mr. hemmings // l.h.

31 • madeline

Madeline's formal look ❤️

Celia's formal look ❤️

Trisha's formal look ❤️

Almost nothing made me happier than getting dressed up with Celia and Trisha as we listened to music, singing every word of all of our songs, laughing and smiling together. Slipping on our dresses that took us forever to pick out, fixing our hair all nice, and having fun with our makeup. Almost nothing made me happier than my girls and our time together.

I looked down at my phone, seeing a missed text from Luke.

Almost nothing, I thought to myself.

"So, are the boys meeting us here?" Celia asked. We were at Trisha's house, so I turned to her for the answer.

She nodded, "Yeah! They should be here soon."

Trisha and Davis were obviously going as a couple, but even though Celia was technically my date we agreed that our whole friend group should arrive together. The group being me, Celia, Trisha, Davis, Logan, Gabe, Cameron, and even Jada who Gabe had managed to score a date with.

We focused on getting ready. I curled my hair, a bit dramatically, and tied half of it up into a ponytail. Celia completely straightened her wavy hair, and pinned back a few pieces in the front. Trisha pulled her natural curls up into a gorgeous top knot, allowing a few pieces to move astray to create a causal effect.
When we did our makeup, I applied a glittery smoky eye, and a bold red lipstick. Celia kept her eyeshadow simple, using only one peachy shade, but amped the look up with a gold eyeliner and a nude lip. Trisha created the perfect cut crease eye look, matching her dress, with a glossy lip.

We always had so much fun when we got to experiment with our makeup, which was one of the main reasons we liked to dress up and go out.

Not long after we were officially ready, Jada and the boys arrived. Trisha's parents took plenty of pictures of us, and sent us off on our way. We piled into Logan's purple minivan, which Cameron mercilessly made fun of him for, and blasted our music the whole way there.

We brought the party with us, basically.

When we arrived, we kept the same energy. We danced together, as a group, to all of the fun fast songs. Me and Celia took turns spinning each other around, and dipping the other, and were laughing at the top of our lungs. Trisha and Davis danced closer and closer, as well as Jada and Gabe.

I was having an amazing time, until I looked over out of the gym into the main hallway, and saw Luke watching me.
When our eyes met, he quickly looked away, and kept walking down the hall.

Panicked, I grabbed Celia, pulling her slightly away from the rest of the group

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I just saw Luke!" I said.

"What?" She asked, "What is he doing here?"

I shrugged, "I have no clue."

"Well, go find out!"

"Should I?" I asked, glancing at the main hall.

"Well, of course!" She said, "It's Luke!"

I nodded, and snuck away from the group. I walked down the busy main hall, to the very end, until it was just him and I.
"Luke?" I asked.

He shook his head.
"Mr. Hemmings." He corrected. "We are on school grounds."

I rolled my eyes.

"You look stunning, Madeline." He said softly.

"Thank you." I smiled, but then looked at him, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

He frowned, "Well, it's nice to see you too, sweetheart."

"That's not what I mean." I chuckled, inching closer. "I'm just curious."

"I'm chaperoning." He smirked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, "Why didn't you bring it up? I mean, do you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, doll." He said softly. "But you know how I feel about these boys."

"Well you should know that none of them are relevant." I said. "I'm just here with my friends."

"Go, be with your friends." He smiled, "I'm not here to babysit you, or to make sure you're not getting into trouble. We'll be together soon, but you go enjoy yourself. Okay?"

I sighed, "You know how hard it's going to be for me to stay away from you tonight?"

"Then don't stay too far away," he winked, "I'll be watching."

I rolled my eyes again, but with a smile this time. I subtly blew him a kiss, and spun on my heels back to the gym.

I found my friends, and Celia, and explained to her that Luke was chaperoning. Celia found that hilarious.

As we were dancing, Celia pointed out to me that Luke was watching from the corner. I turned around, and we made eye contact.
I winked, flirtatiously. He grinned.
Knowing he was watching, I took the opportunity to tease him a little while I danced with Celia. The songs were getting a little more scandalous, and I knew it was working. Everytime I looked over he laughed, and bit his lip, only encouraging me to continue.

The mood changed when the first slow song came on.

I started to leave the dance floor, when someone grabbed my arm.
I turned around to see Logan.

"Wanna dance with me?" He asked.

"Uh-"

"Just as friends." He interrupted. "I know you have a boyfriend, but Celia and Cam are dancing as friends, and now we're the only odd ones out."
He laughed, and I did too.

"I, uh-"
I trailed off and turned to face Luke, who looked like he understood. He nodded, and gestured for me to go. I shot him a soft smile.

I turned back around to Logan.
"Sure!"

We lined up with the rest of our friends, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, a tad awkwardly. His arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me closer.

"Come on," he laughed, "you know you're having fun."

"Shut up!" I chuckled back, "I am having fun."

"Hey, listen." He smiled, "You're a really amazing girl, Madeline. I mean that. I like spending time with you. I'm glad that we're friends."

"Logan," I blushed, "that's so nice of you. I'm glad we're friends too, really."

"Hang out with me sometime." He offered. "I promise, I won't overstep my boundaries. Again, I know you have a boyfriend. I just think we have a lot in common. And I know we'd have fun."
He leaned in closer, "Just as friends, of course. Boyfriend doesn't have to know."

I laughed, "You're insane."

He laughed back. He pulled me even closer, and we finished the rest of the song without speaking. Just smiling, and enjoying each other's company.

But when I looked over to check on Luke, he was gone.