My First Dance (& Other Tales from Highschool)

In Which I Attend My Last Dance

June 3rd was our last day of school, and with it would come the last dance of the year. We were officially graduating from being freshmen and turning into sophomores, joining the other upperclassmen of the school. We would no longer be treated like middle schoolers finding their way in a new world. We would be treated like teenagers, like true high school students. Plus, summer was coming, which meant no bedtime and no getting up early in the morning. It meant fun under the sun and plenty of free time to enjoy. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was ecstatic.

Sienna shared in my enthusiasm. She dressed up in a pretty pink cardigan and the cutest white sandals for the last day. When she walked into the school, she was beaming. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders in a big hug. I hugged her back and we excitedly rambled back and forth about how happy we were. Syd and Vick, on the other hand, were less than impressed. Vick looked exhausted from staying up all night, and her hair was frizzed up. Syd was in the "I don't care anymore" phase and came to school wearing pajama pants. They were really cute and polka-dotty but they weren't exactly up to dress code. It wasn't like anybody would do something about it on the last day, though, especially since we were getting older. That's another perk.

Our classes were really fun. Instead of doing work, all my teachers planned fun stuff to do. In History, we had a party with Chuckles at the forefront, since we wouldn't get to see him again next year. Mr. Mackle was just a freshman teacher, after all. I made sure to give that guinea pig all the love I could. I would really miss him. In science, we listened to music and talked about the things we planned on doing during the summer. At lunch, the cooks had made their best meal and included a slice of cake and a cookie for every student. You get the point. We did tons of activities as a going away celebration, and everyone had a great time.

At the end of the day, I went to the parking lot where a lot of my classmates were gathering. Even people who normally rode the bus home were being picked up by their parents. I waved goodbye to my friend group and met up with my mom at her car. She asked me plenty of questions when I got in and I was in a good enough mood that I answered them all without any complaints. When we got home, I went inside and gave Jinx a pet on the head before going to grab something to eat. The dance would be in a few hours, so I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be hungry the whole time. After that, I packed up my things to get ready for my dad's house. During the summers, Jinx and I went to his house. It was easier to spend summers and occasional weekends there instead of switching back and forth all year round. I was excited to get to stay with my dad, but I would also miss my mom.

Once all my stuff was packed away in suitcases, it was time to get ready for the dance. I went to my closet and pulled out a beautiful lavender dress. My friend group decided to match each other for the last dance of the year, so we all had similar but different purple dresses. Our school colors were purple and white, so we were on theme too. We were also going to have dates to the dance, but we were all just coupled with friends except for Vick, who was taking her boyfriend. I was going with Warren. We'd become just friends over the past few months, and I was okay with that. I knew I would still have fun with his goofball self and I was happy to have a slow dance partner. It was more about having fun for the last day of school than it was romance, anyways.

I got into my dress and matching shoes, and then I ventured downstairs to find a bag that matched. All the girls brought bags with them for our phones, money, and other stuff. The guys didn't because they had pockets, but also because they could just leech off the girls and use their bags. I always thought it was silly that they didn't make small bags for guys to carry around, but I guess it messes with their "manliness" or something. If you ask me, carrying a bag is more manly than asking your partner to use theirs, but that's just me.

I found a pretty white bag with lace around it that matched the trim of my dress perfectly. I slung it over my shoulder then headed to the bathroom, calling out to my mom to come help me. I could do basic daily makeup and hair, but I was never exceptional with it. My mom could do both a lot better than me, so for events like this, I let her take care of it. She also had better quality makeup than I did, with more variety that could match my theme a lot better. When she was all done, I looked at myself in the mirror and gaped. I looked like a totally different person but, like, in a good way! The stuff she picked out not only complimented my outfit but also my features, making my good ones pop out to be even more pretty. My hair was also, somehow, tamed into being pulled back in waterfall braids. I hugged her tight and couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror. She did such a good job.

When our hug was done, I went to my room to get my cell phone off its charger. It wasn't on 100% yet, but it would have to do. I put that, some money, and extra mascara and lipgloss into my bag. Then, my mom and I headed out to the car and drove down to Warren's house. He brought me a corsage that matched the flower buttoned to his pocket. I slipped it on and thanked him for bringing it. He nodded and got in the car beside me, and my mom pulled off to go to the school. He was super awkward with my mom being there, and her jokes didn't make it any better, but I put a reassuring pat on his hand and he relaxed a bit. Finally, we were at the back steps. Syd and Vick were already there with their dates, standing in a small group on their phones. We'd all agreed we would stay outside until the whole group was together. We were just waiting on Sienna.

She, in fashionably late style, sauntered out of her car with her date in tow. He was a football player and was a grade above us. They claimed to be just friends, but I could tell by the way her cheeks went pink when she talked about him that there were some more feelings there. Seeing him walking behind her, a bit awkward and flushed himself, I knew those feelings must have been reciprocated. I wouldn't mess with them, though. They could figure things out on their own. Besides, I hardly knew him. I couldn't even remember his name, not that it mattered much. Sienna would say it eventually and I didn't plan on talking with him too much regardless. I wanted to focus on my friends and Warren, not distant aquaintances.

Sienna and her date, who she introduced to us as Jacob, came over quickly. We went up the stairs together and into the corridor by the cafeteria and gym, where a bunch of other students were waiting. Since we were pretty much on time, we failed to avoid the line. Still, since we were together, I didn't mind much. It just gave us a chance to talk and to get to know the boys a bit better before the main event started. Every minute or so, we'd step up a bit further in line, closing in on the front. There were teachers and other faculty members sitting at tables, where you could either buy a ticket or turn yours in. We bought ours already, so all we needed to do was hand them over before we were allowed to venture inside.

The cafeteria was decorated similar to what it'd looked like during Homecoming. I wouldn't have known since I was sick that week, but the school had posted pictures on the school website, and I'd seen them. Everything was pretty and we fit in well with the scenery. Purple really was a good choice. Before doing anything else, we checked our bags into cubbies and went to get a group picture. We did that first so we wouldn't look sweaty or get food on our clothes. Plus, there was barely any line because most people waited until later to get their photographs. The pictures turned out really cute and the photographer said they would be sent to us by mail. He took our names down on a sheet of paper, and we were finally free to go have some real fun.

We stayed in the gym for a bit, dancing around to popular songs and just having fun. It was pretty crowded and I was surprised that so many people showed up. I guess they didn't have anything better to do now that sports and other school activities were done with. It was also the last celebration we'd get to do before summer, so missing out would probably make people sad. Sienna took plenty of pictures while we were hanging out so we'd have the memories forever. Eventually, though, our group split off when Vick decided she wanted to get a drink. Then we started talking to other people that we hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to yet. Soon enough, just me and Warren were together.

A slow song came on and he took my hands, and I danced with my head leaning against his chest. Even though we were just friends now, I still felt a tiny little flutter of butterflies in my stomach. I hadn't gotten many opportunities to dance with guys before, and being this close was a little embarrassing. The song enivitably ended and I awkwardly untangled myself from his arms. He told me I was a good dancer and I said he was too, even though we mainly just turned in a circle and rocked. We went to get snacks after that and met up with the rest of our original group. We stayed with them for the rest of the night, and we all had so much fun that my cheeks hurt from smiling.