Jones

Ch 95

Pretty Girl~ Jon B.
Someone to Love~ Jon B.
Lost in the Night~ Peabo Bryson
Boo'd Up~ Ella Mai

FORMAL// ANGIE'S POV//

I stare at my distorted figure in the mirror after I get dressed. I look like a bag of bones. I let out a long sigh and attempt to make my boobs look bigger. My doorbell rings and my heart stops because it's Paulina. I throw myself on my bed and lace up the heels I bought for tonight. My first pair of actual heels. I tuck in and try to hide the decent amount of tissues stuffed under my boobs. I'm not one for artificial female appearances that distort the original presentation of the female body but this is my fucking 8th-grade winter formal and I have someone to impress.

My mom doesn't know Paulina is my date but she knows she's my date. I grab my purse and ticket for formal and walk down the stairs in a mannered fashion to prevent myself from falling over six-inch heels I didn't have time to practice in. 

"Fuck," Paulina says and my cheeks get hot. 

"Paulina. Mouth," My mom says while in the kitchen.

"Sorry Miss A," Paulina says and raises her hand. 

"You look beautiful," I say to Paulina and compliment her girly black dress.

"Let me take a picture of you guys," Her mom says and comes out the kitchen holding up her phone ready to take our picture. Angie stands next to me and I'm not sure what to do with my hand. Do I pose with it around her waist? Around her shoulders? Or next to my sides? I guess I took too long to make up my mind because shes already posed with her arm around my hip. 

"God you girls look fabulous. Let's go," My mom says and we leave the house. 

PAULINAS POV// Feb. 15 7:26pm

When we get to formal, everything looks dark as if there were no formal. 

"Where the fuck is formal?" I ask while we walk down Sunnyslope. 

"Can you hold this?" Angie asks and hands me her sweater. I can't help the smile that spits across my face from her gesture. 

"I like this," I say as she digs through her tiny purse for her ticket. 

"Like what," she asks and sighs.

"This girlfriendy stuff," I say and she pays more attention to me. She chuckles and finds her ticket. 

"I think we're supposed to go in through there," Angie says and points at the front gates. Her heels clog as she walks from the spot we were standing to the back doors of Burrel Hall. From outside we see people dressed like flappers and gangsters to match the Gatsby theme. 

"Name," a TA asks us when we get in. 

"Van Howellen," Angie says and hands in her ticket. The TA uses her thumb to guide Angie into the hall and then it's my turn. 

"Name," She says to me. 

"Casburn," I say and hand her my ticket. What a great way to get people into the party mood. 

"Drink my dear?" Angie asks me when I meet up with her. 

"Why of course my darling," I say and she hands me a Shirley Temple. 

"It's about time you bitches made it," Crystal yells when she waltzes up to us, of course, a drink in hand. 

"Did you bring booze?" I ask Crystal.

"It wouldn't be formal if I didn't now would it?" She says 

"Yeah but we aren't drinking tonight," Angie interrupts and gives me a look of 'don't you fucking dare.'

"Yeah. You two are losers. Let me know if you wanna knock something back," Crystal says and dances away. 

"Angie! Take a picture with me," A voice says from behind us. Angie and I turn around and see Isaac and his little escort Ivy. The Double I Threat. I grab Angie's hand to reassure Isaac that I'm no longer taken by him. 

"Uhh. Sure," Angie hesitates. She stands next to Ivy who hugs her while Isaac takes the picture. I angrily stand behind Isaac sipping my Shirley temple and holding all of our shit. Bullshit. 

"Ok I think we're done," I interrupt when Ivy keeps trying to find new poses to keep Angie in front of her phone longer. 

"You look great," Isaac says over the music. 

"Fuck off," I say and turn away from him.  The music stops and the DJ slaps his mic. 

"Alright 8th Graders. Grab ya dates, grab ya friends and take this dance," He says and a slow song plays. 

"Can I have this dance, Angelina Michelle?" I ask Angie and hold my hand out.

"Of course Paulina Miranda," she answers and walks into my hand. She cradles her hand in my hand and closes her body with mine. We had become one with each other. The artificial stars projected in the hall had aligned. Our feet moved with each other like synchronized swimmers. 

"Can I? Touch You?" I ask to make sure my arm can go a few inches south of the equator. 

"MmHmm," She hums and I move my arm lower down her textured dress. 

"I love you," She says into my ear which makes the bottom of my spine lead a tingle thread up the rest of my back. 

"I love you more," Thus the birth of the 'I love you mores' and the death of the 'I love you too'.

The 2 minutes and 14 seconds Angie and I spent dancing to Love Me Like You Do was the best 2 minutes of my life. It was like the Earth turned on its access and we were the only two people in an empty solitude world of nothing but air and love that we basked in. She took away my fears. Not just by dancing with me but by dancing with me. It's just us and we're dancing with the universe. Alone. 

The music changes and our intimate moment is destroyed. From across the hall, I can hear Crystal and Kassidy yelling how much they love the next song. Angie and I change spots. We walk around with boxes of Chinese food that came with the ticket. We see girls in Kimonos and babydoll dresses that match all their first pair of big girl heels. It's pathetic if you ask me. 

We're almost there. We have four months left. Soon we'll be done. It'll all be over. 

This is formal. Our sad, bullshit, shitstorm formal.