Our Dance

Our First Meeting

I like to think I was a fairly normal teen.

Normal school, normal hobbies (well I thought they were normal), and fairly normal friends. I never did anything out of the ordinary as a teenager, the only outgoing thing I've ever done at that age was actually go to a school dance. I was a pretty shy girl back then, so shy I didn't go a single dance my senior year of high school. Or at least that was my plan. Sadly, there was a glitch in the Matrix and my friends forced me to go.

See, dances always made me uncomfortable. It was just something about people just gathering in one place just to dance made no sense to me. It's always been weird to me, so weird that it reminds me of cults or something. I guess I wasn't all that normal.

Anyway, I still remember the day they came to me and talked about it. 

"Ruby, look at this!" my friend Lillie shouts, shoving a flier for the dance in my face. I rolled my eyes, "Why are you showing me this?" Once I moved the paper out of my face and laid eyes on hers I could tell she was up  to no good. "I think it's about time you attend one of these." she said in a maniacal tone. My eyes widened at her statement, we've been friends for years and yet she thinks I'll be okay with going to one of these? "Lillie, do you know who I am? What do I loath more than anything in the world?" I asked her seriously concerned for her mental health. 

She sighed "You'er Ruby Simpson. You are 17, you'er in the 12th grade and you haven't been to a school dance a day in your life. Now, does that sound the least bit normal?"

"Yes."

".....You'er going to this damn dance!"

"Why on earth should I?"

"Because you are a sad sad little woman and you need some enjoyment in your life, besides having me of course." 

She was adorable, does she really think I'm gonna go to this thing because she said so? "Well, I don't even have a ticket." I said smugly. Lillie blinked, "Huh? What are you talking about?" I pointed to the bottom of the magenta paper.  "It says here that you need to  pay 13 bucks for a ticket. I don't have that kind of money, at least not yet. I guess your plan backfired." I sat there confidently as she looked at the paper. Lillie was quiet for a moment but soon her eyes lit up, "I know what to do! I'll make Quincy buy a 3rd ticket!" she said triumphantly. As soon as she said that, I knew my goose was cooked. Quincy was Lillie's boyfriend and would literally do anything for her. Everyday she came to school with something new, and all of it was a gift from him. He even got her a pair of panties, which just made me very concerned. 

I was silent for moment. How was I gonna get out of this now? Obviously I wasn't...

I sighed and accepted my defeat. "Are you sure I have to  go?"

She nodded excitedly. I played off my defeat, but as soon as I got home I started to  panic. "What would I even wear? Will I have date? W-Will I have to  dance?!" I rambled on and on. I didn't come out my room for hours, I was so scared. My mother even got worried. She knocked on the door, "Baby, are you okay? You haven't left your room since you got home." she said concerned. I opened the door trying to hide my insanity, "I'm fine mom, just doing homework." I lied. However, I forgot that my mother knows me better than anyone. "Okay, what did we talk about? If you'er gonna lie, don't lie to my face." she said with a smirk. For the second time that day, I accepted my defeat. 

"Okay, my friend Lillie is making me go to this stupid school dance. I tried to tell her no, but she's already making her boyfriend buy me a ticket." I look at my mother and instead of sympathy, I see amusement on her face. 

"Um, sweetie, you know you have free will right? God blessed you with it." she said holding back her laughter. "I know that! I just.....don't bring religion into this..." I say trying to change the subject and doing a poor job at it. It was at this moment when my mother lost it and started laughing in my face. I know she means well and she loves me, but damn.