SETTLE DOWN, matty healy

Chapter 37: Paris

Song Selection: Disillusion by ABBA

Oh I'm sure you're well aware of the utter cliché. Girl dresses up for her senior prom, goes with her love at the time, two kids during a slow song, it's in every teen coming of age movie; Molly Ringwald was the absolute star of the genre. I, however, am merely stuck within the plot of the film without particularly being fond of being the main character. If anything the job holds too much pressure.

"Emma for Christ sake!" I jumped for a moment, breaking away my thought process for a moment to have Anna snapping across from me in the salon. "We're deciding where to take pictures? The deco in front of the arts museum or the flower garden with the gazebo at the park."

I turned to Ryder expectantly as she mouthed an answer to me. "The deco at the museum?" I said, trying to make out what I was meant to say in order to please her.

"It's in agreement then!" Ryder laughed at this under her breath as I did the same.

Anna obviously cared about most of these things as opposed to us. We just go along with her because you can't help to make sure the blessed thing gets a good day out of it all.

Managing to not budge the hair within an intricate braiding on my head the drive back to my place where I hosted our finishing touches, I looked up to the driveway to see an unfamiliar car. "Christ did my mom invite the family over to see this?" Thinking the thought to myself, the idea was something out of her own behavior.

Ryder and Anna looked confused beside me as well. "Doesn't seem like your mom to throw something on you like that? Bit weird-" I unlocked the door for the three of us to hear my parents laughing rather loudly in the living room. Turning the corner I noticed another figure in front of them, holding my breath for a moment.

"Oh Emma your friend is absolutely lovely!" My mother said to me.

Charles turned to me with a small shrug of the shoulders, holding a small corsage in his hands in a small box for me as he had a matching one on his suit. "Surprise?"

I blinked stupidly to him in surprise, Ryder and Anna pushing themselves past me to introduce themselves. "Ah! You're Charles then! Oh we've heard about you a bit, y'know," Anna said, crossing her arms to him.

He only laughed at their interaction. "You can calm me Charlie, actually. Emma started the whole Charles thing as a bit to tease me."

"No, Charles can do just fine actually," Ryder said before turning over to me. "We'll just head up to your room so you two can catch up." Leaving the two of us alone in the middle of my house left me more dazed than I already seemed to be.

He continued to innocently stand there looking down to me as I tried to find something to say to him. "We took a family trip to Disneyland and since our hotel was around here, I had gotten into contact with Ryder on how to get by your place. She told me you guys had your prom tonight?"

"So you're-"

"I'm asking you if I can take you to prom."

Is John Hughes directing my life, Christ.

I laughed at this to only shake my head, hugging him tightly. "I can't believe you showed up here?"

He held me tightly to laugh along with me. "I'd be thinking about not having shown up and taken the chance if I didn't," Charles explained.

Turning back up I raised a finger to him raising awkwardly. "I'll be down in like 5-"

"I think I can handle waiting however much longer, rose." Remembering his nickname for me I smiled to him, rushing up the stairs to get ready with Anna and Ryder.

Seeing as the rest of the night, including our rather hysterical photo shoot in which the four of us could not for our lives be the slightest bit serious over anything, I expected nothing more than the full experience. You dance, you laugh, you go home.

Now that's the normal experience to which I so desperately wanted to come to fruition.

The generic electric music from the DJ continued to blare throughout the venue, having me sigh deeply along the sidelines as I took a break. I looked over to see Charles rather fixated upon everything to laugh under my breath. "What, you don't like it?"

He shook his head with a wide-grin. "Paris looks different here is all." Referring the school's budget of a homemade Eiffel Tower from the Art club as the main centerpiece along with the café decor from the party store, I couldn't help to admire the attempt. I looked ahead to see Anna and Ryder taking photos by the lights aside, smiling to myself at their own personal bubble they've made. "Didn't take you to want to go to one of these y'know? Teen angst seemed to be your forte."

I shrugged my shoulders as I leaned over to him. "I may be melodramatic, but I will sadly always yearn to be a basic teenager." Our laughter over this was soon interrupted by the switch of the DJ to announce the Prom King and Queen. Being distracted myself by others around me, I hadn't taken the time to see what faculty had shown up to supervise this time around.

Seeing a mess of curls adorned fairly nicely with a paired floral suit, I was soon seated alert at the sight. He hadn't noticed me from when I looked to him standing there to have me wonder if he'd even been paying any attention to see if I'd shown up. "Now's time for our slow song for tonight in honor of our prom king and queen. Grab someone and enjoy this moment," The DJ spoke aloud.

A sense of deja vú began as I sat there for a moment in bewilderment. Charles stood before me after this to extend a hand out to me. I took his hand as he pulled me back down to the dance floor to hold me close. "May I have this dance?"

The comparison continued to drive me mad. It felt wrong, it was all wrong. This- this isn't the moment I wanted even if it's the moment that was the best for me.

to be continued.