At the front gates.

We got to school 15 minutes later than the official start time, but it didn’t seem to matter because plenty of other students were also just arriving. Well, it wasn’t like we were keeping anybody waiting. Our whole group was here.

Diana stopped the car in front of the school gates. We were about to start getting out when Amanda called us out. Or rather, called me out.

“Hey, Oliver, what are you doing? You’re supposed to get out first and hold your hand out for your dates!”

I blinked. I looked at the girls with a look that wordlessly asked ‘is that how it works?’

Mila giggled. “Yep. You heard her!”

“It’s only proper,” Lena agreed.

“They’re right, sir,” Diana said. “Please, allow me.” She opened the door and got out of the limo.

“Ah. We’ll use this other door, then,” Kevin said, picking up on the subtle hint.

Well… If it’s the way things are done, then…

Diana opened the door for me and I got out of the car first, fixing my suit a bit trying to stretch any wrinkles on my pants. Then I turned back to the car, seeing that Mila was the first one to hold out her hand.

I could feel the eyes on us. Guys and girls from other classes, mostly. I suppose the limo would draw a lot of attention, but I still didn’t feel comfortable being watched so closely.

“Just imagine you’re finally a rock star, brother,” Isabelle called from the inside of the limo.

That got a snicker out of me. And you know what? Sure.

I held Mila’s hand and helped her step out of the car. Beautiful as she was and in that eye-catching dress, she drew even more eyes to us. Grace and Sarah came after her, then Alice.

“Do you think I should lose the shawl to compete with the others?” she asked me in whispers, grinning teasingly at me.

“If you want, but you look very pretty with that. Very classy,” I told her.

“Okay, you win,” she said with a blush.

Noelle was the last one. She held my hand but kept her eyes on the floor. I think it was partly to avoid tripping in those high-heels but I bet it was mostly out of embarrassment due to how many people were watching us.

“For an internet celebrity, you don’t deal with spectators very well,” I whispered.

That got a giggle out of her. “Yuria’s the expert. Noelle is too shy for crowds. Still, you have a point.” She raised her head and looked around, smiling. “Everyone put a lot of effort into their outfits, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, though I question how much effort the guy in the shorts put,” Sarah said.

Alice chuckled. “Maybe not a lot of effort, but definitely a lot of thought.”

I turned to Diana. “What will you do now?”

“Oh, you know… I’ll go have a cup of coffee with a friend.”

Ah. I chuckled. “Tell your friend I don’t mind if she hitches a ride with us later.”

“Thank you. Now go. This is your night. Don’t worry about me.” After a quick, innocent goodbye, Diana went back into the car.

“Oliver,” Grace got closer to me and pulled on my sleeve, whispering. “We’re going to check on Amanda for a while.”

I nodded. “Good idea. Go.”

“Thanks.” She kissed me on the cheek and the group of girls went ahead while us guys followed closely behind.

Thomas got an arm around my shoulders and shook me playfully as we walked. “Dude, seriously, how did you get a limo?”

“Yeah, I thought we weren’t doing it because it was too expensive,” Kevin said. “How much do we owe you?”

“Nothing. It was… a friend’s gift. He hired it without telling me, so it was too late to refuse.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Ben said. “That was awesome.”

“It was what finally convinced Amanda to come,” Mark said. “So yeah, thanks, Oliver.”

“Okay, so… What happened there?” I asked him in hushed tones.

“Yeah, why were you with Amanda?” Thomas asked him.

“Because she’s my friend, that’s all,” Mark assured us. “I know that if she missed prom she’d end up regretting it as soon as tomorrow.”

“So, uh… Are you sure it’s not because…”

Mark smiled. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m over it. Couldn’t leave a friend alone because of some old insecurities, right?”

“That’s true,” I told him. “Glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Yeah. I think I started feeling better with myself after I stopped worrying about stupid crap.”

“What kind of stupid crap?” Kevin asked him.

“Like… Like I NEEDED to have a girlfriend or something like that. Like I needed to look tough to be… attractive. That shit just made me act in ways I didn’t like, so… Yeah, I guess that stuff people spout about just focusing on yourself has some merit.”

“Proud of you, dude,” Thomas told him with a pat on the back. “Hope you’re not too against meeting someone, though?”

“Who knows?” Mark shrugged.

“Are you going to university?” Ben asked him.

“No. I’m going to start working with my dad. He’s a carpenter and makes awesome furniture. I worked a bit with him this year and ended up liking it.”

“Furniture, huh? He takes commissions?” I asked him.

“Obviously.”

“Then I might just make a few soon.”

We went into the school and inside the gym. It was decorated with big blue curtains along the walls, and along with the tables with white tablecloths spread around, the single chandelier and the six disco balls on the ceiling, it was almost possible to forget this was the gym of our school. Almost. The basketball court floor gave it away pretty easily, but with how full the place was, it wasn’t easy to actually see the floor. Still, it looked nice. There was a stage at the very end of the room, the same one we used for the talent show.

The gym was full of people, some already dancing to the music a DJ was playing, some gathered in groups drinking what I had to believe was just soda.

“25% chance it’s spiked,” Thomas told me. “Be careful what you drink.”

People came up to us to greet us. Mostly just Thomas and the other guys, really, but a few of my classmates came to say hello, too.

In only a few more minutes, prom was in full swing.

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