"Which guy I'd-I'd want to go with?" I stammered.

"Well, you must have someone in mind."

"N-no."

"There's not one guy you wish you could go with?"

"No." I stated, recovering myself. "Besides, I'm going with Sara, so it wouldn't matter. Who are you wanting to go with?"

"Lydia." He didn't even hesitate in answering. "I'm taking Lydia. I always do."

"Because she forces you to?"

"No, Daisy. It's of my own free will. I just really wish you two would stop fighting."

"Maybe when she stops controlling you."

"But she's not... Never mind, whatever. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

I didn't say a word, only started to play Für Elise.

A couple songs later and he was getting up to leave.

"I'll see you later."

I didn't bother saying anything back, just let him leave my room. Call me stupid, or whatever. But if I had done anything, it could've made things much worse, and I didn't want that to happen.

But long after he was gone, I was still frozen in spot before the piano. I stared at it, but didn't really see it. Had I lied to him? Was there actually someone I wanted to go with?

***

Lucas and I had sorted things out days ago, and we both pretended that what happened Monday afternoon never happened. Durwin Ester had mustered enough courage to ask Patricia out to the dance on Thursday, which she was ecstatic about.

And now, it was the night of the dance, and everything was great. Yet I was feeling down. My heart felt sad and heavy, and it wasn't the fact Lucas hadn't been over today, because he usually never was on the weekends. Something was missing that I couldn't quite place...

"Daisy, you look beautiful." Sara exclaimed as I walked out of my bedroom.

"Absolutely gorgeous," My mom said.

"You look really beautiful too, Sara! Your dress brings out your features nicely!" I added, trying to put their attention somewhere else that wasn't on me.

Sara wore diamond earrings and necklace with a tight fitting, red low-cut dress, that traveled straight down to her knees. Her dark hair was curled, swept, and pinned over one shoulder by a large silver clip and matched with heels of the same color. Her lips were bright red and her eyelids were of a beautiful mixture of colors that I would never be able to make in a million years.

"Why, that is exactly what I was going for. People need to check this out and know they can never have it." She pointed to her body. Then she came over and took my hand. "Now we have to do the same for you, Daisy. You're very beautiful, but there is so much more we can do with you to make you beyond the level of stunning."

"But Sara, I don't need--" I protested, as she dragged me into the bathroom. I followed her orders and sat on the large stool she dragged out from under the bathroom sink.

Ten minutes and tons of eye shadow colors later, Sara finally stood back and made a thumbs up sign to me.

"You should look at yourself. Your eyes are so bright now." I stood up and looked in the mirror and gasped. It wasn't that I looked horrible--It was actually quite the opposite. My eyelids were covered in light blue eyeshadow and a gentle sprinkle of silver sparkles, making the blue in my blue-green eyes brighter.

"Because of your very pale complexion, it took a while knowing how dark was too dark with the blue. And adding the sparkles to your eyes will make you stand out more in the dark when you're dancing under the lights. And you will be dancing--at the very least with me--I'm not letting you be one of those girls that go just to stand around."

"Thank you, Sara. This is beautiful. I never could have done this myself." I murmured.

"Don't sweat it. Now go and look at your entire body in the mirror." Sara shooed me away into my room, my mom fussing over me and crying. I didn't want to imagine what she would be like at my Junior and Senior prom...

I had to admit, I looked really nice. I had picked a long-sleeve dress that traveled a couple inches below my knee. It was turquoise with a layer of white lace over top of it. My shoes were black and shiny, and had small, thick heels. My shoulder-length blonde hair was in tight ringlets framing my face.

"Okay, now grab our purses and let's go. We'll be late." Sara ordered. I grabbed our purses from in my room and we slung them over our shoulders as we climbed carefully down the stairs.

Before we left, my mom stopped us and took a dozen pictures before we convinced her we would be late if we didn't get moving. There was no way we would be able to make it to the school in our heels on time, let alone want to dance afterward, so my mom drove us. When we pulled into the parking lot, I gently hugged my mom goodbye and went inside the school.

We gave our tickets to the ones in charge at the entryway and then they made X's on the backs of our hands before we were able to go onto the dance floor. Balloons of different colors and sizes adorned the room, lights dancing across every surface. Near one of the corners of the room, Patricia waved to us excitedly, Durwin by her side.

"Hello, girls." Durwin nodded to Sara and I as we approached. I gave him a half-hearted wave, but didn't look at him. My eyes were traveling across the dozens of faces in the room, searching. Until my eyes finally found who I was looking for.

Lucas.

He was wearing a black suit, but his shirt was silk and dark purple, the same color as Lydia's dress. Her dress was long, strapless, and looked as if it were made of glitter. An expensive sapphire necklace hung around her neck. I didn't know which was more sickening, the fact they wore matching colors or that he had his arm looped through Lydia's.

He didn't seem to notice me, but what was I expecting when we were supposed to be ignoring one another unless we were outside of school? I turned back to my friends and tried to shove Lucas from my mind.

"Wow. You look so pretty!" I said to Patricia and she blushed. She was wearing the green dress we had told her to wear and she had straightened her long hair and put it into a messy, but cute bun on the top of her head.

"Thanks." She said. "You too! You're both so gorgeous!"

We talked for a couple minutes about our outfits before I looked at the food and punch table on the other side of the room. It was filled with plates and plates of muffins, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and other delicious looking treats. Cups and a huge bowl of punch filled one table alone.

"They go all out, don't they?" I said, amazed. Sara touched my arm lightly.

"You should see Prom. The pictures I've seen are crazy. Your other school was probably smaller than this one, so it didn't have dances like this, huh?" She took my hand and dragged me out onto the dancefloor. "Which means I'm going to make sure you live and enjoy every part of this dance. Come on,"

We danced together, though I was nervous about all the students and teachers (who were chaperoning) watching me. Not too long afterwards Patricia joined us and Durwin left for a couple minutes to talk with Lucas and Lydia. With my two friends, my mind was put at ease and I forgot all my worries.

Then a slow song came on and Durwin appeared to ask Patricia to dance and left Sara and I together again. With a laugh, she asked me if I wanted to slow dance. Smiling, I agreed to do it.

Many songs later at the next slow dance, Sara and I went to the eating and punch table. I grabbed myself a cup of punch and a chocolate chip cookie and ate them off to the side while Sara tried to keep from picking everything off the table. She chose a single muffin.

"I have to watch my figure otherwise I won't be able to fit in this dress." She tried tugging at the belly of her dress, but there was no loose fabric. "This really sucks."

"You're the one who picked that dress so you'd look hotter. You're the only one to blame." I laughed.

"Oh, shut up, Miss Obvious." She stuck her tongue out playfully at me. She finished off the muffin in her hand. "I'm going to use the rest room, I'll be back soon."

I started to slowly walk back to the food table, nodding to her as I went to show that I acknowledged what she'd said. And being my clumsy and oblivious self, I bumped right into somebody when I turned back around.

"Oh! I'm so--" I froze when I realized it was Lucas. Luckily he had only been reaching for one of the cups and hadn't been holding anything.

"You're fine." He said, neutral. As if he didn't know me. Or at least didn't care that I existed.

Stop it. He's just acting, Daisy. Yet it still hurt the same. How long was I going to take to tell him I hated acting this way? That I hated all the secrets?

"Excuse me, I just need to grab a plate." I said quietly, as I reached down in front of his body to get one. He'd finished getting his punch and was already turning to step away when the clicking of heels sounded right behind me. I already guessed who it was, but before I could move away, I was bumped roughly from behind and I went stumbling into the food table.

There were gasps as the punch bowl was knocked over, spilling sticky, red liquid across the table and down to the floor, where it pooled on--and around--my shoes and stained the front of my dress. Squished brownies and cupcake frosting stuck to the front of my dress and I brushed them off hurriedly.

"Oh, whoops." Lydia feigned a gasp, putting her hand to cover her mouth--and her smile. Lucas was beside her, stunned and unmoving, the cup in his hand halfway to his mouth. Patricia, who was on the other side of the room started to rush over, but by then, I'd had it.

Every person in the room was looking at me. Monday, this incident would be the most popular gossip. My night was totally ruined.

"Daisy!" Patricia's face was full of sympathy as she rushed over and started to wipe my dress off with bunches of napkins that hadn't been ruined. "We'll get the stains out. Your dress won't be ruined. It's all right."

A teacher pulled Lydia aside. And when a few asked if I was alright, I muttered I was and said nothing more than that.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump her, it was an accident!"

"Then apologize to her. Not me."

"But she knows it was just an accident."

"Miss Fathom, if you're not sorry and won't apologize, I will have to ask you to call your dad and leave the premises. I will not tolerate this kind of conduct under my supervision."

She put up such a fight that they ended up calling her dad to pick her up. And after minutes and minutes of the students staring at me, when Sara came from the bathroom and saw the horrific scene, when Lucas was looking at me with a mix of sympathy and sadness...

"I can't take this anymore. I-I have to leave. I'm so sorry." I said, as I turned and quickly pushed past Lucas and my friends to grab my purse and leave. Patricia and Sara ran after me.

"Daisy! Daisy, come back!" They called, but Durwin pulled them back and whispered something to them that made them stop following.

I hid my face as I left the dancefloor, kept my face down so no one could see it. I didn't lift my face when I was outside either. No amount of darkness could hide the embarrassment and shame I felt.

I trudged home, wishing I never had to go home. Not even my mom could see me like this. Lucas... How could Lucas ever see me the same again?