Right In Front of Me (Finished)

Chapter 36: Prom: Part 1

Summer and I devised a plan. She and her boyfriend, Connor, really want to come to prom with us. So, we decided that since they are both graduated and can only go if they go with a student, Connor will be my 'date', and Summer will be Greyson's. Our tickets will say that I am going with Connor as my date and Greyson's will say that he is going with Summer, just so that they can get in. Once we're in, we will go separate with our dates. Greyson was cool with it, and so is Connor.
        May 18th rolled around quickly, and somehow, I find myself in my room curling my hair next to Yolanda, with all the rest of the girls scattered around. They are all pinning things, brushing their hair and teeth, along with applying makeup and doing a ton of other things to make us look up to our standards. It is total chaos.
        "Aw, shit!" Lana curses. She has mascara smeared across the bridge of her nose. "This never happens! Of all of the times it could have happened, it had to be on the most important night of my entire life!" Taylor laughs at her, saying, "Okay, Lana. Calm down; this is not the most important night of life. And trust me, we don't need another Promazilla." She looks in Mercedes' direction as she fusses with her hair, tears in her eyes as she groans in frustration. "I'm just so stressed." Lana replies. "Jackson loves you every single other day of the year; if you aren't what society calls 'perfect' tonight, he will still love you. I promise you he won't say, 'Uh, Lana, a strand of your hair isn't adequately curled, so yeah, we're over.' Okay? You're fine." I say. She laughs so hard, her eyes have tears in them to match Mercedes. Mercedes yells, "How about you stop laughing so I can focus on my hair? Yeah, thanks." She huffs. I put the curler down and walk over to her.
        "Mercedes, calm the hell down. You will be fine. Why are you so worried?" She bows her head down in defeat. She looks up with a tear running down her cheek. "I don't know. I'm j-just worried that Diego is bringing another girl with him tonight and that he'll see me, and be all l-like, 'Oh, I'm glad I didn't come here with that hot mess.' I-I just really don't want that other girl -whoever it will be- to look at me like I'm less than her." I look her in the teary eyes with a sad look because I've been where she is. "Look. She will look at you and be shocked that it is even possible that she could be out with the same guy who would go for you. She would feel bad about herself. Even if you showed up in sweats and a t-shirt, she would not be able to deny your beauty." She smiles and hugs me. I turn around and say, "That goes for all of you. Don't doubt your beauty, okay? You are all undeniably gorgeous, inside and out." I say that to everyone, and they all turn and giggle or smile. "Aww, bring it in, guys!" Hallie exclaims. We all pile together to have a group hug, but Yolanda says, "You know, I totally would, but my hair is on the curler, so..." We all laugh and carefully move over to her, hugging her shoulders.

        A half an hour later, I have done my hair, and I am now doing Mercedes', since she didn't know what to do with her insane curls. I make a few corn rows on her head on the side that her hair is parted, then I pull some hair from behind her ear on the opposite side and smooth it out, pulling back over her hair on the side. I secure it in the back with a jeweled clip, then insert bobby pins with a single jewel medium-sized jewel in her hair randomly, so that you just see the jewel, not the pin. Then I am done, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I spray hairspray, then reveal it to her and she is satisfied.
        I do my makeup, and Hallie's, since he didn't know how to get it to look good with her dress, since it is a neutral color. Soon enough, I am ready, along with Mercedes, Lana and Summer. I zip up Hallie's dress while Lana laces up Yolanda's. Taylor finishes her makeup, and soon enough we are all ready to go. The guys show up around 5:15, and we take lots and lots of photos. We take one of all the girls in the classic pose where we all stand in a row sticking our leg forward, which the person in front of us holds up. Greyson takes a picture with Summer as if they are going together, with Connor and I posing similarly next to them. I stick my tongue out as Summer pretends to gasp and cover her mouth. We all laugh.
        We take pictures of each couple together. Greyson and I take pictures together, and in one he kisses me, and then they snap a picture of me laughing afterward. We look so cute together. Hayden and Hallie take a picture kissing too. Mercedes takes a picture with Mason as if the are each other's dates, since she doesn't have one. Yolanda takes photos with her date, Jeremy, but they are very polite poses. They don't mess around in their photos very much since he doesn't know any of us very well.
        After all of the photo taking, my dad waves goodbye to us as we pile in to vehicles. "What time will you be home in the morning?" My mom asks, since we are all sleeping over at Taylor's house, although my parents only think the girls are sleeping over. Summer, however can't sleepover since she has class in the morning. "Twelve!" I yell. "Okay, have fun! Be safe, make good choices!" My dad yells as they wave goodbye. Summer is driving one car so she can return on her own in the morning, and in her car is Hallie, Hayden, Greyson, Connor and I. In another car is Jackson, Lana, Mercedes, Yolanda, Jeremy (we put him in that car since he knows Jackson so he would have someone to talk to.) Mason and Taylor drive separately, since we couldn't fit them anywhere else.
        We all drive to Olive Garden for dinner, with Summer leading. Afterward, we drive to the hotel that Prom is being held at. The car drive is so much fun. It's like the old gang is back together with just Hallie, Hayden and Greyson there with me. Of course, Summer and Connor are there too. It feels good just having the four of us together, though, since we were the original group. It brings me back to when it was much simpler. It was just four of us, and we were all sure of our feelings. We were all so determined that who we were with was the perfect person for us. Except Greyson, who apparently never loved Hallie, just liked her a lot. Even then, we were all content, and here were all are again. The Original Quartet. The only thing that's different now is that we switched partners, which seems a little funny thinking about it.           
        I'm sure back then if I were told that in a few short months I would be dating Greyson, and Hallie would be dating Hayden, I never would've believed it. But here we are. Life has a funny way of switching things around completely, then making you wonder how you ever lived before the change. I have no idea how I even functioned before I met Greyson.
        "You're so quiet, Avalon. What's up?" Hayden says. "I was just thinking... what if that day when I brought you to my room after you fell out of your window, I never said, 'Let's start over'? What if I just said, 'take your sprained ankle and get out'?" I say, turning to Greyson. "First of all, you are way too nice to do that. And second, if that wouldn't be the day that started it all, it would have been another day. I don't believe it was any accident that I met you. It was fate. It was bound to happen at some point." I smile, but then wonder aloud, "But what about you two? What would have happened if you never met me, and if Hayden never dated me, and Hallie never dated Greyson? Would you guys have ever ended up together, or would you have just stayed close friends?" I say to Hallie and Hayden.
         Hayden says in reply, "Even if you two never became a part of our lives- which would have totally sucked- I just know that we would have ended up together. I didn't know it then, but I had a tiny bit of feelings for Hallie already. Those just got put on hold for you, Avalon. I would have discovered them eventually. We just never would have had anyone to share any of it with, since we never would have became your friends." Hallie says in agreement, "Yeah, I totally think everything happened for a reason." Then she wonders, "Hayden, wouldn't it have been so weird if that day at the football game, I had never given you a chance?" Greyson says, "Huh?" Hallie explains, "Hayden and I met at a football game at halftime, when he was with a bunch of his buddies being a total bonehead. He started hitting on me to impress his friends, but I wouldn't give him a chance until he picked me up and ran around on the football field with me during the cheerleaders' performance. He almost got kicked off of the team for that."
        "Oh, I remember that game, that was you? That's so funny, I was just sitting on the bleachers reading because my friend Elliot made me go." I say and we laugh. We all shared past memories of each other before we knew each other and our first impressions. Then, We pulled up in front of the hotel. It's time.