A/N: Next chapter. YAYYY. I'll be updating my Stephie and the Beast soon enough. Keep your eager eyes open.
Chapter Two: Think Outside the Box
"Hi, I'd like to use the school's mailing system today."
A secretary asked, "And who is the recipient?"
"Just send it to Lazytown." Stephanie smirked. "It will go where it's supposed to."
I am definately having a prom worth remembering.
"Alright. That'll be fourty cents please." The secretary took Steph's change. She placed the enveloped in a container of other letters and packages.
"Thank you."
It was the end of the day, and Steph hadn't gone back into gym. The teacher hadn't noticed she left, or she would've been called down to the office. This was called dumb luck. Steph considered the short amount of time that was left for the period. She decided to visit the bathroom and freshen up before leaving the school. There was nothing worse to her than facing Nate on her bus looking distraught.
A dash of eyeshadow and a flick of lip gloss and Stephanie was all set to leave. The warning bell rang throughout the halls, allowing students five minutes to prepare for departure. One last glance in the mirror assured Stephanie that the ride home would be fine.
As she left the bathroom, a group of girls walked in laughing and talking about getting drunk. Stephanie rolled her eyes and continued on her way. She approached her locker on the first floor and gathered her books. Everything in her backpack meant it was time to leave and face the rest of the world.
Stephanie walked out into the sunlight and squinted her eyes until they adjusted to the change. She found her bus without any problem.
"Hello, Stephanie." Nathan mumbled.
Stephanie sat by herself and took out a book.
"You can't be mad at me. I've done nothing to you. We can talk this out." Nathan desperately added, "You aren't going to throw away years of friendship, are you?"
She tightened her grip on the book. "I'm not the one who ignores his best friend everyday just to obsess over Miss Perfection."
"Jealousy?" Nathan sat at the edge of his seat, which was diagonal to Steph's.
"No," Steph replied shortly, "you are an imbocile."
Nathan smirked, "At least you're speaking to me."
Silence grasped Stephanie's voicebox.
The bus ride home was long and very uncomfortable. Stephanie buried her head in a book, but ended up not reading a single word. Too many thoughts somersaulted in her mind. She couldn't wait to get home and prepare for the change of a lifetime...
- - - - -
Elegance was never a problem for Stephanie. If she devoted herself to the act, she could make any man swoon over her. However, she never attempted this before. It was the first time in her life where she felt confident enough to withstand any consequence. After years of wondering when she would meet someone to share more than a few laughs with, Stephanie realized she would have to fight to reach the goal.
The dress was the color of antique ivory. It reached the floor, sweeping behind her like a short river of silk. A pale pink sash wrapped around her waist adding just the right amount of color like a baby's blush. Her hair dropped in ringlets around her shoulders. She had never curled her hair before, and felt almost as pretty as a movie star. The last touch of her ensemble was a pair of matching ivory gloves to accent the sleeveless gown.
"Absolutely stunning, darling." Stephanie's Mother announced. Her Father nodded with a giant grin on his face.
They took some photos of Stephanie in her finest. They did not question who would be accompanying her.
Stephanie, however, knew their minds held the curiosity.
"Mom, Dad, don't worry about me. I'm meeting my date at the school. He said he'd be running a little late." Stephanie's smile reasurred them that everything was ok.
After a few more pictures, Stephanie was dropped off at her school. She headed towards the gym with confidence.
"Nothing will bring me down. I just have to remember to keep my cool."
She entered the dim-lit gym holding her head high. There was no sign of Nate yet. She hadn't talked to him for the past few days, so she had no idea if he would really show up with Amelia or not. Hopefully, the popular snob and backstabbing friend wouldn't be within ten yards of one another.
"Stephanie!" Tiffany bounced over to her best friend with a flaming red dress on.
"Wow." Steph teased, "No one can miss you in that color!"
Tiffany ignored the comment and immediately noticed Steph's solo appearance. "Where's your date?" She knew Nate hadn't been in the picture for a good two days, but Tiff never expected her smart and active friend to be all alone at a prom.
"He'll be late, but he'll be here. Trust me. You haven't seen Nate, have you? I was curious to see if he asked Amelia or not."
"He did." Tiffany admitted.
"Yeah, but she said no obviously."
"She said yes."
Stephanie's eyes widened. "No way."
It was as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Inside, Stephanie was suddenly dying. Her world seemed darkened by a cloud of insanity. There was no way Nate could have possibly asked Amelia. He was all talk, no action. And aside from that, why would Amelia, Queen of Egotism, accept an invitation from a nerdy boy like Nate? It just wasn't possible. It was shocking. . .
Just like the instant feeling of jealousy in the pit of Steph's stomach.
"Alright, so we'll just dance for awhile and I'll ignore them completely." Stephanie faked a smile.
Tiffany sighed. "I have a date, Steph, so I'll be dancing with him. We can't form a girly circle of dancing like the old days. This is the prom. You know you're my best gal pal, but I have to suggest that you mature a bit. Ignoring your former best friend won't solve anything."
"Well, you don't know how I feel right now. It's complicated." A pink shade appeared on Steph's face. "I was going to ask him here." She straightened her back. "But, I have found someone much better. So he can suck it up."
After a moment of silence, both girls started to laugh. They went on the dance floor to find Tiffany's date, Mark, standing with a group of seniors.
"I wondered where you went, Tiffany." Mark said."My dancing shoes are on and they're playing our song."
"Rap is playing right now, Mark." blurted Tiffany.
"So? More rhythm to grind to. Let's go!" He took Tiffany's hand and dragged her to the middle of the dance floor.
Stephanie looked around at the teens, who were starting to disperse with their partners too. She looked around, felt somewhat misplaced, and decided to get some fruit punch.
"Oh my goodness!" Stephanie mumbled to herself. As she took her punch, her eyes couldn't help but notice Nathan in a black tuxedo and Amelia in a flowing ivory dress. . .
"Tiffany!" Steph ran to the dancing girl. "She has . . ." Steph panted. "That skank has the same dress on as me!"
"How the hell is that possible? There were so many dresses at the mall it wasn't funny. I was swimming in them." Tiffany glanced around and alas saw Steph's fiend.
Thomas joked, "Maybe you two are long lost twins."
"I'm going to cry." Steph admitted with her cheeks becoming more red.
"Now, Steph, just relax. You know very well that the way you fit that dress is far more classy than Amelia." Tiffany tried to seem happy.
"I'll be alright, Tiff. Thnks for caring."
As Tiffany continued to glance in Nate's direction, someone else appeared through the gym entrance.
"Holy shit! Who's that hunk?" Tiffany suddenly forgot about her date.
Stephanie spotted the "hunk" that Tiffany had melted over.
There he was, in a light blue tuxedo and matching top hat. His thin mustache tweaking as a sly smile formed on the chiseled face. He stood with more confidence than any man Stephanie had ever seen. The ocean blue eyes made every passing woman want to jump right in and take a swim.
"Sportacus."
"Who?" Tiffany brought Steph out of her daze.
"My date." With grace, Stephanie walked towards her hero.
Behind her, Thomas blurted, "And she was upset over Nate because . . . ?"
"Stephanie," Sportacus stared at her ensemble in awe. "How beautiful you are. Your dress is elegant and your hair shines like a thousand suns. Pink suns, of course."
For the first time in three days, Stephanie laughed whole-heartedly. She took Sportacus by the hand and went on the dance floor, passing Nate without care.
They began to slow dance, sparking a physical magic between them. Stephanie sighed and thought, I'm going to remember this night for the rest of my life.