A/N: Three updates in a day because I LOVE YOU ALL. Also I like to procrastinate from my homework. But now that this is up, I need to actually get some work done...

I'm actually surprised that this story is getting so many views, because it was my understanding that high school AU is overdone and such. Which is true. But the plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone.

BUT REGARDLESS. Enjoy this chapter. There's some Lal/Reborn friendship, because I think that they would make good frenemies. Kinda like how Reborn and Colonnello are in the manga, lmao.

Once again this chapter has some awkward icky parts, but I think it's as good as it'll get with me editing it.

Thank you for reading, ad please enjoy!

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"Laaaaaaluuuuuuu!" The high voice of Yuni tore Lal from her sleep. The cranky teen opened her eyes and rubbed them vigorously to rid them of the sleep.

"Lalu, I'm here!" Yuni called as she ran up the stairs to Lal's room. Lal groaned and looked at the time, eyes widening in shock when she took in the time.

"Four already?" She exclaimed keeping out of bed and running to shower quickly.

"Yuni, I'll be back in twenty minutes, I just need to shower!" She called. Yuni laughed and replied that she could prepare everything for her.

Lal finished with her shower in fifteen minutes and then dried her hair as best as she could with her towel.

"Hang on, silly, let me get out my hairdryer…" Yuni said while Lal pulled on underwear. Apparently she wouldn't need a bra with this dress – that did little to help Lal feel better about getting such a revealing dress. In the meantime she pulled on one of her stretched out sports bras and let Yuni do whatever it was she wanted to do with her hair.

Lal sat on a stool in her bathroom for what felt like years, but was in reality only half an hour. When Yuni was done, her hair had been successfully curled, and then arranged to her liking, Yuni announced that she would help Lal into her dress. Lal frowned and gingerly touched her hair. Even when it wasn't fully done, she had to admit that her hair looked wonderful.

"Thank you for your help, Yuni." Lal said with a genuine smile. Yuni smiled back.

"Anything for Reborn's friend." She replied. Both her and Lal shared a knowing glance. More like anyone for her sister's future husband's friend. Lal actually giggled a bit after that thought. Now that she was in a better mood, Lal found it easy to slip the dress on and to sit still while Yuni finished her hair. She had finally gotten a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped short When she took in how she looked with her hair down and curled and the dress fully laced.

"Do you believe me that you're beautiful in this now?" Yuni asked with a grin. Lal just stared at her reflection and reached a hand to play with the loose curls.

"Okay, enough gawking, there's still more I have to do! Then I need to get ready." Yuni wasn't going to let Lal ponder over how she looked long as she was ushered back onto the bathroom stool and began to pile on the makeup - at least it felt that way. When she was done Lal once again found it hard not to stare at her reflection in wonder. She looked like herself, but as Yuni put it, she had 'highlighted all Lal's best features'. Whatever that meant.

"I'm going to get ready now, you do whatever it is you want to do and once I'm done we can wait for my sister and Reborn. And don't mess up your hair." The last bit was said in a very convincing mother-voice, and Yuni ran off before Lal could exclaim that they were coming to her house.

"Damn all these people..." Lal sighed, sitting at her desk chair and pulling out her laptop while she sneaked looks at her reflection in the mirror.

"Lal! Your friends are here!" Her mother called about an hour later. Yuni was pulling her dress over her head and adjusting her hair when that was called up. Both girls looked out the door and saw the car in front of her house.

"They bought a limo?" Yuni exclaimed and Lal finally took in the whole car. She stared in disbelief and was lead to the top of the stairs by Yuni, who knew that she was getting cold feet.

"Come on, let's get down these stairs and get those shoes on." She said, looping her arm through Lal's and forcing her down the steps.

"You know Yuni, I have to go to the bathroom..." Lal said with a tight smile. Yuni grinned and shook her head.

"You're not going anywhere, you coward." Lal scowled and stopped short at the bottom of the stairs when Yuni said that. Yuni pulled on her arm, and even thought she was taller, Lal didn't budge.

Until Yuni mentioned that she'd made a promise to Reborn that she would go, that is. That made Lal sigh, and she hesitated for a few seconds longer, but the moment she heard her mothers voice and then Reborn's in return she gave in. She had promised him, and he was only trying to make her last year of school better. At least, that's what her mother had said.

"She's nearly ready, you can sit and have something to drink if you want." Lal's mother was talking with Reborn, and Lal once again felt that nervous fluttery feeling in her stomach. Why the hell did he torture her like this? Besides, he had a massive crush on Luce – what was his reasoning for asking her to prom?

'He probably figured I wouldn't say yes to anyone else.' Lal thought with a scowl growing on her face again.

"Lal, I don't know what you're thinking about, but stop it because you don't look very nice when you're scowling at your feet." Yuni laughed, moving her to sit so she could put her heels on. Lal thanked god that she had had experience wearing them before, or else there was no way she would have been able to walk in these god damned stilts.

"Alright, they're on, let's go!" Yuni chirped, pulling Lal to her feet and dragging her out into the room that Reborn and her sister were talking in. Thankfully the two didn't seem too engrossed in conversation (Lal would have felt horrible if she broke up any sort of intense conversation between the two). But of course, Reborn looked up the moment he heard the click of heels.

His reaction surprised Lal – the fact that he had one at all surprised her, but the way his eyes widened and he tilted his white hat up away from his eyes was a shock. He stood up and grinned, walking over to Lal and, to her dismay, still had to look down to look her in the eye.

"Now I know why Colonnello is always saying you should be more ladylike," The boy in front of her said. Lal tensed but Reborn moved on smoothly, pushing his hat back into its regular position over his unruly hair. He adjusted it slightly, and then with a soft smile told her, "You look beautiful, Lalu." Lal looked at him for a few seconds and a blush crept onto her cheeks, which made Reborn smile a bit wider.

"Did I embarrass you?" He asked, even more amused when she blushed further.

"Alright, alright, leave her alone, Reborn. You've had enough fun." Luce scolded the crazy-haired teen. Reborn turned and looked at her, and then his smile returned to its normal, soft smirk.

"Fine, fine…" He replied, and turned away to grab a box that had been sitting on the arm of the couch. He opened it up and pulled out a dark blue flowered wristlet. Lal tentatively held out her right arm, and Reborn slid the flower onto her wrist. She was glad to see his corsage was already on – she didn't even want to attempt that.

"Okay! Picture time!" Lal's mother exclaimed, ushering the group outdoors and spending a good twenty minutes snapping pictures of Lal and Reborn, Luce and her sister, Reborn and Luce (at the request of Yuni and Lal). Reborn's pathetic and nervous smile was enough to make Lal grin and accept his reaction as punishment for him dragging her into this stupid thing.

Just the girls got their own picture, and Reborn was forced to pose for Lal's mother, although he didn't seem to mind the attention. The white suit looked dashing on him, as Luce had put it, and Reborn seemed to be quite aware of that fact.

Finally the entire picture taking fiasco was done, and Lal's mother gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead before sending them all on their way in the limo.

Once they were on their way, Lal remembered the question that she had had the moment she'd seen the limo.

"Why do we have such a big car for only four people?" She asked, looking between Reborn and Luce. Reborn's smirk and Luce's knowing smile put Lal on edge and she waited anxiously for their response.

"We're going to be picking up everyone else, too." Reborn replied, leaning back in his seat and slinging an arm around Lal's shoulders, the other resting on the back of the seat to his right. He looked at Lal for her reaction, eyebrows rising when she didn't seem to have much of one at all.

"Oh. Well that makes sense." Lal stretched her legs out as well, but immediately retracted them when her right leg, nearly up to her ass, became exposed because of the slit. Even though she felt okay when she wore somewhat revealing shorts and tank tops, this dress just felt different and a lot more like she wasn't wearing anything at all. Reborn, of course, found her discomfort highly amusing and removed his fedora to put it gingerly on top of her head.

"Feel more covered now, Lalu?" Reborn teased, making Luce and Yuni laugh as her face reddened.

"Bitch." She muttered taking the hat off and shoving it in Reborn's face, while the other two laughed even harder and Reborn flailed his arms around for a few seconds and then picked up the hat when it finally fell off his face.

The shenanigans continued for most of the ride, and the more people that were added to the limo (Fong and his date first, then Skull was dragged along by Viper, who said it was only for the amusement of the rest of the group), the crazier it got. Reborn had said something about Verde pestering him about letting him tag along, but Reborn made it clear he'd ignored the request.

The drive to pick everyone up had lasted for quite a while, considering the distance between the homes of everyone. Lal found herself with her shoes off and feet curled up beside her as she leaned against Reborn and listened to the conversation, chipping in every now and then when she felt the need. Reborn had his arm draped around her waist, but she could see easily that despite their cozy position he would rather be next to Luce. From the way he smiled and looked at her while she talked (and even when she wasn't), and the silly habit he had of curling his sideburns around his finger when she talked to him, Lal and most of the others were simply waiting for the two of them to finally get their acts together.

In the meantime, Lal didn't mind getting comfortable in Luce's place.

'The best thing is that the army brat zipperhead isn't here.' Lal thought as she grinned and laughed at something Fong said. She might even enjoy this night.

She lifted her head from Reborn's shoulder when the limo stopped, muttering that the Empire Building the dance was going to be in wasn't that close to Viper's house.

"Euh? Why's is so quiet?" Lal questioned, looking around at the people in the car. Those who knew (Fong, Viper, Skull, Luce and Yuni) all smiled more or less convincingly at her and the pause conversation ended. Skull's smile looked almost painful and Viper smacked him on the back of the head before Skull giggled in that insanely high pitched voice of his and started babbling nonsense.

Lal sighed and settled back down against her human pillow, getting a grunt of discomfort from Reborn and just reaching a hand up to pat him on the top of his head in response.

"You dragged me into this, you suffer, Spiffy." She said with a grin. Reborn jus muttered profanities and tried to make himself more comfortable.

Her grin was wiped from her face as soon as she saw a blonde head step into the parked car. He turned and helped some other girl into the car as well, taking a seat and pulling the girl after him and into his lap. There were a chorus of hellos to the blonde from those who knew him well, and Reborn gave him a sly grin over Lal's head. Lal simply stared with wide, shocked eyes as she took all this in, frozen for a few seconds before she felt it was time to take action.

While all this was going on, the limo's door had been closed and the conversation had continued to a normal level. Reborn, however, was focusing on holding Lal down by his side with one arm around her waist while she fought to push it off and beat the shit out of the blonde sitting only a few feet away from her.

"Lal, calm down, geez." He muttered, actually having to strain a little bit to keep her from getting out of his grip.

"You asshole. You invited him? Why the hell would you invite him." She fought to keep her voice down low, and despite her anger she eventually relaxed and let Reborn help her into an upright position.

"I'm not going to keep Colonnello from riding with us just because you've got this weird hatred of him." Reborn muttered. He'd expected a negative response from Lal, but not this extreme.

"You know I hate him. You know." Lal hissed, gripping his upper arm and attempting to calm herself. Thankfully nobody noticed their conversation, and Lal managed to regain composure within a few minutes. Beneath her now calm and laid back façade Lal was unable to keep glancing over at Colonnello and the girl he'd brought with him.

Colonnello didn't bother to spare a single glance in the direction of Lal or Reborn – and Lal cursed him for it. What she didn't know was he was having a hard time not staring at her and all her gorgeous glory. The rest of the ride to prom was a mix of conflicting and confusing feelings for Lal, Reborn continually regretting doing this for his friend, and Colonnello doing his best to focus on the girl placed firmly in his lap.

Just before they got to their destination, Reborn sent one more look over Lal's head, catching Colonnello's eye and narrowing his own. Colonnello shot him a grin in response, his blue eyes narrowed slightly.

Reborn had no idea what that meant.