~Annabel's POV~
Everyone greeted Calum warmly, and I had my eyes locked intently on him, as he walked over to my best friend.
"You look beautiful," I heard him whisper as the adults conversed amongst each other.
"Let's go over there," I gestured torwards Lilly and Calum, and Mark followed.
"Oh! Um, Calum, this is my best friend, Annabel." She smiled, as I approached.
"Hi," We both said, shaking each other's hands.
"And this is her date, Mark." They did the same, and Lilly went on introducing Cameron and Josh as well. We got to know each other a little while longer, until my mother interrupted the small group of teenagers.
"Alright, everyone ready to go?"
She clapped her hands together. We nodded, and the adults stepped into one limousine, and the teenagers, in another. The interior was beautiful, and decorated. There was also a section full of champagne, and wine. I watched as Calum passed out a glass of champagne to everyone.
"To... making this night unforgettable." Mark held his glass out. "Cheers." He flashed a perfect smile.
"Cheers!" Everyone chorused along, clinking the tips of their glasses. There was a moment of silence as everyone sipped the bubbling champagne. It was a sweeter champagne, with only the slightest bit of bitterness lingering on my taste buds. I actually quite enjoyed it. We all made small talk on the way to the country club. At one point during the ride, Josh locked eyes with me, and had a concerning look on his face. Being siblings, I knew what this was about. I nodded slightly, and mouthed the words, 'I'll tell you later.'
Once we arrived at the club, the women exited the limo first, then the men. Right away I saw limousines lined up along the curb, all leading to the entrance of the country club. There were older women and men, and teenagers around our age, all walking up to the double doors. Mark walked up next to me, and held his arm out.
"Ready for this?" He asked, smiling with an eyebrow raised.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I nervously laughed, as I put a hand around his arm. We both walked towards the doors, with a ton of people in front, behind, and beside us. Tonight was going to be packed with people, but none of them would be Harry.
I shook my head to clear it of the thought of my boyfriend not being with me on an extremely special night. We walked through the doors, and immediately, the sight of people was all I saw. Women and men of different ages were dressed in elegant gowns, and classic suits. The "line" was crowded, as people tried fitting through the second set of double doors, to the main dining area. The whole place was transformed. There was now a stage, and a whole area was open, for dancing. There were long rectangular tables; one for small foods, like mini macaroni cups, finger sandwiches, and more. Another for snacks, like chips, pretzels, bowls of different drinks, and fruits and veggies, and another for all kinds of desserts.
The place was already beginning to become packed, and there was no sign of Harry. It was already 6:15.
"Annabel!" Lilly called me over, with a wave of her hand.
"Mark, I-" I started to speak.
"It's okay, go. I'll meet you backstage." He chuckled.
"Okay," I smiled. "See you soon." I wiggled my fingers, and walked towards Lilly.
"We've gotta get touched up, then we're gonna get ready to walk down the stage!" Lilly explained, as we walked to the dressing rooms. There were other girls in the room, frantically rushing to touch up last minute make-up, and hair. "And I have a surprise for you!" Lilly smiled brightly.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, as my lips were tugged into a smile. She led me to a closed door, and placed her hand on the knob.
"Ready?" She smirked. She twisted the handle, and pushed the door open, revealing a beautifully gowned red-headed girl.
"Brielle!" I squealed, giving her a huge hug.
"I've missed you!" She laughed, stumbling backwards a bit, due to the force of my hug.
"I haven't seen you in forever! Why are you here?!" I asked, shocked.
"Lilly planned this! She told me all about this, and she thought it'd be a good idea for me to come down and see you!" She smiled.
"That's wonderful! You look amazing!" I laughed, looking at her dress.
"So do you! And from what I hear, you're dating Harry nowadays?!"
"That's the word," I laughed out loud.
"Wow, didn't you hate him?" She laughed along.
"Yeah, but look where that brought us!"
"Wow, do you love him?" She asked, nosily.
"Yeah, I actually do." I smiled at the thought of him.
"Is he here?" She asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, no. You were right about him never going to parties like this. Just bars, and clubs." I forced a laugh.
"Well, it's been fun catching up girls, but we need to get ready!" Lilly clapped her hands together. We nodded, and laughed, and began to touch ourselves up.
When I was done, I excused myself from the 2 other girls, and walked away, backstage. Strangely, there wasn't anyone there. The curtain was closed, and I assumed the men were getting ready in their dressing room, just as the girls were. There wasn't much lighting, it was very dim, but I could still see fine. I walked up to a full length mirror, and looked at my reflection. I stared at my dress, my long, light peach colored dress, with sequins and diamonds along my bust area. My hair was still perfect, as was my make-up. The dress fit me perfectly, exposing a decent amount of cleavage. I heard footsteps from the other side of the stage, and I peeked around the mirror to see Josh approaching me.
"Hey," He spoke.
"Hi." I smiled.
"You look good."
"Thanks," I laughed. "So do you." He let out a small chuckle, and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"So, who's your date?" He asked the question I was waiting for.
"Mark."
"And..?" He pushed, after I didn't say anything more. I sighed.
"Harry isn't here, okay? He doesn't go to these things. He thinks they're stupid. I met Mark at an ice cream parlor. You know, the one Grandpa used to always take us to."
"You went in?" He asked, shocked.
"Yeah, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Instead of reminding me of his death, it just brought back good old memories." I nodded.
"I should try that soon."
"You should."
"Anyways, continue on with your story."
"So, I met him there, and we talked. But Harry found me there, and marched me out of the store, and kissed me on the sidewalk. I saw Mark a few weeks later, after I realized there was no hope in getting Harry to ask me to the ball, so I asked Mark to escort me."
"That's all really confusing." He raised an eyebrow.
"I know," I sighed.
"But I don't blame him. If Mom wasn't, you know, 'mom,' I wouldn't really go to these balls either."
"Josh," I groaned.
"What? It's the truth. Anyways, I'm really sorry. Maybe he'll show up." He shrugged. I nodded, but the hopes of Harry showing up tonight, were already vanished. I just knew he wasn't going to be here. Just as I thought this, a lady with a clipboard and a headset appeared.
"You better go," I smiled. "Good luck out there." I playfully punched his arm.
"You too." He laughed, and we parted ways, and back into the dressing rooms.
"Annabel, hurry!" Lilly whisper-yelled. I scurried over to her, and slipped infront of her, and behind a girl with blonde hair. From where I was standing, I could see the curtains open, revealing a huge group of parents, and other ladies and gentlemen. A woman standing behind a podium began speaking.
"And now, let's introduce the young adults representitives of the Midnight Bay Country Club!" A round of applause broke out, as the first pair of names were called. After a few minutes, my name was finally called.
"Accompanying Annabel Shaw, is Mark Brookes!" I walked out from backstage, as did Mark, and he held an arm out, and I took it once again, as we both walked elegantly to the front of the stage. We flashed a big smile, and looked around for a few seconds. More applause sounded my ears, as we both exited off the right staircase. After all of the names were called, and everyone was off the stage, the lady made one last remark.
"Now, let's let the dancing begin!"
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Harry isn't coming :( How do you guys feel about this?
Please rate, and comment on my story it really makes me happy!
Enjoy the picture of Annabel's beautiful dress, linked to the side/top!