In her childhood, Daiane would dream of herself in these gorgeous gowns, iridescent, sparkling fabrics that fit to her body like a glove. She would dance with mysterious, faceless strangers in a crowded hall, adorned with these fantastical decorations stolen from fairy tales. At the time, she called it a ball, but it was pretty much prom that she was imagining; the pinnacle of senior year. And yes, maybe it was different than young Dai thought it would be—hell, different even from what one-month-ago-Dai had thought it would be—but it was prom all the same, and despite everything, she was excited to go. Maybe part of her was still a little (a lot) sad, but she wanted to be excited for prom, so she was.
The dress that she would wear was one she had made herself, a project she’d engrossed herself in after… after everything February. She’d been waiting to get a sample of Embry’s prom outfit before she started, so she could design her dress in a way that complemented Bry’s, but, well, that obviously fell through.
Her dress as it was now wasn’t what she thought it would be when she first sketched it, but it was a beautiful piece in its own right. Maybe it had started out as a sort of way for her to mourn, but it had grown into something majestic—hopeful. It shone and glittered and moved like it was an extension of herself, almost like there was nothing separating her from the dress or the dress from her. Needless to say, she was really proud of the dress she had made, and it had become a positive note to prom, for which her enthusiasm for had begun to wane.
Another positive note to prom was Hera, who, after breaking up with her current girlfriend, decided to accompany Daiane to prom as a friend. About the girlfriend though—Daiane was unaware that she even existed, and then the next thing she was hearing was that they had broken up. She was worried, at first, that it might have been her fault that they broke up, but Hera assured her that she and Ari had only dated for a month—that month being after Dai and Hera’s Ferris wheel kiss—and had mutually agreed upon their incompatibility. At least then Daiane could rest easy knowing she hadn’t managed to ruin two relationships.
The evening of prom, Daiane had let Hera come over, for reasons of getting ready together. Logically, yes, that made sense, but maybe Dai had simply wanted them to come over. Maybe she had simply wanted their company but just wasn’t willing to admit it. Dai watched Hera work through the mirror of her vanity that she was sitting in front of, a soft smile tickling her lips. And not just 'cause of the compliments that Hera murmured in her ear, but because she just couldn’t help but fall into the natural comfort she felt with them nearby, just as she used to.
“Done! You like it?” Daiane examined her hair carefully in the mirror, the grin splitting across her face. “I love it,” she replied earnestly, twisting in her chair to smile at Hera. “Thank you, thank you!” Dai reached her hands over the chair to hug them, laughing at the awkwardness of the gesture.
As Hera stepped out of her room, Daiane looked to her dresser, where that envelope lay, untouched and unopened as it had been since she’d first received it on Valentine’s. She looked at it now, a familiar tinge of anxiety fluttering in her chest as it came into view. Dai prepared to do what she’d done for every day before, leave it for another day, but a switch flipped within her. Suddenly, her feet were making quick paces to her dresser, where her hands tore open the envelope with a sudden aggression. Slowly, her hands pulled out a canvas, and soon she realized that she held a painted portrait of… of herself. Her eyes flicked to the bottom right-hand corner, where carefully etched into the canvas was the bubbly signature E Thompson.
It was an almost perfect recreation of a photo she had once stolen Embry’s phone to take, saying something corny like, "See, now I know you won’t forget me." She remembered that day well, the two of them sitting on the edge of a boardwalk, their feet dangling in the water as the setting sun approached the horizon. Embry had responded, more seriously, “I’m never forgetting you, Dai,” and then leaned in, their lips meeting for the first time.
The memory hit like a tractor-trailer, and suddenly Daiane was furiously blinking back tears, determined to not let them ruin the makeup Hera had so carefully applied. She slowly ran her finger down the grooves of the paint, imagining all of the time and effort Embry must’ve put into it. Remembering, too, Embry’s biting anger that day, wincing subtly as her mind replayed those moments. Gently turning it over in her hands, she saw a small, black inscription on the back, words that read, simply, “Will you go to prom with me?”
prom ~
The venue was absolutely gorgeous—Daiane felt herself become a little breathless as she walked in and was greeted with its glamour. To her, it was magical, as if she and Hera had just stepped into a storybook ball. And, just like storybook royalty, Hera dramatically extended a hand out to her, one which Daiane deeply curtsied to and then accepted with a giddy smile. “We shall,” she replied, matching Hera’s poshness and allowing them to lead her to the dance floor.
“Thank you,” she said softly, a light blush warming her cheeks. Maybe it was just her, but that comment was not feeling so friendly. Or, maybe not only friendly. "And it’s thanks to you, really, I mean, you made me all beautiful.” She laughed gently, a smile sticking to her lips even after the sound faded. “You look amazing too, H." Dai added, nodding for emphasis. “The dress, it’s really you and you look—you look great in it. It’s awesome.”
@raviola - hera ofc
@Caticorn - embry mentioned hi
@Kristi - ari mentioned slightly (hera lies)