Open-Hearted

~ A Dance of Flowers ~

   As Spring passed by, I became closer and closer friends with the squad. Of course, Sam never went a day without seeing me. I always had fun when I was around him, and I looked forward to seeing him every day. I'm surprised he never got tired of me.
   My farm was going very well, I made lots of profit off of cauliflower and forgeables. The flower dance nearly snuck up on me, until Abigail asked what I was wearing to the dance. Of course, I freaked out since I love dressing up, and went online looking for the perfect dress.
   Sam and Sebastian did not approve of us online shopping all day, but we still did it anyways. They disliked the dance so they don't care what they wear. Abigail and I eventually found a dress we liked each, and ordered them.
   She found a silk flowy dress with short arm cuffs, and I found a beautiful long sleeve lace dress.

   When the day of the dance came, I made sure to get up early to fix my flower crown and make sure every part of the dress was perfect. Coffee was a total necessity that day as I stayed up late practicing the dance with Abigail.
   I was ready by 8:00, so I had time to water my plants. I made sure to wait until after I was done to put on my white flats. I looked in the mirror to check everything.
   My hair was curled into wavy ringlets. I made sure to cut my bangs as they were growing longer than I liked. I don't like wearing contacts as I think my glasses are cute, so I made sure to make them match my flower crown. The crown was made with an assortment of colors.

   After watching the news, I heard a knock at my door. I didn't hesitate to answer. Of course, my three best friends were waiting outside for me, all of them dressed up nicely. I've never seen the guys so neat before, it was weird.
   "Oh my gosh, your dress is so cute!!" Abigail screamed. She played with my curls and flower crown.
   "I made the crown myself, maybe I can make you one." I responded. I looked over at Sam and his face was quite red. Sebastian elbowed him, grinning.
   "Let's uh.. get going.. we're going to be late." Sam said in a flat tone. I shut the door behind me and all four of us made our way to the dance.
   I had never been to a dance before, so the decorations and the crowd amazed me. It was too normal for them to care. We found a spot in the corner where we could chat.
   "So, you dancing with Haley this year, Sam?" Sebastian joked.
   "In your dreams, Mr. AbbyEveryYear!" He replied. Sebastian exclaimed it was just as friends. I laughed.
   "How does the dance work?" I asked.
   "Well, there's about an hour and a half where we wait for everyone to arrive and grab a partner. Then, we dance. After that, we eat and have an after party." Abigail explained. I nodded in understanding.
   "Picking the partner is my least favorite part.. I always end up with Penny." Sam said, scratching his neck.

   Time flew by, and Mayor Lewis announced that the dance was starting. Couples filled the grass, and started dancing to the music. The four of us were too shy to dance, so we chatted for another five minutes before the parents started urging us to go on.
   "Alright, we're going on.. good luck you two." Sebastian said to us, pulling Abigail onto the grass. Sam looked at me.
   "Uh.. care to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand. His face was turning red again.
   "There's no one else to dance with, why not?" I replied, taking his hand. It was warm and soft, though I could tell he didn't like dancing.

   We started to dance, and I sort of forgot the moves. "Don't be so tense, just follow my lead." Sam said, posing me slightly. It was a bit awkward, but also kind of fun. I stumbled a few times, laughing it out, and it made the vibe feel less formal.
   I looked over at Sebastian and Abigail. Abigail was having the time of her life while Sebastian was begging to stop.
   Spins and turns, stumbles and near falls. Sam and I were doing pretty well! I heard Sebastian sigh with relief as the final chorus of the song played, and Abigail tried her best to cheer Sebastian up.
   "We're going to dip now, okay Liv?" Sam asked. "Don't hold back, I won't let you fall."
   He spun me around, grabbed my waist and dipped me. He smiled to me. He seems to love smiling.
   He brought me back up, as the song had ended. The parents clapped as we exited the grass. We met back up with Sebastian and Abigail at our original spot, and we talked for a while.

   "God, I hate this dance!" Sebastian exclaimed.
   "You did fine! It's only once a year anyways." Abigail responded, folding her arms.
   "Yeah, you guys didn't fall four times!" I laugh-shouted.
   "Sam was just too nervous to save you." Sebastian teased. Sam blushed.
   "I led her, we did better than you guys!" He shouted. I laughed.
   "Looks like it's time to eat, let's find a table for us." Abigail said, looking through the crowd to find an empty table. Sam led me through so I wouldn't get lost, and we all sat down at a table together.
   "We finally have a fourth person to fill the empty seat!" Sam exclaimed, smiling at me.
   "I'm glad I could be here, it's quite fun!" I responded, smiling back.

   The food came to our table. We got sandwiches with fruit and a flower garnish. "This is nicer than my regular meals!" I exclaimed, putting my napkin on my lap.
   "Oh, look at Olivia, being proper." Sebastian said, completely ignoring being clean.
   "I can't ruin my dress!" I said back, carefully taking a bite out of the sandwich.
   "Sam wouldn't want you to ruin it either." Sebastian joked, wincing as Sam kicked him under the table.
   I pretended to ignore that and continued to eat my sandwich.