It's Complicated

32. A Night to Remember

32. A Night to Remember

Weeks had gone by and Prom was only a day away. The Prom Committee had kept the theme a huge secret. They insisted that it would be better this way, and that we would love them for keeping it a secret. I didn't really care about the theme. I was going with Allen, the boy of my dreams, so I wouldn't even care if our Prom was going to be the crappiest Prom of all time.

Okay, so I care a little, but that sounded like what a good girlfriend would say.

But come on now. I mean, which girl wouldn't? Prom was the night of the year. I didn't want to go to some grungy place with lame decorations and bad punch!

Riya's waving hand in front of my face snapped me out of my thoughts. "Were you even listening to me, Mar?" she asked, irritation crossing her face.

"Oh, uh, yes...?" I smiled sheepishly.

"No, you weren't." She huffed in exasperation, but her irritated expression vanished instantly. "We literally have 20 hours until Prom. I'm so excited I can barely stay still."

I smiled. "I know. It's going to be great. I just wonder what the theme is going to be. I hope it's not some crappy theme. Remember the theme 3 years ago? It was the 'hoedown throwdown' or something like that since our school was all into embracing our Texan culture."

"Oh my god, that was so bad," Riya said, laughing.

We hadn't gone to that Prom since we were only Freshmen, but the pictures on Facebook hadn't exactly made us too unhappy about not going. There were literally lassos hanging all around the room and the DJ was dressed up as a cowboy. I couldn't even make this kind of a blasphemy up.

"Well, last year's was really nice," I said, unintentionally searching of some pictures of last year's prom on my phone. "Check this out." I showed Riya the pictures and she smiled in approval.

I closed my phone and tossed it on Riya's bed. Riya sighed dreamily. "This is going to be so good, Mar. I can't believe Jason and I are together and actually going to Prom as a couple. Jason is so amazing. I mean, he's freaking hotter than the sun!" I started to laugh, unintentionally encouraging her to continue. "Have you seen his six pack? I don't even care about six packs, but holey guacamole! I wouldn't mind if he stayed shirtless every time I was around hi-"

"Ahem."

Riya's head whipped backward and I blushed in embarrassment for her when we realized her dad had been the one clearing his throat and not one of her sisters. The appalled look on his face told us he had heard enough of our conversation. Riya's dad was usually pretty chill, but every time Riya's obsession with random guys came out, he would freak out and recede into the shadows like a turtle receding into its shell.

"I, uh, Papa, it's not what you - uhm, ha ha, funny story..."

Riya's dad grimaced at her lame attempt to mop up the mess she'd created. "Um, it's midnight, girls. Maybe you two should go to sleep now. We don't want your boyfriends to -" He cut himself off and stopped trying to make us feel at ease with a joke. He was clearly too creeped out to make one of his usual funny jokes. "Never mind. It's late. Go to sleep, girls."

We nodded silently and he rushed out of the room as quickly as he could. As soon as he was out of of the room, Riya and I fell into laughter. She put her head into her hands and her shoulders shook. "My dad thinks I'm a dirty pervert. I hate my life."

I laughed and put an arm around her. "Aww, Ree, it's okay. Mr. Dillon thinks you're a dirty pervert, too!"

She pushed me away and shot me a dirty look before giggling. "I can't believe you brought that up, Mariela. We promised to never speak of that again."