Planning the prom, though stressful and made me want to chew off my own head, was something I'll never forget. The room was beautiful, the night was cool and crisp, the DJ was supposed to be very good (he certainly priced like he was), and the catering was ready to go. I had a camera crew ready to take photographs, and it seemed like everything was perfect.
Everything except for me. I was sweating as I left to go home, my hair was piled on my head in an unflattering mop of tangles that was damp with sweat and my body was exhausted. Party planning and decorating was not what I wanted to do with my life, though I was happy to be able to give my class the prom they deserved.
The prom that started in 3 hours and I didn't even have a dress. I felt restless as I drove home, already thinking about everything in my closet. What could I use as a prom dress? I was on the verge of getting more and more frustrated as I stomped up to my room. Everyone was going to be wearing these gorgeous dresses and I was going to be wearing sweats. Just my luck.
I went straight to the bathroom to shower, avoiding the catastrophe that would become my room once I'd looked through every item of clothing I'd owned. At the very least, I could borrow something of Lydia's. We weren't exactly the same size, and I was taller than her so her short dresses would look like my long shirts, but it would do in a pinch. I shaved what felt like every part of my body except for my hair and eyebrows and ended up showering for an hour before I finally turned off the water. I toweled out my hair then wrapped it around my body and walked back to my room.
I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my mom's dress practically glowing as it laid out on my bed, and there was a note sitting on top of it. I picked up the note, feeling my chest constrict happily as I read it.
I had it specially cleaned. Wear it tonight. I'll pick you up at 7. I love you. -Stiles
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My breath felt a little harder to come by as I ran my hands down the beautiful dress. What was once dull and covered in a layer of dust was now bright and vibrant. I forgot to breathe for a moment, and I inhaled deeply when my chest did funny leaps.
It was perfect. I knew getting this dress rush-order cleaned was most likely not cheap at all, but I was excited and terrified to wear it.
I got ready in a shorter amount of time than I would've liked, but I still managed quite easily. I did simple makeup since that's really all I knew how to do, but I fussed with my hair for an hour before I got it to sit the way I wanted. It was curled and in an up-do, but I had a few curled pieces dangling around my face. It wasn't a professional hairstyle, that much was clear, but I felt confident that it wouldn't matter much tonight. It was bound to come down anyway.
When it was finally time to put on the dress, I stopped, staring at it as I stood in the middle of my room in my panties. I couldn't wear this dress. It was my mother's favorite. What if it didn't fit? Or what if it looked bad on me? Or what if-?
