It was finally the day of Homecoming. The girls had spent the entire morning getting ready. The guys had arrived at the Lloyd's residence about ten minutes ago and were waiting at the bottom of the staircase for their dates to come down.
"Geez, what's taking them so long?" groaned Harold, who was looking pretty sharp in his white dress shirt and navy tie.
"You know how girls are. They need a lotta time to get ready," said Stinky. The tall, lanky boy was wearing a green shirt with a silver tie.
"Mmm... I bet when they come down, they'll be looking super fine," grinned Gerald, who was wearing a blue dress shirt with a black bow tie.
The first girl to walk down was Sheena. She did not go shopping with the others but was wearing a long, yellow maxi dress with blue flowers on them. It was a dress that her mother had gotten her for the dance. Her long, brown hair had been let down with their natural waves and she had a cute, small braid crown that was pinned around her head. Eugene had nearly fallen once more at the sight of her.
"You look beautiful, Sheena," he could not help but gush.
"Thanks. You look very handsome, Eugene," she said shyly. She was not wrong. Eugene looked dapper in his yellow dress shirt and blue tie. He was still wearing an arm cast from his last accident, but that was expected.
One by one, the other girls had walked down the stairs. They each looked like the most beautiful girls in the world in the eyes of their dates. Rhonda stood at the top of the steps and tried her best not to sigh. She was really happy for her friends and this was not a time to be jealous. But she knew that no one's eyes were on her as she came down and there was no one that was going to call her beautiful.
Sid waited outside Irene's house with the limo while she was still adding the finishing touches to her make up. He was wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, and a red tie. And for what seemed like the first time in forever, he had ditched his green hat. Irene had really put her foot down on that one much to his dismay.
When she finally got out of the house, Sid had to admit that she looked super fine. Her dyed blond hair had been tied up into a slick ponytail and she was wearing a red dress so tight that he wondered how she was able to breath. "That was worth the wait," he said, placing an arm around her waist. He seemed to have forgotten all about how much she had been annoying him the past few weeks.
"Thanks, Sid! Come on, we don't want to be late for the photos!" Irene said while flirtatiously batting her false eyelashes at him.
The two of them got inside the limo that were going to first pick up her other friends before going to the park. Sid had tried to put some moves on her, but she insisted that it would have to wait until after the dance. She didn't want to ruin her make up.
The entire gang were going to the park to take pictures. They all thought it was a great idea until they realized that everyone in the school had the same idea.
"How are we going to get any nice shots with all these people here?" huffed Helga.
Brainy, who had happened to be their photographer, had pointed towards the lake. "We could probably get some nice shot over there," he said. They had all agreed with him and made their way over there.
"Group shots first?" he asked, while trying to figure out what was the best angle.
"Sure!" they all said.
They were having a good time, taking some silly photos along with normal ones. After a few group shots, it was time for the couple photos. Feeling somewhat left out again, Rhonda decided to walk around a bit. Everywhere she went there were smiling couples. Whether they were in love or just messing around, it didn't matter. Rhonda was beginning to regret going to the dance without a date.
She was walking across the bridge when she ran into a familiar face.
"Sid!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.
"Oh hey, Rhonda," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Wow... you look stunning." And he meant it.
He was taken aback by how great she looked. She was boldly wearing a two piece red dress. The top was short and sparkly while the bottom was long, flowing with a sexy slit. Her shiny, black hair had been put up into a romantic up-do. He shook his head and hoped that she didn't notice that he was staring.
"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," she said with a smile. "Where's Irene?"
"She's with the others. I didn't really know any of her friends so I felt awkward. Decided to take a walk after Irene and I were done with our photos," Sid answered. He rested his arms onto the railing of the bridge and Rhonda did the same.
They were so busy talking that they did not realize that the others were watching them.
"Take their picture, Brainy!" instructed Nadine and he obeyed. He managed to get some good shots of them, looking at each other, smiling, and laughing. It looked like they were enjoying themselves.
"Rhonda is going to thank us later," she smirked.
After talking to Rhonda for a while, Sid felt his phone go off. "It's Irene. We're heading for dinner now. I'll see you at the dance?" he asked reluctantly, as he didn't want to leave quite yet.
"Sure! Have fun! I better see you at the dance floor later," she said.
"Save me a dance!"
"Maybe!"
The gang had went to Chez Paris for their dinner and had a good meal. But now it was the moment they were all waiting for: the Homecoming Dance.
The line to enter the dance was long, but they managed to pass the time by playing silly games like charades and I spy. It helped the time pass quicker, and before they knew it, they were already inside. There were strings of small lights hanging on the walls, and a mini Eiffel tower where they assumed the photographer was.
"They did an ever so wonderful job decorating the place," Lila gasped as they entered the gym.
"Gee willikers, you're right! Who woulda thought that this smelly gym could become a night in Paris," said Stinky in his usual country drawl.
"Race you to the punch bowl, Patty!" shouted Harold, making a break for it.
"Hey! You cheater!" she called out after him. "It's hard to run in freaking heels!"
The gang laughed as the two fierce rivals ran off through the crowd. The chaperones of the dance were scolding them for running but they didn't seem to hear him. The others decided to hit the dance floor. And there was Rhonda, dancing never really by herself but attracting a flock of guys towards her. Every once in a while she'll have to take a step back if a guy got too close and tried to grind on her. She gave them a sultry look that seemed to say "You can look, but you can't touch."
Sid had walked into the dance with Irene on his arms. "Do you want to dance?" he asked the girl who was busy scanning the gym.
"Uh... yeah, sure. You go ahead. I'm going to the bathroom to freshen up," she answered absentmindedly.
"Okay then." Sid walked over to the dance floor and was not surprised to see Rhonda in the center of a circle of guys. He cut his way through the circle and walked up to the dancing girl. "Is it time for my dance?" he asked. The other guys seemed offended by his actions but they couldn't do anything about it so they simply waited for Rhonda's response.
"If you think you can keep up with me."
He reached for her hand, but she twirled away playfully and gave him a wink. "Alright, if that's how you want to play..." He loosened his tie and began to break it down. He approached Rhonda once more and she seemed please with his dancing. He swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her in towards him. But then it hit a slow song. He chuckled awkwardly but she simply placed her arms around his neck. He followed her lead and placed his hands on her waist. The two of them began to sway to the music.
"Where's Irene now?" she whispered in his ears.
"Bathroom... I guess..." he answered softly.
"She'd probably kill you if she saw you right now..."
"Most definitely."
"So we should stop?"
"Eh..."
Despite everything, they continued to dance together as if they had forgotten where they were and what was going on. Sid could not help but notice how beautiful she was in the dim lighting. Her face was flushed though he was unsure if it was because of the dancing earlier or him right now.
"Ahem. May I dance with my date now?" someone said from behind them.
"Shit..." thought Sid as he felt his date glaring holes into the back of his head.
"Of course. I was just entertaining him while you were gone," said Rhonda, taking a step back. "I was going to get some punch anyways. I was getting thirsty."
"Thirsty for my boyfriend, you slut," Irene muttered under her breath before placing her arms around Sid's neck. She pulled him in close, pressing her boobs against his chest. "Tonight you're mine," she whispered seductively into his ear. "But I'm still going to have to punish you for dancing with Rhonda." She then proceeded to step on his foot with her sharp stiletto heels.
Rhonda was sipping on some punch that was surprisingly not spiked with anything. She watched as Irene was grinding herself against Sid and released a sigh.
"What is wrong, fair maiden? What has brought a frown upon your beautiful face?" a young man with round glasses and a bowl cut asked her.
"Not now, Curly," Rhonda groaned. She was not in the mood to deal with her obsessed admirer.
"Aw, come on, darling. Why don't we dance? It'd certainly make you feel better," he persisted.
"I'm fine. I just needed to catch my breath. So leave me alone," Rhonda insisted. She finished the rest of her drink and threw the cup away. "I'm going to find Nadine..."
She walked around the outskirts of the dance in search of her best friend, leaving the Curly behind and hoping that he did not follow her. Once she had spotted the girl chatting to her date by the bleachers, she dashed over there.
"Hey Nadine! Peapod!" she said, trying to hide her bad mood. "Having fun?"
"Oh yes. This dance has been terribly, terribly delightful," answered Peapod.
"Babe, can Rhonda and I have a girl talk really quick?" Nadine asked. Apparently, she was able to tell that something was bothering Rhonda despite Rhonda's efforts.
"I'll go grab us some punch then," Peapod nodded and walked off.
"Alright, what's up? I saw you dancing with Sid earlier! And the whole thing with Irene! Are you okay?" Nadine bombarded her with questions.
"I'm fine... I shouldn't have been dancing with Sid anyways. It's whatever. I just want to dance the night away without thinking about anything!" And so she did.
For the rest of the night, she did not leave the dance floor. And for the rest of the night, she did not see a single sign of Sid. After the dance was over, all of her friends had told her that they no longer needed a ride. "Gee, I wonder why," Rhonda muttered to herself even though she was quite aware of the answer. She had gotten into her limo and drove back home. When she got to her room, she looked into her reflection. Her hair was slightly messy and some of her make up had come off. She took gentle care to let down her hair and remove whatever make up was left on her face. She took one last twirl in her dress before taking it off and changing into silk pajamas. "Tonight was fun... I guess," she reflected. But she felt empty still. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered what it would have been like if she had went to the dance with him.
