𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐃

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Twenty-Four

    The actual dance was subpar, but that was how most, if not all high school dances were. The point was that this one meant something — everything. Being on the dance floor with her two best friends and Edison while dancing to songs that came out in 2008 probably shouldn't seem as fun as it does in the moment, but all that really mattered was that they were having fun.

    Something about dances is how they sort of tend to go by in a blur, but this one was different. Every moment that Nora got to spend dancing with Edison she just wanted to slow down and soak in because this was undoubtedly the best she had ever felt.

    The two had been getting progressively closer as they danced, but just as the two were about to kiss on the crowded dance floor under the cover of darkness, the music cut out and microphone feedback could be heard. Screw administration for being a cockblock.

    "All right, folks, it's that time of the night!" the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Torrigan, announced through the microphone, "Can I get my princes and princesses to the stage please?"

    "That's you, Nora, go!" Kristen exclaimed as she excitedly pushed her friend to the front.

Unfortunately, she was ushered through the crowd so quickly she didn't even get to say goodbye to Edison. She stepped up on stage with three other girls and a sash was placed over her along with the others. Three boys stepped up as well and Nora was displeased to see Mason there, his broken nose nothing more than a few bruises now. She smirked slightly, remembering the righteous punch Edison had delivered so long ago. Being on this stage in front of everyone, Nora had never felt more bare to the world. Even with the lights on, she couldn't see Kristen, Amarie, or Edison from the stage and she hated it. The feeling of dread settling in her stomach wouldn't go away as her hands fidgeted with each other while Mrs. Torrigan waited for everything to be settled.

"North Ridgepoint High, Please welcome your 2019 prom court!" the woman announced and the crowd clapped passionately. She hadn't expected such hype for a silly thing, but the applause did feel a little nice. The girl really only cared if a certain girl was clapping. Speaking of which, her eyes finally landed on Edison, but something seemed off about her. The girl almost looked distressed, but Nora couldn't quite place the emotion on her face. Either way, Edison was visibly uncomfortable and the question as to why that was wouldn't leave Nora's mind.

"Now, first, this year's prom King is..." she hesitated as she opened up an envelope and pulled out a card. What was this, the Oscars? "Mason Fitzgerald!"

Yup... that was so painfully expected. Of course, Mason could publicly cheat on his girlfriend and still win prom king. What a joke. Now Nora almost wanted to win solely so she could spite him, but that would also require doing the idiotic queen and king slow dance which she was not game for. She may have gotten an apology from Mason, but when it came to him she was not going to simply forgive and forget.

After the applause ceased, Mrs. Torrigan was handed another envelope. "And your 2019 prom Queen is... Nora Watson!"

Time slowed down. Damn, she owed Kristen twenty dollars. Her eyes locked with Edison's all the way from the stage. She stepped up to where Mrs. Torrigan stood as a crown was placed on her head and a bouquet thrust into her arms. She hadn't taken her friends seriously, but holy shit, she was prom queen. Even though this moment was going to be nothing but a blip in the timeline of her life, it felt like a dream at the moment. Her eyes met Edison's gaze once again, but this time the girl was clearly upset as she watched the girl turn around and push through the crowd to escape the venue at rapid speed. Time restarted.

Mrs. Torrigan was saying something about the dance and Mason looked incredibly proud of himself, but Nora stopped listening a long time ago. All the talking and applause faded to white noise as she could only concentrate on one thing at the moment. There were two decisions she could make: She could dance with her ex-boyfriend in front of the entire school or she could chase after the girl she wished was hers. Yeah, Nora may not be straight, but her priorities sure as hell were. Dropping the bouquet, she hiked up her dress and ran off the stage as quickly as she could in her high heels. Everyone in the crowd stopped as she pushed through and she was fairly certain someone controlling a spotlight was following her, but she didn't have a singular care in the world about everyone else right now. The pressure of hundreds of eyes on her at once was sweltering, but that was something she was going to have to deal with later. Pushing through the doors, she let them shut behind her and breathed a sigh of relief as no one followed her outside. Kristen and Amarie must have noticed Edison leave and decided to let the two of them sort out whatever this was. Speaking of sorting this out, Nora had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Edison, wait!" Nora called out to the girl who was just on the edge of the curb. The dark-haired girl stopped in her path, but she didn't turn around, not yet. "What's going on? Why'd you leave?"

"I'm pretty sure you just stood someone up for a dance," Edison called back with a sigh. She turned to the side, but didn't fully face Nora.

Getting fed up with the game, the blonde stepped closer to her and commanded, "At least look at me before you leave me standing here."

So, Edison followed instructions. When their eyes locked, Nora saw everything the girl was feeling in her eyes. Tears were beginning to well in the corners of her eyes and all Nora wanted to know was why.

"What's going on?" Nora asked, although it left her lips as more of a beg than anything else. "Not just tonight, but everything. Why have you been so wishy washy with this? With us? Just once, I want answers from you."

"Face it, Nora," Edison spoke, but her voice was strained; broken. "Me and you are just... different. I'm the girl who is expected to drop out and become some gas station attendant and end up alone in a shitty apartment struggling to make ends meet. You, you're going places. You're going to be something and we'll probably be seeing your name making headlines one day."

Nora sighed, "What the hell do our futures have to do with the past few months? With tonight?"

"Watching you getting crowned on that stage with Mason and his stupid, shit-eating grin next to you just made me realize that you and I aren't the type of people that are supposed to end up together. Girls like you end up with boys like Mason and I'm just the phase, the experiment, the discovery. Seeing you up there, I knew that I am never going to be your girl, but that is all I've wanted."

Shock ran through her veins, nothing in her knew what could be said in this moment. So, Nora didn't say anything. Instead, she grabbed Edison by the lapels and kissed her with as much passion as she felt for the girl inside. Edison melted instantly as her hands found Nora's waist and the two took in one another. Her lips were soft as ever, but there was fire behind them as there always was. Kissing Edison was everything to Nora and all she wanted to do was communicate how much she truly felt for the girl. Everything left unsaid being spoken through kisses under the stars seemed to be their thing.

When they pulled away, Nora pressed her forehead against the other girl's and sighed, biting her lip. Edison still looked conflicted, but Nora brought her hands up to cup the girl's cheeks softly as their eyes never left each other's. Nora already knew her face was desperate, pleading for a chance at this moment.

"Carolina..." This became her last ditch effort. Nora knew this was a risk, after all, she remembered what happened the last time she tried to call the girl by her first name. However, the girl didn't stop her, "Carolina, you have always been my girl."

"You don't mean that," Edison shook her head, finally breaking the eye contact as she pushed away from Nora. "You can't."

"We spent so many nights staring at the stars and trying to find the meaning in everything in our lives and what we were feeling. So many hours under the stars I have spent with you and so many nights you gazed up at the night sky and admired its beauty. You look up at that sky and you feel love, you feel at home in the infinity and uncertainty. Most importantly, you see the wonder. The whole time, every moment we spent under the stars, I was looking at you. I was always looking at you."

Their gazes met for one last moment and everything left unsaid could be seen in her eyes. The shimmer of moonlight reflected in their glowing honey hue. There was still so much between them, but this felt so painstakingly like an ending. So many words they still had to say, but in that look it was over.

She was silent for a moment, but Nora preferred the emptiness to what Edison said next. "I'm sorry, Nora. I really am."

With those final six words, Edison left Nora standing there with her makeup running and her crown crooked on her head. The feelings going through Nora's mind were indescribable, but the best way to picture it was if her heart was lying on the sidewalk next to her. She knew they had to finish the conversation from the other night, she just wished this wasn't how it ended.

Yet, here it was: Over. She was alone. Not to mention, now she didn't have a ride home.