Next Chapter || chaennie

Proms and Hazards-one

Wherein Rosie’s been in love with Jennie since they were ten years old. She’s given up hope of ever having the courage to tell Jennie how she feels, until she spots The Suit in a shop window. Sleek, androgynous, and flat-out cool—it could finally give her the boost she needs. However, it’s also way out of her price range.

_

It might take the magic of prom to turn her best friend into her girlfriend.

Frankly, prom is a ridiculous concept. People at school treat it like it’s a test run for a wedding, complete with “promposals.” That’s not even mentioning the dresses, which look like Disney vomited tulle and sparkles onto the nearest mannequin. Rosie wants nothing to do with any of it.

Rosie blinked, incredulous, at the banner dangling in front of her.

'Will you GOATto prom with me?'

it asked, the words scrawled in dripping paint, next to a crudely rendered drawing of an animal that she assumed—from context clues—was meant to be a goat. It looked more like a radioactive dog.

It was . . .“Unbelievably embarrassing,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“No!”Jennie protested beside her. “It’s sweet!”

“Sweet?”Rosie swung around to bestow the full force of her disbelief on her best friend.“It looks like a six-year-old made it.”

“But look how happy Jisoo is,” Jennie argued.

Kim Jisoo—petite, brunette, and popular—embraced her dumb boyfriend, Hae-In, in front of the entire cafeteria, like the whole school hadn’t known they were going to prom together already. Hae-In still had paint on his hoodie, so it wasn’t like he’d put that much preparation into the thing, but Jisooo was almost crying as she choked out the word yes.

“I literally can’t believe this is happening,” Rosie said.“It’s like some kind of dystopian nightmare. Why does Hae-In need a banner to ask out his own girlfriend?”

“They’re called promposals,”Jennie said knowingly.“They’re a thing now. I saw it on Buzzfeed.”

“Seriously? Promposal?”The disdain dripping from Rosie's words felt like it might be visceral enough to pool at her feet and ruin her shoes. “Who made that up? It’s one school dance, not a lifetime commitment!”

“I heard Kim Jongin ordered a thousand balloons in Krystal's favorite color. He’s going to get the custodian to let him into the school at like five tomorrow morning, and put them in the hall outside her locker.”

“A thousand balloons in a school hallway? He’ll get suspended," Rosie said flatly.

Jennie shrugged. “Maybe he thinks it’s worth it.”

“More likely the pressure of the SATs has finally pushed him over the edge.”Rosie gave a sad shake of her head. Krystal had been in love with Jongin since the eighth grade. There was no way she’d say no, no matter what he did. So what was the point?

“Oh, don’t be so judgy. It’s romantic.”

“That,”Rosie said, pointing to the banner, “is a bad pun and livestock. Since when are farm animals romantic?”

“Horses are romantic,”Jennie argued.

Rosie raised her eyebrows.

“What? They are!”

Rosie had seen some of the romance novels her friend kept around her room. Horses did seem to feature an inordinate amount.“Ugh, come on. Let’s just get our lunches.”