Lemonade (WLGYL #2)

Chapter 12-Past

Prom was the pinnacle moment in every teenage girl's high school career. Mason went his junior year with his girlfriend at the time, Alexis, while senior year, he didn't go. Now that I was a junior, I was finally ready to attend the biggest dance of my life with my boyfriend.

He was coming home from college just for the weekend with me, to be there for my first prom. I had spent weeks scouring websites with Jessie to find perfect, affordable dresses; she'd be there with our friend Eddie, while Caleb would be attending with Reyna. It would be a Masterson-Branson family affair.

In my bathroom mirror, I saw the sparkle of my cerulean dress, my hair in the updo that Zoey from the salon put up, bobby pins placed in secret positions around my head. I had never gotten that dressed up before, and I was sure I'd be finding pins in my hair for days to come.

Downstairs, Mom and Dad told me how beautiful I looked, how lucky Mason was to be with me, and even though they were biased, I was still excited for the night. Butterflies crept up my stomach at the thought of Mason seeing me in my dress, floor-length and frilly in the best way possible. When Jessie and I first went shopping for dresses, she said it made me look like a mermaid.

I was standing inside the foyer of the Masterson house when I first saw him. He was coming down the stairs, busy fixing his tie. Jessie was already taking pictures in the backyard with Eddie, Caleb, and Reyna. We were alone.

He still hadn't noticed me.

"Hey, stranger," I said with a grin. It had been weeks since I'd last seen him, weeks since I'd last hugged him or kissed him.

Mason looked up, and his eyes widened. "Woah," he said, his smile wide and real. "You look beautiful."

Even after dating for over a year and a half, after countless compliments, I blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He finally reached the bottom of the stairs, giving me a kiss as soon as he was in front of me. His suit was dark gray, his tie the perfect turquoise match of my dress. "I love you and I missed you." He grabbed my white orchid corsage from the table by the front door, squeezing my waist with the other.

I grabbed his arm, my other hand clutching his matching boutonnière box. "I know." And I dragged him outside to join his siblings.

At our school, prom was taken very seriously. We had to buy tickets months in advance and take a bus to a location an hour away, at a banquet hall that made it feel like we were all getting married instead of at a school dance. Jessie thought the whole thing was overkill for a few hours of mediocre buffet food and dancing, but I knew she was secretly pleased she was there. Jessie could never say no to an event where she had a chance to dress up.

Caleb whistled through his teeth when we walked into the banquet hall. "This is nice." Inside the lobby, there were cream-colored curtains dangling past a wall of windows, overlooking a gazebo. There was a fountain where girls were already lining up to take pictures. The doors to the various rooms, including where our prom would be, were down the hall to the right.

Reyna nudged him with her elbow, her sparkly silver dress rustling with the movement. "Nice is an understatement."

Jessie nodded in wonder. "I see now why it was so expensive." She raised her eyebrows at me, her gold eyeshadow complimenting her sage-green dress.

Mason leaned in close, his lips against my ear. "I feel like I'm too old for this."

I raised up my hand and patted his cheek. "You graduated last year, drama queen. I think you can survive a night."