A surprise on the big day.

“Stay still, dammit!”

“Get away, that’s too tight!”

“Suck it up!”

“I’m not gonna suck it up! It’s too damn tight!”

I stepped away from Isabelle and fixed my tie myself. Seriously, that was way too uncomfortable. Any tighter and she would’ve choked me.

I took a final look at myself in the mirror of Isabelle’s room. Prom day had finally arrived and I already had my full suit on. I really don’t know much about clothes, so I still had an unsure look on my face.

“I’m telling you, you look amazing,” Isabelle insisted.

“I still don’t know why you insisted on this one so much.”

“Because it fits you the best.”

When I told the girls I needed to get myself a suit for prom, they were quick to tell me they wouldn’t help me find one under the reasoning that they wanted it to be a surprise. But like I said, I really don’t know much about clothes, much less formal attires, so I went to my only other option: my sister. She helped me pick one up from the 12 she had me try out.

This one was the last of those 12, and honestly I didn’t see the difference between this one and the 7 other black suits I tried. It did feel more comfortable than the others, and I think that’s what Isabelle meant. The others made my arms and legs look weird. This one was form fitting yet loose enough to feel comfortable. I did really like how the wine red shirt looked with it. It made it seem more like I was going to a party instead of a funeral. Shining black shoes and a black tie completed the outfit, and… I felt it was a bit generic, but at the same time the last thing I wanted was to stand out with a crazy suit.

Isabelle herself looked really good, too. I eyed her up and down and smiled at her. “That fits you well, too. It’s pretty tasteful.”

She had a sleeveless one piece dress on. Black and glimmery, form fitting and reaching just below her knees. She had her hair up in a neat bun she had done like two hours ago at the hairdresser.

Isabelle took the compliment in stride, doing a little spin with her high heels. “Thanks! I didn’t want anything too flashy, but just because I’m going with a friend doesn’t mean I don’t have to put some effort in.”

Still hard to believe the day finally came. Actually, I’m not even sure if prom arrived without me realizing it or if it seemed like it would never come. I was looking forward to it, yet I’d been so busy with other things like work, the potion making business, the house…

“What are you doing after prom?” I asked Isabelle. “Will you be going to an after-party or something?”

“Maybe, if I’m in the mood. But then again…”

“Oliver, Isabelle, the limo is here!” mom called from the first floor. “Actually, which one of you hired a limo!?”

Isabelle and I blinked at each other. “Thomas actually hired a limo?” I asked her.

“Wait? He didn’t tell me anything. Are you saying that’s not yours?”

We couldn’t hold back our curiosity and ran down the stairs and out the front door. There, parked at the side of the road, was a white limo. A stretch limo if you wanted to be specific. And just outside, waiting by the driver seat in a formal gray suit was…

“D-Diana!?” Isabelle and I exclaimed in unison.

Diana smiled and bowed. “Good evening, Mr. Oliver. My name is Diana Black. I’ll be your driver for the night.”

I blinked again, and this time a couple of key moments came back to mind. Luke had told Diana she only had one job tonight, and Maria had let it slip that there was something I didn’t know was gonna happen.

“Did… Did Luke put you up to this?” I asked her with a resigned smile.

“Yes and no,” she told me, grinning. “He wanted to hire a limo for you. I volunteered to drive it.”

Seriously, Luke is SO DAMN EXTRA. Still, I can't say I didn’t find it exciting, and it was already here. “Say… How many people fit in there?”

“In this one? About 15 people can comfortably travel here.” Diana said with a knowing smile. She totally knew what I was thinking already.

“Wanna travel in style?” I asked Isabelle.

“DO I? Holy shit, Oliver, please!” was her answer as she physically stopped herself from jumping in excitement.

“Would you mind waiting a bit? I need to make some calls,” I told Diana.

“Please, sir, take your time, but remember that the event starts in an hour and a half.” She was totally into her role. Bless her. And I was reaching for my phone in my pocket when she made a comment that almost made me drop it. “And may I say you look positively dashing tonight.”

Isabelle and even my mother behind us laughed while I practically juggled my phone. After recovering with a deep sigh, I called Thomas.

“Hey, hey! Don’t tell me something came up! You have no excuse not to go!” Sheesh, he didn’t even say hello first.

“Want to go to prom in a limo?” I asked him.

“W-Wait, huh?”

“Want to go to prom in a limo? Yes or no?”

“Uh… Y-Yes!”

“Cool. We’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

I hung up without saying more. What’s prom without a little panic and confusion?

Thomas wasn’t the only one I had in mind, though. The next one I called was Kevin.

“Oliver? What’s up, man! Getting ready? Can I help you with something?”

“Kevin, you didn’t actually hire a limo for tonight, did you?”

“Hm? Oh, of course not! I can’t afford it. Why?”

“Want to come with us in one? Call Lena and ask her when she’ll be ready. We’ll pick you up.”

“Wait, what the fuck!? You serious?”

“Do I ever joke?”

“Sometimes, but dude! DUDE! Thanks man! I’ll text you back immediately.”

“No worries. I still need to make a couple more calls.”

I called Ben. Asked him if he had a date. Said he didn’t because his girlfriend couldn’t make it. Said he’d still go to prom and also said yes to hopping on the limo with us.

I called Mark, too, but he didn’t answer. Called again, no answer. I got a text immediately after.

-Mark: Sorry, I’ll call you back. Can’t talk right now.

-Mark: Or we’ll talk at prom. See you there.

Odd, but I guess everyone has stuff to deal with.

I… didn’t have Amanda’s number. I’d have to ask the girls to call her later.

That made 10 of us, maybe 11 and 12 if we counted Diana, but she was in the driver seat. Hey, we suddenly had a free limo. Might as well make use of it.

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