I went to a High School Senior Prom last weekend and it was CRAZY!

Promposals and Hurt feelings.

My friend invited me to the school dance, after the fact I’m thinking he was asking me as a date. He wanted the whole pick me up, bring me flowers, tell me how pretty I looked in that dress. Dance all night, look into me eyes, and kiss me on the cheek when he walked me to my front door sort of deal. I might have said yes if he wasn’t so vague, or perhaps I was thick-headed? Yeah…I suppose he wasn’t vague.😅 I brushed it aside laughing and said, “I can’t go with you, everyone will think we’re dating,” and kept walking. He said, “well that’s true…”

I wasn’t planning on going until H practically got on her knees in desperation, begging me to go with her and the group of girls she assembled. They didn’t have dates. I had twelve invitations, (crumpled-up notes that I politely promised to think about,) asking me to prom that I’d thrown in my dance bag one night. Eleven of them were on their direct walk to the trash can, (of course I didn’t tell her this). The odds of my parents letting me go with a boy they don’t know, to a school I don’t attend, was a whopping zero percent! Even if I did say yes to that one note I debated about for weeks. If I overcame the fear of asking my dad, I’m still too scared to ride alone with a boy who thinks I’m pretty. We’re best friends, I wouldn’t risk ruining that and letting him catch feelings by riding in a car alone with him. We’ll stay friends forever I hope.

The twelfth note sat on my nightstand for a few nights, sitting, staring, messing with my sleep. I moved it to my dresser drawer, then it sat on my bathroom sink, and finally made it in the garbage. I’ve learned that having an uneasy feeling means I shouldn’t do it.

I called and told him I’d rather go with friends. He was casual and nice about it perusal.

I wore a black dress I got in Omaha with mom. She told me simplicity is prettier than the ball gown or crop top dresses. She picked it out and said understated works best on me. I agree with her.

The girls I went with didn’t care about popularity so I got along with them just fine. We shared appetizers and sparkly drinks for dinner and laughed historically at all of the stories we had to tell. M, A, B, H, and I all discovered that we were best friends, never having realized it until that evening.

The waiter came to bring the check for our meal and informed us that it was paid for. “It was anonymous, enjoy your evening girls, and stay safe,” he said smiling, and glancing over at the table of boys across the room.

We walked to their table eventually and squeezed into their rounded booth. Some of the girls decided to carpool with them to the dance. (Don’t worry, I asked my dad first).

These pineapple jasmine smoothies came. They were in these tall champagne glasses, and our names written on top of the fruit that was piled at such a dangerously fun height. The twisty glass straws made it the best smoothie I’ve ever had. I love twisty straws.

All I could think of was the person who wasn’t there. How he mentioned loving fun drinks and that I’d totally share my 6oz. smoothie with him right now. Through all of my conversations, he remained in the back of my mind. It’s like he moved in with a stick and pokes at me all day long. It is beginning to hurt me, the poking. It would have been weird if I asked him to go to this school dance, but it did cross my mind. I almost built the nerve too. I see him every week, multiple times, but we’ve never said more than a couple of words in passing. PLUS, I told N I was going with the girls and It would have hurt his feelings. Seeing me bring another guy and dancing with him all night would be a jerk move. I don’t aspire to being a jerk so I didn’t have the best night of my life. For the sake of my reputation.

We left for the dance and Mr. B (the East basketball coach,) was already dancing his heart out at 7:30 pm with his wife. We girls were the first ones on the floor when Jack played our summer dance camp song. (Jack, a blond DJ kid I saw at state testing once. He’s a Junior, and Hannah really annoys him.) When we went out dancing like nobody was watching, the rest of the school did too. Bella would call it humiliation but I called it a good time. I didn’t know anyone at first other than the girls and a handful of N’s friends from dinner. When you’re throwing your hands up dancing with a bunch of teenagers, you make friends. Hazel, Trinity, Tess, Keegan, Matt, Ben, Rosel, Kint, Grace, Lucy, Jordan, John, Alexander, Xavier, Logan, Mason, Decker, Layla… Good thing I can remember a name.

Our hair pins flew out by the 4th song, Hannah spilled punch on her dress but didn’t care, I bumped into someone’s drink and spilled it on his pants. I cared and felt horrible. I sang happy birthday to coach Brandon in the microphone while Keegan beatboxed in the background. Bella talked with Lucas all night, Maya shot off confetti from the tables and pulled me up to dance in the flying colored paper. I learned how the soundboard worked and Jack let me add to the queue. Tess got our co-ed dancers to perform for Mrs. Getler and she laughed herself to tears. It started getting late and most of the teachers were leaving. Jack played all of the slow songs and the mood went in a weird direction. Lucas started giving Bella heart eyes so she hugged me and left. “I’m going to go watch the football game with my dad,” she said. Oh Bella, I love her.

I sat by the punch table, I got tired and wondered what happened with the shoes I’d thrown off a couple of hours ago. N sat and talked about schools with me like we always do. Our dreams and goals for the next four years. It’ll hurt to leave all of these people and switch to different schools. N is thinking of going to MN which is in my top picks so at least I’d know someone if I go. I don’t think I can ever bare leaving my church though, it’s my home. I don’t think he understands that.

My faith defines everything in my life, evidently there’s a wall I can’t break between my friends because they don’t think how I do.

Austin walked up to us and said “Hey N!” he nodded back. “Want to dance?” Austin said to me, looking at N still. “Sure!” I said getting up and grabbing his shoulder. N looked like he broke into pieces, still, I don’t know why he didn’t ask me to dance if he wanted me to. I love N like a brother and I’d die for him, but he needs to grow some… something. He’s too scared to ask for what he wants. Austin and him are very different in that way.

Austin is such a dramatic person. He pulled me out and got on one knee, (even though his foot was in a cast), and with his hand reaching out said, “Will you give me the honor of dancing with you young lady?” (Lifting his eyebrows and smirking). I just laughed and said “suuuurrre.” He stood up with my help and put his hands on my shoulders, “I’ve never done this before, but aren’t you supposed to do slow songs with the guy’s hands on the girl’s waste?” I said. “Can’t do that with N staring at me, you put your hands on my waist,” he said with his eyes shut hard, swaying big sways left and right dramatically. “Ummm? What?” I said chuckling. “This is boring you isn’t it? Jack! Play my IBBWDABP!” He shouted, (stands for “I be bopping with da boys playlist”). He grabbed my hands and swung me around and did the two step while adding any dance move he knew of. It was so funny I could hardly breathe. I danced with him awhile and eventually 25 others joined in when N’s favorite song played (some country love song garbage), I ran over and pulled him out of his chair to dance with me. I was hopping to fix whatever was wrong between him and Austin. By the end of the song he was laughing with his arms around Austin and Keegan, singing every word. Music brings everyone together. Aww cute.

Would I ever do it again? Once was enough for me.

If you go to prom, wear shorts under your dress and keep track of where you put your shoes. Be nice to your friends and don’t be scared to make new ones. If you’re a guy, (I’m surprised that some of you readers are guys, what up dudes!?) Don’t be scared to ask the girl you want to dance with, to dance. Also, people are way nicer than they seem, they’re just scared of you at first. Go talk to them.

Goodnight, thanks for reading another post. Love all my blog friends to the moon. 🌚