We pulled up in front of the school and waited for the driver to come around and open the door. All three guys got out first and stepped aside to help their dates. I took Antonio’s hand and didn’t attempt to stand upright until my right foot was firmly planted on the ground, fearing that I’d fall and embarrass myself in front of him. These shoes were much higher than any others I ever dared to put on. I looked forward to that time of the night where most of the girl’s feet were hurting from all the dancing and they resorted to going barefoot. It happened every year, but for now I had to flaunt my shoes as gracefully as possible.
Walking at Antonio’s side, we made our way toward the building. I couldn’t help but to feel proud to be with him. There would definitely be a few girls here tonight that’d have to beat back their feelings of jealousy, but none of them mattered. As far as I was concerned there wouldn’t be anyone here tonight but Antonio and I.
We used the entrance adjacent to the gym, so we were almost walking right into the dance. We all made our way over to a table, wanting to lay claim to seats before it got too crowded. There weren’t quite enough people there yet for it to be a party, so we sat down and talked amongst ourselves, taking in all the decorations that had gone up overnight.
By the time 8:15 rolled around, the room was dense with people bouncing around eagerly to the blaring music. It was too loud to really hold a conversation unless you didn’t mind yelling it. I hadn’t danced yet; it proved harder than I’d originally thought to maneuver in my mermaid-like dress. I made a mental note of this dilemma to recall it when shopping for prom.
As I sat watching all my friends and classmates having the time of their lives, I started to feel bad about ruining Antonio’s night. He was usually the life of the party and here he was stuck at a table with Ariel, the little mermaid, missing all the fun. When the song ended, it gave me a few seconds to speak to him. “I feel so bad. You don’t have to sit here with me all night. I’ll be fine if you wanna go be with your friends or something.” That was all I could get out before the next song started. We smiled at each other realizing that communicating this way wasn’t going to work. I retrieved my cell phone from my purse and texted him.
“U don’t have 2 sit here with me. Go have fun,” I insisted.
“I’m not leavin’ u by urself.”
“Really, Antonio, I’ll feel so bad if u sit here all night. Plz go. 4 me?”
He hesitated for a minute before granting my request. “Ok, but I’ll B Right Back.”
I nodded in response just before he got up from his seat and kissed my cheek. He disappeared into the crowd and I settled back in my seat, trying not to be too disappointed in the way things were turning out. After all, I was here with Antonio and all my friends and I looked great in spite of how I now felt. Unfortunately, looking great sometimes comes at a high price.