Happily Unhappy: Season 3

Season 3, Episode 20: The Last Waltz

Octavia sits on the velvet stool in front of Lynn's vanity mirror in her bedroom, patiently waiting for Aisha to finish doing her hair for prom.
Octavia is glad that she was invited to get ready with the rest of the girls for prom but like always, she kind of feels left out of the group. It's not because her dress isn't as extravagant as everybody else's or that she hasn't been posting sneak peaks to Instagram every chance she gets, but because they're all seniors and she's still just a junior. This is their last high school dance they will ever go and Octavia couldn't be more jealous. In just a couple short weeks, they will be walking across the stage to be handed their diploma and they'll do the classic turning of the tassel thing and then they'll throw it up in the air in slow motion like they do in the movies. Octavia, on the other hand, will be the only member left in trauma club next year and the realization is just now starting to settle in.
"Josie, when we take pictures with Harrison, you can stand on his right side," Celine tells Josie, puckering her lips in front of her hand mirror. "I look so much better on my left."
"Will do." Josie responds from the other side of the room, holding a curling iron to her long locks of brown hair.
Josie and Celine are apparently both going to the dance with Harrison-- which is odd because didn't Celine have a crush on him at one point? And Josie is his ex. The whole thing is weird but since Honor obviously can't attend, they're making do with what they have so kudos to them.
"Speaking of dates, Octavia, please tell me you aren't bringing Eli," Ophelia says, coming back into the room after applying a full face of makeup in the bathroom.
Octavia shudders and pretends she doesn't hear her. Okay, maybe she does feel a little pathetic asking Eli to go to prom with her, judging by what he did with Elena... twice. But, the two of them have been getting back on track and he's constantly making an effort to show that he feels sorry for what he did and he wants to make things right.
Octavia has always been confident in who she is and has never given a crap about what anyone says about her. She speaks her mind and faces whatever reactions she might endure. But when it comes to Eli, she doesn't necessarily want to go bragging that the two of them are still together because she knows it will make her look stupid and girls like these don't stand for guys like Eli.
"You are, aren't you?" Ophelia stands behind her in the mirror, her hands on her hips. "Octavia, you deserve so much better than him."
"Ophelia's right." Lynn is seated on her bed in a silk robe, just waiting to put on her dress. "He doesn't deserve you if he treats you like that."
"People make mistakes." Octavia thinks of an excuse. "That's not a crime, is it?"
"There's a difference between a mistake once and doing it again for another time," Aisha points out from above her, finishing a little braid in the back of Octavia's head. "I know it's hard if you love him and everything but there are other guys out there."
Octavia twists the ruby red ring on her finger, biting the inside of her cheek. She knows they're right about all of this but she can't bring herself to do anything about it. It would hurt too much.

Celine thinks Octavia is an idiot, no offense to the girl. But how is she going to sit around with someone that doesn't appreciate her? Celine will be the first to admit that she isn't the biggest fan of Octavia but that's not because she doesn't like her, she just doesn't agree with the way she handles herself. Octavia walks around screaming for attention with her green hair and out of this world outfits. Celine has the magic to grab attention when she isn't even asking for it.
But, with Connor being dead, Celine is focusing on turning over a new leaf. She doesn't want to be the same bitter bitch she's been for the last three years. She wants to be better, she wants to make her dad proud. There are so many things she didn't have the chance to tell him before he passed so now, she gets to try and live her life proving that she's not such a monster.
Celine opens her laptop up on Lynn's bed as the other girls dive into talk about Honor not being here with them. She decides to zone them out because honestly, talking about Honor crashes her mood. She asked Ms. Torres if that makes her a bad person and she told her that it doesn't, that it's completely normal for her to feel this way. Honor could live the rest of her life in a coma before finally dying. Or, she could wake up years from now and have no memory of how to do life. The doctors said that obviously, her waking up sooner will be better for her when it comes to walking and talking and doing everyday things. But it's not looking too good yet.
"What the hell?" Celine mumbles to herself when she opens up her emails. Since she didn't get into Columbia, she has been scrambling to apply to every performing arts school in the city, desperate that one or two or maybe all of them will accept her and schedule her for an audition.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts emailed her back. Celine had applied days ago and even called to explain that she knows it's short notice but her dad died as of recently so life has been hard. Yes, maybe this still makes her a monster by playing the dead dad card but they don't need to know that they've already spent years ignoring each other. She will leave details to their imagination.
"What could you possibly be doing?" Lynn asks her sister, poking her leg. "Today is prom. We're supposed to be enjoying this, remember?"
"Oh. My. God." Celine stares at the screen, her eyes flickering to the date attached the email. It was sent the day after she applied.
"What's wrong?" Lynn asks.
"Apparently they scheduled my audition for today," Celine tells her as Josie and Ophelia head out of the room to do Josie's makeup across the hall. Aisha and Octavia are in quiet conversation in front of the mirror, discussing what else Octavia wants done with her hair. "Today. As in prom."
Lynn's eyes widen. "Well what are you doing just sitting there? Get ready!"
"It's not until seven." Celine scrunches up her face, reading the screen. She feels like she's about to puke. She tosses her computer off her lap and gets up off the bed. "I'm freaking out."
"What?" Aisha calls over her shoulder. "Did you lose an eyelash?"
"My audition for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts is today and I didn't even know," Celine roars, looking at Lynn for help. "What am I supposed to do? I can't go there. I have prom."
"Well, which one is more important?" Lynn asks her as though she already knows the answer.
Celine studies her. "Is that a serious question? Because if so, I am offended."
"Celine, this is your future." Lynn rises from the bed, too. "Yes, senior prom happens one time in your entire life but college is way more important than a school dance."
Celine bites down on her gelled nails. "Lynn, I cannot miss prom. This is what every eighties movie leads up to."
"No, it isn't," Octavia says casually from the mirror. "Have you ever even seen a movie from the eighties?"
"It doesn't matter." Lynn ignores Octavia and is still focused on Celine. "Prom doesn't dictate what college you get into."
Celine shakes her head. If there is one thing that she has learned since Mateo's death and Honor's injury and her father dying, it's that life is too short. Celine isn't going to let the future keep her from living today up to the fullest. It's prom. That only comes around once. There are thousands of colleges out there she can try getting into after today. That can be tomorrow's problem.