AFTER SHOPPING for hours, Via had finally come to a decision about the dress she was going to wear for the Debutant Ball. Of course, the girl had come to a decision a while ago, though Susannah wanted everything to be perfect.

Perfect. Via looked at Belly in the mirror, as the girl scanned the dress with her eyes. Belly wore a white dress, a floral pattern printed onto it, as she frowned to herself. Olivia admired the girl, hoping that one day Belly would see herself the way Via did.

Olivia knew that Belly didn't like the dress she was wearing, so grabbed a plain one from the clothing rack. Via suggested, "What about this one?"

"No, Via, put it back." Susannah replied stubbornly, "It's too simple. The girls go all out."

Belly smiled, appreciating Olivia's efforts to try and convince her mom that not everything has to be perfect. But then again, Via knew it was her mother's dream- she didn't want to ruin it for her.

Via shrugged, putting the dress back, "It just seems more like Belly."

Susannah opened her mouth to reply, but realised that her daughter had taken off her pink fascinator. Her mother questioned, "Via, where's your fascinator?"

"Oh, the pink hat?" Via questioned curiously.

"Yes, the pink hat." Susannah stressed, "Did you leave it in the store earlier?"

Via lied, knowing she hadn't even purchased the hat, "No, uh, it's in my bag."

***

"Listen, uh, I'm sorry about my mom." Olivia apologised, as she walked with Belly towards the country club. She explained, "She's had this dream of me being a Debutante ever since I could walk. I understand if you don't wanna get dragged into her dream."

Belly smiled, "No, no. I like being all dressed up. I wish my mom was cool about it, like Susannah." She paused, hesitating for a moment, "Livy?"

"Yeah?"

Belly continued, "Tell me the truth, uh, do I look like a fool?"

Olivia stopped walking, almost in shock about what the girl had just asked. A fool? Via thought she was the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She scanned her checkered blue dress, the patterns of yellow flowers printed on it, and her pink fascinator placed perfectly on her brown hair.

Olivia thought of the correct words to say, as she smiled widely, "Belly, you're... you look beautiful." She paused, "Why would you think you look like a fool?"

"I don't know." Belly explained, "This whole Debutant thing isn't really me. I'm the Alley Cat. And you know, you always look so good, so I thought I'd look stupid... Do you feel stupid?"

"Everybody feels stupid." Via reassured, as she looked down at the pink dress she was wearing. She continued, "I did feel stupid, then I just chose not to."

Belly doubted, "It sounds easier said than done."

"It's all about confidence, but the thing about confidence is that nobody knows if it's real or not." Olivia explained, "Just walk into the meeting like you don't care." She paused, "And for the record, you can decide whether you're an Alley Cat or a Debutant. Don't let people decide for you."

Belly looked at Via, appreciating what she has said. A small smile appeared on her face, as her voice softened, "Thank you, Livy."

The two girls arrived at the Debutante meeting, as Via's eyes scanned around the room as they both stood in the doorway. All of the girls were sat around circular tables, dressed up in fancy clothes- a few glared at her.

A women, the leader of the Debutante meetings, walked over in greeting, "Olivia."

"Paige." Via smiled awkwardly, her eyes not being able to look away from the few girls glaring at her. She had forgotten all of the advice she gave Belly only a few minutes ago, as she started fiddling with the material of her dress.

"Where's your fascinator?" Paige asked curiously, "Your mother got the requirements letter, didn't she?"

"Oh, yeah." Via lied, "I think I left it in the car. I'm sorry." Belly smirked from beside her, as Via continued, "Oh, this is Belly. I mean, Isabel Conklin."

"I know." Paige replied, "You both are late."

Belly added, "We're, uh, so sorry."

"Olivia, you're on table 3." Paige continued, "Isabel, you are at table 2."

The women walked away towards table five, as Via made her way towards the table. She stopped when she noticed Belly wasn't following, "You okay?"

"That's the girl Conrad was kissing at the Bonfire." Belly explained quietly, "And that's the girl Steven was with."

Via's blood boiled, as she faked a smile, "Oh, right."

Olivia internally screamed, realising how uninterested she sounded. She wondered how Belly was feeling about her response, but Via had already walked away. Shit.

Olivia sat on table three, smiling at a few girls who smiled slightly back at her, though the rest of them continued to glare. Via fiddled with the material on her dress under the table, before adjusting her posture. Belly was right, she thought, Faking confidence was much easier said than done.

One of the girls asked, "So, where's your fascinator?"

"They're compulsory in these meetings." Another girl added.

"She probably gets let off the rules because of her family." A blonde girl explained, "They're super rich, you know?"

A girl judged, "You don't look rich."

"I don't wear them 'cause it makes my head itch." Olivia replied, a frown wrinkling upon her eyebrows. She chuckled nervously, "It's nothing to do with my family."

"My cousin told me you got taken home by the Cops for underage drinking." A brunette girl explained to everyone on the table, "Apparently, none of their family got into any trouble. Even the Cops let them off."

"What's it like then?" Another girl asked, "What's it like being a Fisher?"

"What's Jeremiah like?" The blonde added, "Is he single?"

Olivia blurted out frustratedly, "What's with all the fucking questions?" She quickly pushed her chair out in anger, as the room went silent. Everybody watched as the girl stormed out.

"Olivia." Paige called, "Miss Fisher!"

Belly's head snapped up from the table, as she watched Via storm out. She worried for her best friend, a quite obvious expression of panic appeared on her face. Yet, no matter how much Belly wanted to follow her, something was stopping her. A pit in Belly's stomach, anxiety that didn't let the girl stand up. What would people think?

The girl continued to walk out of the hall, avoiding eye contact with everybody to try and ease the embarrassment she was feeling. Her chest tightened, as she held it with her shaking hand. Her eyesight became blurry due to the swelling tears in her eyes, before she accidentally bumped into someone...

"Ollie?" Steven questioned, placing down his tray of foods on a small table next to him. The girl shook her head, continuing to walk as he followed behind her. He called, "Ollie, what happened? Wait, wait."

Steven rushed towards the girl, stopping her walking by placing both of his hands on her shoulders. She cried, opening her mouth to breathe but it felt like suddenly all of the oxygen in the world had vanished. Via panicked, her breathing increasing quickly.

"Hey, sit down." Steven reassured, as he crouched in front of her, "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Via struggled for breath, "I-I... I don't fit in. They're all... all judging me for th-things I can't control."

"Who? The Debutantes?" Steven questioned protectively, "Did you tell Paige?"

Via gasped for air, holding her chest tightly, "N-No. Everybody thinks we're the perfect family, but-but.."

Steven interrupted, "You need to breathe, Ollie."

Via's voice shook, "I can't-"

Steven frowned, "You can't? Wait- Wait, is this a panic attack? Jere told me you get these. What do you want me to do? Shall I, uh, call him?"

Via panted, "Yeah... Yeah, call Jere."

a/n:
it's hard to write panic attacks without making them super cringe so i apologise!!

also i gave you a paragraph on Belly's perspective of the situation and we see the hidden internalised homophobia she was pitted in her stomach. little bit of foreshadowing for you for later chapters/seasons. #pain