It was Wednesday afternoon and I was on the couch with mom, having a lecture from her about prom.

I was so thankful that Ed had somewhere important to go to (too important that he won't tell me), so there was no way he could make mom's lecture even worse that it already was.

Atleast there was a good thing about my afternoon.

Mom kept on talking and talking about the thing she and dad had during their prom, while I, on the other hand, was staring at the flower vase on the table in front of me.

"Are you even listening?!" Mom shouted at me with her hands on her waist. Her eyes full of rage like lava from an active volcano.

I shrugged. "Partly." I admitted. I only heard like, I don't know, 20% of what she said? I stopped listening five minutes after she started talking.

Mom groaned. "Do you even listen to me? Even once?" She asked irritatedly.

"Sometimes, maybe" I guessed. "Oh! Especially when we talk about my allowance." I smiled innocently. Though I doubt that would work.

She groaned even more, if that was even possible. "You are unbelievable!" She said. "I can't believe your blood came from me."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, mom." I said. "You can't deny the fact that you have acted like this when you were young, back in your high school times. That your mom, grandma, lectured you about being irritating and you sat there and looked at her like you were listening but you really were not." I continued with expression so she could understand me clearly.

I paused. "You've been there and you've done that, I know. And I know that you know how I feel because I'm your daughter. If there's anyone in this neighborhood who could understand my feelings, that would be you." I said, tired of everything. I raised my eyebrows and waited for her to speak back, but my defense speech made mom quiet for a  little while.

Bulls eye!

She sighed. She raised her hands in defeat. "Fine, you're right." She said and I exhaled in relief. "I'll stop arguing with you about your prom and let you decide on your own."

Her eyes when she said those words looked sad to me. And unbelievably, I felt sad too. I guess my own words hit me. We run the same blood, so we both understand each other very well. I think, that's what mothers are for. To help you when you need them because they could understand you better that anybody.

I sighed. "Mom, I'm sorry. I know that it would hurt you so bad If I decide not to go to prom. I know that it's important for you and dad. Just, just give me time. I'll think about it for a while." I said. My mind was spinning. Who should I choose? My family? Or my self?

Mom grabbed my arm. "Come on, I need to give you something." She said and I let her drag me all the way upstairs.

She walked inside of her room and made me close the door behind me. I sat on her bed while she opened her closet and tried to find something.

"What are you looking for?" I asked her while standing up, deciding to help her find what she was looking for. But, right when I was behind her, she turned around with the thing I guessed she was looking for.

A ball gown.

I know that I wrote on this book that I hated ballgowns, but there was something about it that makes me want to look at it for hours. Its color, the fabric, the design, all were amazing. Okay, I know I'm not a fashion designer or anything, but this has got to be one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen.

It looks like the dress of Cinderella from the movie where Lily James had starred, only without sleeves and the butterflies. It's top has some sequence and diamonds sewed on to it, and unbelievably, it looks wonderful with the color the dress. I wasn't sure if it was sky blue or light cerulean blue, but either way, it looks amazing.

Just by looking at it, it would make you wonder of if you could have a happy ending like Cinderella if you wore it. The dress has some kind of magic in it that makes you imagine yourself as Cinderella, only you're not blonde.

I leaned forward and decided to touch the dress, and when I did, my whole body seemed to shiver. So soft, so smooth, so comfortable. I never thought a ball gown could be that amazing. Was I blind all these time? Or was I TRYING to be blind?

Maybe, going to the prom isn't so bad after all.

"Mom, where did you get this?" I asked her, still overwhelmed with the beauty.

She smiled. "Remember that time last two months ago when I went out of town?" She asked and I nodded. That was the time I had to cook my own food for a night, that in the end, I decided calling Ed for a take out at a chinese restaurant.

Her smile grew even bigger. "The reason I went out of town that day is because I was too excited for your prom that I knew I had to find you a wonderful dress before the others. And I was so lucky to have this." She raised the gown and pointed at it. "The first time I looked at it, I could imagine you wearing this and being the most beautiful girl at prom." She said, clearly happy and sad at the same time. "Only, you won't get to wear it." She bowed in disappointment.

I was a bit disappointed with myself too. It's a shame if I wouldn't wear this beautiful dress.

"Mom?" I called. "Could you please tell me your prom story? You talk about it like it was the best night of your life, and I want to hear it." I said with eagerness. Whenever I ask her about dad, she would just tell me little parts of their story. It's like going to a movie only to see a second of it. Now, I want to see the whole movie.

She sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you." She said. She gestured for me to sit at her bed and she did the same immediately. She placed a hand on my lap, the way she always does when she talks to me about something important (Excpet when she's scolding me) and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"There was something very remarkable about your dad, Sidney." She started. "He ruined chess."

I raised my eyebrow. "Why would he ruin chess? None of us plays it." I said. As far as I knew, I never had the chance to learn chess. And I've never seen mom play it either.

"Well," she said hesitatingly. "Back in high school, and you won't believe it for sure, I was the best chess player in town. I actually had tons of trophies, but I threw them all away when you're dad left."

My face saddened. "Oh. So he did leave us." I said.

She put her arm around my shoulders. "Yes, Sidney. But it was always against his will. But about that, I'll tell it to you at the end of the story. I need to start from the beginning. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Your dad was rich, handsome, talented, but too lazy to to focus on his studies. Oh and the worst chess player, ever." She told me.

I scoffed. "I wonder where I got those from."

Mom shushed me. "Listen! The thing is, he was a hearthrob, I was not. I was a chess player and I was smart, what did you expect? I had some, let's say, crazy friends who stole the ballot boxes on our prom and changed half of the names to mine. I wasn't really prom queen, Sid. I still wonder who would've been prom queen if my friends didn't play a trick on me." She shrugged.

"But, I was thankful for my friends that night. If they weren't that crazy enough, I never would've been your dad's prom queen and you would have had a murderer as a father." She said, though I wasn't sure if she was joking. I wonder if she would've really had a murderer as a husband.

I bet I was the drug lord in town if that's the case. Wait, nah. I doubt that would happen.

"When we had to dance," she continued. "I wanted to run away so bad, but I couldn't. I think it was the same thing when you tried to run away last year when you got nominated. But, back to the topic before you start ranting about last year again." She said and I kept my mouth shut. Even though deep inside I wanted to scream about my humiliation last year.

"So, we danced. When I wrapped my arms around his neck, I felt some kind of tingling feeling on my skin. That time, it was unexplainable. If I told anybody, they would've just laughed at me. When I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine, I knew there was something. Something that not only I had felt, but your dad did too." She continued.

The way mom told the story, It's like I could see my self as her telling my story about Ed. I had lots of good times with him, though there were some times that by just looking at his eyes, it felt like I could melt any minute. Like a single touch from his hand could make the whole world around me sparkle. The only difference mom and I had is that dad felt it with her, Ed did not.

"Days after prom, my phone inbox were flooding with his name. Even my call log. He also tried to talk to me, every single day. He even tried to learn chess for me! But, to no avail, he ruined 16 chess boards. I couldn't even explain how the hell that happened." She continued with a chuckle. "Who would've thought that the heartthrob was the one who would chase the nerd?" She laughed and I did too.

"We became best friends. We were just happy friends at first, but then he started acting weird. Months later he told me he loved me but he was just too afraid to tell me because I might not like him back."

She hesitated at first but then continued. "He was nervous and couldn't stop blabbering, so I kissed him. He knelt down and asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes." She said with dreamy eyes.

"On our first anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend, we talked about our future. There was one line that he said that I would never ever forget. He said, I want our first child to experience what we experienced at prom. Maybe she'll meet her first love there, too."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I already have my first love." I said.

She looked at me confusingly. "Who? That Jason guy?" She asked.

"Ew, no!" I shouted in disgust. "Mom, just because we got partnered at a play, and had to dance sweetly, doesn't mean I fell in love with him. I mean, have you smelled him?" I asked disgustingly. The memory was still fresh to me. That moment when I had to wrap my arms around his neck on stage and tried to smile, but deep inside I wanted to puke. He smelled like onion, garlic, vinegar, soy, meat and garbage all combined together. I lost my apetite when mom bought me food after the play.

And me being me, it's not normal for me not to jump for joy when I get free food.

"Oh come on. You two looked good together." She teased. "In love, looks doesn't matter. So does smell." She said, though I could hint a joke on her tone.

"Whatever mom. Just continue your story." I waved at her, eager to get the topic about Jason out of my head. Just thinking about it makes me want to puke.

Unbelievably, she just laughed. Quite a mom.

"Okay." She said in a teasing tone like I never wanted to change the topic in the first place. "So yeah, I wanted to pursue what your dad wanted. To get you to be prom queen and maybe experience what me and your dad had. You can never know. Maybe your future husband is just lurking somewhere."

"Lurking in the shadows, maybe. Maybe my future husband is a werewolf like Jacob. That would be so cool!" I chided in. She playfully slapped my arm.

"You should really stop reading fantasy books." She groaned.

"Let us not go there." I raised my finger. No one can stop me from trying to experience being a vampire, werewolf, wizard, glader, volunteer, divergent, demigod, or even a princess like America Singer. I changed the topic, eagerly. "Anyway, if you and dad loved each other, why did he leave us?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It was against his will, Sidney. I wasn't rich, his family was. Her mother never approved of me. We got married and had a child, obviously." She gestured me from head to toe. "But, her mother always tried to seperate us. Your father never gave in. He said he loved you and me with all his heart. And I believed him, even until now." She said with a faint smile.

"But one day, your grandmother faked an accident and said that she needed a surgery. She told your father that she wouldn't approve of the surgery and let herself die if your dad didn't leave us. He loved your grandmother so much. He finally gave in." She told me.

Even though I never met my dad before, I felt some kind of pain. And after a very long time, I finally felt some kind of longing for my father. Like I tried to wonder, what would it feel like to have one?

"After that, your father never talked to me. But, your grandmother did. She told me that everything was just for show. She said that I would never ever see your father again because they would be moving to another country, somewhere I would never reach them because I couldn't afford going there since I'm not that rich." She said, but she was still smiling. And I couldn't understand how could she still smile despite what she's telling me.

"You may wonder why I'm still smiling." She said as if she read my mind. "I never got angry with your dad, Sidney. Not even once. Why? I know he only did it because he loved his mother so much. I know that your father would never leave us willingly." She smiled confidently, but I could tell she was hurting inside.

Her eyes still sparkled even though her story was tragic. I couldn't believe that I haven't seen this in her before.

She was strong.

She loved my father because my father loved his own mother so much, he would do anything for her. It was also like mom telling me that if I love her so much, I would do anything for her. Even going to prom.

What if I should go?

"Now that you know my story," she continued. "You decide wether you would go to prom or not." She said, tapped my shoulder, and left the living up to her room.

I decided to just sat there alone and think about prom. Whether I should go or not.

When I think about it, prom isn't really that bad after all. After what I did last year? I doubt anyone would still nominate me. So why was I still afraid? Was I afraid to be nominated again? Or was I afraid to see Ed dance with Aubrey?

I shook my head to get the thought off.

It seemed like my feelings for Ed was getting out of hand. I knew in the first place that I never had the chance, so why was I still trying? Why did I even think of confessing my feelings for him? Maybe Mr. Johnson was right. Bestfriends being lovers is easy, but getting lovers back to being best friends is not.

But I knew in my heart that I couldn't stop, even if I try to. Everytime I look at him, it's like I see him holding my hand and kissing my cheeks, not as a bestfriend but as a girlfriend. Everytime I see him smile it's like I see him making me smile as well whenever I would feel sad and he would do it because he hates to see me get sad. Everytime I sit beside him it's like I long for jumping at him and hug him tightly that he couldn't breathe. And not in a bestfriend kind of hug way. I want to experience all those with Ed for real. I couldn't understand myself why would I imagine such things, but it's the truth. I couldn't stop myself even If I wanted to.

I am truly, madly, deeply in love with him.

What if? Just, what if? What if I agree to go to prom, with Ed as my date, and maybe we would have a moment like mom and dad did? Maybe, just maybe, finally, he would fall for me?

I shook the thought away. That would never happen. I blame me being a gemini for being unrealistic.

I sat back, closed my eyes, and heaved a sigh.

Then, my phone beeped. I picked it up to look at it, only to see Ed's name.

At first, I hesitated. But after a few minutes of debating with my self, I clicked read.

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Hey there!

Hello! :) from the other side, of the world maybe?

Btw, credits for the owner of the pic above. I love the dress so much! The girl wearing it is very pretty as well. The dress fits perfectly with her.

Oh, and btw. I'm not American, so to anyone who is, could you please comment down what time of the year does prom usually takes place? Here in my country it's February. How about in USA? Please comment down. Thanks! :)

Z.