Chapter Thirty-Six
Lila’s Design teacher, Mr Dillon, took pity on her class five minutes before class was due to end on Friday afternoon.
“Thanks, sir!” Lila’s classmates chorused in unison as they jostled each other out the door, rushing towards the locker room. The energy within the locker room was reaching a fever pitch, with nervous laughter ringing in every corner. Lila made sure to take everything she needed for the weekend before sprinting to the carpark. Clare had agreed to pick Lila up after school to make sure they had enough time to do Lila’s hair and makeup but had warned Lila that she couldn’t be late. Lila frantically looked around the waiting bay to see if Clare had arrived yet, her stomach tightening with each passing second.
A few moments later, Clare’s car zoomed around the corner, blasting an EDM song as she went. Relief swept over Lila as she threw her school bag in the back of Clare’s car and dived into the front seat.
“Let’s go!” Clare cackled, driving away almost as quickly as she had arrived.
Lila thought that Clare had broken at least three driving laws getting back home, but her excitement overtook her concern as she jumped out and took the stairs two at a time.
“Hi Lila,” Lila’s Mum called up the stairs after her. “I’ve pressed your dress! It’s on the bed.”
“Thanks, Mum!” Lila replied, opening her door forcefully. She quickly assembled her things and jumped into the shower. Upon getting out, Clare dragged Lila to Clare’s room and threw her some clean pyjamas.
“Shouldn’t I get changed in the dress first?” Lila asked, obediently pulling on the pyjamas whilst Clare fussed about at her vanity.
“And get makeup all over it? Are you insane?” Clare snorted, pulling out her vanity chair and gesturing for Lila to sit facing away from the mirror. Clare played the current Spotify Pop Hits playlist on her speaker and set to work beautifying Lila.
After an hour, Clare told Lila to look in the mirror.
“Whoa,” Lila said upon looking at her reflection. She looked rather sculpted with the right amount of sparkle and glitter adorning her eyes and cheeks. Lila felt she also looked older than 16 and said as much to Clare.
“Well, I’m not going to make you look two,” she said with a grin. “But, if you don’t like it, I can tone it down. Let me pop your falsies on first, though.”
The false eyelashes pulled together Lila’s whole look, and she felt giddy looking at herself in the mirror. Lila didn’t normally wear much makeup, but she could tell that her sister had put a lot of effort into making Lila look glam enough for semi, but not overpoweringly so.
“You’ve gotten really good at makeup,” Lila said, sitting up straight as Clare grabbed a hairdryer.
“Thanks,” Clare smirked. “I’ve been getting a lot of practice in.”
“When you go out?” Lila asked, looking up at Clare’s reflection. Clare turned the hairdryer on, drowning out any hope of more conversation. Lila’s hair took about 45 minutes to style, given she wanted curls in a half-up style, but once she was done inhaling way too much hairspray, Clare helped Lila up.
“Time to put your dress on,” Clare squealed. They hurried into Lila’s room, unable to contain their excited giggles, which summoned an irate Daniel.
“WILL YOU-” he yelled as he opened his bedroom door, cutting himself off when he saw Lila’s face.
“W-Whoa,” he said, still holding his door open. “That’s today. Right. Sorry. Carry on.”
He slammed his door shut. Lila and Clare exchanged a look before bursting into laughter, tumbling into Lila’s room. Clare carefully helped Lila into her vibrant red dress for semi and clasped Lila’s simple but elegant necklace around her neck. Lila put her earrings in and slipped into her heels, turning to Clare once the full look was complete.
“You look amazing,” Clare squealed again, her hands covering her mouth. “Do a spin.”
Lila complied, unable to hide her smile.
“We need pictures, oh my God, I need my phone. I’ll meet you downstairs,” Clare said, patting her body to find no phone available. She dashed out of Lila’s room. Lila clipped a sparkling bracelet around her left wrist and grabbed her silver clutch handbag. She popped her lipstick and phone in her clutch before she began making her way downstairs.
Lila’s Mum gasped when Lila came down the stairs, tears sparkling in her eyes.
“Oh, my daughter is growing up!” she said softly, grabbing Lila’s hand and gently leading her outside. “Napaka ganda mo.”
Lila knew enough Tagalog to know her Mum was calling her beautiful, and she nuzzled her Mum’s cheek. “Thanks Mum,” she beamed.
Stepping outside, she saw Daniel, Clare and her Dad standing in the afternoon sun. Clare gestured for Lila and her Mum to stand in a particular spot with good lighting, and took a few photos. The family spent about half an hour taking photos, with Lila feeling more bashful with each one. They took one last good group photo before Clare’s alarm on her phone rang.
“That’s us, guys,” Clare said, nodding to their parents. “Have to go.”
Lila’s Mum and Dad pulled her into a hug and wished her a fun night. Clare and Lila took off, blasting more music. They arrived back at the school without any traffic violations, and Clare took one last selfie in the car with Lila before releasing her for the night.
“10pm, yeah?” she called out as Lila was about to close the door.
“Yeah,” Lila replied. “Are you picking me up?”
Clare shook her head. “Nah, but Mum will. I’ll just remind her of the time when I get home. We can talk about it all tomorrow!”
“I have hockey in the morning, but we can after I get home,” Lila smiled, somewhat disappointed that Clare wouldn’t be the one to pick her up after. Clare waved and Lila shut the door.
Taking a deep breath, Lila started to make her way to the gymnasium. She could see many of her cohort walking across the lawns, all dressed in wonderful, colourful dresses and immaculate suits. Lila could see that many were coupled up, walking towards the gymnasium with linked arms, but there were a good number of people without partners, too. She searched for Grace, Elise or Cecelia, but couldn’t see them among the crowd standing at the doors to the gymnasium.
A few people waved to Lila as she passed, with others complimenting her. She returned each wave and compliment with her own, but they eventually stopped the longer she waited outside. Now that she was standing here alone, she suddenly felt anxious. She’d all but forgotten that she didn’t have a partner, and although she knew others were in the same boat, she was starting to feel left out.
“Lila,” a feminine voice to her left called. She turned and saw it was Cecelia. She was in the silver-grey dress that Lila and her friends helped pick out, with silver metallic flowers clipped into her hair, which was loosely braided.
“You look stunning,” Lila smiled, giving Cecelia a hug. Cecelia returned the compliment, beaming, and looped her arm in Lila’s. It wasn’t long before Grace and Isaac found them in the crowd. Grace had settled on a knee-length satin emerald dress with extravagant beading along the bodice that gave a nice twinkling effect in the waning sunset. Isaac was dressed in a light grey suit, crisp white undershirt and tie that matched Grace’s dress, with brown shoes and belt. He was clean-shaven and had clearly taken great lengths to get his hair styled just right.
“You guys look so good!” Lila grinned, pulling Grace into a hug.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Isaac smirked as Lila gave him a hug as well. “Asher will go insane,” he whispered in Lila’s ear before letting go.
“W-What?” Lila stammered. Isaac winked at her, before excusing himself to meet his soccer teammates, who were being rowdy in the back left corner. Lila was glad for the amount of makeup she had on, though, with the heat radiating from her cheeks, she thought it might slip off.
No sooner had Isaac left than Elise and Lucas arrived. Elise was wearing the body-hugging purple dress she had shown Lila, with sparkling silver jewellery, and Lucas was wearing a charcoal suit, his undershirt tinged with purple, and a tie matching Elise’s dress.
“Dang, Elise,” Lila said, hugging Elise. “You’re gorgeous!”
Elise laughed, returning the compliment with a squeeze. When they separated, Lila saw Lucas staring at Cecelia, who was pointedly looking away from him, craning her neck to see over the crowd.
“I’ve got something to tell you,” breathed Elise, biting back a smile. “Managed to corner him on the way here.”
Lila gestured towards Lucas and Elise nodded. “Later, later,” she giggled, waving a hand. Grace and Elise also exchanged compliments and a hug, and it wasn’t long until the doors to the gymnasium opened.
The crowd slowly moved through the doors, and the gymnasium’s decorations of various stars and celestial planets, dark blues and spots of gold and silver glitter slowly revealed themselves. The theme for tonight was ‘Dance the Night Away’, with a clear emphasis on the night sky. Balloons were scattered across the dance floor, and smoke machines were casting a slight fog across the floor. Several tables were set up with cold finger food and drinks, and two photobooths were standing in opposite corners. There was a DJ located on the stage, playing soft entrance music. Three photographers were already snapping pictures of the students as they entered, and their PC teachers, plus a couple of others, lined the walls, dressed in black.
Mr Morrison was standing on the stage next to the DJ, smiling in a parental sort of way at all the students. There were only a few places to sit, which they had been warned about, so the students just mingled, forming small standing groups and chatting excitedly with each other. Lila, Grace, Elise, Cecelia and Lucas stood in their own group, with Cecelia looking at the floor rather than anyone else. They engaged in small talk about their chances of succeeding in the dances they’d practiced for this very night, and eventually Isaac returned next to Grace.
“Lila?” a familiar voice called behind her. She turned around and saw that it was Asher. He was dressed in a navy suit, a white undershirt, black shoes and black belt. Hanging from his neck was a deep red tie with satin dark blue flowers. His suit seemed immaculate, with not a wrinkle in sight and all necessary folds exceedingly sharp. His hair somehow looked even better than when he’d styled it for their first breakfast at ‘Beans & Biscuits’, and his eyes were bright and shining. He seemed to be drinking in Lila’s appearance, and she shifted slightly.
“Hey,” she said quietly. “You look nice.”
“U-Uh thanks. You look…” Asher quickly looked away, a hand on his face. “… beautiful,” he finished softly.
Lila could hear Cecelia giggling behind her. Lila resisted the urge to kick her.
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“I see you don’t have a date,” Lila said gently. “Did you want to join our group?”
Asher nodded wordlessly, and everyone shuffled to make room for him. Lila slotted next to him, clasping her hands in front of her. In this circle that they had formed, Lila was looking directly at Isaac, who gave her a small wave while clearly holding back another smirk.
Mr Morrison retrieved a microphone and the DJ lowered the volume of the music. Mr Morrison went through the program of the evening, which involved the distribution of hot finger foods in an hour, and the choreographed dances half an hour after that. The choreographed dances were to be done in groups, which had been allocated to them in PE that week. The photobooths and photographers were also free to be used by students. Song requests could be provided to the DJ, however, they had to be appropriate for the College. Most importantly, students still had to behave per the College’s expectations. At around 9.30pm, they would be taking a group photo with the whole cohort, and students could then leave with a sharp finish at 10pm.
A few students cheered as he handed the microphone back to the DJ and the DJ raised the volume, smoothly adjusting to a dance-centric playlist. The friends began to chat, dance, and laugh amongst themselves, with Lila slowly edging away from Asher. As Lila joined in the festivities with her friends, she noticed that Lucas and Cecelia could hardly keep their eyes off each other, though at differing intervals. In fact, Lucas didn’t seem to be paying any attention to Elise at all, which Elise didn’t seem to mind. Eventually, the group moved to the photobooth, taking group photos in varying combinations. Lila briefly contemplated taking a photo with Asher, but decided against it.
The food eventually made the rounds, and Isaac dropped some tomato sauce on his shoe, which made everyone laugh. At different times, they added and removed members of their circle as some of the hockey girls and soccer boys came by to discuss the new season commencing tomorrow.
Lila couldn’t help but sneak glances at Asher throughout the night, though each time she did, she instantly regretted it. Occasionally, she caught Asher looking at her, too. Did she look too weird? Considering how different from usual she looked, even when hanging out with Asher at his place, she probably would stare, too.
When the time came for the choreographed dances, Lila and her friends discovered they were all in Group A. The group dances came first, with initially Lila standing in front of a classmate who also didn’t have a partner. When she was passed over to Isaac, she could feel him shaking with laughter.
“What?” she asked sharply, looking at his face. He shook his head, laughter overcoming him. He twirled her into Lucas’ waiting arms, and she looked back at Isaac who was now dancing with Cecelia, still bemused.
“Hey,” Lucas smiled.
“Hey,” Lila replied, shaking her head and resolving to enjoy the group dance.
“I’ve noticed that old mate keeps looking at you,” he said with a grin, jerking his head towards Asher, who was next to them dancing with Grace.
“Have you talked to Cecelia?” Lila asked sharply. Lucas took in an abrupt breath and stepped on her toes.
“S-Sorry,” he said hurriedly. “No, I haven’t.”
“Probably should,” Lila said, raising an eyebrow. Lucas wordlessly twirled her to Asher, who caught her in time to the beat.
“Hello,” Asher said, smiling down at Lila. “What brings you here?”
“Oh, you know,” Lila said loftily, “just the dance we’ve been practicing for a whole term.”
“Ah, I see,” Asher said, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You seem in high spirits.”
“It’s been a good night,” she said softly.
“Despite not having a partner?” Asher asked. He looked deeply into Lila’s eyes for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and looked away.
“Y-Yeah. Don’t need one. Nice tie, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Asher said, looking down at it. “It just felt right to wear today.”
“I see…”
A flash appeared next to them. A photographer emerged from behind the camera, giving them a thumbs up before roaming around to another section of the dancefloor. Lila was again glad that she was wearing a full face of makeup. A few beats passed before Asher twirled her to the next person, and she looked back at Asher. He was now dancing with Cecelia, but he seemed subdued somehow.
The night continued on, with the partner dances following immediately after the group dances wrapped up. Lila and Cecelia made their way to one of the drink tables, slightly puffed.
“Did you think that dance went on far longer than normal?” Cecelia asked, a hand on her side.
“Hmm,” Lila said, pursing her lips. “No, I think it went as it normally did.”
“Must’ve imagined it, then,” Cecelia said, taking a swig of her cup. “It’s hot in here. I’m just gonna step out for some fresh air.”
“Good idea,” Lila said, looking back at Elise and Grace. They were dancing close together with Lucas and Isaac, laughing. Lila couldn’t see where Asher had gone. “I’ll come with you.”
They walked through the doors into the cool night air, and they both sighed in relief. They travelled down the steps leading away from the gymnasium and stood on the path, looking around absently. There were a few couples milling about, talking in hushed, tender tones, but they were far enough away that no one was intruding on the other.
“Much better,” Cecelia said, stretching her shoulders and arms. She gave a short laugh and looked up at the starry sky. “I thought about what you said yesterday,” she added after a beat passed, a slightly scornful smile on her face. “I’d decided that maybe I should just get over him. But, shit’s cruel, Lila.”
Lila turned her body towards Cecelia as tears tumbled down Cecelia’s face. Lila immediately pulled Cecelia in towards her chest, wiping away her tears as they came. Though Cecelia didn’t give any reasons as to why she thought that, Lila knew exactly what she meant. It was cruel.
“I know,” Lila said softly, swallowing her own tears that were threatening to fall. Cecelia took a few shuddering breaths before she broke away from Lila, a quivering smile on her lips.
“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry.”
“No, you’re all good,” Lila replied, shaking her head. “If it wasn’t going to be you, it might’ve been me.”
Cecelia smiled again, sniffing slightly, and dabbed a finger under her eyelashes.
“Cee?” a small voice from behind Cecelia said. Lila glanced up and saw that it was Lucas, standing a few metres away, seeming incredibly nervous and out of breath. Cecelia immediately stiffened, her eyes looking akin to a deer stuck in the headlights. Lila gripped Cecelia’s hand and nodded.
“What do you want?” Cecelia asked, flicking away any remaining tear droplets before turning to Lucas. He shifted uncomfortably before taking a deep breath and walking closer to Cecelia.
“I… wanted to talk to you.”
“Clearly,” Cecelia said, rolling her eyes. Lucas faltered for half a second before pressing on.
“About why I asked Elise to semi.”
Cecelia went rigid again and she took a robotic step back, closer to Lila. Lila grabbed her hand again and squeezed it reassuringly. Lucas ran his fingers across the side of his head, avoiding where his hair was gelled up. Even from this distance, Lila could tell he was sweating despite the refreshing breeze.
“I already know why,” Cecelia said bluntly. “She’s hot. I get it.”
“That’s-”
“Lucas, you don’t need to explain yourself,” Cecelia said softly, her shoulders relaxing. “It’s not like we’re dating.”
Lucas opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it again. Then, he shook his head and stepped closer to Cecelia.
“Cee, I do need to explain myself. I don’t wanna lose you.”
Lila was suddenly struck by the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to sink into the floor. Surely, they weren’t going to have this conversation with her here… right?
But it seemed that Lila had been forgotten as Cecelia sharply inhaled, stepping closer to Lucas.
“What do you mean?”
“Cee, I… the reason I didn’t ask you to semi is ‘cause I was scared. Scared of fucking everything up. That you’d say no. That I’d misread everything. You’re just… too important to me.”
His voice cracked as the last sentence left his lips. Lila couldn’t help but give Lucas major side eye as she started to slowly back away. He didn’t seem to notice as he clenched his fists.
“Please say something,” he pleaded.
“Lucas, I…” Cecelia began, but her voice broke. She held her face in her hands.
“D-Did I read it wrong?” Lucas asked, his eyes seeming to glaze over as he bit his lip.
“Lucas, you big, stupid, dork,” Cecelia finally managed to choke out, rubbing her face. He seemed taken aback, his eyes darting between Cecelia and the doorway to the gymnasium. Cecelia threw her head back and gave a laugh that could only be described as cathartic.
“You don’t need to be scared,” she finally said, looking at Lucas now. “Though I can’t talk. I‑I’ve been scared too. And… I’m scared now. B-But… you’re… important to me, too. A-And the thought of you liking someone else… well, it felt like my heart cracked in two. It feels like I haven’t been able to breathe properly since you asked Elise to semi.”
Cecelia began to cry in earnest now, and Lucas immediately stepped forward to grasp her shoulders. Lila took this as her cue to dash away into the gymnasium, her own heart pounding. Aside from the fact that the scene she had somewhat intruded on was adorable, she hoped this meant Cecelia and Lucas would be alright again. The doors creaked open as she slipped back inside. While Lila did want to stay and see what would happen next, she didn’t think she would have another chance to leave without it being awkward.
Lila took stock of what was happening inside the gymnasium. The ‘Macarena’ was playing, which had drawn a large crowd to the dance floor. Lila was pretty sure she could see Elise dancing her heart out over there, but Grace was absent. Lila looked around to the right and found a few of the teachers engaged in conversations with some students. Along the back wall, Lila could see Grace talking to the Music teacher. Asher was a few metres past Grace, talking to Ms Shard and a male teacher Lila was unfamiliar with. Lila glanced over at where Elise was dancing and then back over at Grace and Asher. She wasn’t exactly fired up enough to dance at the moment, so she started to walk over to Grace and Asher.
As she approached Grace, she could see that Grace was deeply engrossed in a conversation with the Music teacher, Ms Alexander. Both Grace and Ms Alexander laughed loudly before Ms Alexander began speaking again. Given Lila had never really interacted with Ms Alexander, she felt she couldn’t impose on their conversation. Grace didn’t seem to notice Lila in any capacity, anyway, so Lila shuffled along towards where Asher was standing.
“… Wednesday,” Lila heard the male teacher say in a deep baritone voice.
“Yes, Mr Barsch. I’ll be fine,” Asher replied, nodding. His eyes moved past the male teacher’s shoulder and rested on Lila. He perked up as she approached.
“Lila! I don’t believe you’d know Mr Barsch, right?” he said, waving her over. Lila curiously looked at Mr Barsch, who turned around to face her. He was an elderly teacher with a large, wiry, grey moustache and thick, rectangular glasses. Mr Barsch smiled at Lila.
“I don’t believe so,” Mr Barsch confirmed. He had a slight accent that Lila couldn’t place. “I’m the German teacher. I’m also the debating coach.”
“I see,” Lila replied. “Is being the debating coach interesting?”
Both Ms Shard and Mr Barsch gave a hearty laugh.
“I would say so,” Mr Barsch chuckled, looking over at Asher fondly. “Especially as Asher over here is our star speaker.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Asher responded bashfully. “I’ve just been doing it for a long time.”
“Since Grade 6, correct?” Mr Barsch noted. “Experience such as that is pretty rare. I’ve been thinking about putting you forward as the Debating Captain for next year, you know.”
Asher’s face turned bright red as he shook his head, “No, no, I’m definitely not cut out for that kind of responsibility.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ms Shard cut in. “You’re the only one who should be the Captain.”
Asher gave a humble sort of laugh, his face shining with pride, as Mr Barsch described the merits of Asher as the Debating Captain, until the distinct sounds of Tina Turner’s ‘Nutbush City Limits’ started playing.
“Asher, let’s go!” Lila said excitedly, reaching forward for the cuff of his suit. “It’s the Nutbush!”
Lila heard Ms Shard and Mr Barsch chuckling behind them as she pulled Asher along to the dance floor. It looked like Isaac, Grace, and Elise were already in position to begin the Nutbush dance. Their faces instantly lit up as they saw Asher and Lila and beckoned them over. The beat dropped, and it seemed like all of the students in Grade 11 began dancing simultaneously. Lila couldn’t help but giggle as the song continued. The group got about halfway through before they were falling over themselves in fits of laughter. The dancefloor descended into chaos.
Once it was over, Lila and the others walked away from the dancefloor to a spare spot in the hall, catching their breaths. They were soon joined by Cecelia and Lucas, who both looked flushed and giddy.
“Hey,” Lila said, shuffling aside to let them join their natural circle.
“Hey,” Cecelia said, not quite meeting Lila’s eye, but smiling like crazy.
“Did you guys dance the Nutbush?” Lila asked. Cecelia and Lucas glanced at each other, before looking away, their faces reddening even further.
“I was getting a drink,” Lucas said, raising the cup he was holding. “It’d be a bit hard to do the Nutbush with a full cup.”
“Aw man, I’d just scull it and throw the cup away!” Isaac interjected, patting Lucas on the shoulder. “The Nutbush is quintessential to a good night!”
Lucas seemed like he was about to respond before Mr Morrison made an announcement regarding the group photo. All the students gathered per his instructions, though there was a bit of pandemonium in getting all the students to fit. They were finally successful and Mr Morrison led the cohort into their school war cry before announcing that the photobooths would be shutting shop in half an hour.
Lila saw Cecelia pull Lucas towards the photobooths and smiled to herself. ‘Good for them,’ she thought as she poured herself a drink.
“Lila,” a voice next to her suddenly said. “I don’t think we took photobooth pics together.”
Lila looked up at the source of the voice. Asher gestured to Lila to follow him to the photobooths, his face once again unfathomable to Lila.
“I can hold that,” Elise said, pointing to the cup in Lila’s hands.
“O-Oh,” Lila replied, hesitantly handing it over. Asher smiled, and they walked together to the photobooths. Lila fixed up her lipstick and they took some photos together, though they stood a metre or so apart. One of the photos was of them smiling, one had a silly pose reminiscent of a YouTube video they’d watched and the last was the salute as described in the series Lila had let Asher read. The photobooth machine printed two copies of the photos. Lila smiled as she took her copy from Asher and popped it in her clutch. He put his copy on the inside of his jacket and they walked back to the others, laughing about the silly faces they’d made.
And then, it was all over. Mr Morrison dismissed all the students right as the clock struck 10pm, and the remaining students escaped into the night, laughing and clearly still energised from the event. Lila, Grace and Elise bade farewell to Cecelia, Lucas, Asher and Isaac at the top of the stairs to the gymnasium, before walking to the waiting bay of the carpark. Lila’s Mum was already waiting for Lila inside her car, playing Candy Crush. Lila waved goodbye to Grace and Elise before getting into the car.
Once Lila sat down, however, all the remaining energy that she had was instantly zapped out of her and she fell asleep as soon as her Mum started driving them home.