Prom: JTH Oneshot

The Dance (58)

Just The Highlights (58) - Dialogue chapter:

"Hey guys." Julie walked up to her friends, relieved to finally be away from the suffocating group she had come with. She searched surreptitiously for her date, hoping he wouldn't find her. For some strange reason, the last thing she wanted was for him to be hanging off her arm in front of Eli.

She was met with a chorus of "Hey Julie." and quick once-overs of her dress.

It wasn't anything special, and it didn't make her look like a superstar, like Alyssa. But the midnight blue material clung to her curves and swished delicately around her legs shimmering like ripples of water in the moonlight, it's dusting of fake diamonds glinting in the bad lighting of the school hall. It probably looked ugly, she thought.

"Hey Jules." Eli was standing with his hands in his pockets, nonchalant, with his stupid handsome face, and a smile that Julie couldn't decipher as mocking or sincere.

He knew she was anxious about her appearance, and wished he could tell her she looked like a fucking goddess. But his breath caught slightly when she curved her lips that way, and that would just sound weird. It was only Julie, what was he thinking?

Julie noticed Alyssa's small smirk at Eli's greeting, so focused her attention on her purple dress, sharp heels, and even sharper eyeliner. "You look nice Alyssa."

"So do you! Jaclyn's around here somewhere." She started looking around the dance floor.

"Yeah, probably off making out with someone in some corner." Eli remarked, leaning slightly towards Julie so she could hear him over the music.

"Seriously?" She found herself leaning closer too. To hear Eli clearer, of course. They were both searching for Jaclyn.

"Yep." His shoulder brushed hers, and he wondered if they looked like they were together from an outside view. Gross. But he didn't move away.

"You look really nice too, Eli." Julie finally said. His tie didn't match her dress, and his shirt fitted him really well. She thought this was one of the rare times she would see him with polished shoes.

He panicked. Did he sound rude because he didn't compliment her first? "Oh, uh, thanks. You look great! I mean, you look nice too."

Yeah, nice, he thought.

Julie turned her head to hide her smile. She shouldn't have felt glad that Eli said she looked 'great', she had a date to do that. "Thanks." She muttered.

Somehow, Eli and Julie found themselves separated from the others. Standing side by side, not meeting each others' eyes.

"Hey, Mr. Richards, you should do Alyssa a favour and go harass Kyle. He keeps trying to grind on her." One of their friends piped up as their teacher walked past, wondering why he volunteered himself as a chaperone.

"Yeah Mr. Richards!" Someone hollered.

Eli saw Kyle doing strange movements with his hips on the dance floor and cringed. "Oh my God."

"Do you really think he's going to?" Julie asked, watching Mr. Richards approach Kyle.

"Maybe." Eli was looking at Julie, and suddenly felt bad that she was wasting prom, and that dress, standing around with him. He knew she probably had had high hopes for this trivial school event, but was determined for it to live up to her expectations anyway.

"See Alyssa? I told you he'd go." Disgusted didn't do the look on Mr. Richards' face justice. Embarrassment summed it up a little better.

"There he goes." Julie remarked, as Kyle turned to Mr. Richards with a smile.

"Wow." Eli commented, before invading Julie's line of view. He was dancing slightly, moving his body to the beat and making obnoxious hand movements in Julie's face. He looked ridiculous.

She swatted his arms away and side stepped. Eli mirrored her. "Hey, move a little. I'm trying to see if Richards actually does this."

"I'm dancing." Eli grinned.

Julie rolled her eyes. "Well you're not on the dance floor so get out of my way."

He remained silent and Julie tried to move past him once again. "Come on, just move a little to the side." She groaned. Mr. Richards humiliating Kyle would probably be the highlight of prom.

"You know where there's a really good view?" Eli was bobbing his head now.

"Right here just minus you?" Julie went to cross her arms but Eli swiftly grabbed her hands.

"The dance floor. Come on." He moved his arms alternatively back and forth, forcing Julie's body to rock.

"What?" She almost laughed in disbelief. Dancing with Eli was just... Never going to happen.

"Just come on, sweat pea. It's not gonna kill you." He winked and spun her in a circle, letting his hands rest on her waist when she turned back to him.

She raised an eyebrow and her hands came to rest on his forearms. "I feel like I'm going to regret this."

"You're with me, what's there to regret?"

"Everything." She laughed.

She was laughing, that was a good sign. "You won't be saying that soon. I'm a great dancer."

"You dance like a crazy person." Julie scoffed as they moved together subconsciously. Where had the others gone again?

Eli moved close causing his hair to fall into his face, and looked into Julie's eyes, with a mischievous grin. She tilted her head upwards, as defiant and feisty as ever. "And you, Julia Nichols, could use a little crazy."

Then he pulled her onto the dance floor so fast she thought she had imagined his eyes dropping to her lips at the last second. He was laughing and jerking around clumsily holding her hands so that she had to join in. Julie found herself starting to enjoy it, despite the looks they were getting.

So this was prom then, inane and absurd. Just like Eli.

She loved it.