UPDATE: Last chapter, I announced I'd be taking votes for Prom King and Prom Queen. I have made a poll- it's posted on my profile, so please go there to vote. I've set it so that you can vote for TWO pairings; that way if you want to vote for yourself, you can but you can also vote for another pairing, which I encourage. So think about all the pairings we've seen and whose arc you've really liked! The poll will remain up until the next chapter is posted- so you've got a few weeks. I think anyone with an account is allowed to vote according to the website's guidelines.
Here's another longer chapter (honestly, at this point, all of them are just long). Shoutout to SailorCandy, GinMado, ai, and Moonshine Orchids for reviewing!
I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.
Gin swiped the mascara wand over her lashes with a final flick of the wrist. She looked herself over in the mirror one last time, satisfied.
The last few hours had been a blur of activity. For whatever reason, maybe venue availability, prom had been scheduled on a Friday. While students had been allowed to leave early (signing out had been a total pain with so many people fighting over the three sign-out sheets), they'd still had to endure classes until twelve. And those classes had seriously dragged.
But now, all of that was behind her. Gin wore a long sleeved shimmering floor-length black dress. The fabric gleamed as it swished around when she moved, a feature she noted with admiration. The long sleeves wrapped her arms in a tight embrace. Gin couldn't have hoped to find a better dress. She stepped into her black heels, and she was ready to go.
As she walked outside on her front porch, she looked over in the direction of the wooded trail forlornly. It still saddened her to think Kyoya wouldn't be joining them.
Nonetheless, she was pretty excited. She'd never been to prom before, and since moving she'd made such great friends. She was supposed to meet up with them at Madoka's house, where the limo would be picking them up.
Gin rushed out the door, excitement filling her.
When she arrived at Madoka's, Gingka and Hikaru were already there. Hikaru was snapping photos of Gingka and Madoka as they posed in front of a tree.
Hikaru giggled as Gingka tried to convince Madoka to jump on his back for a piggyback ride, which she refused vehemently on the grounds of not wanting to ruin her dress before they even got to the dance. She was confident Gingka would accidentally drop her. Hikaru caught a picture of the moment, Madoka's carefree laughter filling the air.
Hikaru wore a white dress, though it could never be mistaken for a wedding dress. Initially, she'd wanted to go with something red or blue, but once she found the icy dress, she'd been more than willing to go outside her comfort zone. The short dress was composed of ruffled fluffy layers, the bottom of each adorned with a thin row of crystals. The ruched bodice was decorated with the similarly with crystals of all sizes. A large bow wrapped around her waist tying in the back, mimicking the bow of the halter around her neck. For someone who hadn't wanted to go to prom, she looked absolutely radiant. Gin noted she'd complemented the look with a clear, see-through bag and matching clear heels. That must have been Sophie's idea. She wore crystal accessories, too. Her hair adorned with a matching hairpiece, Hikaru looked like an ice princess.
Hikaru grinned when she saw Gin approaching. "Hey! You want a picture?"
Gin rolled her eyes, though she smiled. "I suppose. How many times is this gonna happen tonight?"
Hikaru snorted. "Please. By the time this is over, we're going to have so many pictures we won't know what to do with ourselves. Besides, I promise I'll make you look good. I'm deleting all the bad shots."
Gin leaned up against the tree. "Fair enough."
A car screeched into the driveway. A frazzled Stella stepped out of the passenger seat before the car was even off.
"As many times I've been in the car with you guys, I never get used to it," she muttered.
Masamune hopped out from the driver's side. "C'mon Stell, my driving isn't that bad." Stella shook her head. King jumped out from the back seat and was at her side in an instant.
Stella wore a bright green high-low dress with a sweetheart neckline. The back laced up in a corset. The bottom half of the dress poofed out to excess whereas the top half was decorated with sparkly silver swirl designs that while heavily concentrated toward the neckline petered out toward the bottom of the bodice. A silver cuff bracelet was on one of her wrists, the other wrist decorated with her usual eye of Horus bracelet. A silver choker glimmered on her neck, bringing attention to the large crystal chandelier earrings that dangled just above it. Her hair was curled up in a half up, half down style accented by silver glitter that had been sprayed into it for effect. On her feet, Stella wore open-toed strappy silver high heels.
"How much time did you spend getting ready?" Gin murmured to Stella as she and King took her place by the tree for pictures.
"Too much," Stella whispered, amused. "My curling iron didn't want to work."
By the time Stella reached the tree, King had already climbed into the branches and was looking down at her. His lime green tie dangled down toward the earth. Stella shook her head and glanced up at him, Hikaru taking a picture as she did so.
Gin looked over at Madoka and Gingka, who could not have been happier. For whatever reason, Gingka was wearing an atypical gleaming white suit, though it perfectly matched Madoka's dress with its blue vest and bowtie combo.
As for Madoka herself, she wore a silky strapless cerulean mermaid dress with an asymmetrical waistline that poofed out around the bottom of her legs, making her appear taller. She had a matching pair of dangling earrings and necklace encrusted with darker, sapphire-colored blue stones. Those stones matched the ones on the belt she wore around her midsection and the ones on the headband in her hair. Sapphire crystals also littered the very bottom of the dress. She wore a corsage that matched the boutonniere Gingka had.
Gin was glad she'd chosen to go with this group. Masamune and Hikaru would be great company if she ever started to feel uneasy about being single- not that it necessarily bothered her. She just knew there would be moments when both Stella and Madoka would be caught up with their dates and she'd need someone else to talk to. They still had one extra seat in the limo and it made her heart ache every time she thought about it that Kyoya wouldn't be the one filling it.
Hikaru took a break from taking pictures as they waited for the limo to arrive. She sidled up next to Gin.
"Who do you think will make prom court?"
"Oh," Gin blinked. She hadn't even given it the slightest bit of thought. "Well, if Gingka and Madoka don't make it I don't have a clue who will. I'd be surprised if they don't take king and queen."
Hikaru laughed. "Don't let Sophie hear you say that. She's wanted that title for years."
Gin shrugged. "It's really anyone's game though, isn't it?"
Hikaru nodded. "Absolutely."
Ninel patiently waited for Dashan to arrive. Any minute now, they'd be heading over to Sophie's. Sophie had a grand plan for everything that would happen leading up to their grand entrance, though she'd been vague on the details. At the very least, she was adamant they all be at her house for five.
Ninel's dress reached to her ankles in the shape of an A-line skirt featuring a medium slit that exposed part of her right leg. Made of the chiffon, the strapless dress featured shades of viridian green and blue-violet. She'd accessorized the dress with a thin metal waist belt and three and a half inch silver dress sandals. White pearl drop earrings decorated her ears. The white pearl necklace on her neck, with its pink seashell charm, paired nicely with her white pearl and pink seashell headband. Her hair had been done up in an elegant bun.
Then, he was knocking on her door. He'd walked over, since they were on the same block. Ninel felt her heart drop as she opened it. She couldn't believe this was really happening. It felt like her breath had been stolen away.
Matching her dress had not been any easy task. Knowing they wouldn't be able to find a tie with both colors, they settled for one in viridian green. Refusing to be beaten, they'd explored other options for matching. Rather than typical cufflinks, Dashan's were made of seashells, matching her accessories. They'd also taken a different route with her corsage, which Dashan slipped on her wrist as she pinned his boutonniere. The flowers were blue-violet in keeping with her dress, but pearl and seashell accents had been added in as well. Given the difficulty, Ninel thought they had done quite well with what they had. From their outfits, it was obvious they were together.
"You look amazing," Dashan breathed. He straightened up, offering Ninel his hand. "Ready to get going?"
Ninel and Dashan pulled into Sophie's driveway exactly at five. Wales greeted them as they got out of the car.
"Hey, guys." He wore a black suit with a purple vest and tie. "Sophie's out back with Aurora and Mei Mei. We're just waiting on Chao Xin to arrive."
"Sounds good," Ninel smiled. She carefully stepped onto the grass, trying to avoid having her heels sink into the ground. Dashan and Wales hung back for a moment, talking.
Mei Mei was sitting in a chair on the patio. She called out a hello. Ninel noticed her light pink kitten heels next to her chair. Mei Mei lifted up the skirt of her dress to slip her feet into the shoes, tightening the straps.
"Ninel!" Sophie ran up and embraced the other girl. Her large silver earrings comprised of three hoops of increasing size jangled. A silver clutch with a thin chain swayed on her right shoulder. She wore matching thin silver bangles on both wrists. Her long blue hair had been swept up in a dramatic twist with curls dangling all around. The front portion of her hair had been molded to look like side bangs and was pinned up on the left side of her face.
Sophie's dress fit her as though she had been the model it was made on. The royal purple backless dress was entirely made of lace on the top half. The neck plunged into a V-shape, with the straps coming up to wrap around her neck forming a choker, tied in a neat little bow. The bottom of the dress clung close to her legs before blossoming out on the ground in a circle around her in an exaggerated trumpet style. The edges were rimmed with lace similar to that which made up the bodice. Ninel couldn't even see her shoes, though she suspected they would be silver in keeping with her other accessories.
Aurora followed Sophie, a shy smile on her face. Her face was glowing.
Aurora's off-the-shoulder dress was made of black silk with a corset back formed by swirls of silver. The princess gown had a sweeping train trailing behind it, the skirt illuminated by dustings of glitter in both silver and black. Most of the glitter centered around the entirety of the waistline before becoming less noticeable towards the hemline at the bottom. The sweetheart neckline was accented with a jeweled rose directly in the center, sparkling smaller crystals lining the rest of the neckline. Similar crystals could be seen decorating the waist, too. She wore glittering silver strapped stilettos. Sophie grinned as she saw her best friend right on her tail. Aurora had really pulled out all the stops this time.
Silver earrings imitating thorny vines with small black roses were suspended from her ears. Around her neck, Aurora wore a rose pendant made of black diamond. Eyeliner and mascara drew attention to her violet eyes. She'd also applied a touch of light blush and pink lipstick. Her fingernails shined, matching her dress with their shimmering black base accentuated with silver.
Her starlight hair was neatly combed back on the sides, both braided then twisted together into one singular braided bun that resembled a rose. In the center of the bun, a shining black diamond floral rose hair comb had been added at the top. It glistened in the sunlight. The remainder of her silver tresses was loosely curled into voluminous coils.
Mei Mei rushed over to greet her as well once situated, her shoes now hidden beneath the tulle layers of the large pale pink ball gown she wore. Those sparkling layers exploded out from the Basque waistline, which had been embellished with silver beading. The same beading was at the top of the dress, drawing attention to the sweetheart neckline and back as it trailed behind to meet the laces of the corset. Pale pink gloves with glittering silver detailing covered her arms up to her elbows. For jewelry, Mei Mei wore a large silver statement necklace and matching teardrop earrings. She looked like a princess.
Ninel thought back to when Mei Mei had gotten the dress. Back then, all of them had been certain Mei Mei would be going with Chao Xin. She'd wanted a dress that would make a statement, but was still her. Now, it didn't matter that Mei Mei wasn't going with Chao Xin. Date or not, Mei Mei was truly luminous on her own.
"Are we taking pictures?" Ninel asked, wondering if she should go get Dashan from the driveway. She glanced around. The backyard looked… well, like a backyard. The grass was exceptionally green and granted it was a better than average yard, but there was nothing extra about it. Sophie hadn't done it up. Ninel was expecting streamers everywhere, or something to indicate tonight was a special night.
Sophie shook her head. Her eyes twinkled, hiding some secret. "Not yet."
Ninel was about to press further when the boys marched up, Chao Xin with them. He was dressed in timeless classic prom attire, a black tuxedo with a bowtie. Ninel caught Mei Mei staring at him for a moment before looking away. She wondered how Mei Mei felt about going in a group with him but not technically being with Chao Xin.
Mei Mei caught her peeking. She sidled up to Ninel. "I'll be fine, trust me. It's better this way. The way the situation is, going with him right now as a friend would only feel like a consolation prize," she said in a hush, then finished with a smile and wink as though she had some secret she wasn't telling. Ninel wanted to press and ask Mei Mei what had happened, but there wasn't time.
Sophie clasped her hands together. "Perfect, everyone's here! I asked Julian if he wanted to join us, but he and his girlfriend already had plans," she explained matter-of-factly. To the girls, she whispered, "I think they're taking a horse and carriage. Can you imagine?"
Ninel was impressed. That certainly was one way to make an entrance at prom. Regardless, she herself much preferred the method they were using. Who could say no to a limo with friends?
At that moment, they heard a screech in the driveway. Sophie's eyes lit up.
"The limo must be here!"
In a rush, the seven of them dashed out front. It was just five-fifteen.
The white stretch limo was parked in the middle of Sophie's circular driveway. The driver came out and introduced himself.
After posing for a few photos in front of the limo, they all piled in. There was more than enough room for all of them. Another person would have easily been able to fit. Ninel sat next to Dashan on the plush leather, across from Aurora.
"I wonder why we're leaving so early," Aurora mused. "Prom isn't until seven."
"Oh," Ninel frowned. "Sophie didn't tell you anything?"
Aurora shook her head and cleared her throat. "No. She's been keeping quiet about it."
Mei Mei didn't look like she knew anything either. Dashan and Wales were deep in conversation and Chao Xin was staring up at the disco ball above them. She doubted Sophie had let them in on whatever was going on.
The limo started moving.
"Sophie, where are we going?" Ninel prodded. She was dying for someone to tell her what was happening, and it looked like the only one who could do it was the one in charge.
Sophie shook her head. "You'll see."
Christina rushed down the stairs as the doorbell rang. She'd just put on her ruby earrings and taken care of all remaining finishing touches. Bao had arrived. Silver bracelets dangled down her wrists as she reached to open the door.
Christina's dress had exceeded all expectations thanks to the fantastic salesgirl. The dark red bejeweled gown had a lovely sweetheart neckline. She wore silver heels, barely visible underneath the red fabric. She'd styled her blonde hair in a bun, though a few strands hung loose to frame her face, accentuating her cheekbones.
She opened the door. Bao was there, much more dressed up than usual and looking better than ever. Christina admired the red tie that perfectly matched the shade of her dress. She still couldn't believe how lucky she'd gotten.
She gave Bao a quick kiss. "You look great."
Bao shrugged, slightly uncomfortable in his get up. "I dunno. This whole thing is a bit much."
Christina laughed. "It's prom. That's the point. C'mon, let's go take some pictures before we leave."
Her brother was still in the bathroom. Christina yelled to him they were headed out and together she and Bao went out to pose in front of the Camaro they'd be taking to prom. Once Chris got outside with them, he'd be able to take some full-body shots for them.
"Aren't you glad we decided to go?" Christina asked, half-joking, half-serious.
Bao gave her an amused smile. "As thrilled as I'll be when this is all over, I'm ready to make at least one good high school memory."
Christina touched his hand, meeting his golden brown eyes. "Oh yes, because prom is the only night where it's possible to make good memories," she teased. Bao simply smiled back. She couldn't help but adore the way his face lit up every time he did.
"Geez, where's Chris?" Bao asked, glancing back at the house. "It doesn't take thatlong to get ready."
Christina laughed. "He hasn't been in the bathroom too long. He's probably just trying to control his hair."
"I don't know, Crissie. Sometimes I think your brother's more high maintenance than you are."
"That's because I'm not high maintenance at all."
"True, but that doesn't change the fact he's the dramatic one."
"I heard that, Bao." They hadn't heard Chris open the door. In a few short strides, he met them in front of Christina's Camaro.
She thrust her phone at him. "Do you mind taking some pictures?" She knew from the way he opened his mouth he was about to protest. "Oh please. I'll take some of you and Zina when she gets here."
Chris did as he was told before handing the camera back. He went back inside, leaving Christina and Bao alone again.
"I'm really happy he's going with Zina," Christina said softly. "I know it's been bugging him for a while, but I wasn't sure what would happen. He really likes her. Watching him mope around the house was awful."
"It'll be good for him," Bao agreed.
Christina opened the trunk of the car, making sure there was room if anyone was bringing anything with them. Space was limited, but this was the only way she could imagine going to prom. She pushed a few emergency items she kept in the bag off to the side before shutting the trunk.
Christina looked over, and saw that Zina had finally arrived. Chris was beaming, his arm around her. Christina smiled, happy her twin had gone through with asking the other girl. Together, the four of them were a perfect fit: Zina was close friends with Bao and now she was with his girlfriend's brother. Things really could not have worked out any better in that respect.
Zina wore a two-piece sequined dress in a vibrant shade of rose gold that contrasted beautifully against her dark hair. On the back of the cropped top piece, which exposed a sliver of her bare stomach, was a large teardrop shaped hole. The skirt of the dress reached all the way to the ground, brushing against the driveway pavement.
Christina whipped out her phone. It was time to fulfill her end of the bargain she'd made with Chris. "Okay!" she called out. "Zina, Chris, get together!" The two of them stepped into the frame and Christina snapped the shot. Next, she ushered Bao over and together the four of them squeezed together to take a selfie that barely fit all four of them in the screen.
"Good enough!" Christina cheered. "Ready to get going?"
Chris looked at the Camaro dubiously. "Are you sure we're all going to fit in there?"
"Of course! I mean, we may not be that comfortable, but it's not that far of a drive. Besides, think about the money we're saving."
Chris seriously looked like he was reconsidering. Christina smirked. It wasn't like he could get a limo this late in the game. Besides, of the two of them she had the better car and he knew it.
She opened up the driver's side door. "It's gonna be tight, but we'll make it work. Zina, you can sit behind Bao, and Chris, you sit behind me. I think it'll be best that way." At the very least, everyone would get the maximum amount of legroom possible. She moved the seat to make use of the back of the car. She'd rarely ever used the two back seats before. Half the time she forgot they were even there.
Zina and Chris crawled over the front seats.
"Tight doesn't begin to cover it," Chris muttered as he snapped on his seatbelt.
"This is nothing," Zina said, a sarcastic tone beginning to fill her voice. "Just wait, Chris. Once we've eaten dinner, one of us will have to ride in the trunk if we want to fit. The way were are now, we've practically got our own private jet there's so much space."
Christina shook her head as she adjusted the rearview mirror. "You guys are ridiculous."
She turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. She let her right hand slip off the wheel once they were on the road, and Bao took it. She squeezed his hand tightly as she listened to Zina and Chris laughing in the back. This was certainly going to be a night to remember.
Marcos slowly shut the door behind him, locking up the house. He slung a backpack over his shoulder. He was not yet dressed for prom.
Marcos lifted his bike upright from where it leaned against the side of his house and undid the combination lock. Unlike the majority of the student body, he found it unnecessary and frivolous to waste time and money on extravagant travel methods. As always, he would be taking his bike.
That being said, he wasn't about to ride in full dress clothes. The venue wasn't exactly close, and it wasn't worth ruining the expensive items and getting sweaty. For the moment, he was just wearing red shorts and a hoodie. There was a nice breeze in the air today.
Marcos figured he'd resolve the rest of the details when the time came. It couldn't be that hard to find a place to change once he got close. His ticket was packed away in his bag and he had everything he needed. Marcos strapped on his helmet, mounted his bike, and was off.
The sun was still out, but he could see it wasn't as high as it had been twenty minutes ago. Regardless, it provided a nice backdrop to ride against.
He had estimated it would take him roughly an hour, probably less, to get to the venue. Considering he rode his bike everywhere, Marcos was in pretty good shape. He was confident he could handle the journey. The prom was being held a few towns over, though his biking route was fairly straightforward. There were only a few hills he'd be up against.
The warm air brushed against his face as he started pedaling. Marcos welcomed it, enjoying the feel of the wind as he cut through it.
He was ten minutes into the ride and deeply invested in his own thoughts when he heard a sharp noise, almost a harsh sob, pulling him back to reality. He slowed to a stop, looking around.
Marcos would have missed the source of the noise completely had he not been paying such close attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the first of many prom gowns he'd be seeing tonight.
Unexpectedly taken aback, Marcos realized he was directly across from what must have been Lera's house. She stood out in the driveway, pacing back and forth. Without much thought, Marcos crossed the street and put down the kickstand on his bike, walking over to see her. He pulled off his helmet, carrying it under his arm.
Lera's metallic silver dress was long and poofed out a little, with slits on both sides of her legs. The entire dress was decorated with a glittery silver brocade pattern. A large beaded belt was around her waist, helping to break up the dress. Instead of straps, the dress had thin beaded chains that hung off the edge of her shoulders. She matched these with a series of silver anklets. The neckline was somewhat plain, straight across, though that didn't matter because she'd placed an enormous statement necklace right above her chest. Her usual pigtails had been curled. Marcos noted she looked very pretty tonight.
Lera turned around and Marcos found himself shocked. She looked close to tears. Few things surprised Marcos, but this was certainly one of them.
Lera blinked quickly, surprised. "Marcos? What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded a bit watery, too.
Marcos collected himself. "I'm on my way to prom." He gestured to his bike. "Are you okay?"
Lera shrugged, her eyes looking very teary now. "I'm supposed to be on my way to prom. My friend Aleksei was going to pick everyone up, but there's an issue with his car. I can't drive there. I don't know what I'm going to do."
Marcos nodded. Lera had certainly found herself in an unfortunate situation at the eleventh hour. "Is there anyone else you can go with?"
Lera shook her head. "Not at this point. It's too late." One tear sneaked down her cheek. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I was so excited."
Marcos had to smile a little, despite the situation. He had an idea, although he wasn't sure Lera would be willing to go along with it. "Do you have a bicycle?"
Lera tilted her head in confusion. "A bike?" she asked. Then she glanced back at the one Marcos had left in front of the driveway and realization hit her. "Oh, yes. I do. But I don't know…"
"You can come with me," Marcos said assuredly. "If we leave now, we won't even have to worry about being late."
Lera frowned and bit her lip. "I don't know. I can't ride in a dress."
Marcos pulled his backpack off and unzipped it. "I've got my clothes inside. You can fit your dress in a bag, too. I know it's not ideal, but it's the best shot you've got at the moment."
The doubt had dissipated as it was replaced with a newfound hope. Lera's eyes had lit up, excitement slowly coming back to them. "I think I can fold it so it won't get too wrinkled," she agreed. "Wait here. I'll go change."
Just over five minutes later, Lera rushed back out wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. She opened the garage and pulled out a pink bike. She sprayed her pigtails with a quick dusting of hairspray before tucking it in her bag. So the curls wouldn't be completely ruined during the ride, she informed Marcos.
"I'm ready," she declared. Marcos straddled his bike, kicking up the stand. With a quick push, they were on their way. He stayed to the outside, keeping an eye out for any approaching cars.
Kyoya sat at the table, tapping his knuckles on the table as he stared out the window.
Ever a loner, Kyoya was used to nights like this spent by himself, but something felt different this time. Maybe it was because all of his friends were going to prom. Even Nile was going. Nile had tried to convince Kyoya to go, but he was adamant in his decision to stay home. The only reason Nile was going was because he didn't want the money he'd spent on the ticket to go to waste. That, and Kyoya was fairly certain Nile was nursing a crush on a particular girl he'd been bringing up a lot lately who was definitely going to prom.
Kyoya snorted. He didn't have anything like that tying him down. His girlfriend had ended their relationship weeks ago and by now, he couldn't have cared less. Sure, it'd been a shock at first, but he'd fast adjusted and found he was much happier for it.
Besides, he could see the chaos happening right now. Gingka was probably whining loudly about something- likely food- and the minute they got in that limo King and Masamune would be playing with the disco ball and lighting. Kyoya didn't care to be caught up in that mess. The girls would be squealing over their dresses, giving him a headache.
At the mention of girls, his mind wandered over to Gin. He wondered how she was doing, what she was wearing. She'd tried to convince him to go to prom, too.
Weirdly enough, Gin had been on his mind a lot lately. He didn't really understand why. She was new; she'd only been at the school for a few months. Yet, it seemed like she was always there, especially when, on rare occasions, he didn't want to be alone. He thought back to that day at the lake. He'd wanted to be alone more than anything that day, but at the same time, he craved the simple presence of another person. She'd been that presence. She never pushed him, ever.
Kyoya stewed on it for few minutes. He thought about her dancing with a random guy, her eyes shining up at him with adoration. His hand clenched into a fist.
In that moment, it hit him. It had been so obvious all along, yet he'd blindly ignored it the entire time.
He liked Gin. And he was about to throw his chance with her away. She'd invited him to join everyone for prom time and time again, but he'd fought her every step of the way, too proud to give in. He was about to pay for that pride.
Kyoya glanced up at the clock. There was still time. He could make it, if he left now.
In a flurry, he dressed in the black tuxedo and white dress shirt he'd bought for prom. They'd been stashed in the back of his closet. His ticket was sitting on the desk, peeking out from the papers piled on top of it. He shoved them aside. The mess would have to be cleaned later. As he ran down the stairs, he tugged on a dark green tie that matched his hair.
He raced outside, pulling on his jacket as the door slammed shut behind him.
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