Be My Eyes

9: T'was The Night Before Prom

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, all crammed with so many exams that Iona hardly saw Tatty, Razor or Parker except the occasional break or lunch where they were all free and the one time Iona and Tatty went shopping for prom shoes, when Tatty had also screamed down her phone that Razor had finally asked her to prom!

Now all the exams were over yet Iona's anxiety didnt dissapear as the anticipation of prom tomorrow evening loomed over her head. Mike had been calling her to talk about transportation and colour coordinating their outfits and he had made her send a photo of herself in her dress so he could get a suit to match, which made her very uncomfortable.

Parker had made the decision that all four of them were going out for a meal to celebrate and Iona met them at the resturant.

She hugged Parker first and she felt like she hadnt seen him in ages, she didnt want to let him go. Then she hugged Tatty and then Razor. Razor was wearing his leather jacket but had put on a pair of un-ripped jeans, which made a change, Tatty was wearing a short black dress and boots,  Parker was wearing a navy jacket and comfy looking black trousers and Iona had thrown on a thin, grey, cropped jumper and a black skirt with ankle boots.

They all sat down at their table and ordered food at the reasonably nice resturant. "So Phoenix, you going to make a famous toast?" Razor asked, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms.

Parker cleared his throat and sat up straight "T'was the night before prom and sat around the table were three individuals, one large and much too handsom for his own good"

Razor snorted at this.

"one small but feisty with hair that could catch anyones attention, be that a good or bad thing" Iona saw Tatty smile almost knowingly "one the brave, fearless leader who never lead his friends astray"

"The one with the biggest mouth" Razor whispered, interrupting, and Tatty punched him in the arm before looking back at Parker. Iona was waiting impatiently for him to continue.

"And the last, but certainly not the least, the newest member, the dainty one with striking hair and queen of judging facial expressions." Parker flashed Iona a look and she stuck her tongue out him, she didnt think her face was that expressive!

"T'was the evening the two Knights and their two princesses had conqured their quest and had defeated the beast that they had named 'school'. They never wanted to experience it again. Long live the Princesses. Long live the Knights. Long live the kings and the queens!"

The table erupted into a chorus of clapping and laughing as Parker stood and bowed to them all dramatically. "Why thank you, thank you!"

"How long have you been planning that?" Iona laughed, feeling a tingling sensation in her stomach from when he referred to them as 'their princesses' she knew it was a silly, dramatic toast but she still felt butterflies as she looked at Parker accross the table.

"About a week" he shrugged before the table started laughing again. Once their food arrived, the rest of the evening was completely normal and Razor, Tatty and Parker shared past memories that Iona had wished she could have seen for herself.

"I did tell you not to go anywhere near that house! It's not my fault the old care taker, chased you for four miles with his walking stick!" Razor bellowed at Parker who simply shrugged.

"I still vote for it being your fault!" Parker stated adamantly. "Anyone dissagree?" The entire table put their hands up and Parker changed the subject.

Once they had finished, Parker agreed to walk Iona home. Her dad couldnt come and collect her because his car was being repaired. Razor's parents took Tatty home with them.

"Do you really think i make judgey facial expressions?" Iona asked, trying forcibly to keep her face neutral but finding it very difficult.

"Yeah, you talk more with your face and your eyes" Parker stated, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What a beautiful night!" Iona breathed as she looked up at the clear night sky which was scattered with stars, deciding to ignore Parker and the tingling in her stomach.

She ran over to the side of the bridge which crossed over the central river in the village, and she leaned over the side looking at the sky reflected in the water.

It was so clear she could see herself looking down and she watched as Parker came to her side, crossing his arms on the edge of the bridge. However he wasnt looking at the water, but at Iona.

Iona turned to face him and he looked away. Iona felt a strange sadness claw it's way around her heart but she couldn't quite place the cause of it.

The next time she saw Parker was sunday evening, the night of prom. Mike had come to collect Iona from her house and had left (after her dad had insisted on taking 1000 photos of them).

When they arrived at the school, Mike hooked Iona's arm with his and they saw Tatty and Razor who looked stunning next to each other, Tatty in her gorgeous dress and Razor with a smart navy blue suit on.

Iona found herself looking around for Parker and Tatty whispered in her ear "he's not here yet" and with that Iona forced a smile and walked into the dance, trying to keep her head held high.

Iona had talked to and danced with Tatty and Razor, along with Mike also but the night had consisted of mostly sitting around as Iona kept trying to keep Mike busy to prevent the feared question of "will you dance with me?".... "alone"

Iona could see Tatty and Razor jumping up and down to the loud, thumping music behind Mike, who was stood right in front of her, too close for her liking.

"Can we dance now?" Mike asked, slightly impatiently and Iona had wanted to see Parker first but she still wasnt sure if he was here so she begrudgingly agreed and let Mike lead her onto the dance floor.

They hadn't been dancing long before the music changed and a slow song came on. Iona turned to leave but Mike was faster and put one arm around her waist and folding her hand into his.

Iona placed her other hand on his shoulder as they slow danced in silence. "What?" Iona asked when she noticed Mike staring.

"Nothing, you're just so beautiful!" He said and before Iona knew what to think, he was leaning foward, ready to kiss her. At this exact moment, Iona fell foward, into his chest causing them both to stumble. "Are you alright?" Mike cried, holding her up.

Iona fake winced "god i think i hurt my ankle, i need to sit down" Iona lied and she limped all the way to a seat, with Mike holding her up on one side.

"God i'm so clumsy...and thirsty" Iona said, rubbing her ankle as if it were hurting her and Mike smiled so kindly she felt a stab of guilt hit her chest.

"I'll get you a drink" he said before dissapearing into the crowd to the drinks stand. Once he was out of sight Iona stood up and looked for somewhere to go and she hurried over to the side door, opening it she thrust herself into the cool evening air.

But there was someone else there, leaning on the rails at the top of the stairs which lead to the carpark. The boy turned around slowly and Iona recognised him instantly, her heart jumping in her chest.

"Parker?"