The short ride over had been awkwardly quiet as Abel's Spotify played random songs from his vast collection of dad rock. One arm wrapped around Amber in the passenger seat, but any attempts at conversation was returned with one or two word answers and promptly killed on the spot.
It wasn't a nice feeling. This was supposed to be their night, her night. Pickup. Photos. Arrive. More photos. Dancing. Talking shit about the prom king/queen. Probably more photos. Normal teenager stuff like that.
Though in all honesty, Abel didn't really want to go. Societal expectations told him he had to, though. Plus, what kind of boyfriend would he be if Amber had to go stag because of his own general apathy?
It just sucked that he was in a camouflage print tuxedo like a jackass. Not even like older army camo, it was just straight up woodlands print like he was gonna go deer hunting right after prom. Like he had a pistol in one pocket and a can of Coppenhagen in the other. Like his name should be Cletus. He was so into it at first, but after learning the theme was definitely not "Guns & Bark" like he initially thought until a couple of days ago, the thing just needed to be burned. At least Amber took the news well after she stopped laughing up a lung.
Tonight she looked so gorgeous, both the same as always yet even moreso now. It was terrible she was stuck with an ass of a man tonight. She deserved better.
These thoughts were the only thing on his mind as he pulled into the designated parking lot and retracted his right arm, concentrating on finding a spot without managing to hit anyone. They were running a bit late, but luckily there was a spot not too far away from the center hall so it wasn't that much of a walk.
He backed into the spot and shifted the truck into park.
"Whelp... we're here."
All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Hide, Except Here With You in My Ride, My 2-Door Dodge Ram Under the Chattanooga Night Sky
Arriving fashionably late; private.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
"Yep! We sure are!"
Amber gave Abel a wide and cheeky grin, the only appropriate response to her boyfriend being as adorably romantically inept as ever.
While Amber had dolled herself up, wearing a cheap-but-cute black dress that she had gotten last year alongside significantly more makeup than usual, Abel had decided to wear a tacky camouflage suit, probably after mistakenly thinking that the prom theme was something other than what it actually was. Still, she thought it was funny, and he still managed to look cute in it, somehow, so she didn't mind. The inherent humor in it was fantastic, and she had long since stopped letting minor things like this bother her, anyway.
Glancing out the window at the event center, she could already see some other students with glow-in-the-dark clothing and stickers going into the building. She didn't have anything like that herself, excited as she was for the theme, so she had just purchased a cheap pack of glow sticks, for waving around in the dark, and maybe using alongside a dance.
As she turned her head back to her boyfriend, it occurred to her that she actually had no idea how to dance in any way, shape, or form, outside of the choreographed dances she did with the other cheerleaders. Shaking her head ever so slightly, she dismissed the thought. She could wing it, and she'd probably be fine.
Extending her hand to Abel with a warm smile, she said, "well, are you going to take me in?"
Amber gave Abel a wide and cheeky grin, the only appropriate response to her boyfriend being as adorably romantically inept as ever.
While Amber had dolled herself up, wearing a cheap-but-cute black dress that she had gotten last year alongside significantly more makeup than usual, Abel had decided to wear a tacky camouflage suit, probably after mistakenly thinking that the prom theme was something other than what it actually was. Still, she thought it was funny, and he still managed to look cute in it, somehow, so she didn't mind. The inherent humor in it was fantastic, and she had long since stopped letting minor things like this bother her, anyway.
Glancing out the window at the event center, she could already see some other students with glow-in-the-dark clothing and stickers going into the building. She didn't have anything like that herself, excited as she was for the theme, so she had just purchased a cheap pack of glow sticks, for waving around in the dark, and maybe using alongside a dance.
As she turned her head back to her boyfriend, it occurred to her that she actually had no idea how to dance in any way, shape, or form, outside of the choreographed dances she did with the other cheerleaders. Shaking her head ever so slightly, she dismissed the thought. She could wing it, and she'd probably be fine.
Extending her hand to Abel with a warm smile, she said, "well, are you going to take me in?"
Abel gave an awkward half-smile as Amber invited him in, the smile slowly transforming in a genuine grin. He could do this. He had to. He told himself that morning. He told himself twenty times that afternoon.
For Babe.
Abel presented the hand with his own gentle grip, caressing the back of hers with his thumb. "Of course. Wait right here."
He let go and turned off the engine, the humming of the truck dying before he pulled out the keys and pocketed them in his slacks. He closed the Spotify app on his phone, turned off the screen, and did the same. He turned around to open his side door to go open Amber's from the outside.
But he stopped. He froze with his hand on the door handle. Ten feet away in the parking lot were some of the guys from the baseball team just standing around shooting the shit.
He couldn't do this. Abort. Abort. Abort.
His heel started tapping the ground. "Uhh," his voice shook, "can... can we, uh... wait a minute." He faced the front and slouched in the driver's seat and bit his lip. Maybe after three minutes they'd finally leave. Yeah, yeah, good plan. Just wait it out. Wait out the five minutes. Surely they'd be gone then.
He couldn't look at Amber.
For Babe.
Abel presented the hand with his own gentle grip, caressing the back of hers with his thumb. "Of course. Wait right here."
He let go and turned off the engine, the humming of the truck dying before he pulled out the keys and pocketed them in his slacks. He closed the Spotify app on his phone, turned off the screen, and did the same. He turned around to open his side door to go open Amber's from the outside.
But he stopped. He froze with his hand on the door handle. Ten feet away in the parking lot were some of the guys from the baseball team just standing around shooting the shit.
He couldn't do this. Abort. Abort. Abort.
His heel started tapping the ground. "Uhh," his voice shook, "can... can we, uh... wait a minute." He faced the front and slouched in the driver's seat and bit his lip. Maybe after three minutes they'd finally leave. Yeah, yeah, good plan. Just wait it out. Wait out the five minutes. Surely they'd be gone then.
He couldn't look at Amber.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
"Oh uh, okay?" Amber said, confusedly. "Did you forget your deodorant?"
It wasn't really like Abel to be so tense. Was he worried about the suit, and what people would think? The look of shame on his face and the lack of confidence in his voice betrayed everything about how he was feeling. He probably thought he looked like an idiot, and that other people would think he's dumb.
Amber sighed, before smiling and taking hold of Abel's hand. "I know you're worried about the suit. You're panicking because you think everyone is going to assume you're stupid or have an incredibly bad fashion sense or whatever else," she gently squeezed Abel's hand, since he still wasn't looking at her. "The best advice I can give you is that you shouldn't worry about it. Nobody will even remember a month from now, because nobody on the planet cares about your mistakes as much as you do."
She took her hand away, resting it on her lap. Looking out the window back at the event center, Amber continued, "I used to worry about things like this all the time. And, well, a friend taught me exactly what I'm telling you right now." She could feel Blue's presence niggling at the back of her head, but elected to quietly give her the thought equivalent of a thumbs up.
Smiling even wider, Amber gently, playfully tugged on Abel's suit sleeve. "I'll be there with you the whole time. This night's about us, not your suit, not anyone else."
"Plus," she began, a hint of mischief in her voice. "You might be able to pass it off as a joke, like you were intentionally going to try to blend into the darkness despite all the glow, stealth it up."
Turning as much as she could to face Abel in the relatively cramped interior of his car, she cupped his hand in both of her hands. "You just gotta be confident."
It wasn't really like Abel to be so tense. Was he worried about the suit, and what people would think? The look of shame on his face and the lack of confidence in his voice betrayed everything about how he was feeling. He probably thought he looked like an idiot, and that other people would think he's dumb.
Amber sighed, before smiling and taking hold of Abel's hand. "I know you're worried about the suit. You're panicking because you think everyone is going to assume you're stupid or have an incredibly bad fashion sense or whatever else," she gently squeezed Abel's hand, since he still wasn't looking at her. "The best advice I can give you is that you shouldn't worry about it. Nobody will even remember a month from now, because nobody on the planet cares about your mistakes as much as you do."
She took her hand away, resting it on her lap. Looking out the window back at the event center, Amber continued, "I used to worry about things like this all the time. And, well, a friend taught me exactly what I'm telling you right now." She could feel Blue's presence niggling at the back of her head, but elected to quietly give her the thought equivalent of a thumbs up.
Smiling even wider, Amber gently, playfully tugged on Abel's suit sleeve. "I'll be there with you the whole time. This night's about us, not your suit, not anyone else."
"Plus," she began, a hint of mischief in her voice. "You might be able to pass it off as a joke, like you were intentionally going to try to blend into the darkness despite all the glow, stealth it up."
Turning as much as she could to face Abel in the relatively cramped interior of his car, she cupped his hand in both of her hands. "You just gotta be confident."