pretty in pink|| l.h.

07.

"wait, luke, you're still hanging out with that girl?" ashton leaned against his locker. luke nodded confidently. 

"yeah, she's really cool. why?" ashton grabbed a book from his locker before slamming it shut and pulling luke into an empty classroom. luke was confused at ashton's drama.

"are you serious? you can't just hang out with people like them ."

later

aria walked through the halls with an angry look on her face. she saw luke rummaging through his messy locker, papers flying out left and right, and quickened her pace. she stopped short in front of him. "hey, hemmings!" she called, and he looked up. he looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"why have you been avoiding me?" aria asked, crossing her arms. luke looked around. 

"uh, what?"

"typically when you're going to prom with someone, you don't ignore their calls. i don't know if you knew that or not, but that's just etiquette." aria was angry. never in her life had someone so blatantly avoided her. sure, luke was one of the cooler kids in her grade, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he was talking to her in the first place, but it was still wrong of him.

"well, uh, you see--" luke shoved his papers into his locker, and the warning bell rang. aria didn't care if she was late for gym. "i had already asked someone to the prom, and i kind of forgot." luke scratched his head, and aria gave him a blank stare.

"you're such a liar, luke. i can't be with someone who doesn't believe in me." aria slammed luke's locker for him, and left him there as the last bell rang. from down the hall, she looked back at him one more time. "i'll go by myself."

after barely surviving the rest of the day, aria found herself driving her beat up car to michael's apartment. he lived by himself because his parents decided that they would rather pay for an apartment than deal with their son.

she sat on michael's frameless bed as he tried on different outfits for her. her week had been hellish, to say the least, and it was good for her to be able to let it out to someone. michael, luckily, was that someone.

"i don't know mike, i just thought he was better than that. and this whole thing with my dad using our saved up money to buy me a prom dress instead of actually going to work lately, i just don't know what to do."

michael was getting ready for a date, and he was always dressed to impress. he emerged from the bathroom in a larger-than-life ensemble, complete with a headdress that would offend at least six cultures. aria stood up from the bed and carefully removed the accessory, shifting through michael's closet.

"i'm sorry honey, but what can you do? guys are the worst."

"you're a guy, michael."

"i know. i mean it." aria let out a small laugh, and michael stood up straight, looking in his floor-length mirror. "i could get married to this guy, you know. i can just imagine, we'll have lilies for our centerpieces."

"your enthusiasm about life never fails to amaze me." aria rested her head on michael's shoulder, looking at the both of them in the mirror. minus the headdress, michael's outfit actually looked pretty good. suddenly, the doorbell to the apartment rang. michael jumped, realizing that his date was finally at his doorstep. "i think i'll go to the prom, mikey. show them they didn't break me." michael nodded distractedly as he tried to push aria out of the apartment, and aria finally got the hint.

"have fun on your date," she encouraged him, and opened the door to a small man with a bouquet of flowers-- lilies, specifically. aria smiled at him and started out the door and down the stairs.

"oh, i love lilies!" she heard before she was out the door.