Prom?

EVERETT

I look down from my office window and see Aurora standing in the front lawn.

The word “PROM?” is written out in big, white, fluffy pillows—the same ones that I bought to keep her safe in the packhouse.

She smiles up at me brightly. Goddess, that always makes me melt.

After the week we’ve had, and the way I’ve treated her, I can’t believe she’s taken the time to do something like this for me.

“I’m coming down!” I yell out to her. I close my office window and run down the stairs and out onto the lawn, where she is waiting for me.

I wrap her into a hug as I look around at the display that she made.

“Why’d you do all this?” I ask her.

“It’s a human tradition to prom-pose to someone in a big way,” she says to me. “It’s no secret garden, but this is all I really had time for since the prom is this Friday.”

“~This~ Friday?” I ask her, my face falling.

“Oh Goddess…,” she says, instantly sensing that something is wrong. “What’s the matter with Friday?”

“There is an alpha inauguration,” I tell her. “The new alpha of the Red Moon Pack is officially taking over for Nickolas and all of the alphas in the region will be attending.”

“Oh,” she says, her face falling to the ground. “I didn’t know…”

“I should have told you,” I say. “But it’s not customary for the lunas to be in attendance so I didn’t think to mention it.”

I can tell that she’s really disappointed. We just keep coming up on the same problem over and over again: our schedules and worlds just can’t seem to align.

“I’m sorry, Aurora,” I tell her, “but I just can’t miss the alpha inauguration. It will be seen as a sign of disrespect to the Red Moon Pack.

“And besides, I need to vet the new guy and make sure that he’s ~nothing~ like his predecessor.”

“I get it,” Rory says. “It sounds important.”

She turns and starts to gather the pillows off of the lawn.

~Goddess…~

~I feel awful.~

“It’s probably for the best, Rory,” I tell her. “You saw what happened last night... I nearly shifted in front of one of your friends. What if something like that happens again?”

“You’re right,” she says. “It’s for the best.”

But in her voice, I can hear the deep hurt.

I help her gather the rest of the pillows off of the lawn and carry them back into the packhouse.

“Aurora,” I say to her as she starts up the stairs.

“Yes?”

“If you want to go to a dance together, we can host one here when things have settled down a bit,” I say, trying to make it up to her.

“Alright,” she says.

“I really ~am~ sorry,” I tell her.

“I know,” she says. “Me too.”

With that, she disappears up the stairs.

~“You’re losing her,”~ Chaos growls. And I feel a pang in my chest, knowing that he just might be right.

RORY

I get to my room, feeling totally disappointed and embarrassed.

I thought that if I asked in a romantic way, then Everett would definitely agree to go to the prom with me. It didn’t occur to me that there would be ~yet another~ pack obligation conflicting with it.

And I know better than to ask him to try to attend both, after I showed up horribly late to our own mating ceremony.

~We just can’t seem to catch a break, huh?!~

I pull a history textbook out of my backpack and open it up. I’m ready to get my mind off of this whole prom thing when my phone starts buzzing in my pocket.

Freya

HEY !

Freya

Get ur ass to the mall now.

Freya

I need some serious dress advice.

Rory

You’re the fashion expert!!!

Freya

I thought so too

Freya

But I’m having a total identity crisis

Freya

Come quick

Going dress shopping is the farthest thing from taking my mind off of prom, but it sounds like Freya really needs my help.

I toss the book down on the floor.

~You know what they say…~

~Friendship before finals!~

***

Standing in the dressing room with Freya, I’m getting total déjà vu of picking out my mating ceremony dress.

Freya is trying on outfit after outfit and is completely and utterly dissatisfied with all of them.

“I must be getting my period soon,” Freya says, “because every single one of these dresses is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“You’ve looked beautiful in all of them,” I tell her.

“But I don’t ~feel~ beautiful,” she says.

I remember the words that Mama told me when I was doing the fitting with her and Ophelia, and I repeat them to Freya now.

“When you put on the right one, you’ll know it,” I say to her. “I promise.”

“What about you?” she says to me. “What are you gonna wear?”

“Actually,” I say softly, “I’m not going.”

“UM…EXCUSE ME?!” she shrieks.

In a flash, there is a knock on the dressing room door.

“Do you guys need any help in there?” an attendant asks.

“No,” I say. “My friend is just being dramatic, don’t worry.”

The attendant shuffles away. I turn back to Freya, who is standing in a purple strapless number, a look of shock still etched on her face.

“Excuse me?” she asks again, quieter this time.

“I asked Everett if he wants to come with me,” I say, “but he’s busy.”

“What’s so important that he has to miss ~prom~?!” she asks me.

“It’s... it’s sort of a big family tradition,” I say.

“And prom is sort of a big high school tradition!” she retorts.

“I know,” I say. “It sucks. But he can’t.”

I take a seat on the small velvet pouf that is situated in the middle of the dressing room. Freya takes a seat next to me.

“Rory,” she says, “just because Everett can’t go doesn’t mean that you have to miss it too.”

“I don’t know...,” I say.

“Why not? Look at me,” she says. “I refuse to stoop low enough to go with any of the boys in our grade. But I still plan on showing up, taking killer photos, and having an amazing time dancing the night away!”

That’s true. Freya has always been fiercely independent. She does what she wants, even when it means bucking tradition.

“I have an idea,” she says, pulling off the ribbon from around the waist of her dress and tying it over my eyes like a blindfold.

“What are you doing?” I ask her as I hear her shuffling around the dressing room and rifling through her bag.

“You’ll see,” she says. “Just wait one more second…”

I hear her footsteps as she walks back over to me.

“Alright,” she says. “You can take your blindfold off.”

I untie the satin ribbon, which falls into my lap, and look at the mirror across from me.

Scrawled on it in Freya’s signature red lipstick is the word: “Prom?”

“Will you come to prom with me, Rory?” she says. “I can’t imagine a better person to go with than my best friend.”

I jump out of my seat and wrap my arms around her, squealing with glee.

“Yes,” I say. “Of course I will! YES!”

There’s another knock at the door. “Are you sure you guys don’t need help in there?” the attendant asks again.

Freya and I can’t help but giggle. “I’m sure,” I call out to him. “We’re fine. We’re great.”

“Well, now that you’re my date, I guess you shouldn’t help me pick out my dress,” Freya says. “It’s bad luck or something.”

“I think that’s just for weddings,” I say.

~Or mating ceremonies...~

~Speaking of which... I already have the perfect dress to wear this Friday, never worn, tucked away in my closet.~

~I’m ready to give that dress the night it deserves!~