Someday, I'll Find My Way Home

Karl is on a debut!

I didn't buy the excuse from my teachers in high school when they said about the real reason for the high school prom--to prepare us for formal occasions in the future. But now, I do think that they were right on that one.

My friends and I went back to the venue after thirty minutes of eating cheap food and talking about weird things our classmates do that we found out. Then, Paula minded her own business because according to her, she "should be the second most beautiful girl in the party" because she "wouldn't steal Candace's thunder tonight."

There were three enclosed pavilions when we crossed the Main Building. These pavilions were separated to each other by large Narra and Acacia trees, with a small pond running in the sides for the multi-colored koi. We went to the event house on the right where we saw our blocmates hanging out on the veranda.

I was astonished on the architecture of this place. The veranda were lined with different species of orchids, and the windows had little orange spotlights highlighting the whole venue. The brick walls and benches were lined with steel to make it a bit modern. The left side of the entrance was the restrooms, so we headed there and changed our clothes.

It took me five minutes to change. I kept on pressing the small creases in the middle of my polo to make it straight. I ran my eyes in front of the full-body mirror and evaluate how I look.

Miserable. A little bit presentable. I shrugged my shoulders. This is fine for me.

I heard a loud tsk from Axel, who was fixing his hair in front of the mirror. He was a natural in these occasions. He wore a suit, with a garnet polo underneath and matched with a white and maroon tie. Compared to him, I was totally underdressed, but this wasn't a competition.

He signaled me to come near him. "Come here. I'll fix your hair for you."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Tsk."

With the help of his hair spray, he combed my hair upward. My lips started to form a smile as I notice the improvement of my appearance. I do look a little cute if I made an effort to dress up. 

"There. You look like a normal person now," Axel said. I elbowed his hips and gave him the middle finger. He laughed while we walked out of the restroom.

Paula was already waiting for us outside, tapping her heels and tapping her phone quietly on the side with Marvin, who was playing games in his phone. She wore a burgundy maxi dress with a high slit on her left thigh that highlighted her curves, arms, and her legs. She matched her dress with white heels and a while sling bag. Her hair was  tied in a bun with a flower on top.

"You look beautiful," Axel complimented her. When she noticed us, she put her phone on her small bag and wrapped her arms to Axel.

"Thanks," she said. She looked at me. "Look at our baby, you look like a normal person now."

"It's just for today, so make the most of it."

I tapped Marvin, who was still busy on his phone. He was wearing an all-black long sleeve, with a white handkerchief at the chest pocket. Without leaving his eyes on the screen, he stood up and followed us inside the hall.

I admit that this was different from what I imagined, but if I was Candace, this was the one I would like. The whole venue was covered with silk velvet cloth, draped on the ceiling with some ornamental red flowers. Fairy lights hanged in the walls like glitters in the sky. 

The spotlight was focused on the stage, which has a simple maroon sofa, a wood background with vines of flowers and her name in the middle, crates of flowers on the side, plus the boxes of presents below.