city of stars [a retell of the celestial ball]

the election

By the time Bill and I finally reached the library, the rest of our friends were already there, chatting quite loudly among themselves in front of Madam Pince's desk.

"SHH! SHHHHHHH!" was all Madam Pince could say as she continuously waved her hands in the air in an effort to quiet everyone down.

To say I was nervous just for Penny would be an understatement. After all, she held this so near and dear to her, that losing it would mean that my efforts would have been a waste. Of course a lot of the students in our year knew of Penny--but everyone would judge her the same way they would any other person. Some would come to love her, others would probably turn their nose up at the mere mention of her name. It seemed like a lot was riding on this election alone, and if Penny lost, I would forever be sorry for not trying hard enough to help her.

Speaking of Penny, I was quick to notice her waving at me and Bill, and I nodded as I went over to her. "How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"This election is making me feel really anxious," Penny admitted with a light laugh. "But at least I have faith in everyone. Thank you for coming to support me."

"So what's the starry theme that you had in mind?" Bill questioned, raising an eyebrow in intrigue.

Penny practically glowed with excitement as she turned to Bill. "Picture stellar centrepieces, and a dance floor that twinkles like the night sky!"

I couldn't even imagine what the dance would look like with Emily's planet idea. Would the floor resemble a dirty rocky surface like one you'd see on the moon, with craters and other material? Then again, the term "celestial" could refer to anything in the sky--comets could be floating around for all I knew. Still, I knew Penny's starry theme would fly without a hitch. Everyone loved comparing a starry night to something romantic, or even something fun that would bring friends closer. It's better to relate the theme to something we see everyday instead of throwing us figuratively into the asteroid belt and have us float around like lost aliens.

"It certainly sounds...starry," Bill said with a nod.

Just then, who should turn up but Pink Posh Poo, sizing us up without the usual posse flocking behind her. I turned toward her immediately, eyes narrowing at the usual horrible choice of outfit--simply seeing her now made me want to stick my tongue out at her in sheerest disgust.