Riley was standing next to a table full of delicious foods and the 'always famous for being at proms' punch as she watched the school's gym full of dancing people. A faster song was on and many people gathered on the dancefloor including Missy, who was in the very middle having all the attention from most of their classmates. She was wearing a shorter pink dress, that barely reached her knees and her hair was straightened for the night. She was jumping and laughing as the others just watched her being fascinated by her dancemoves. Riley rolled her eyes playfully and searched for her friends in the room with her eyes wide open. They eventually landed on one of the corners of the gym, where quite far from anyone or anything Maya and Lucas were dancing and laughing to the fast rythm of Katy Perry's Last Friday Night. They looked comfortable and like they're having a really good time. Riley smiled at them, because even though she might have felt a little jealousy she was the one who came to the dance with Charlie instead of Lucas and she couldn't blame him that he was enjoying the formal. Especially that it meant that Maya also had fun and didn't just sit in one of the chairs the whole night looking at people with a bored expression on her face while wishing she was somewhere else. Speaking of Charlie, Riley searched for him with her eyes scrolling through the room once again. He was talking to one of his friends, Billy but when he caught her staring at him he smiled and crossed the gym to get to her.
"Hey, sorry I didn't mean to leave you alone, just Billy came without a partner and he wanted to talk a bit."
"No problem. I'm glad he is having a good time. You're a nice friend."
"Thanks. Listen, I promised Smackle months ago that I'd dance with her. We were closer friends a few years ago. Is that a problem?"
"No, of course not. Go, have fun, I'll just talk to Maya for a bit." She said, as she started making her way through the crowd to Maya who by now was sitting at a table and talking to Lucas. Charlie seemed like a nice guy, and Riley liked him as a friend, but even though she said yes to his invitation she didn't think of it as an actual date or something. They just went together as friends. Just like Maya and Lucas.
"Hey, so how's the party?" Riley asked when she reached them.
"It's actually better than what I imagined. And the songs are good. I expected them to be super old and boring since the teachers picked them."
"Yeah, I guess they did a little research or something. You know, like Youtube videos with titles like '10 best songs of 2014' or whatever."
"Probably."

As they were talking by the table they saw Farkle coming towards them. He wore his hair a little combed to the side so they could actually see his forehead, something that has been hiding since the fifth grade. Farkle kept his new style of clothing after the image change the yearbook caused a while ago. At first his friends feared that he might get a new personality along with the full wardrobe change, but they pretty soon realized that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Farkle was his old self even with a new image, maybe even more than ever. Now that people didn't immediately thought of him as a genius based on his looks he proved them even more how smart he actually is. Riley was relieved that he stayed the Farkle she has known in her whole life.
She remembered one of the few wise things her Uncle, Eric had told her.'Lose one friend, lose all friends, lose yourself.' Riley kept this saying close to her heart since her big fight with Maya. She even wrote it down and put it up on her wall above her bed. The first time Cory saw it he laughed and hugged her. 'I guess Eric had an impact on you didn't he?'

"Hey guys." Farkle waved when he got to the table.
"Hey, what's up?" Lucas asked with a smile on his face.
"Nothing much. Smackle is dancing with Charlie so I thought I'll come and chat a bit." he and Isadora came together to the formal.
"Lucas, can you please help me? We need someone to help carry the equipments of the band from the second floor, here, to the gym." Cory asked as he reached the table with his daughter and her friends sitting and standing around it.
"No problem, sir." He smiled and got up to go with Mr. Matthews to the storage on the second floor of John Quincy Adams where earlier that day they put the performing band, Sheppard's stuffs.

"Hey Riles, I gotta go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Maya said and she stormed off to the corridors.
"Guess it's just us then." Riley smiled at Farkle as she stood up from her seat leaving her half empty glass of punch on the table.
"Yeah. It looks like our partners are having a good time." he said as he looked across the room to see Cahrlie and Smackle sitting with a crowd and talking about something. Then suddenly everyone started laughing around them.
"They are." Riley smiled at him.

As they were standing there suddenly a slow song came on. The people on the dance floor started to form into couples and swing slowly to the rythm of the song. Riley recognized it. It was 'Just A Kiss' by the band Lady Antabellum.
"Riley?" Farkle said quietly, that she could only hear because the song was slow and light.
"Yeah?"
"Can I have this dance?" he asked as he reached with his hand to hers. He was smiling in that special way Riley liked so much, something she loved to see every time ever since they were little kids.
"Absolutely." she said with a big smile as she grabbed his hand.
Farkle lead her close to the middle of the room, than spinned her around so she was standing face to face with him. He put his hand on her waist hesitantly. Riley smiled and put her hands around his neck where she clunched them. They were just slowly swinging for a while, when Riley broke the silence.
"Farkle, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you really okay with this new look? I mean it started because of the yearbook and I don't want you to just keep it because you think people would pay more attention to you like this." she said while looking straight into his eyes.
"I told you. I liked this new image. I wanted to try something new. I am growing up. And I am changing and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, I know, but,don't you miss your turtlenecks?" a small smile came across her face as she remembered that Farkle put his favourite orange turtleneck in their time capsule, the one she borrowed when her father gave out the awards of the year last schoolyear after that fight with Billy.
"They're not gone Riley. They just sit in my closet for a little bit. I'll just grab them the second I feel like I want to. I didn't throw anything away because of the new clothes."
"That's good. I wouldn't want you to change who you are because of some stupid vote. People can think whatever they want about us, but the only ones who can lable any of us are ourselves."
"I know. And I'm sorry." he said with a sad look on his face and in his eyes.
"For what?"
"For dragging you with me. I changed into that dark look because I wanted to show people I'm not who they think I am. I shouldn't have pulled you with me. You're perfect just the way you are. All of us are."
"It wasn't you that changed me. I've done it by myself. You just came to check on me to see if I was okay. And I appreciate that." Riley said with a shy smile. "But I know by now that it was only because I wanted to prove something that I never needed to."

"Further. Further. I said further. 5 inches at least. That's what the invite said." Cory cried as he was walking in the middle of the gym inside the dancing couples. He was one of the chaparones and it was hard enough on it's own, he didn't need to have to go around and tell everyone to dance furher from their partner. Especially the ones who hugged each other really tightly, like Darby and Yogi did.
He just pulled a black haired boy away from a girl when he looked around searching for other people to educate about the rules of semi-formal. He than saw Riley dancing with Farkle. His daughter was dancing with a Minkus! They were keeping the distance, but just as Cory started to relieve he saw that Riley took a step closer and hugged Farkle, putting her head on his shoulder as he tightened his hold around her waist.
"Whoah, whoah, whoah, where to little bro?" Eric asked while grabbing his shoulder the second Cory wanted to start running towards his daughter, who was way too close to the boy, who makes a sport out of teaching his lessons instead of him.
"They are standing way too close. I have to pull them apart. It's the rule."
"I don't think so."
"Yeah, Cory, they are so sweet, don't disturb them" Jack said who just got there and was by now standing next to his former roommate/best friend.
"But… But…"
"Just let the girl have some fun." Eric said while rolling his eyes along with putting a wide smile on his face.
"Fine." he said slowly. "But I'm blaming you if anything goes wrong. Both of you! Got it brother? Jack?"
"Absolutely." they said at the exact same time, which made them laugh.

"They look like they're having a good time." Lucas said to Maya as they stood on the side of the dancefloor watching Farkle and Riley dance.
"Yeah." Maya said with a small smile. "He still likes her, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, he does, but it's different. Kind of strange. But also nice. He accepted that she wants to be friends, not more."
"Oh, come on Huckleberry, look at them."
"Well, we'll see. Until than, how about a dance?" he said as he turned to face her.
"I don't really know how to dance to slow music Cowboy." she said hesitantly. Did he really ask her to dance? But why?
"It's easy, I'll show you. Besides, we came to the dance together. You owe me a dance Hart." he said with a playful smirk as he led the still objecting girl to the dancefloor.

"The song's over, Riley." but she didn't show any sign of wanting to let him go and take her head away from his shoulder.
"There's another one coming, I'm sure."
And just when she said it a beaitiful melody filled their ears after the few second of silence.
"You wanna stay for another dance?" she asked hugging him tighter than before.
"Yes, very much."
"Great. That's great." she smiled into his shoulder as they stayed in their previous position with Eli Lieb's Safe In My Hands playing in the background.

Semi-formal was gonna be great. For a lot of reasons. Riley was sure of that when she got ready for this evening in her room. The only thing she didn't think, was that her favourite moment from the whole night would be her slow dancing with the boy she has known for so long. The boy, who climbes up to her window weekly and the boy who always has something smart or wise to say. The boy, who managed to stay himself, while showing a completely new side of him.
The boy who asked her to her very first dance at a semi-formal.