I couldn't help but be amazed at the huge effort it took to pull myself into that dress. It wasn't like it was too small or anything. In fact, the soft, flowing fabric was so big on me I had to have it pinned in the back. I just really, really dreaded dresses.

"I can't believe you're making me do this, Kat," I told her as she secured my pin in place.

"Oh, come on!" she said happily. "It'll be fun." Her dark skin was flawless in her gold and blue dress that touched her knees. Her dark, curly brown hair was pulled up out of her slender face into a bun. Her brown eyes were full of excitement, and she was nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Fun for you maybe," I said as I entered the bathroom and closed the door.

"Oh, come on, Rhea," she said through the door. "It won't be that bad. Besides, you look great."

I laughed. I looked myself in the mirror, and I guessed I didn't look too bad, but I didn't like the feel of it. My blonde hair was in its usual braid, but done more neatly. My dress was sea green and had ocean blue waves that wove in and out of the fabric. The skirt went down to the middle of my shins, and had sleeves that stopped just before the inside of my elbow. My face was clear of makeup. Dresses were one thing, but makeup was too far for me. My gray eyes were dotted with the green flecks that I had always had. The only jewelry I wore was my ever-present silver necklace that had a single silver hoop dangling from the chain. The hoop was pressed flat so it had two sides, and on each side, COURAGE was written twice in bold black letters.

I sighed. I didn't want to go, but Kat did, and I knew she wouldn't go without me. I didn't want her to stay on my account, so I opened the door and looked at her. "Fine," I said. "But you have dishes for the next month."

"Deal," she said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door into the cold night.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Music blared all around me. Couples danced in the gym; girls wearing short, tight, revealing dresses, and guys in black or silver suits and ties to match their dates' wardrobe.

In the corner were some guys playing basketball. I guessed they were the guys who, like me, were here supporting friends, or their siblings' made them come. I wished I could have joined their game, but I wouldn't be any good in the dancing shoes Kat had made me wear, even if they were flats.

I sighed. I hated school dances.

I sat by myself in one of the chairs set up in a row by the refreshments and munched on a cookie. Kat had gone off to the bathroom, and I didn't see any of my other friends in the crowd.

"Fancy seeing you here." I twisted in my chair to see one of my best friends ever.

"Hey, Lyra," I smiled.

"So, what did Kat have to do to get you in that thing?" she said, gesturing towards my dress. Lyra Belton's blonde hair was tumbled over her shoulders and was pulled away from her face. Her eyes were electric blue, and she looked bored. Her bangs were died a brilliant blue that contrasted starkly with her light hair. Her dress was silver and touched her knees. She would have looked radiant if she had been smiling.

"She now has dishes for a month," I said in reply to her question.

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"So, why are you here?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just came. You've got cookie crumbs on your chin."

I brushed away at my chin and let the cookie bits fall into my lap. I then swatted them off my legs and sighed. I did not like this at all. "Save me," I pleaded.

She laughed.

"Hey guys." Our friend Atlanta Zane strode over, looking mesmerizing in a purple dress that stopped at middle of her shins, and one strap had a gleaming, circular gold pin on it. Her red-brown hair was wavy and fell around her shoulders like a waterfall. Her eyes were a color mix between two precious metals: silver and gold.

"Hey, Atlanta," Lyra greeted.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much," she said in a bored tone. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see you here, Rhea. I thought you'd be at home in your pajamas with a cup of cocoa and a book."

I sighed dreamily, wishing that was what I was doing.

They laughed and started talking about the music. Now, don't get me wrong, I love music, but the DJ for this dance stunk, and that was putting it nicely.  The guy played songs like "Royals" and "Single Ladies."

"Some dance," someone behind me muttered. It was Robyn. "Hey, sis," she added as she took the chair next to me.

"Hey," I said.

Robyn was my sister, older than me by two years, but she was like my best friend. She had pulled her long, sleek blonde hair into an intricate braid like mine, but she had added a blue hair clip. Her eyes were hypnotizing. Like my eyes had specks of green, her gray eyes held specks of blue. Her dress was all black and went down to her mid-shins. The sleeves stopped just before the crook of her elbow, and her flat black shoes adorned her feet. She had a necklace identical to mine, but her's was gold instead of silver.

She sighed. "This music stinks. Where's Kat?"

"Right here." Kat joined us, taking a seat next to Robyn. "So, what do I have to do with the bad music?"

"You always have good tunes," Atlanta said. "Go kick this guy off the stage."

Kat smiled slyly, and pulled out her iPod from one of the pockets in her dress. I remembered her being so excited when she found the things. "Why would I ever want to do that?" And with that, she disappeared onto the dance floor, making her way to the stage where the DJ was on the other side of the gym.

A few seconds later, the speakers buzzed and the music stopped in the middle of "If You're Happy and you Know it." There was a sudden shriek worthy of a little girl as the DJ flew off the stage and fled out the doors like his pants were on fire or is his life depended on it. As he passed, I could see that he had spiky blue hair, and multiple piercings. I couldn't see his eyes because they were covered by sunglasses. Who wears sunglasses to a school dance where it's dark enough without the tinted glass?

I looked at Robyn, and she looked at me. What did Kat do?

There was some more static, and then the song "Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay blasted through the speakers.

"Yes!" Atlanta cheered. "I love that girl!" She ran off to dance, and Robyn got up to join her.

I turned to Lyra, who had moved over to sit next to me in Robyn's place. "You never told me why you came."

"Yes I did," she said, avoiding my eyes.

I raised my brow, and she sighed. "Fine. My brother kicked me out of the house. He's having another party."

Lyra's big brother Cooper was a huge party guy. He had a party once or twice a week, and he always kicked Lyra out of the house when he did. It wasn't that his parties were bad or anything, it's just that he didn't want her around, and Lyra didn't either. She usually came over to my place when Cooper threw a party, but I guess she had tried to call after Kat and I had already left.

"How long will this one last?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Judging by the amount of people and food there, I'd say all night."

"I'm sure Kat wouldn't mind if you stayed with us."

"Really?"

"Sure," I said. "Let's go ask her. I've got nothing better to do."

We stood and made our way through the growing dancers towards the stage, the music growing louder with each step. By the time we had found our way through the labyrinth of milling people, the song had changed to "Roar" by Katy Perry. I spotted Atlanta dancing, and when the song started, she nearly jumped for joy. I had to stifle a laugh. She loved Katy Perry.

"Kat!" I called. The music was up to a roar now, and I had to call her name several times before she heard me.

Her face appeared from behind a tall speaker and she smiled. She tapped around on her iPod for a minute before jumping gracefully down from the stage to join us. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," I replied. "Lyra's brother is having a party-"

"Say no more," Kat said with a knowing smile. "Of course you can stay with us Lyra."

Lyra smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"You know, you don't even have to ask," Kat continued. "Just come over whenever you need. No call necessary."

"Thanks," Lyra repeated, her smile growing.

Author's Note: What did you think of my first chapter? This one's a bit short, but what did you think?