "Chad and Amanda are here!"
I sucked in a deep breath and began to fan myself.
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
"Emery, you're going to be fine, don't worry about it! I promise you, Aiden is going to drop dead when he sees you. He's not even going to know what hit him!" she smiled at me as I turned to her with a horrified expression on my face. Oh god. Aiden. I forgot all about Aiden! I had been so worried about other people seeing me! What was he going to think about all this? What was he going to do?! He'd seen me dressed up all cute, but never this fancy before!
I felt my insides start to churn, and my heart beat a little faster. What was Aiden going to think of me? My legs started to wobble like jello as I realized just how many important people were out there waiting to see me all glammed up. Everyone that was important to me was going to be here, watching, even my dad. What if I trip and fall and make a fool out of myself in front of the entire school, let alone Chad and Amanda?!
Oh, dear lord.
"Autumn, Aiden's mom is out there!" I cried. "The entire school's out there!"
"Emery Hall!" a petite, raven-haired woman came along with a clipboard in hand. She stood, staring at me, waiting for me to follow her backstage, but I was frozen, rooted to the spot I was standing in, internally panicking.
Why had I ever agreed to this?
"You're going to be fine, Emery. I promise you." Autumn whispered, placing her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. "You are my best friend, and I wouldn't have signed you up for this if I didn't think you could do it. I believe in you. Now go get dressed, I'll be here when you get back, don't worry."
I smiled meekly at Autumn, silently thanking her for her words of encouragement. If there was anyone that could comfort me during this time, it was Autumn.
I followed the petite, raven-haired woman as she led me all through the backstage area where beauticians were working diligently on hair and makeup for the countless other girls that had been chosen. This year, there ended up being 46 candidates instead of the usual 40, which meant that the show was going to be lasting well into the night. There was also going to be an afterparty where they were going to announce the winners of the fashion show. One boy, and one girl. And the judges would decide.
"Here you are," the woman spoke pointing me in the direction of the dressing room, which was separated from the rest of the area only by a thin blue curtain. "If you need help zipping your dress, just let me know." she smiled, before I stepped inside and pulled the curtain closed.
When I turned around, I was surprised to see that there was no mirror anywhere in the vicinity. The only thing I was greeted with was the sight of the dress the judges had apparently picked out for me to showcase. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands as I laid eyes on it.
It was an elegant, pale pink color, accentuated with a beautiful beaded rhinestone belt and an illusion neckline. The back was also embellished with rhinestones as well, layered with a mesh material that gave an illusion of my back. As I stared at it, I couldn't believe that the judges had picked out such a beautiful dress for me.
I began to pull the delicate fabric off the hanger and carefully slip into it, wondering what Aiden was doing. I could just imagine the beauticians trying to get him into a tux and I couldn't help but laugh a little. He was such a handful sometimes. I felt a little bad for them, but at the same time my heart couldn't help but flutter at the thought of him. I could only imagine how handsome he looked right now.
"Emery!" I heard Autumn's voice outside my dressing room. "Are you done? We have to start lining up! You've been in there for a while!"
Has it really been that long? Oh no.
I scrambled out of the room, pulling back the curtain, and spinning in circles frantically, searching for my shoes. I had been so wrapped up in my trance about Aiden that I hadn't realize how fast time was ticking away. I spun in circles, searching to see if the woman had laid out my shoes next to the dressing room, but they were nowhere in sight. It wasn't until I looked up though, that I realized all the girls in the area had fallen silent, eyes set on me.
My breath hitched as I realized the amount of people who were gaping at me in that moment. Oh my god, did I really look that terrible?! Was my makeup smeared? Did my hair look like a complete wreck?! I could feel my breath shaking, as I turned my gaze to look at Autumn, whispering, "Why is everyone staring at me?"
But Autumn only smiled at me, in what seemed like a proud mom kind of look, before the sound of a curtain pulling back and heels clacking against the floor caught my attention. Riley peeked out of her dressing room, before gasping as she laid eyes on me. She came out, revealing her stunning emerald green gown that perfectly complimented her skin tone. She looked gorgeous.
"Emery!" she smiled. "You look so pretty, oh my gosh!" she embraced me in one of the tightest hugs that I had absolutely no words. I was in shock at how beautiful both of my best friends looked in that moment.
"Thanks," I whispered, before Autumn excitedly handed me my shoes and earrings, motioning for me to put them on. I did quickly, before standing.
I felt so off balance that I was starting to regret the fact that I had turned down Autumn's offer on learning to walk in heels. After all, this is my first time, and it's only going to be in front of the entire school. No big deal.
"Here," Autumn and Riley both smiled as Autumn handed me a mirror. I inhaled a sharp breath as I brought it up to my face, images of a hideous wicked witch flashing through my brain, but when I saw the girl staring back at me ... I couldn't believe it was me. I never knew I was capable of looking like this.
My hair was in curls and pulled to one side of my shoulder; my makeup was perfect, completely natural, emphasizing only the features necessary, and my lips were glossed with a light pink lip gloss that complemented my skin tone perfectly. My eye shadow had been chosen specifically to match my dress—a beige pink color—but it still managed to bring out the hazel in my eyes that much more. I never even knew my eyes could look that bright.
I couldn't help but gape at the girl who was staring back at me in that mirror, before I turned to my best friends and threw my arms around the both of them. "Thank you," I whispered.
"You deserve this more than anyone," Autumn smiled, pulling out of my arms.
"We're now calling all contestants to please line up with their escorts!" a woman on the intercom announced.
Riley smiled. "Let's go out there and kick some ass,"
The girls and I all smiled at that, before Riley pulled us in the direction of the main stage. The journey there was a bit difficult, what with having to dodge all the makeup tools, curling irons, and shoes scattered across the floor, but we made it eventually.
The sound of chatter behind the curtains rang out from every direction. Girls were giggling, and guys were guffawing. I could even hear the sound of some girls having slight panic attacks and others commenting in hushed whispers on how another girl's dress was ugly. I frowned upon hearing those words and stopped walking towards the curtain, the earlier confidence in myself that I had built up disappearing as fast as it had appeared.
Are they going to whisper about how ugly I look when I walk out there?
I don't know if I can do this.
I could hear all the guys lining up, the sounds of their dress shoes clacking against the hardwood floor as their chatter and laughter carried its way past the curtains. The immediate sound of Carter and Blake's voices were the first to hit me, reverberating past me like an echo, but the one voice I was searching for, the one voice I wanted to hear so badly, was nowhere to be found.
There were a million different smells in the air: peach, musk, cedarwood, lavender, you name it, but that one scent that I had become so accustomed, that one scent that sent chills through my body was nowhere to be found. Aiden was nowhere to be found. And I felt panic rise through my body. I felt my heart begin to thump, the sound echoing through my ears as I leaned against the wall to steady myself.
I can't do this.
"Oh my god!" I whispered, as Riley disappeared behind the curtain, but Autumn stayed back.
"What is it?" she asked.
I didn't even try to hide the obvious fear on my face as I looked at her.
"You guys go! Just give me two seconds. Please!" I begged. I really just needed two seconds to calm myself down. To give myself a little pep talk.
Autumn stared at me for a long moment, before sighing, "Okay,"
She disappeared behind the curtain, before I grabbed both sides of my head, forcing myself to take deep breaths.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
"Okay, you can do this, I promise. You're going to be fine. Just look for Aiden, you'll be fine, he'll make sure no one laughs at you."
Oh god. I thought, as I approached the curtain. What if Aiden laughs at me?
He would never do that.
Even though my subconscious reassured me that Aiden would never laugh at me, it was still a blinding fear that I could feel building inside me. What if Aiden thinks I look ridiculous? What if he thinks I'm not as pretty as all the other girls he's been with? What if I'm not good enough?
There was chatter behind the curtain and the clicking of dress shoes against the boarded floor, before I heard his perfect voice. The voice that I had been waiting to hear for the past two hours. The deep sound of his raspy voice that always made me feel giddy inside.
"Hey Autumn, have you seen Emery?" I heard him ask. I couldn't tell exactly where he was though. His voice sounded far off as I pressed my ear up against the curtain straining to hear the conversation going on between the two.
Autumn sighed. "No, is she not out here yet?"
It seemed that I wasn't the only girl still not out there. In fact, there were quite a few girls still back here having the same panic attack that I was having. Although I was relieved that I wasn't the only one, I still felt bad for them.
I pressed my ear back up to the curtain to try and listen, but there was silence for a moment. "We were going to come out together, but she said she needed a few minutes before she came out. Don't worry Aiden, she'll be here."
I couldn't help but smile, knowing that Aiden was worried about me, and asking for me. And upon realizing that, I had to remind myself of the words that Aiden had spoken to me when he revealed to me that he was the one who had asked Autumn to sign me up for this.
You're beautiful and you deserve the chance to share that with the world. I don't want you to hide your beauty from everyone because you're afraid of what they might think of you.
Remembering the words that he had spoken to me gave me just the boost of confidence I needed to slowly push the thick navy curtain out of the way and timidly walk onto the stage. I could feel my nerves firing, lighting my body up and causing every inch of me to quiver in anticipation as I searched around the heads of boys standing all around. I couldn't see Aiden, and the fear that he wasn't here began to set in as I held my hands close to my chest, attempting to hide the dress that was now covering my body. I could feel people's eyes starting to linger.
I took small steps, careful not to trip as I searched for Aiden, but he found me first.
"Em?" I heard his voice say as I froze, my heart beginning to beat at lightning fast speed.
I turned, slowly, to look at him.
He stood there, in all his attractive glory, sporting an all—black suit that was fitted so perfectly to his body, I could see every contour, every perfectly sculpted muscle of his beautiful body. And I could feel my insides twisting and turning with the feelings only Aiden could make me feel.
He walked slowly towards me, his hands shoved into his pockets, but his eyes never leaving mine, before he smiled, a genuine smile, and I felt my heart drop. I felt my heart drop a thousand floors, something I'd never felt for Evan.
"H-H-Hi," I whispered, my voice shaking, but the smile that was beginning to form on my face never faltering.
He stopped in front of me, my eyes roaming his features. His dark hair was fixed in its usual messy updo, and his dark eyes were brighter than usual, almost like they were glistening in the light. I gulped, my heart was beating so fast at his presence I'm sure if I spoke it would sound like I just ran a marathon.
Why isn't he saying anything?
He stood dead in his tracks, the distance between us considerable, before his eyes finally met mine, his deep brown pools of dark mystery lighting up like I'd never seen. Like he was at a loss for words. Like time was stopping, standing still for him to capture this moment and never forget it. And when he looked at me, he looked at me with such adoration that all the breath was knocked out of me.
He opened his mouth as I pressed my lips together tightly, the anticipation of his words making my knees wobble. "You look—so beautiful," he whispered, and I could feel the truth behind his words. I could feel the emotion and the tenderness.
And as those words came out of his mouth, I remembered the first time that Evan had ever called me beautiful. I remember feeling like my heart was beating a thousand miles a minute, like it was bursting with joy, but that. That feeling is nothing compared to how I feel about Aiden.
With Aiden, everything is amplified. Instead of just my heart feeling it, my whole body feels it. The tingles were spreading throughout my entire body, lighting me on fire like I'd never been lit before. And as we stood there, staring at each other, I could feel the overwhelming urge to kiss this boy radiating between our bodies like an invisible force. A tether permanently chained to him, like gravity pulling me towards him, and never letting go.
In that moment, I didn't care that most of the school was watching us, I didn't care that Autumn, or Riley, or Blake, or Carter were going to see us. I didn't care that anyone was watching. The only thing I cared about was being as close as I possibly could to this boy and keeping him there forever.
Aiden walked forward, closing the distance between us, reaching up to cup my cheek with his hand, and as soon as his skin made contact with mine, I felt my body ignite. I felt it light on fire, I felt it flame and spark and tingle for the way this boy treated me.
He looked into my eyes with such an intensity, with such raw emotion, that I felt myself suck in a breath, before he placed his lips on mine, the fire igniting even brighter, flames dancing on my skin and burning me with a feeling I'd never felt. Aiden's lips moved against mine, slowly and delicately, but with so much passion I could barely control myself. All I wanted to do was kiss this boy, and keep kissing him forever, but I needed air.
I pulled away slowly, feeling his lips brush against mine at the small space still between us. I looked into his eyes, and saw a fire burning in them, glinting with an emotion I couldn't quite understand.
"Hey!" Blake called from across the stage. "Enough of that public display of affection! No one wants to see that!"
Aiden and I pulled away from each other, turning to glare at Blake, watching as he and Autumn both burst out laughing, smiling at the both of us. I began giggling.
"Dick!" Aiden yelled across the room.
"Jackass!" Blake yelled back.
"Dumbass!" Carter joined in, smacking the back of Blake's head
"Hey!"
I couldn't help the laughter that was coming out at this point, and if I was going to be quite honest, I hadn't felt this happy in such a long time. Such a long, long time. It was surreal.
The announcers came onto the intercom backstage and informed everyone that it was time to line up with their escorts, so Aiden, being the gentleman that he was, offered me his arm, as I slipped my hand through, the smile plastered on my face as he led me to our place in the lineup. I watched as he stood there, attempting to fix the cuff links on his suit and uncomfortably fidgeting around. God, he looks so handsome.
"Here," I whispered, taking his arm and rolling the cuff link in my fingers, before pinning it in its place. I could feel Aiden's gaze lingering on me as I looked up at him, before timidly whispering, "What?"
Aiden shook his head, smiling, "You're so damn beautiful."
I felt my cheeks turn red, as I looked down, fidgeting with my dress, before taking my position in the lineup next to him once again. I slipped my arm through his, my eyes wondering around, taking in the scene before me. An auburn—haired girl stood in front of me with her blonde—haired date, and I could tell that she was holding on to him like her life depended on it, meanwhile the rest of the line snaked around in an unusual coil around the backstage area. As I continued to search around with my eyes, it was then that they finally landed upon him. Upon the boy that had already been staring at me.
Evan.
Gabby stood next to him, talking and chatting with other girls and I would've thought that she would take notice that her escort wasn't even paying any attention to her, but she didn't. His expression seemed to be one of awe as he stared at me, but as I laid eyes on him, I didn't feel the feelings that I used to. The butterflies and the tummy flips. I didn't feel them at all. Instead, all I could feel were the sparks that were igniting my body at the simple proximity that Aiden and I had to each other. It was now Aiden who was making me feel something...not Evan.
I could feel Aiden tensing beside me, pulling me just a bit closer, as he realized that Evan was looking back at us, and I couldn't help but let a small smile escape my lips as I looked over at Aiden. He stared back at me with such intensity in his eyes that all the breath was knocked out of me. I squeezed his hand, hoping it would give him reassurance.
Only when I turned back, and saw Evan still staring at me, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. His eyebrows were knit together, fists curled at his side as his eyes narrowed at Aiden. I didn't miss the glaring look he was sending him.
And while a part of me felt triumphant for making him feel the way I had for so long, that same part of me couldn't help but feel guilty. I know what it feels like to watch someone you care about be with someone else, and that's not something I'd wish on anyone. Not even my worst enemy.
I looked away, not being able to bare looking at Evan for a second longer. The way that he looked at me ... there was a time when I would have given anything to see that look on him, but now, now I couldn't stand for him to look at me like that, especially when I was with Aiden now. It's just not fair.
I pushed all thoughts of Evan from my mind, forcing myself to ignore him and focus only on Aiden. On the boy that has become my rock, my knight. The boy that has become everything to me. As I turned back towards Aiden, the sound of the announcer's voice came booming through the intercom, shaking the backstage area and sending a shock through my body.
He began explaining that the show was about to begin and everyone was going to be amazed, so when girls began disappearing from back stage I could feel my palms starting to sweat, and my knees beginning to wobble. I could feel every inch of my body starting to quake, and it only made me hold on to Aiden tighter.
Autumn and Riley disappeared out on stage and I couldn't help but smile as I watched them from the monitor. I watched as Evan escorted Gabby out on stage, as she walked back and forth, showcasing her dress while the announcers did voice overs. She blew a kiss to the crowd, before turning back around and reaching for Evan, who smiled his boyish grin at her, although it didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. In fact, when he came backstage again his eyes were trained on me, but particularly, they were flickering between me and Aiden.
All these eyes on me, especially his, it made me uncomfortable. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was blatantly staring at me. I shuffled my feet, looking down at the floor to avoid his gaze, before I felt Aiden pull me closer against him as his eyes too landed on Evan. I felt relieved at this gesture, because it was as if Aiden was silently affirming me that I was his. That we were each other's.
I turned to look at him, and at that moment I studied him. Studied him like I'd never done before. I watched as he stared Evan down, the contours of his jawline tightening ever so slightly, showing its immense prominence even more. I watched as his eyes darkened, glassed over with a cloud of emotion that could only be described as hatred, as he shifted on the balls of his feet, and that was when it hit me. The smell that I'd come to know and love. The deep, crisp, cool scent of Aiden's strong spearmint. I felt my body drink in the scent, inhaling it over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it, I would never get enough of it, but it was enough to soothe me for the moment. To calm my nerves.
Just then, the next two people in front of us disappeared onto the stage and I felt those familiar feelings of nervousness come back. My knees were wobbling as I watched the girl in front of me come back.
It's my turn.
I let out a shaky breath. "Catch me if I fall?" I whispered, tightening my grip on Aiden's arm.
He turned to me. "Always,"
My heart dropped out of my chest at his response, but I had no time to respond as he escorted me from out behind the curtains, revealing me to the crowd. Unlike the rest of the girls who had just been escorted out by their partners, Aiden took it upon himself to twirl me for a nice huge entrance, as the crowd oohed and aahed, along with some gushing and cheering, as I walked onto the stage.
Aiden caught me in his arms as he finished twirling me.
He leaned in towards my ear. "Go show them who the real queen of this place is,"
I couldn't help but smile at his words and that alone gave me all the confidence I needed to walk back and forth across that stage, with a huge smile on my face. Although, I could still feel my knees wobbling a bit, so I was super careful walking in those heels.
My eyes landed on my father, Amanda, and Chad, who seemed to have all acquainted themselves with each other in the time frame that they'd arrived. They were sitting more towards the center of the seating area. My father smiled at me and watched with such adoration in his eyes that I just wanted to go over there and throw my arms around him. I was so unbelievably happy that he was here. It meant the world to me.
Amanda smiled at me and I think I can honestly say that I've never seen her smile as much as she did that day. Chad shot me a thumbs—up as I smiled at all of them in return.
My heart was beating like crazy in my chest and all I wanted was to be safely back in Aiden's hold, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. Just as I reached him, slipping my arm back through his, he smiled at me, but not like he always does. This time, I could see every emotion in his eyes, every feeling that he had ever felt towards me. It was all right there on display for me to see, with nothing held back. And I couldn't believe the intensity of it all.
"There's no other girl in this world who's as beautiful as you are," he said, and the entire audience must have heard him because almost every single girl in the crowd went awwww.
My mouth opened, but I had no words as he led me off the stage and back behind the curtains where everyone else was standing. The roar of applause from the stage echoed throughout the room as Aiden and I made it back stage. The feelings coursing throughout my body were so absolutely indescribable that I don't think I'd ever felt this much in one day.
I was speechless as Aiden and I stood there, and he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "How did I get so lucky?" he whispered, before our lips were on each other's once again.
And for a moment, everything felt perfect.
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Ahhhhh! You all this was one of my most favorite chapters to write, I hope you enjoyed it! Oh and if you'd like to see pictures of Emery's outfit and gown, go check it out in the cast wardrobe chapter. I'll be updating it regularly with new outfits from every chapter!
Please don't forget to vote and comment! I appreciate it so much!
Raise your hand if you were literally melting at Aiden's words throughout the entire chapter. (*raises hand*)
Hmmm, what about these looks Evan was giving Emery?
How about Aiden's response to that?
Spoiler: the next chapter is probably going to give you a literal heart attack and may make you cry
Until next time faithful Emerden fans!
- Katy