I think that tonight was probably the worst night ever in the history of proms.
Don't even try to argue with me. It absolutely sucked. I mean, it all started out great. But don't let that fool you.
So it all started two weeks before prom when Hadley came up to my locker on a Thursday afternoon. "Hey Mallory! Have you got a date to prom?" she asked. I shook my head no.
"Ah. That sucks. Anyways, I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I think that we should start over. So, would you like to go dress shopping with me this weekend? I'll even help you pay for your dress if you find something you like," she said, flashing a smile.
I wasn't so sure about all this. Why was she suddenly being so nice?
Then again, if she really was going to help pay for my dress, that would definitely be a boost for me. My mom had refused to take me dress shopping and told me to find something on my own.
"Sure! Were you thinking this Saturday or Sunday?" I replied.
"Saturday, probably in the afternoon. Would it be OK if I picked you up at your house at about 1?" Hadley asked. I nodded in response. We then exchanged phone numbers so that I could text her my address later.
"Alright. I've gotta get to my next class but I guess I'll see you Saturday!" Hadley said, and she headed off down the hall.
That Saturday went a lot like shopping with Stella and Rosemarie. She picked me up, we drove to the mall, and headed into the dress store. I hadn't gone dress shopping in what felt like forever. I hadn't been to any of the dances at school in a couple years so I haven't needed a dress.
"So where would you like to start?" Hadley asked, her platinum blonde hair shimmering under the bright spotlights in the store.
I shrugged. "I honestly have no idea," I replied.
"No worries. I'll help you find something," she said as she started to flip through the color-coded racks.
"Anything in particular that you're looking for?" Hadley asked, eyeing a silky red dress with jewels around the waist.
"Not really. I know that orange really isn't my color and I tend to trip on super long dresses, but other than that I'm open to suggestions," I responded.
Hadley chuckled. "Personally, I think that a shorter, blue dress would suit you well," she said, eyeing my features.
"Sounds good to me," I replied. We then flipped through the racks of blue dresses and picked out several for me to try on.
"Here, you go try these on and I'll go look for something for me. Call for me if you find one you really want to show me," she said, handing me the pile of dresses and heading over to the rack of hot pink dresses.
"K then," I muttered to myself, strolling through the long, dark hall with dressing room doors on both sides. I stepped up to one room that had the door slightly ajar. Before I even touched the door, it swung open on its own and I felt the heel of someone's shoe smash on top of my toes.
Startled, I took a step back towards the wall behind me, and looked up to see Bree MacDuncan standing in the doorway with a rather sour look on her face. As soon as she recognized me, she twisted her face into a sort of fake smile.
"Oh, hello Mallory! Didn't expect to see you here," she said in her usual feigning, high-pitched tone of voice.
"Same to you, Bree," I said as cheerfully as I could.
"Shopping for prom dresses, I see," she said, eyeing the pile of dresses I had in my hand. "Just so you know, these two are really ugly." She pulled the top couple of dresses out of my hands and set them back on the nearby rack.
"Have a lovely day," she said, flashing her plastic smile at me as she left. All I could do was flash an equally fake smile at her with an irksome feeling deep in my gut.
After trying on all the dresses, I only found one that I liked and actually fit me well. It was white and had rhinestones at the top, then a silky blue waistband and had white to blue ombré at the bottom. The dress was strapless and fell just above the knee.
OK, I just had to show this one to Hadley. I opened the door slowly and peeked out into the hallway. Just as I did, Hadley threw open the door to the stall to my left and strutted out.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling in the three-way mirror. Her dress was gorgeous. It had a light pink corset on the top and the rest of the pinkish-coral material reached the floor and flared out when she twirled.
"I love it. It really suits you," I told her, stepping up behind her.
"Now, let's see your dress," Hadley said as she stepped out of the spotlights and gently pushed me up to the mirror.
"I really like it! I love the colors, and the style really fits you well. I think you've found the one," Hadley said.
I smiled at her. "I think we both have," I replied.
"Y'know, even if you don't have a date, you're still gonna look beautiful. No matter what," Hadley said.
"Thanks. I bet you and Ansel will win prom king and queen," I told her.
"Eh, you never know... If you're ready then go ahead and get changed. I'll meet you at the register," Hadley said, patting me on the back and heading back into her changing cubicle.
I took longer to change than Hadley did. When I walked out of the changing rooms, I saw Bree hovering over Hadley by the far wall. I ducked behind the racks and started to sneak over to where the pair were standing.
"Look. You better watch your back, 'cause Ansel is mine. Tell that to the little midget girl too," Bree spat.
Midget girl?! Anger surged through me as I listened to the rest of their conversation.
"Never. Ansel is my date, not yours," Hadley said.
"Whatever. You don't stand a chance. Neither of you do. Hope you enjoy your ugly little dresses," Bree said.
I stepped back a bit to make it look like I had just walked up.
"Hey guys!" I said as cheerfully as I could.
Bree took a few steps back. "Oh, hello again Mallory! Didn't see you there. Well, I better go. Bye guys!" she said quickly, waving to us as she speed-walked out the door and tripped over her own feet.
"What was that all about?" I asked once she was out of earshot.
Hadley just shook her head. "Don't know. Let's just go check out, OK?" she said, heading over to the counter.
Hadley helped me pay for my dress, which I was very grateful for. We both got lattes from Starbucks before she dropped me off at my house early that evening.
Before I knew it, it was the day of prom. As much as I had been dreading that night, I was actually pretty psyched as I pulled my car into the school parking lot. There were students milling about on the lawn, throwing streamers and whatnot. I parked my car in the space right next to Stella's and headed inside.
"There she is! You look gorgeous! C'mon, Rosemarie and Dash are in there waiting for us," Stella yelled to me. She had been lingering on the steps waiting for me to arrive, and we strutted into the gymnasium like the bosses we were.
Black Widow was blaring when we walked in, and everyone was packed in the room dancing. "Hey guys!" Stella yelled to Rosemarie and Dash over the music.
"Hey! You guys look amazing!" Rosemarie shouted.
We all looked pretty amazing, actually. Stella was wearing a short, maroon-colored dress that was strapless and had rhinestones on the top and a few on the bottom. Her burgundy hair was down and pin-straight, which was unusual for her. Rosemarie's dress was violet and also was strapless, with rhinestones on the top and ruffles on the bottom. Her long, raven black hair was down and in ringlet curls, like mine. Dash had on a black tux, like almost all the guys did, and a matching purple tie.
"We do! We look absolutely amazing! We should get our pictures taken," Dash said, setting his cup of punch down on the table and skipping off to the foyer of the gymnasium where the line for pictures began.
Rosemarie was always pretty tall, but with her heels on I practically had to look up at the ceiling to talk to her.
"Dash seems extra hyper tonight," I told her.
"Yeah, I think Robert and some of the other guys might've put something in his drink," Rosemarie said. We both laughed.
While waiting in line, the four of us laughed and talked for a while until Bree, Neil, Hadley, and Ansel got in line right behind us. Fortunately, the line was almost to us, so I wouldn't have to endure this awkward situation for too long.
"Mallory! Oh my gosh, you look so amazing!" Hadley exclaimed, turning to me.
"Thank you! So do you!" I told her.
She really did, too. Her dress and her shoes fit her perfectly, and she looked like a beauty queen. Ansel looked sharp in his black tux and a tie to match Hadley's dress.
I hated it.
Ansel nodded at me in acknowledgement. "Hello Mallory," he said in a monotone voice.
"Hello Ansel," I replied in the same tone of voice. "Hey Neil. Hey Bree."
"Aye Mallory!" Neil said cheerfully. Bree just flashed her usual fake smile at me and I turned back to my friends, who had just stepped up to the camera man.
Rosemarie and Dash posed for a picture, then Stella and I took one together and she told me that I was her date. The four of us posed for a group picture, and Hadley, Ansel, Bree, and Neil photobombed us.
The eight of us strutted out of the foyer of the gym together like the swag masters that we were. That moment felt just like a scene straight out of a movie. We all walked in somewhat of a straight line as the end of Fancy was playing. We all poured ourselves some punch at the refreshments table just as Shake It Off started playing.
"Let's dance!" Dash screamed, running out onto the dance floor. I hung back from the rest of the group. I've never been a fan of dancing in a public place.
"C'mon, Mallory!" Stella yelled as Ansel and her grabbed both my arms, almost knocking the punch out of my hands, and pulled me onto the dance floor.
In that picturesque moment, with everyone dressed in their fancy gowns, neon lights flashing, and the bass booming loudly in my ears, I didn't care. I went out there and danced like a white child the whole evening. The eight of us jammed out for what felt like forever. And surprisingly, I loved every minute of it.
"Hey, hey, hey everyone! How y'all doing tonight?" I heard a voice yell once Latch had finished playing. Everyone clapped and yelled as I watched James Johnson, one of the school's star football players, hop onto the small stage where the DJ was.
"The moment we have been waiting for all night has arrived. It's time to announce our prom king and queen!" James yelled into his microphone. Everyone clapped and yelled again.
"This year, we had some very beautiful ladies and some very kind gentlemen on the ballot, but I think one girl and one guy stood out the most," James said. I saw Bree's scowling face turn into a prideful smile. "Y'all are probably anxious to hear who won, aren't ya?"
I really wasn't all that excited. I hadn't even bothered to vote. Bree and Hadley had both been nominated, along with a couple other girls I didn't particularly care for. Ansel had also been nominated for king.
"Well, we have our results right here in this envelope," James continued, holding up the envelope that was sitting on the table behind him, along with the two crowns for the winners.
"And the winners are...." James trailed off as he opened the envelope. I saw Bree straighten up and start making her way to the stage triumphantly.
"Ansel Elgort and Hadley Davis!!!" James shouted. If I had thought that the yelling before was loud, I was now almost deafened by the crowd's whooping and cheering. I watched as Bree's expression changed from a look of triumph to one of rage.
Hadley and Ansel went up onstage, accepted their crowns, and thanked everyone for voting for them. Everyone clapped once more as they headed off to get their picture taken. Everyone else in the room went about their business, but Bree just stood by the stage in shock.
"That can't be right! I demand a recount!" Bree screamed at James. He just shrugged.
I wandered over to the refreshments table. They had also put out a few finger foods, along with a magnificent chocolate fountain. I picked up a strawberry from the fancy platter on the table and dipped it in chocolate.
At this point, prom was almost over. I watched as Hadley and Ansel strutted back into the gym together while everyone around them cheered and congratulated them. I saw Bree turn away from the stage and come marching over to where I was standing.
Ansel headed off to talk to Neil, while Hadley headed in my direction.
"Hey, Hadley!" Bree shouted. "Don't you remember anything at all about what I told you?"
"What are you talking about?" Hadley said, snatching a strawberry from the platter.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about! When I saw you at the dress store!" Bree exclaimed.
"So?" Hadley said.
"So?! You did exactly what I told you not to do! I told you to stay away from Ansel and you went and did the opposite!" Bree spat.
"You're not the boss of me. Besides, Ansel loves me, not you," Hadley said, stuffing another strawberry in her mouth.
Bree stomped over and grabbed Hadley's wrist. "If you keep eating those strawberries like that, you're gonna get even fatter than you already are," she said.
Hadley gasped. She shoved two more strawberries in her mouth, chewed for a second, then spit them straight in Bree's face.
Bree jumped back, screaming like a baby. "Look what you've done! You ruined my dress and my hair, me and Ansel, everything!" she shouted, charging at Hadley.
"By the way, it's Ansel and I, not me and Ansel," I said, interrupting their cat fight.
"Y'know what, you need to shut up too! I don't know why Ansel, or anyone for that matter, ever even talked to you!" Bree shouted, charging at me too.
Next thing I knew, the three of us were in a full-blown fight, throwing punches and kicks at each other. We ended up in a dog pile in the floor, and everyone had crowded around to watch, including Ansel.
"Ansel, now! Do it now!" Hadley yelled.
I had finally gotten back on my feet when I saw Ansel dart around behind the table. I saw him grab the edge of the tablecloth, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Hadley tried to get up and run, but Bree tripped her and she ended up flat on her face. "NO!!!!" she screamed. I looked over at the table to see the tablecloth being ripped off the table and all the food, including the chocolate fountain, came raining down on everyone within an eight foot radius.
Everyone around us was screaming, running, and slipping on the hot, liquid chocolate on the floor. I looked up, my vision blurred with chocolate, and saw Ansel glance at me as he walked away from the scene.
"What on earth is going on here?!" I heard the principal yell from just a few feet away. All the students rushed quietly to the other side of the room.
"You three are coming with me," she said.
I'll spare you the details of the principal's lecture, but all three of us got detentions and she made us go back into the gym and clean up the mess we made.
At that point, people were starting to leave and the gym was getting less and less crowded. The three of us, still covered in chocolate, had mops, scrubs, brooms, and all kinds of cleaning supplies to clean up the disastrous gym floor.
Ansel chose the wrong time to meander into our area, because Hadley instantly threw down her mop, then stomped over to him and started chewing him out.
"Ansel, what were you thinking?! You were supposed to dump the fountain on Mallory, not me!" she exclaimed. I froze and tuned in to their conversation as soon as I heard my name.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I was aiming for Mallory, but Bree tripped you," Ansel protested.
"You ruined my dress! You've gotta pay more attention, Ansel. You were aiming for Mallory and not me, right?" Hadley said accusingly.
Ansel glanced over at me for a fraction of a second. "Yeah, of course, babe," he replied.
"That better be the truth," Hadley spat, shooting a death glare over at me as she turned to pick up her mop once more.
The three of us stayed for an extra 45 minutes cleaning up our mess, and there were still people lingering outside the school as we left. I trudged out of the school, with my heels in one hand and my chocolate-covered clutch in the other. I passed by Ansel as I headed out to my car, and he ran after me as I stormed off.
"Mallory! I just wanted to tell you that I didn't want to spill the chocolate fountain on you, Hadley made me do it or else she was gonna break up with me," Ansel said quickly.
"Sounds to me like you should've just broken up with her, 'cause that was not cool, dude," I told him harshly.
"I know, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Ansel said.
I turned around to face him, and his brown eyes were filled with regret. I quickly shifted my gaze to the shadowed asphalt of the parking lot. I just couldn't look at him or it might actually give me the audacity to forgive him. "Whatever. I need get home," I murmured, then hurried the rest of the way to my car before Ansel could say another word.
I let chocolate tears roll down my cheeks as I drove back home. This whole night sucked. My dress, my shoes, my clutch, and the extremely slim amount of respect I'd actually had for Hadley were all ruined.
See? This is the reason why I hate going to school functions.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, I wanted this chapter to be as close to perfect as possible. Now that prom is over, how do you guys think the play is going to play out? No pun intended haha. Sorry I haven't updated as much, I've been so busy with school and stuff. Plus I've been sick for the past few days so I ended up posting this a couple days later than I intended. I'll still try to keep updating as much as I can though :) Who all got tfios on DVD?! I know I did :) The picture on the right is all their dresses. The one on the top left is Mallory's, the top right is Hadley's, the bottom right is Stella's, and the bottom left is Rosemarie's. Thanks so much for all the comments, reads and votes, and thanks for 1K followers! I love you guys so much and I hope you have an amazing week! I'll be praying for you all! God bless, XOXO -Serena :)