-Eleanor Calder-
It was a pretty ordinary set up inside the Civic Centre, not some fancy ballroom or anything. It was just the bland community hall, decorated with a few streamers and balloons, tables and chairs that usually occupied the room were pushed against the far left wall.
A decent sized crowd of girls and boys ranging from around sixteen to maybe nineteen, had formed already in the hall. A band was set up on a stage and were playing cheery music that just a few couples were dancing around to.
Fizzy turned on the mode she usually did in front of boys, flipping her hair over her shoulder dramatically and trying to strut around without actually strutting. She appeared to be right at home, comfortable and confident as a few heads turned to look at her.
I, on the other hand, could not even see myself but assumed that right now I appeared awkward and unco, standing near the entrance, trying to look like I knew what was going on.
"I think I see somebody that I like, El." Fizzy came over and whispered into my ear, staring directly at a boy across the hall as she said so, he was staring right back.
"What about Liam?" I asked. I didn't understand how Fizzy went from boy to boy like that.
"He is a bit annoying really. I'm going to have to pretend that the phone at my house is broken, the cord snapped or something so when he calls next time I don't have to go out with him." she waved her hand around in the air as she explained.
"Just the other day you were saying that you really liked him.." I began to argue but Fizzy cut me off.
"Oh Eleanor, that was the other day. Things change, people change. The world is ever changing!" she rambled brushing the subject off.
I watched as she and that boy across the room made eye contact again. He winked and she giggled awkwardly, standing on her tippy toes to whisper into my ear again. "Should I expect him to come over and talk to me now, or wait for him to ask me to dance?"
"Uh- wait, I think." I replied awkwardly, not really knowing what an appropriate answer was. Fizzy was the one who had so many boyfriends, not me.
I had gone to the same all-girls school since kindergarten, and hardly ever even talked to boys besides my younger brother Niall. Not even really Niall's friends who all seemed to be my age anyway because Niall was so good at cricket which made him really popular. Even amongst older boys.
"Yeah, I think I'll wait." Fizzy confirmed as she bit her lip, pretending not to notice that the boy was pointing her out to his friend.
"Alright, alright." announced a voice over microphone.
Everyone stopped talking and looked up onstage at the man. "Are we all ready?" he asked with enthusiasm. The crowd responded equally, a few people cheering in response.
"Are we all set?" he asked another question, gaining a similar response.
"Then let's go!" He half shouted into the microphone as music with an increased tempo began to play.
I watched in confusion as everyone around me began roaming around like lost puppies trying to find partners. I watched as boys stood straight, trying to square their shoulders and scanned the crowd in search for a lovely looking lady then would ask for their hand.
A few boys caught my eye, as soon as I saw them looking at me I'd quickly blink away, my cheeks turning rosy.
It seemed like almost everyone had a partner. That one boy had gone straight for Fizzy's arm, and she took it gladly, pretending to be surprised. I overheard a small part of her conversation with a boy. "Felicitie, yeah that's my name." she batted her eyelashes and excessively giggled in her flirtatious attempts.
Fizzy's full name was Felicitie, but she only ever introduced herself to any attractive person as that, they were the only people allowed to call her that. If I ever tried to call her by it she would pinch the skin on my earlobe which I hadn't yet pierced. This used to annoy me when we were younger but I was so used to calling her Fizzy now, most of the time I forgot that wasn't her actual name.
After a few songs everyone had gotten well and truly into the partnered dancing, and still no boys had come to ask me, like I'd feared. Then again I was also relieved to not have to try and dance in these shoes and make an awkward conversation with a boy I'd never spoken to and probably never would again.
I went to join the other lonely girls on the benches. Some crying, some reapplying lipstick as they were probably just waiting for heir date who had gone off for a moment, others chatting to their friends.
I sat alone, the loneliest among the lonely girls. Feeling a bit ridiculous with my big polka dotted dress and heels on. I had left my hair how it usually fell when I let it dry on it's own, slightly wavy, but it was smooth. Even though Fizzy had insisted, I wore no makeup besides a touch of lipgloss.
I looked over at the other girls on the benches. Far more beautiful than I was, with prettier dresses and perfect hair and red lipstick. Even if a nice boy did come along, they'd be bound to ask any one of them before me.
That theory seemed to be right at first. A few nice looking boys came up to other girls and asked for their arm or hand.
Until.
Until some boy walked into the hall. He was an hour or so late, he wore just his slacks, a white button up with rolled up sleeves, and black braces. No blazer or tie like the other gentlemen. I think somehow, he managed to pull it off.
He sort of obnoxiously flung the door open, then slammed it. I kept staring at him for a while because he seemed to be quite handsome, despite his under-dressing, he was still one of the best looking boys I'd seen tonight. Not in an interested way of course, more like how I told Niall or my father that they looked handsome ready to go to church on Sunday morning.
His eyes met with mine and my eyes flicked away as fast as I could make them. I still managed to catch his cheeky little, well I couldn't decide whether it was a smile or smirk, but it was something in between there.
The handsome boy walked over to a group of teenagers and greeted a few boys with that handshake all boys seemed to do, where they half hug each other but also slap each other's backs at the same time. Niall did it with his friend Harry every time he saw him.
I tried not to, but still did, watch as he finished greeting his friends and gestured over to the benches with that nod that I think boys considered manly.
My stomach clenched and a few little butterflies began to fly around as he swaggered over towards where I was sitting.
>>>>>
