School?

Dress Shopping

~~Thursday~51 days left~~

"I don't know what to wear!" Raelyn said while looking through a rack of dresses. All of the girls were looking for something to wear to Nicholas's party tomorrow. Dai-Quan and Jacob were both in the men's section searching as well. Elizabeth and Olivia were currently flipping through different navy blue dresses while Rae looked at different black ones. The invitation Nicholas had put out said the party was very strictly formal, though he also said not to wear anything too expensive 'just in case'. This had lead to a few confused glances here and there.

"Alright I'm just gonna grab a bunch of these", Raelyn sighed, sweeping an armful of dresses off the rack.

"Well..." Olivia followed in suit, grabbing a random assortment of different colored dresses. Moving in a whirlwind of color, she chased after Rae to the dressing rooms.

"Uh... great... well, um" Elizabeth spun around looking for dresses to grab. She made her way to the dressing room with some black, navy blue, and maroon dresses. Just before she stepped inside, a single red dress caught her eye and Lizzy decided to snatch in just for fun.

"Ok, three... two... one, go!" Rae counted down, the three girls opening the doors and stepping out of their dressing room stalls. Olivia stood in a short, yellow dress with sequins and rhinestones all over the top. Elizabeth walked out in a dress with a light pink top and black skirt, shorter in the front and almost floor length in the back. Raelyn slipped out in a very plain black dress that went past the knees and could be best described as a t-shirt dress; it was pretty boring overall. Though the girls all looked cute, they also knew these weren't THE dresses.

       This process continued for hours. At one point they all coincidentally came out wearing the same long black dress with a belt that tied into a large bow in the back. Everyone laughed it off and considered the dress before diving back into their routine. Eventually Raelyn, Lizzy, and Olivia had all collectively picked out their perfect dresses and walked over to check on the boys.

"How are you guys doin'?"  Olivia asked leaning on Dai-Quan's shoulder. The girls all had their dresses hidden away in bags so no one could peek.

"I don't know... should I wear a full tux, or just a blazer? What about a sweater or some thin'? Ugh I don't know what to do!" Jacob was frantically pushing through racks of clothes, in a very panicked state.

"Here, just try these on" Rae said, shoving clothes into his arms and nudging him to the dressing rooms.

"Did you have something picked out yet DQ?" Elizabeth asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, what do you think?" He replied holding up his outfit. It consisted of black dress pants, black suspenders, a white dress shirt, and a vibrant red bow tie.

"Aww that's so cute" she gushed, clasping her hands together.

Olivia crossed her arms and stood on her hip saying, "Nicholas better like it!"

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"I'm SO exhausted!" Raelyn yelled out, dramatically throwing her arms to her sides. The group had just arrived outside of Jake's room, bags still in hand, after their shopping trip.

"Do you guys wanna drop your stuff off in your rooms and hang out tonight? Y'know sleep over, hope no one cares..." Jacob suggested to his friends. Everyone seemed excited and agreed, rushing to their own rooms to hang all of the clothes up.

       This time, everyone got more comfortable on the carpet, with sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. Which everyone thought was much better than sleeping with snacks literally everywhere. The friends were laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling and asking each other stupid questions, once in a while. Eventually Jacob and Raelyn had scooted closer and closer together, finally with his arm wrapped around her sleeping figure. Jake kissed Rae's forehead before slowing drifting off himself.

~~50 days left~~

       The next morning, everyone walked down to the dining hall together, in their pajamas.

"So what's the plan with you and Nicholas this time?" Olivia started, pointing her syrup drenched, pancake fork at Dai-Quan.

"M-maybe you came on a little t-too strong last time?" Jake suggested, though it sounded more like a question. Swallowing his mouthful of pancakes, DQ shrugged,

"I don't really know... I haven't been to a lot of formal dances before". Just then, Nicholas swiftly walked in, paid for an apple, and swayed his hips on the way out. DQ almost missed the small wink that had been sent his direction.

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       After breakfast, the girls met in Raelyn's room to get ready together, while the boys left to get dressed in their rooms. The three spent close to four hours doing makeup and creating accessories to go with their dresses. Jacob and DQ spent two and a half of these hours waiting in the dining hall, to meet up before heading to the party room.