My First Dance (& Other Tales from Highschool)

In Which I Attend My First Dance

5:30 PM, August 14th. There were just three days left before I officially became a freshman at Sunnyside High School. I'd went to the store with my mom to get the cutest supplies I could find, and I'd had my first day outfit picked out for the whole week. Today, though, wasn't about preparations for my first day of school. Today was about preparations for my first ever school dance.

You see, in middle school, we didn't have dances. We only had, like, 200 students tops in the entire school, and the little staff board didn't think it was worth throwing a dance for the possible 50 kids who'd actually show up to one. Besides that, our town was pretty conservative. Some of the parents probably would have had a fit if they knew their darling middle schoolers were going to a dance. My parents were never like that, but I knew quite a few who were. It was better off for the school overall to not throw dances, even though us kids really wanted to have one.

So, this was going to be my first time ever attending a dance! I was super excited but also super nervous. What if a boy asked me to dance with him? What if I accidentally spilled my drink on my dress? What if my new friends decided not to attend? There was lots to worry about, but there was also a lot to anticipate. I could only hope that everything went just right.

My ride came down the stairs rocking jeans and a t-shirt. My mom was always my chauffeur, and even if she was late getting me places sometimes, I wouldn't have it any other way. Her presence in the car made me calm down a lot. She covered her mouth and came over to me, putting a hand on my cheek. "You look beautiful, Care Bear. Let's go outside for some pictures," She cooed. I didn't have a choice in pictures. Any time I dressed up for anything, my mom wanted to take an entire photoshoot, and she would never take no for an answer. I didn't exactly mind it, though; having pictures to remember things by was nice. I just wished she didn't need to take a million of them.

My mom must of read the expression on my face because she only took a few before ushering me to the car. I guess moms understand when their daughters have something important on their mind. She wanted to make sure I got to the dance on time just as much as I did.

We pulled into the parking lot for the school. There were cars everywhere, even in places that weren't technically parking spots. Balloons and other decorations were tied up all over the school's perimeter, and teens in nice clothes were drifting in and out of the building. From the glass doors, I could see people in line to hand in their tickets. I reached into my bag and clutched mine, just to make sure it was still where I'd put it. It was. My mom smiled at me and gave me a kiss on the forehead before letting me go into the school.

I'd only been there a few days ago, but it still felt jarring to walk into such a vast place. I wasn't used to being around so many people at once. Bodies crammed against each other as impatient kids stood in line to get into the gymnasium. From where I stood, I couldn't see any of the girls I'd met at orientation. Sienna told me they'd be there, but maybe they got into the dance earlier than I did, or maybe they were running late. That's what sucks when you ride separately: you have to try and find each other at the right time.

Finally, it was my turn to hand in my ticket, and the girl at the front pointed me in the direction of the gym. I felt nervous walking in, but I saw a familiar face at the DJ stand. Sienna was there dancing with a girl I didn't know. She had a floppy purple cap on her head, and there was camera danging from a lanyard on her neck. A pin on her shirt said "Yearbook Staff". When she saw me coming, she left to go take more pictures. I couldn't help but feel awkward. Was she leaving because I was coming or because she realized she should work since her friend had someone else to hang with? I wasn't sure, but Sienna's hand on mine made me stop thinking about that.

Instead, we went up to the front where the music was playing. Sienna was already dancing along to the music, but it took me awhile to warm up. The only time I ever really danced was when I was at home in my bedroom listening to the radio. When my favorite song came on, I finally got the courage to sing and dance along.