happiness is a butterfly

don't be cruel

Their entrance makes heads turn.

The usually boring gym has been decorated to look like a glitzy ballroom, with luminous streamers adorning the walls and a red carpet leading to the entrance.

Old Hollywood- how predictable.

They pose under the Senior Prom sign, his arms wrapped around her protruding middle and they plaster on a smile for the 100th photo of the evening. Young, happy, in love.

They had just spent the last hour posing in the backyard, Marsha flashing away until their cheeks hurt from smiling and Nate started to lose his patience. "Just another one." She kept promising, but one would turn into ten and so on.

Suze had made it there mere minutes before they left and snapped a few pics of her own, which quickly made it on her Facebook wall.

My gorgeous girl off to senior prom.

"I wish I could have gotten a photo of you and your sister." She would complain, while scrolling through the pictures.

"Don't start." Cassie had warned, not wanting the sour memory of Lexi to ruin her night.

"Alright. You look beautiful, baby." She would tell her, pulling her into a half hug. "Why are you dressed like a bride though?" Suze whispered in her ear, tugging playfully at her dress.

Nate had picked her dress. It was long and shiny and fitted and expensive. She felt self conscious about her belly, but he wanted to show off her bump. It would be a clear message to everyone there who she belonged to.

"Just because it's white it doesn't make it a wedding dress."

Truthfully, she also had been a little surprised at Nate's colour choice. But, that's what he wanted her to wear so she put it on. It was a stunning dress.

The lighting in the gym catches the beading on her dress beautifully, making her glow through the crowd of teenagers dancing.

"You look beautiful." He whispers in her ear, his arm around her shoulder leading her through the crowd to find his friends.

And as happy as she is to be there on his arm, she dreads spending a whole evening sitting with drunk jocks and their girlfriends. She watches Nate pull the flask from his jacket and top up his drink with an amber liquid. She's fairly certain this isn't his first drink of the night, nor will it be his last. She hopes he won't write himself off tonight, like he had most other nights out.

Prom is relatively boring, as she expected. Nate is away in his own little world with his friends and barely notices when she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. By now she's learnt to not take it personally.

She takes her time sitting in the cubicle, her swollen feet sore from the sky high heels she's wearing. She scrolls through her phone, she touches up her make-up and she thinks about how much she wishes she could be drinking right now.

When she finally emerges from the cubicle, she finds herself face to face with Maddy and Kat.

Now she really wishes she could have a drink.

They share an awkward silent stare off. What is etiquette in this case, when you bump into your former best friend who is also your baby daddy's ex-girlfriend who you hooked up with behind her back?

Maddy looks gorgeous. Her dress is adorned by purple sequins and oversized shoulder pads which make her look like a bad bitch. Her hair is pulled back in a sleek bun, a contrast to her strong makeup. She looks glamorous- old Hollywood beauty.

And like many times in their short lived friendship, Cassie feels so inferior to her. So basic and uninteresting. Bland, with her typical pageant girl look. A poser.

Maddy, who is so confident and so set on being exactly herself, no matter what. She is creative and stylish and so effortlessly cool.

And Cassie, who is insecure. Who just wants to be liked and loved and to please others. Like her dress she's wearing to make Nate happy.

She eventually settles for a timid hey with a smile. That usually works well for her, a soft demure smile. Sweet Cassie, wouldn't hurt a fly.

Maddy's response is to scoff and, before pushing past her to go to the toilet, say:

"Hey Kat, pass the Febreze...the cunt smell in this bathroom is making me sick."

Kat gives her smirk before following Maddy, and Cassie wonders how happy she must be now that Cassie is out of the way and she can finally be Maddy's #1 best friend.

Her eyes sting a little with unshed tears as she makes her way back to Nate. She watches him drink and laugh with his friends, it makes her wonder if he even realised she has been gone for so long.

Instead he guides her to sit on his lap and kisses her in front of his friends. It's funny, up until a few weeks ago she would have been ecstatic at the idea of Nate kissing her in front of his friends. Now, she's almost annoyed at him for sharing what should be an intimate with his group of jock friends.

"I'm tired, can we go home?" She knows she sounds bratty and she knows he will probably get upset at her, but all she can think of is leaving this place.

"Are you serious? We just got here, Cass." HIs brows furrow and his voice sounds annoyed.

"Well, it's boring. You're just sitting here getting drunk with your friends." She tries pushing herself off of him but his arms keep her locked into place. "If you want to stay, I'll get my mom to pick me up."

"Yo, what is your fucking problem? I'm just trying to have a good night after a shit couple of weeks and you're being fucking annoying." His eyes look into hers as his hands keep her biceps in a tight hold.

Nate is at a loss at Cassie's sudden change of heart, they're at Prom, they look amazing, he has been spoiling her all day...what more could the girl want?

She hears his friends guffawing at Nate's response to her outburst and her cheeks feel flush. He's not wrong, they should be having fun but her encounter with Maddy has shaken her a little- like a sudden realisation that pushing your problems away doesn't mean they actually go away.

Still, she wishes he had taken the time to understand what made her upset rather than humiliating her in front of his friends.

His glare pierces her soul, until she puts a fake smile on her face before reassuring him, "Sorry, I'm just tired. I'm going to get myself a drink that's not spiked." She places a soft kiss on his pursed lips before shimmying her way out of his embrace, and Nate looks at her like she's lost her mind.

She probably has.

She turns around to see if he's watching her walk towards the drinks table, but it's clear he has gone back to talking to his friends.

"Fucking hormones, man." She hears from afar, while sipping on her overly sweet drink.

And yet another time, she wishes she could have a fucking drink.

Come on over here and love me you know what I want you to say

Don't be cruel to a heart that's true