MEMENTO

V.

"Who is she?"

"Is that really Drew?"

"He cleans up nicely!"

When they were parked outside, the formal appeared jovial as people filtered in wearing brightly colored dresses and tightly fitting suits. Fairy lights decorated the outside of the gathering hall, appearing like a brightly lit path indoors. Even the shrubs were a lush green despite the late October weather.

Inside, Drew held his breath in the dazzling hall as each light hung above them, causing their plastic cups which held non-alcoholic punch to sparkle. Well, the punch was non-alcoholic for the first hour of the formal, anyway. Girls twirled around with tautly curled hair and sparkling gowns while the boys stood tall and proud of their dates.

However, the chatter seemed to die down suddenly at the entrance as Drew led Cecilia in. He'd been shocked to see how beautiful she looked in a light blue gown with her long, blond hair pulled up into an intricate set of curls.

People stared at them as they made their way in, wondering how Drew Rojas could appear at a formal event such as this one with such a pretty girl on his arm. Also, few knew who Cecilia was and began to theorize where the two had met.

"Does that poor girl know what she's getting into?" a redhead whispered to her friend, praying neither of them heard her. Cecilia's grip on Drew's arm tightened.

"Looking sharp, Rojas," Erica pronounced, coming up in front of them and winking exaggeratedly. Drew's breath caught in his throat when he witnessed Erica, who wore a golden gown that hugged her skin tautly. Her curly hair settled down her back with small flower clips adorning it and gold lines streaked across her eyes. He blinked suddenly, wondering who this person in front of him was.

"And you're also looking stunning, Cecilia," Erica continued, taking a sip from her flask.

"God, don't even tell me that. You look amazing!" Cecilia returned, placing a hand onto Erica's elbow. "Where did you get this dress?"

"Can't remember," Erica admitted, shrugging. "I bought it for a cousin's wedding and didn't have the heart to throw it out after only wearing it once."

"Anyway, Zip, Sol, Hanna, James, and whoever he's making out with ferociously are all sitting with the soccer team if you want to join us. We're at the table by the speakers, which is why I had to take a break," Erica informed the pair, making a move towards the punch table. "I'm going to go get a mixer for my drink, but I'll see you guys around!"

At that, she strode towards the table, muscles of her legs stretching out with each motion. Drew couldn't tear his gaze away until he heard Cecilia murmur, "Do you want to go join them?"

"I, um, don't really get along with a lot of the people on the soccer team," he admitted sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck despite knowing it might mess up the hairstyle Maggie spent an hour styling. Still, he hated having his hair gelled back like this.

"Oh, that's fine," Cecilia replied, flashing a reassuring grin. "We can just go dance, then."

"All right," Drew agreed, allowing her to lead him onto the dance floor. "Just know, I can't dance for shit."

*

After Erica mixed her drink, she made her way back to the table by the speakers.

"Hey!" she exclaimed to Zip, sliding back into her seat. She wrinkled her nose at James's display of shoving his tongue down his date's throat. Erica glanced over at Zip who seemed to be examining it with muffled horror, and inquired, "Did Cecilia and Drew ever come over here?"