Close The Door

Chapter 19- Dance the Night Away

The entrance to the Student Center was transformed into a stunning display of blues and purples, the school colors. My eyes were glued to the intricate balloon arch that led to the doors, where volunteers stood admitting the guests. This was prime hospitality. Iris and Chloe squealed with excitement, while I feigned a similar reaction.

We walk into the building, and almost all of the lights are off, but there are glowing signs and soft music that lead directly to the Ballroom. As we walk in the direction and the sound gets louder the closer we get, we're all mesmerized by the amount of work that went into this dance. Every small office was decorated with homecoming decor, the restaurants in the building were shut down as well, but the main area was crowded. It almost caused me to develop anxiety, but with Chloe around I was able to compose myself. We're waiting another while, since the doors for the dance weren't open just yet. We got here a little early, so we were understanding of the small wait time. After a couple of minutes, the doors finally opened and everyone was slowly ushered in.

The ballroom was enormous. Tables were lined up with drink stations, ranging from simple juice to actual soda machines; the fancy ones that let you pick which drink you wanted. There were food vendors with plenty of options to choose from, including from the restaurants in the building itself. The school went above and beyond with the accommodations, and it's pretty sweet. The music playing is not what I would listen to, but it's energetic enough that I am willing to dance with Chloe and Iris, but they decide to sit down for a moment. We decided as a trio to wait for the others.

Slowly but surely, everyone was arriving one by one. First was Misty, whom Ash had to convince to even talk about it. She was wearing an ocean blue dress that allowed the seams to flow like water, perfectly in tune with her aesthetics, and water drop earrings. Tonight, she was a walking body of water, and she wouldn't hesitate to let everyone know. Dawn and the flier girl, whom I think is Serena based on previous notions, walked together, similar to the last party I went to with them, although their outfits were toned down slightly, for good reason, but still allowed their individual personalities to show.

The last group to arrive consisted of Ash and the Alola gang, with Ash wearing what he considers party clothing, which literally only consists of skinny jeans and his jean jacket. Lana is wearing an outfit similar to Misty's, but executed much differently. It was still gorgeous regardless. Sophocles was wearing his usual type of clothing, and Kiawe did his best to wear party clothing specific for school events, but I could tell he was uncomfortable, unsure if it was from the clothing itself or from me.

"Hi everyone," Ash yells, hoping everyone could hear him among the music. Thankfully, everyone acknowledged him, as the groups intermingled. Kiawe kept his distance, but was still talking to his friends. Every moment when our eyes would meet, he would shoot a glare at me, and quickly divert to someone else. Chloe and Dawn were also socializing, Serena essentially clung herself onto Ash even though he was talking to Misty, leaving Iris and me to talk alone. She reaches over to my ear. "Hey, can you come with me to get drinks?" She asks, and I nod in agreement. We let the group know we'll be back, and from there we head over to the beverage tables.

Even though there's a small line, we wait. The soda machines up close are bright, but from a distance their glow was faint that one couldn't make out what it was until closer inspection. Iris places her glass cup, with others given to everyone, which consisted of the school's logo and colors, under the soda machine and selected a grape-flavored soda, and pour it into the cup. Once I'm up, I go for the orange-flavored one. After getting our drinks, we walk back to the group.

After we're done talking to each other, it became time to hit the dance floor. There was a very upbeat song blaring through the speakers, and everyone was so excited to finally dance as a group. With drinks in hand, we were all having a damn great time, and nothing could ruin this. Even though Kiawe wasn't near me, he was at the very least enjoying himself. Soon, the entire dance floor became crowded and what once was a fun moment became claustrophobic for me, as I couldn't even stay close to the group, let alone Ash. The sea of bodies washed me away, as I was eventually led to the beverage tables again, unsure of where everyone was.