"Serenity! Are you guys ready? The boys are waiting, and mama is already taking a whole bunch of photos." Macy yells at the top of her lungs whilst running into my room. I hear a soft gasp leave her lips and the sound of her pattering feet slow down.
"You look so pretty!" She hurries over, running her small fingers down the strands of my curled hair. She was in awe, and while she craned her neck to look into my vanity mirror, I picked her up and sat her down on my legs so she could see herself better.
Prom day. Almost two weeks since her hospital scare. She was perfectly healthy but the anxiety that shot through me whenever we went outside was going to take a while to overcome.
"I can't wait till I'm older so I can wear makeup and actually look pretty." She cheesed showing off her missing tooth. My face saddened and softened listing to her words. "What did you just say?"
She looked at me hesitantly. "You're not in trouble, I just want you to repeat what you said."
"I said I wanna wear makeup so I can be beautiful." She mumbled. "What makes you think you're not beautiful?" She shifted in my lap, embarrassingly burrowing her head into my shoulder and running her hands over the gold detailing in my black dress.
"This girl in my school said I was ugly. She said that not even makeup could make me look better but I've seen photos on the internet where girls looked pretty with makeup on so I thought it would make me pretty. Like the three of you." Her small face formed into a frown as she peered around my bedroom at Nova and Blair.
"You're already pretty, Macy." Blair stood up, squatting next to my chair so Macy could be on eye level with her. Nova threw a fist pump into the air in agreeance.
"You are beautiful. You're gonna encounter people in life who spread negativity, but you can't allow them to take away your joy. I've had people talk about me and call me names, especially while I was still in foster care. Kids can say some really evil things but look where I am now?"
She sat back, fully giving me her attention. "How did you react to those kids?"
"With some actions that I possibly shouldn't have done. Am I going to lie and say that at this moment in time I regret hitting Ella? No, because she said some hurtful things to me. But I will acknowledge that resorting to physical violence as a result of words is not something you should do. Confidence is your key. When you become sure of yourself, the things people say and think about you won't matter. If what someone is saying is true, embrace it and own it. And if what they are saying is false, then it's false and it shouldn't affect you. Make a joke out of it, take the attention that they want and flip it."
At this point I wasn't sure if this message was more for her or me.
I ran my fingers through her soft dark hair. "I wish someone would've told me this when I was your age, it would've saved a lot of heartbreak but," I moved her chin to look at me. I wanted these words to stick. "You are beautiful. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, including yourself. You are a gorgeous, inside and out."
"Guys please hurry up, the moms are making us pose on the couch!" I hear Wes's voice fill the upstairs.
I tickle her belly. "As for that girl at school you should just smile and tell her that you feel bad for her." Nova tells Macy. "Say you'll keep her in positive thoughts because karma sucks." Blair adds next, as we all approach the door.
"Or you can say that she's an envious bitch who has nothing better to do than to talk shit about people in order to make herself feel better. But if you choose that option, don't tell mom I told you to say it." I place a finger over my lips and shush her as she giggles.
"Wanna walk me downstairs?"
"Yeah!" I turn off my vanity lights, look into the mirror for a final check on my hair and makeup, and give the girls the okay. With our heels strapped tightly onto our feet, we exit my room and make our long awaited descend down the stairs. Nova's mom is the first to see us, and as my own mom gasps, camera flashes begin to blind us.
"Girls, you look so grown up! You three are so beautiful!" Coen's mom steps forward, giving me a tight hug before quickly directing me to stand next to Coen for a photo.
His eyes gaze down my body, head to toe with a beaming smile from ear to ear. "You look insanely beautiful." He looked in utter awe as he spun me around. "You also look insanely beautiful. I could get used to seeing you in a tuxedo." His cheeks quickly taint to red as blush creeps up on them. His hands fidget as he places my corsage, and his ears become a permanent shade of red.
He's nervous. He's nervous and it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.
"Everyone, group photo really quickly!" My dad yells, gathering us together. We all shuffle into our pairs and form a tight group for the photo. "Y'all ready? Instead of cheese everyone say global warming! Trust me, it'll give you a perfect smile." We all giggle and say it in unison anyway.
Everyone started gathering outside once the limousine pulled up. My phone vibrates in my hands; a call from Joey. I answer, bringing the phone up to my ear. "Can I talk to you for a second, away from everyone?" Joey asked softly. "What is it."
He sighs, taking a long pause before speaking. "This is probably not the best time to say this but uhm... I don't want to be a doctor anymore..." He took a breath again, calming himself. "College isn't for me. It's quiet funny I say this considering I'm graduating in two weeks, but I don't want to continue. I can't continue. And it's making me feel like a failure. I don't even know who I am anymore. I've felt lost and the only thing has kept me grounded is this job. I've been a parttime EMT and its brought me back to life." He sniffled, a small chuckle leaving his mouth.
"Joey. It's okay. You're graduating college! That's an incredible accomplishment. You're not a failure, you hear me? You don't have to be a doctor to be good enough. You are good enough as you are. We love you, okay? Please do not think otherwise. Mom and Dad will always be proud of you—"
"But what if they're not. What if he's not. I chose this because dad was so happy to have me following in his footsteps when I told him a-and It felt good. It felt damn great to see him so proud. To be able to give this to him because I owe him."
My face contorted into confusion. "Owe him? What are you talking about?" He sighs, "He gave me this life. Who knows where I would be without them. I owe them, Serenity."
My heart sank at his words. He was right that we would all probably be completely different without mom and dad, but they would never expect us to live a life owing them. Living in debt.
"Joey... you could spend your life selling tulips grown in a three feet plot of land in your front yard and they would proudly talk about it with everyone they know. Dad would be so proud to see you pull up in the ambulance at the hospital. He'd probably try to take a photo and yell 'that's my son!'"
He laughs at the last part. "You're right. He definitely would." He spoke through his laughter, and I joined in. "It's good to hear your voice, kiddo. Just two more weeks and I get to hear it all summer. Enjoy your prom and please don't get pregnant."
I chortled, and my eyes quickly darted to Nova and Wesley. "I'm not the Miller kid you need to worry about."
"Wait what—"
"Bye!"
"Serenity! Coen! You two look absolutely beautiful." Mrs. Lansette smiled brightly as we approached the ticket table. Coen pulled our tickets from his pocket, handing them to her. Once we all finished, we joined together as one big group and made our way inside.
"Wow. Who knew our school could decorate this nice?" Kenji spoke as he looked around the venue in astonishment.
"They can't. The hotel did." Blair chuckled. Alex snaked his arm around her before leading the group to find a table. Finally, took them long enough. Pastel blues and silver decorated the ballroom and an air of romance fell down over all of us.
The night seemed to slip away in the best way possible. Dancing, kissing, embracing—all in blurs—and large amounts of laughter I wouldn't trade for anything else.
"This night is better than I could've hoped for." Coen spoke to me, standing up from his kneeling position once he removed my heels and I placed my feet into my sandals.
I felt a hand hesitantly tap my shoulder. I turned around and to my surprise, Ella was the person standing behind me. She looked gorgeous. Her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail that showcased a pair of long silver earrings. She was in a sleeveless lavender dress, adored in tiny crystals that gleamed when she moved in the light.
"You look really pretty..." She spoke, a genuine, soft smile on her lips. I clinked our glasses of sparkling juice together, smiling back, "So do you. I hope you have a good night." She giggled into a curtsy, gave Coen a small wave, and then retreated back toward the ticket table.
I could hear Coen chuckling beside me. "And what's so funny?" I countered. He took a sip of my drink, his eyes staring at the ceiling in astonishment. "If someone told me a year ago that you would be my girlfriend, you'd fight my ex, and then the two of you would be complimenting each other at prom, I would've tried to wake up from whatever fever dream I was having."
I playfully shoved his shoulder, the white grape juice spilling a droplet of the edge of the cup. "You know, I feel like in about five years, the two of you are gonna have a chance meeting like me and you and then you guys are gonna laugh about everything and become best friends—"
"Alright, don't push your luck." I quickly cut him off. He chortles again, almost knocking my drink over in the process which leaves the both of us in a laughing fit.
"Are yall ready for your king and queen?!" The announcer spoke into the DJ booth microphone, and the entire room quickly shuffled into a semi-circle around the table, awaiting the news.
An obnoxiously loud drumroll rang through the speakers. "Your Hollandale High prom king is... Kenji Ito!" The crowd erupted into loud boisterous applause, and the screams of our friend group certainly deafened someone's ears. He ran past our group, his hands out to give us each a passing high five before stepping to the front and accepting his golden crown before the senior class.
"And to dance her first dance with our king is... Jessica Lancaster!" The crowd erupted into the same loud applause, and Kenji's hand rubbed at his neck nervously as his eyes immediately darted to Coen, Dominic, Malik, and a jealous Quincy who was gnawing at his bottom lip.
The DJ quickly urged them to the center of the floor and began playing 'Dancing Queen' as the crowds' attention turned back to their own separate groups and conversations. I turned to Coen and Dominic, "Isn't that..."
"Jessica, I lost my virginity to? Yeah." Coen spoke up as Dominic widened his eyes. "I forgot about that! She's also hooked up with Quincy and Ryan...she tried with me, and Kenji, and I'm pretty sure she gave Wesley a blowj—" Before Dominic could finish, Wesley's hand slaps around his mouth to quiet him. It was no use, we could all fill in the blank.
"Let's just say she enjoys the company of the basketball team!" Wesley nervously spoke before giving Dominic the middle finger as Nova quickly interjected, asking about when it occurred.
That was information I did not need.
Coen interlocks our fingers, pulling me onto the dancefloor just as the songs chorus begins playing.
"Although neither of us won, you're still my queen." He pulled me in for a soft kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too."
The night is just perfect.