The Picture of Alice Greenland

Prom

Alice arrived at prom in a fluffy pink dress with a sweetheart neckline and tassels across its deeply cut, U shaped back. Her hair was in curls that she had taken an hour to perfect. She had used matching pink blush for her cheeks and black eyeliner. Rishabh's admiring looks had intensified more than ever when he was looking at her in the train, but he did not say anything about it.

Matilda commented on how beautiful she looked as soon as Alice walked into the huge ballroom with neatly arranged chairs around circular tables. The chairs had been covered with white cloth with a golden net tied in a bow behind them. There were silver mini chandeliers above her head at regular spacings. At one end of the hall, there was also a dance floor with a huge disco ball dangling above it. The bar was at the other end of the hall opposite the dance floor. Looking at the cheerfulness of the crowd gathering around her, she almost forgot about the fight she had just had when Matilda asked, "Where's Rishabh?"
"I don't know." answered Alice.
"What? How come?" inquired Matilda. "Wasn't he supposed to be your date?"
"Yeah, but he's not anymore." stated Alice with a stern resolve. "I'm doing prom alone."
"What happened?" Matilda asked again.
"We... umm..." began Alice with a frown. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, did you have a fight?" queried Matilda.
"How did you know?" asked Alice, surprised and mildly impressed.
"The frown, you turning up alone, not wanting to talk about it," explained Matilda, "it's not rocket science. It's easy to detect a lover's quarrel when it's this obvious. Now, tell me," badgered Matilda, "what was it about? Was it something insignificant?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say insignificant." said Alice, fuming. "He hid his grades from me. He manipulated me into thinking he was smart when he got Bs!"
"Is that it?" snorted Matilda. "You had a huge fight... over grades?" Matilda started laughing but stopped herself when she saw the serious look on Alice's face. Then she continued, "But Rishabh is handsome, isn't he?" she asked.
"Yes," confirmed Alice, "but it doesn't matter. He's not the genius I thought he was!"
"Beauty is greater than Genius." said Matilda. "Genius needs to be explained and proved while Beauty requires no explanation." Looking at Alice's face, Matilda continued, "It dazzles the viewer in an inexplicable way."
"Maybe it doesn't matter to you," said Alice, looking away, "but it matters to me! I had so many dreams..." Alice began but couldn't find it in her heart to finish.
"Come on," said Matilda, "one cures the senses by the soul," she snatched a glass of wine from a year 13 boy who was passing by, "and the soul by the senses." she continued while handing the glass to Alice.
"Hey," called the year 13 boy, "that's my drink!"
"It's mine now," said Matilda, "what you gonna do about it?" she asked.
"It's okay," began Alice, "I don't want it. I don't think we're allowed anyway."
"Yeah, aren't you guys year 12s?" inquired the year 13 boy.
"And aren't you cheating on your girlfriend right now?" queried Matilda, in return. "She surely wouldn't be happy to hear about that."
The year 13 boy scoffed and stomped to the other side of the room to join his friends.

Alice had always wanted to try a drink. What better day than her first breakup and prom. She took a sip, and it didn't taste good. But she knew the effects alcohol has on an aching heart. She gulped the whole glass. Matilda looked at her with wide eyes and a proud smile. All night, Alice drank and danced, trying to forget all the maladies of her life. Her friends joined her and left her when they got tired, but she was still jumping and thumping on the dance floor.