The Fire That Keeps Us Together

Chapter 7: Always

AN: Here it is. The last chapter. If you have a bad feeling about something, hold on to that. XD.

The night of the dance came sooner than we thought. I guess everybody was just too busy with all the preparations that no one even noticed how quickly time flew by. Thankfully though, everything was set. Hero and I agreed that he was going to meet me at school around 8:00 pm. He wanted to wait for me at my house and go together but I insisted that we meet at school. You guys know how girls take too long to dress up ;). Before leaving my house, I stared at myself in the mirror. I couldn't believe I was wearing my mom’s dress!  It looked amazing; the way it sparkled in the light, the way it fit my body, emphasizing every curve. It was as if I was the exact same size as my mother. It was a simple gown but it was just right for me. I fixed myself just to look right; I tied my long locks into a ponytail because it was always in the way. I needed it to be kept back for tonight. I wondered what my mom would say if she was still alive...For sure, she would be proud of me, at how I survived and what I’ve accomplished.

Arriving at school, I saw a lot of pretty faces. Everyone was well dressed for the dance. The girls looked their best and they were all excited. They came together with their partners who looked dashing as well. Speaking of partners, I was looking for mine when I saw him standing outside of the school auditorium. Hero looked really—really—heartmelting. He was wearing a black tux and there was a white rose pinned on the upper left pocket of his coat.

He was looking around when his eyes suddenly spotted me. His reaction to when he saw me was priceless! He was staring as if he couldn’t believe that it was me in the way I was dressed.  As I motioned to go closer to him, he kept silent and just smiled.

“Wow, you look amazing.” he spoke as he scanned me from head to foot,  “You’re sparkling like a star.”

I glanced at him and tried to hold back a wide smile. I was trying my best not to turn into a red tomato.

“Thanks.” I finally spoke. “You look good too.”

With that, he just scratched his head and sheepishly smiled at me.

At that exact time, the host for the event called for everybody to come inside already. Hero offered me his hand as tradition calls it for a guy to escort a girl. I awkwardly stared at him, wondering how to react but he just grinned, took my hand and gently placed it over his arm. He led me inside and when we saw the big hall, we were astounded at how beautiful the place was set up. It was designed to look like the night sky which was the exact theme of the whole party. The whole auditorium was cold and everything inside glistened like stars when the lights stroke them. This was the first time that we were able to attend such an event. 

The host called the principal for her opening speech which took forever to finish. She was so proud of  all of us because we looked great and honestly, because everyone followed the “wear formal attire only” rule. She said that she considered all of us as her children and that she was so happy tonight. She wished us luck and blessed us for the night. She told us to enjoy every moment as much as possible and then, finally, she finished her long speech.

All of us cheered because of a great speech but I really think we did because she took forever to finish. The students were so eager for the main event and for every minute that passed, each of them got more and more restless. The principal finally called out to the DJ to start playing songs for us, seeing the excited students.  I guess it was time to dance.

Dancing...oh boy...I took this up when I was in my primary school years. We were taught how to dance to prepare us for future events just like this one. I guess I could say that the memory was unforgettable because no one wanted to be partners with me but, unfortunately, the teacher had to assign someone to be my pair. I could still remember that boy. He was shaking while trying to keep his cool during practice with me. I could tell that he was so scared, seeing the way he avoided to make eye contact and by the restless tapping of his feet. Luckily, he didn’t pee in his pants. I gave a soft chuckle as I remembered that time and I was suddenly brought back to reality when Hero asked me something.