Quid Pro Quo

t w e n t y t w o: always and forever

heyyyyyy!

omg it's been so long. i don't think i have posted since school started and i'm vv sorry! i definitely have a lot to work through mentally but i've been really excited for this chapter ever since i began writing. so please enjoy! there's only going to be 2-3 more chapters of this book which is so jarring yet so exciting all at once. i also want to mention that i will be going through each chapter and editing before i inevitably cross post this on AO3 on my account @/sayonaraaaa <3 anywayz i love you all and i hope you're staying safe and healthy and that you all had a happy holiday!!

clem's dress is in the photo above!

remember to vote, comment, and share!

~

The warm comfort of Clem's bed and Rosie's loud snores were the first things she registered as her eyes opened. An oblivious yawn and a stretch ensued before she realized what day it was.

Prom.

Her neck snapped towards her closet, where her dress hung, flowing with dusty rose tulle adorned with microscopic sparkles dazzling in the morning light spilling in from her window. A rush of excitement shot up her spine thinking of what was to come that night.

Her phone lit up in her hands as she opened it, immediately typing out a text to her boyfriend.

Clementine 🍊

lou!!

Clementine 🍊

wake up!! it's prom!

She jumped up from her mattress, dancing and scaring her dog as she stood. It was one of those days she was eager to experience, clearly because of the perceptions behind prom as a whole, but because she had some things to talk to Louis about.

Since she had decided that tonight was the night she was gonna tell Louis she loved him and even encourage him to move in with her for the final month of the school year.

It was big, something she had discussed with both her parents and Violet to see if it was a good idea ever since she met his father. Though in reality, she had been secretly thinking about it since they spent Christmas together. Just the thought of being with Louis all the time, assuring him that she was there no matter what, filled her with more joy than any school dance could ever give her.

But, y' know, goofing around on the dance floor with the people she loved most in the world was still quite appealing.

The stairs felt especially light as she skipped down them, finding AJ alone in the living room, dancing vegetables on the tv screen.

"Clem!" Her younger brother exclaimed upon seeing her. He rushed up to the girl, hugging her leg tightly and bouncing up and down. "Can we go get coffee, please?"

"Coffee? AJ, you're 6." She giggled, slightly proud that he was beginning to take after her own addiction to caffeine.

"O-or some food!" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, doing much better than Rosie ever could when begging for a treat. "Just something! C'mon!"

With a sarcastic groan, she ruffled his hair and nodded. Under normal circumstances, she either wouldn't have been up this early after another late night or she would've brushed him off and sent him back to watch Disco Broccoli. But at this moment, Clem was enraptured by the simple prospect of today.

So why not?

With a quick outfit change, the barest minimum of makeup, and a brief argument over whether AJ was old enough to sit in the front seat (which he won), they were off. They settled finally on the place where she and Louis had de-stressed after finals, a quaint shop appropriately named Wake Up Cafe.