Gwen was rapidly regretting her decision to go to prom.
Sure, there was food, and it was her only chance, but it was really hot in her dress. At least it was kind of pretty; a floor-length, black velvet dress with white fringe on the arms, the neckline and the base. A white corsage was placed over her right breast. She'd also let her hair flow down to her shoulders.
It was...unusual, for sure, but Gwen loved it. It was beautiful, and elegant and old-fashioned and she thought she looked really nice. Gwen just wished she wasn't overheating in it. It was pretty hot with all the people, and Gwen wasn't exactly a cool person. She gazed briefly at the other dresses; they were a menagerie of colorful, spiraling fabric, waving gently with the movements of their bearers.
She was nervous about entering the dance area, due to her utter lack of foot coordination. So, she found herself standing awkwardly in the doorway. She smiled over at Maynard. Wow, he was tiny; even shorter than she was.
"So, shall we enter?"
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity
Early Prom
((Maynard Hurst continued from Uhm))
Maynard really hadn't thought his plan for Prom through.
He'd been caught up in the whole idea of the event, the asking of a date, the purchasing of a corsage, the panicked choosing between a black bowtie or a red one...so when it came to standing by the doors of the venue, Gwen beside him in her lovely gown, the realities of the situation finally hit him.
He had to dance.
Well, he didn't have to. There would be plenty of others who would linger by the food tables and walls, but if Gwen wanted to dance...he wasn't exactly going to say no. The very fact that she had accepted his proposal seemed a miracle enough, and he didn't want to risk doing anything that might offend her.
They must've looked odd to everybody else. Gwen might've only been two inches taller than him, but his height was diminutive enough that two inches was a considerable difference.
He tugged on his collar. It was so stiff, and the tight way his mother had tied his dark bowtie wasn't helping much either. His outfit of a blanched dress shirt and striped ivy-green waistcoat with a white boutonnière threaded through the topmost buttonhole didn't exactly match Gwen's, but he thought it didn't clash with it either.
Gwen smiled as she queried whether they should enter. He liked her smile; he needed to get her to do it more often. Somehow.
"Yeah, sure! I uh...I mean, what do you wanna do? I mean..."
He trailed off, and began to wring his hands together.
"You look very pretty, Gwen. That dress really suits you."
She looked a little flustered as well. He couldn't tell if it was nerves, or heat, so he decided to see if it persisted before making any inquiries into it.
Maynard really hadn't thought his plan for Prom through.
He'd been caught up in the whole idea of the event, the asking of a date, the purchasing of a corsage, the panicked choosing between a black bowtie or a red one...so when it came to standing by the doors of the venue, Gwen beside him in her lovely gown, the realities of the situation finally hit him.
He had to dance.
Well, he didn't have to. There would be plenty of others who would linger by the food tables and walls, but if Gwen wanted to dance...he wasn't exactly going to say no. The very fact that she had accepted his proposal seemed a miracle enough, and he didn't want to risk doing anything that might offend her.
They must've looked odd to everybody else. Gwen might've only been two inches taller than him, but his height was diminutive enough that two inches was a considerable difference.
He tugged on his collar. It was so stiff, and the tight way his mother had tied his dark bowtie wasn't helping much either. His outfit of a blanched dress shirt and striped ivy-green waistcoat with a white boutonnière threaded through the topmost buttonhole didn't exactly match Gwen's, but he thought it didn't clash with it either.
Gwen smiled as she queried whether they should enter. He liked her smile; he needed to get her to do it more often. Somehow.
"Yeah, sure! I uh...I mean, what do you wanna do? I mean..."
He trailed off, and began to wring his hands together.
"You look very pretty, Gwen. That dress really suits you."
She looked a little flustered as well. He couldn't tell if it was nerves, or heat, so he decided to see if it persisted before making any inquiries into it.
"Thanks," Gwen said with a smile, appreciative of the compliment. "Truth be told, I was so worried it wouldn't fit me anymore, but it works fine." In truth, the dress was a bit tight around her stomach, but she thought it looked fine. Still, she should probably lose some weight soon; it was unfortunate that her prom picture would make her look pregnant, but it would be good for the memories in the future.
Gwen nodded to Maynard; he was a nice guy, and genuinely sweet, even if he was a little odd at times. Gwen figured that he was a better person for prom than some sports star who didn't really care about his date as long as she was hot. Those kinds of people were shallow and thoughtless; not her style at all.
She turned away from Maynard, but looked back to beckon him to the food tables. She didn't want to sound selfish, but she was really unable to dance, especially in this dress in this heat.
"Sorry, but I don't really feel like dancing quite yet, so lets get something to snack on." She said, and carefully made her way around the random people to the tables. It was pretty well-stocked, she thought as she carefully took some chips and bit into them. She was lucky that the school went all-out; a mediocre prom sounded even less fun than a nice prom.
She stopped and turned back to smile at Maynard, suddenly feeling bad that she'd sort of left him behind. Abandoning a prom date for some Lays seemed rather impolite, and Gwen felt a twinge of worry that he'd feel left behind, since that was not her intention at all.
Gwen nodded to Maynard; he was a nice guy, and genuinely sweet, even if he was a little odd at times. Gwen figured that he was a better person for prom than some sports star who didn't really care about his date as long as she was hot. Those kinds of people were shallow and thoughtless; not her style at all.
She turned away from Maynard, but looked back to beckon him to the food tables. She didn't want to sound selfish, but she was really unable to dance, especially in this dress in this heat.
"Sorry, but I don't really feel like dancing quite yet, so lets get something to snack on." She said, and carefully made her way around the random people to the tables. It was pretty well-stocked, she thought as she carefully took some chips and bit into them. She was lucky that the school went all-out; a mediocre prom sounded even less fun than a nice prom.
She stopped and turned back to smile at Maynard, suddenly feeling bad that she'd sort of left him behind. Abandoning a prom date for some Lays seemed rather impolite, and Gwen felt a twinge of worry that he'd feel left behind, since that was not her intention at all.
Maynard felt almost like a sad puppy trailing after his master as he followed Gwen to the buffet. The fact that she'd smiled as she moved towards the food tables was a plus, though. He was happy to pick at the well-prepared spread for a while, and was glad of her not wishing to dance immediately. He was also glad that she accepted his compliment without any suspicion. Whenever he did so with a lot of other people, they always seemed to think there was some underlying reason for why he'd compliment them.
Pulling a pair of napkins from a slowly dwindling pile, he picked a few tortilla chips from a larger bowl and nibbled on them pensively, watching some of his more courageous classmates brave the dance floor. Some were more successful than others, but they all seemed to be having fun.
Now, Maynard. Don't attempt anything silly, okay?
"This is...it's nice, Gwen. I was a little worried before, but now that we're in here...it's nice, don't you think?"
He looked back towards his date. He was glad that there was a girl like her at this school. Gwen was truly one of a kind. It was a rare occasion when you got someone who was smart and pretty and witty without some glaring flaw thrown into the mix.
"Do you want to get a seat? I'm sure there are some seats around here somewhere. My legs are kinda tired. Heh. Tired already and I haven't even started dancing yet. Odd, huh?"
Pulling a pair of napkins from a slowly dwindling pile, he picked a few tortilla chips from a larger bowl and nibbled on them pensively, watching some of his more courageous classmates brave the dance floor. Some were more successful than others, but they all seemed to be having fun.
Now, Maynard. Don't attempt anything silly, okay?
"This is...it's nice, Gwen. I was a little worried before, but now that we're in here...it's nice, don't you think?"
He looked back towards his date. He was glad that there was a girl like her at this school. Gwen was truly one of a kind. It was a rare occasion when you got someone who was smart and pretty and witty without some glaring flaw thrown into the mix.
"Do you want to get a seat? I'm sure there are some seats around here somewhere. My legs are kinda tired. Heh. Tired already and I haven't even started dancing yet. Odd, huh?"