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Jade was about to push the door handle as her hand stopped midway, and she turned to look at the street. The evening sky was an interweaving of pink, blue and yellow, signaling with its cotton candy pattern the soon to begin summer. If Jade had her glasses on or squeezed her eyes hard enough, she would have noticed the faint outline of a rainbow in the distance that was painted across the sky. The air was still moist after the rain and smelled like earth and freshly cut grass, evoking a peaceful feeling in Jade’s chest. Prom was something you experienced once in life—the end of high school, the last time you’d see many of your peers you grew to love with all your heart, the first major drift change in your life. Needless to say, it was an important moment for Jade, which both excited and saddened her. Today, it was mostly excitement; she’d try her best to keep the melancholy at bay.
A couple of students had just arrived and were parking their cars across the street. Dressed in suits and dresses that were too tight, they concealed their discomfort behind airy laughter and awkward hugs. As they headed toward the entrance, Jade turned to face the door. She hesitated for a little more, tugging her dress’s skirt down, and thrust the door open.
At the entrance Jade was greeted by an array of sparkly balloons and glossy ribbons of all colors. Somewhere where Jade couldn’t see, a spotlight projected water-like caustics onto the blue walls, reminding her of being in a pool. She wondered how the event organizers managed to recreate the refracted light without visible water or foil.
If Jade wasn't mistaken, this year’s prom theme was somewhere along the lines of pools and sparkles. It’s not like she had helped a lot to plan this evening. One poppy red balloon had just detached from the wall and quietly landed at her feet. Jade bent down and picked it up as a teacher at the check-in table called her name.
“Jade, it’s so nice to see you.” The teacher’s smile was small, but warm, welcoming her to the celebration. Reciprocating the smile, Jade walked to the table, balloon in hand, and handed the teacher her ticket.
“Hi Ms. Maryam.” Jade played with the rim of the balloon, her fingers getting all sweaty from holding at it.
“Is your date here yet?” She must have noticed the absence of the corsage around her wrist or, more importantly, her date. Except that Jade came alone to the dance tonight.
“Um, no… I’m alone here today!” Jade’s smile cracked a little, just enough to be noticed. She chose to believe Ms. Maryam didn’t pay much attention or was polite enough not to ask.
“Well, enjoy your time then. If you need anything, I’m right here outside.” Ms. Maryam informed Jade and rummaged in her bag. Jade took the hint and, judging by the muffled music coming from the closed doors, headed toward the party.
The party was in full swing: stylish couples danced in the middle of the floor, groups of friends got down right next to them, ignoring everybody around and bursting out laughing at the next stupid joke they made. Other kids squeezed themselves onto the benches, looking grumpy, but still staying inside for whatever reasons. Some even tried to make out in the darker corner of the gym when the teachers weren’t looking. The place was bursting with life.
Unlike others, Jade couldn’t find herself a group to join. John had been down with a mysterious illness for the past week—he probably did some incredibly stupid trick and felt ashamed to own up to it—and didn’t want to disclose it to his friends; Rose was away for a fancy introduction tour for her next year at NYU, because how could she miss it.? And Dave… Dave was too cool for prom. Dave declared early on in his typical unnecessarily verbose way he wouldn’t be going; that’s what cool guys did, right? So why was Jade even here?
The fear of missing out had been hiding just around the corner for a while, poking at her side with its ghostly finger. Jade had spent so much of her childhood surrounded by inanimate objects and homeschooling, she was almost okay with things staying the way they were. After moving from a rural area to a proper city and making friends, Jade began to get used to the brand new socializing aspect of her life. Maybe she felt it was time to try and go out on her own this time?
Being a new kid in school, Jade befriended John quite quickly, despite her lacking social skills. He seemed not to mind it and showed her the school, collected her homework for when Jade was sick and played video games with her which he was mostly terrible at. Then, John introduced Jade to Rose and Dave. More restrained in temper, it took some time for the twins to open up to Jade, but eventually they did, and all four became a sickeningly tight group of friends. Their absence at prom more so disheartened Jade, as if their friendship was about to end, just like high school did.
John and Rose, she loved them like her own kin and would do anything for her friends, but Dave set off another kind of feeling in her gut. Admiration, affection, love? Whatever it was, Jade’s heart leaped and her pulse rose every time she saw Dave, and she felt a tender warmth spreading in her chest after calming herself and exchanging hellos. And of course she would have wanted to go to the dance with Dave, but he decided not to go, so… Maybe Jade actually wanted to make sure Dave stayed home today?
After getting used to the dancing crowd, Jade moved toward the drink station, away from the dance floor. Mimicking the party’s theme, the mocktails consisted of an electric blue liquid loaded with edible glitter and a cocktail pick with a balloon on top. Somebody really made an effort.
As she reached for a plastic cup to pour herself the drink, Jade noticed at the edge of her vision a vaguely familiar silhouette leaning on the stands. Straightening herself, she turned her head slowly toward the person, the spotlights hitting them just enough for her to catch a glimpse of the blond hair and the reflection in the shades. If a stranger saw him, they would think Dave was all relaxed sipping from his solo cup and with one hand in his jeans’ pocket.
Adrenaline rushed through Jade’s veins, making her heart skip a beat. Dave showed up, but why? Before she could think of how to approach him, Jade walked over to the stands, the balloon in one hand and the cup in the other. This was a sign, and it was stupid to miss it, so…
“Dave!” She blurted out, her voice a tad hoarse. It really would have helped to drink some of that suspiciously glowy mocktail. “What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t wanna go to prom.”
Dave flinched in surprise, clearly not expecting anybody to approach him tonight, and spilled some of his drink on the floor. Jade let out a giggle, more out of nervousness rather than amusement, and mustered the confidence to look at Dave.
“Oh hey… Yeah, Bro was in a shitty mood so I left home for a couple of hours. Had nowhere else to go really. You know how he is sometimes…”
“Oh yeah, encounters with him can be… intense!” Jade felt something didn’t add up. “Sooo intense that you bought a ticket to prom and dressed up for the occasion!” She let herself go and enjoyed the moment. Dave certainly wasn’t escaping Bro today, but what was it, then? She smiled a little more, her front teeth peeking through her lips.
“Oh c’mon Harley, how do you even know I’m dressed up? You ain’t got your goofy ass glasses on. And I found a ticket lying around at school, right after biology class was over; there, on the floor at the entrance. You think I’m lying? You know I had to pick it up. I could’ve sold it and bought a case of AJ, but I figured this place would have more funky drinks, and look who was right. See this Cherenkov liquid in my cup? That’s the shit I came for.” The monologue ceased, and Dave sipped the rest of his drink, his left eyebrow slightly twitching.
I saw you from across the room
Looking shaky, concentrating
Missing all your social cues
“Dave! Cherenkov isn’t a liquid, it’s radiation!” Jade laughed, this time louder and full-hearted. The tension suddenly disappeared.
“You just had to explicitly correct me.” He finished his mocktail and put the cup on the stands. “Harley, if we miraculously found ourselves in this place, forsaken by our dearest friends, would you…well.” Dave stopped talking for a moment and scratched his neck. “Wanna go dance for a little bit? I’m kinda getting tired of standing here.”
And from that moment in the quiet, I decided
It's me and you, it's us against the world
That was it. That was the moment Jade hoped for, but never thought would happen. And yet she and Dave were here, next to the full dance floor and the blasting music. It was a small step, a friendly innocent step, but it was real. It was enough for her for now.
She knew dancing wasn’t Dave’s forté, but she gladly accepted the request. Jade dropped the balloon and set the cup next to Dave’s.
Go on, move like a jellyfish
I'm into it even if it ain't deliberate
“Let’s roll!” Full of excitement and another surge of teenage hormones, she bravely dragged Dave onto the dance floor and spun herself like a small whirlwind. Dave hesitated, visibly not expecting to receive so much enthusiasm about his suggestion, but caved in and moved his feet to the beat.
The air was hot and stale, even with the air conditioners blasting at full power. Students bumped into them every second; a guy almost spilled his drink onto Jade’s blue dress, but she didn’t notice him—she closed her eyes.
If you go dancing, I'll go dancing too
We're just two kids in a crowded room
As the excitement adrenaline faded, Jade came back down to Earth and turned to Dave. Lost in her own world, she’d completely forgotten about him, leaving him dancing awkwardly on the sidelines, unsure of what to do with his hands. Jade decided it was her turn to take some action. She reached for his hand and gently placed it on her waist.
Chemistry in awkward deliveries
Just me and you, and all our insecurities
Jade looked at his slightly flushed face—was it from the heat?—trying her best to catch his gaze… Which proved to be impossible as Dave’s silly shades concealed his eyes and the space was fairly dark. There was only so much one could do.
Jade fixed her sight somewhere on the rim of Dave’s shades and offered him a shy smile, her eyes shining.
If you go dancing, I'll go dancing too
If you're a loser, then I'm just like you