augusta ☾ sturniolo imagines

prom ♡

♡ ⋆˙⟡♡  ⋆˙⟡♡ ♡ ⋆˙⟡♡  ⋆˙⟡♡

If you were going to compile a list of things that significantly altered your brain chemistry, being homeschooled in your prime teen years would definitely be at the top of that list. Your parents took you out of public school and switched you to an online program when you were in eighth grade, after you told them a group of girls had been bullying you relentlessly for the past two years.

Even though you were grateful to your parents for always looking out for you and protecting you, you also recognized the ways that it affected you now as an adult. You were very introverted and quiet, and making new friends was hard. You had major social anxiety, gatherings of over ten people frequently sending you into a panic attack. You also missed out on just normal fun and shenanigans of kids your age, and milestone events such as your sweet sixteen and prom.

You didn't dwell on your losses very often though, as you knew that staying in school would've been much more damaging to you. And despite all the negatives, you were still happy. You didn't have a ton of friends, but the ones you did have were loyal and true. Your experiences with bullying and anxiety gave you passion to pursue therapy for adolescence as a career. And you had the most loving and caring boyfriend you could've dreamed of.

You met your boyfriend, Matthew, at a birthday party for one of your friends. Wherever there were a ton of people, the socially anxious would surely find each other. When you felt things becoming overwhelming and took a breather outside, someone else seemed to have already had that same idea. You opened the door and saw him, and you almost turned around and went back inside. But then you remembered your whole reason for going outside was to get away from inside. So you sat on the steps next to him, both of you looking out into the quiet neighborhood street.

You didn't dare take your eyes off the street in front of you, but he did. He looked at you when you sat next to him, immediately feeling butterflies in his chest as he took in your beauty. As an anxious person himself, he could definitely tell that you were on-edge, noticing you fidgeting with your bracelet mindlessly. He thought to just leave you be, but he knew he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least try to talk to you. He didn't know what to say to break the ice, so he relied on the classic weather-related banter, "it's nice out here, isn't it? Not too cold, but there's a nice breeze going."

You turned to look at him and he wanted to punch himself for how ridiculous he must've sounded, but his worries faded away when your lips turned upward and you agreed. "Yeah, in there with all the body heat it's like a furnace."

The two of you continued to talk as you gazed into the street, and you ended up staying out there for a few hours. Normally talking to boys gave you more anxiety than talking to a room of a hundred people, but for some reason you felt comfortable talking to Matt. Something in his aura gave him a calming presence.

You both eventually had to call it a night, but not before exchanging information. It took a few days for anything to happen, both of you unsure of who should make the first move. But Matt again bit the bullet, and ever since then you guys have been inseparable.

You had been together now for almost a year now, and you were both still learning new things about each other every day. For Matt, today was one of those days.

"Awe!" you cooed, looking at the picture of Matt and his brothers' on their first day of second grade. You and the triplets were visiting their family in Boston, and it seemed that Mary Lou had been waiting for this moment as she had all the baby photos on deck. You had Matt on your right, red as a tomato, with Mary Lou on your left and Nick sitting in front of you. Chris left long ago due to the embarrassment. Matt tried to leave early on as well, but you locked his arm with yours, forcing him to stay.