"Mom, I want to straighten my hair for tonight! Stop trying to curl them like that!" Taylor said, turning off the curling iron her mother was trying to heat up.
"Taylor, it's one night."
"My night." Taylor said, storming off to her bedroom.
She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Her makeup looked as if she couldn't find a shade of foundation that wasn't orange. The pink dress that hung on the hanger looked so unappealing now, when it had been her dream dress just months ago.
There was a sudden knock on her door, and she reluctantly went to answer it.
"Wow... You look...Indescribable," Joe said dryly, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Shut the fuck up." Taylor shoved his shoulder upsetly.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go anymore." Taylor whispered. "I wish my mom wasn't so obsessed with beauty pageants. I look like a weasel that got hit by a truck and stitched back together by a drunk taxidermist."
"You look beautiful," Joe said, looking at her dress that still sat untouched. "Do you need help with your dress?"
"What part of 'I don't want to go' do you not understand, Joe?" Taylor shot back.
"Just put it on and take some pictures with me downstairs and I'll take you out. We can skip prom. Your mom doesn't have to know." Joe replied casually, already slipping the straps off the hanger.
Taylor closed her eyes as he slowly zipped her up. "Thank you for being my date," she slowly whispered. "You- you don't know how mad my mom got when I told her I didn't have a date."
"Oh T," Joe sighed, touching her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Joe." She sadly smiled at him. "Let's go."
:::
They had been laughing unstoppably all night, and there was nothing they did that didn't make them start giggling at each other. They looked absolutely ridiculous in their prom attire doing mundane things like going to Mcdonalds and buying cheap things at the gas station shops. Down in the park making such a lark of their misery.
"Shit! It's fucking raining. We're going to be soaked, Joe!" Taylor panicked, looking at the tulle of her dress that was slowly turning a darker colour from the rain.
"We should dance in the rain." Joe offered, ignoring her antics.
"That would be delightful," Taylor grinned calmly, curtsying like a princess.
As the rain poured down, they spun each other around under the dim street light as rain water soaked into their prom attire. Soon his hand found its way to her waist and her hand found its way to his neck. He swayed her slowly as their noses almost touched. And she'd never felt so loved before.
"Taylor?" Joe murmured next to her ear.
"Thank you for tonight." she breathed back.
"I want you to know that you were my first choice to take to prom." Joe said candidly. "I didn't pick you out of pity or because I felt forced to when you came to me that day. You're my best friend, T."
"Joe," Taylor said, water running down her cheeks. He softly wiped them away despite the rain, knowing they were fresh tears. "I love you," she mouthed, almost inaudible.
