PROM PROM PROM PROM PROM PROM PROM! OH YES PEOPLE! I skipped some days in the story, and now we're on Prom Day. I saved everyone some time. It's gonna be awesome! All of you better review! I will get my friend LyndseyRyder12 to get her friend Dora to haunt you if you don't. Dora is a persuasive person...Anyway, please enjoy this and tell me what you think. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from , the wedding speech contest is still going on. In case this is the first time you have heard about this contest, what you need to do is write a speech that someone at the wedding, for example, Clove,Cato,Katniss,Peeta,Haymitch,Miklisho,Octavia, or someone else would say. You can do people that died as well, like say, Marcus or Maryann. But please, make them longer then just "Congratulations." or "Yay for the happy couple!". Make a memorable speech that could be used at the wedding, because the winning one will be. If you submitting before and want to redo yours not that you know it's actually being used if it wins, that is fine. You can do as many as you want, for as many people as you want. Just space out the different speeches. That is all.
Liz POV-
"ELIZABETH RUE HIRSCH!" I hear Jason scream .
I run down the stairs, too excited to care that I fall down the steps. Like...half of them. I just laugh and get up. Jason holds a box in his hands. A long box. A box with my dress in it.
"Give me the box!" I squeal.
"I don't think so. You haven't gotten ready yet, have you?"
"It's a few hours until Prom. I need to see my dress."
"You'll love it. Calm down. You will love it, and you'll love me for it too. Luke is coming over later, right?"
"Yeah. Prom starts at 6, so he's coming at 5:30."
"And everyone else is coming at 3." He whispers.
"What? It's...2:57 now."
"Nothing."
"Who else is coming?"
"Nobody." Jason says, backing toward the door.
He opens the door, and with a few screams and assorted squeals, Vilnius, Octavia, and Effie spill into my house.
"Aghhhh!" I scream excitedly.
"Except these people of course." Jason says.
I run over and hug Effie, for once in my life, happy to see her. Octavia and Vilnius each get an equally tight hug.
"So, you ready for your big night?" Octavia asks.
"I am so nervous. What if I don't win Prom Queen? I'd...I will be humiliated if that happens."
"But it won't. You'll win. You survived the Hunger Games. That draws people in. You'll win. And we are taking tons of pictures before you go. Letting you know that now. And when you get home, that tiara better be on your head. If you lose it, I will kill you." Vilnuis says.
"Ok then. I promise, I will not lose that tiara."
"And don't lose my...I mean your...dress either." Jason adds.
"Well alright. What do you think I'm going to do? Take it off and lose it?"
"No. I'm thinking it will be damaged." Vilnius says.
"Um... 't even think like that."
"I wasn't." Octavia exclaims.
"And that's why your my favorite." I say.
"Ok, so what are we doing here?" I ask, pointing at the three of them.
"Helping you get ready of course. We are helping you to look your best."
"Ughhh. Aren't I pretty enough?" I whine.
"Of course sweetie. We just want to add a little bit of...pizazz." Vilnius says.
He adds jazz hands with pizazz. Oh god. Kill me now.
"Fine. I guess that I can be a doll for one more night. If there's a night that I need you, it's tonight."
"Omg! I get to see Capitol stylists at work." Jason says, covering his mouth with his orange scented moisturizer hands. I can smell it from where I am standing, which is not very close to him.
"And we are here to help." Effie says.
I stare her straight in the face and gasp.
"Mostly them." She adds quickly.
I laugh and head toward the kitchen, where I have the coffee maker.
"Any of you want a cup?" I ask.
They all agree and tell me I should drink a cup or two as well for nerves and anxiety. Are they saying I'm not going to be nervous if I drink coffee? I think it sounds too good to be true. But I drink a quick cup with everyone else and we head up to my room. Jason puts the box down on my bed, and like any sane and normal person, I tried to sneak a peek. But no, he is really protecting that thing well. I can't think of a single strategy that will allow me to see the coveted dress I desire.
"Go take a shower." Vilnius commands.
I go to my bathroom and take the most cleanliest shower I have ever taken in my life. I scrub every nook and cranny of my hair, nails,and body,and when I finish, I feel amazing, and I am sure by the end of day I will look amazing too.
After wrapping a fluffy white towel around myself, I step out of the shower and into my room, although if you weren't me, you would have no idea this room had once been nice and neat.
Makeup cases and hair products litter my tables, and my bed is covered with tons, and I mean tons, of pairs of high heels.
I walk over and pick up a particularly tall pair of purple heels.
"Oh hell no. I'd fall on my face in these! I would end up being humiliated. Who's idea were these?"
Jason points at Effie.
"She pulled all of the shoes out of a bag and just started putting them around on the bed."
"Well I had no idea what Jason would think up for the dress, so I had to get creative and finds lots of possible pairs of shoes to match all sorts of potential dresses."
"Oh yeah, and I would really wear these shoes!" I see, twirling the shoe around my hand with the heel of it.
"Ok, enough you two! Liz, sit down over here sweetie." Octavia says gently.
I go and sit in a chair by the vanity,and Octavia throws some leave in conditioner from the Capitol into my hair. She then pulls out a spiral brush and combs out every tangle in every strand of my hair until it is so flawlessly smooth that my head hurts from her yanking on it so much. Pain is beauty. That is what I need to rememberm as she nearly rips the hair out of my scalp.
"Do you brush your hair at all?" Octavia asks.
"I have more important things to do sometimes. And I do brush it...it just mysteriously gets messed up sometimes."
"You fall asleep in class and your hair gets messed up?"
".Let's go with that."
After Octavia has declared my hair is smooth enough to move on, she and Vilnius go into the classic Capitol treatment. I have to strip down, which makes no difference to Jason since he has Xavier, and then they wax and prick and pluck until I am hairless on my body, just like the last time I was with them. Although this time I talk, because what is there to make harder? They know me already, and therefore they know my moody and rude ways on occasion.
I look at my clock. 4:45 already. We have an hour and 15 minutes left until Luke gets here.
"It's time." Jason says.
Octavia,Vilnius,and Effie hold their breath as Jason picks up the box and brings it over to me. I try to not grab the box away from him.
He opens the box...and I see the dress.
As I pull it out, I see it's black on the top and black on the bottom with outlines of black roses. An exact combination that I will look good on me. I open my mouth, and close it again, not even sure what I can say. Everything I have to say would be obvious. So saying thank you would be totally illogical. OK fine, I just don't feel like saying thank you.
"Ready?" Jason asks.
I nod my head and smile. I pull off my robe and step into the dress. As I pull the fabric up around me, I feel that it is smooth, like silk. It must have costed a lot of money to get the material to make this dress.
"Thanks Jason." I say softly.
"Your welcome. Consider it a partial wedding present."
"Ok...you don't need to get me anything for my wedding."
"We'll talk later. Spin around."
I spin around and lift my hair up. Jason zips the back up and I feel the bodice get tighter around me. Exactly the right fit.
"Everything fit ok? Nothing overly tight?"
"No. Everything is perfect."
"Perfect."
"Hair and makeup time. We only have...38 minutes, and it'll take 20 at least to get her hair done." Octavia says.
"I'll do her hair." Vilnius adds.
And they set to work. I sit down in the chair again and Octavia starts to curl my hair, making sure every strand is beautiful and spiraling gorgeously. She adds a light amount of hairspray to it, so the curls will stay in place. I get up, and Octavia pushes me back down into my chair.
"I'm not done yet!" She snaps.
I raise my arms in surrender and she grabs a brush, pulling the roots of my hair back. Then she takes the rest of the hair and sweeps it up into an elegant curly bun that look so beautiful I almost don't believe she did it.
"You look amazing." Vilnius says. As if I already didn't know.
"Can you get her makeup done in 18 minutes?" Octavia asks.
"I can get it done in 25. Luke can wait. He won't leave without her."
"That is, he shouldn't" Jason pipes up.
"He better not." I laugh.
Vilnius starts applying my makeup. For a man, he is surprisingly good. I realize then and there that he has never done my makeup before, and for all I know he could be terrible. Though he is a stylist for the Hunger Games, and he probably had a girl tribute at one point. Oh well. I guess we'll see what happens.
"Close your eyes." He says.
I do as he says and feel his hand pinky near the lower left side of my eye. His other fingers must be holding a brush, because I feel something being applied to my eyelid. He does that for 30 seconds or so, and then he transfers over to the other eye.
"Mascara or fake eyelashes?" He asks while finishing with the right eye.
"Mascara please."
"OK. Let me do your eyeliner first. Octavia, brown or black?"
"With that dress, black."
"Black for the mascara too?"
"I think that would be the best idea."
"Thank you." I reply.
"I think this is the first time I have ever heard you use the word please...or thank you. And your welcome." Effie says.
"Oh my god Effie. I honestly forgot you were here. Thank you too. Thank you to all of you. I appreciate you helping me with all of this."
The way both of them are so calm about all of this makes me clam too. If they can stay unworried and unfazed by the amount of time they have left, then I shouldn't be nervous either.
"Your welcome sweetie. Open your eyes for me, and look up at the ceiling...no no, with your eyes, not your head...there you go." Vilnius says, each time helping me to get myself positioned for the next makeup application.
I look up at the light on my ceiling and Vilnius runs the eyeliner along the edge of my eye. I feel the liquid of it, but then it fades, something I adore the Capitol for-no feeling makeup. You can't feel the stickiness of the eyeliner, though you know the color is on there.
"Jason, what do you think? Dark enough?"
Jason seems taken aback from the question, but he gains his footing quickly.
"I think it's dark, but she needs something a bit bolder. Her eyeshadow is perfect though."
"Got it." Vilnius says, pulling out a container filled with black powder, and a super small, thin brush for it.
"Look up again." He tells me.
I look up and he carefully brushes the powder on, slowly and carefully, making sure he doesn't mess up.
"Time check." Vilnius calls out.
"9 minutes." Effie replies.
"Perfect.I have just enough time." Vilnius replies.
He then applies my mascara with ease, and I have no idea how he got so skilled at applying it. I know I poke myself when I go as fast as he does.
He applies my pale blush just as quickly, mixed in with concealer.
"And now for the lips." Vilnius says with a sigh.
"Something wrong?" I ask.
"A little bit. I don't have any lipstick that is going to stay on, and I know you'll be kissing Luke."
"Here, I have some."
"Why do you have lipstick?" I ask him.
"It belongs to my date." He answers simply.
"Xavier doesn't wear lipstick..." I reply.
"Um...I'm not going with Xavier. I'm...well...I'm going with Tina."
"Tina...Tina Louve?"
"Yes." He says, handing the tube of lipstick to Vilnius.
"But...your...your gay. She isn't. Why aren't you going to the dance with Xavier?"
"Liz, look over here sweetie." Vilnius chides.
I glare at Jason for one more second, and then I am back to pre Prom mode.
Vilnius uses a small brush to apply the lipstick to my lips, since it doesn't belong to me. And then he swivels the chair around, and I get a look at what I look like.
My reflection brings me strength. It doesn't matter that Jason is going to the Prom with Tina. It doesn't matter that I might not be Prom Queen this evening. I am beautiful, and beauty is all I want at this moment.
My hair is just as gorgeous as the makeup. Octavia and Vilnius have created a masterpiece.
My face is slightly paler, as it should be, but every blemish and anything unappealing has disappeared, virtually gone for tonight. My lips are red and kissable, and they'll stay like that through all the kisses. My eyes have brown shiny shadow, but I can also see that there is some red mixed in, giving my eyes a beautiful and unique color like no other. More beautiful than any color.
I hear a pounding on the stairs.
"That might be Luke. Stop him. Don't let him in." Jason says.
Effie scurries off, only to return with my mother.
"I brought you some jewelry. I thought you might like it." She says.
Then she hands it to me, hugs me quickly, and she and Effie are off and down the stairs yet again.
I look at the things in my hands. A pair of black crystal drop earrings, and my onyx necklace. The one Luke gave me.
"Here. Let me help you with that." Jason says, taking my necklace in his hands. I turn around to give him access to my neck.
"Why aren't you going to Prom with Xavier?"
"He's...unable to attend. And Tina needed a date."
"What do you mean unable to come?"
"He's drunk. I went over this morning and he was on his first beer of the day. Knowing Xavier, he'll have had many more. Didn't even remember what day it was. I couldn't bring him with me. He'd embarrass himself, you, me, and Brent. Oh my god...brent. Is he coming tonight?"
"Doubting it. He wouldn't be caught dead at Prom unless he had a date. And knowing Brent, he won't have a date."
"I'm sorry Xavier is drunk on our special night."
"It's ok. I like Tina anyway."
"No offense Jason, but your gay. You like boys."
"People change their minds Liz. And I decided I'm bisexual. But don't tell anyone. At least not yet. In case it changes again."
"Of course not. Your secret is safe with me."
Jason laughs and I put on my earrings. I look back in the mirror, and know that I am ready to go. We go out in the hall, and Jason goes down a few of the stairs quietly. He comes back up.
"Luke's here. I'm going to go down and talk a little. Come down all slow like, and we'll see what his reaction is. You'll nail it. Walk tall, walk proud."
I nod and he goes down the steps.
"Oh hey Jason." I hear Luke say.
"Hey Luke. You excited?"
"As I'll ever be. Where's Liz?"
"Still getting ready. You know girls. Always doubting their looks."
I take a deep breath and walk down the steps, slowly, like Jason said to. I keep my hand clamped to the banister, in case I fall. Luke stands at the bottom, smiling up at me, and I smile too.
He's wearing a classic black tuxedo. He stares at me, open mouthed, as I come closer to him.
"You...you look wonderful." He says.
"So do you. Are you ready?"
"Of course. After tonight I'm royalty." He laughs.
I smile at him. This is awkward. Luckily, he breaks it up.
"I thought this would be nice with your dress." He says, holding out a little silver box.
I take it and pull it open slowly. A corsage. Black silk ribbon with red roses in a circle, and then black roses filling it in the center.
He ties it on to my wrist, and I kiss his gently on the lips, in full view of my mother, and everyone else. Effie sobs and clutches a handkerchief. She is so old fashioned, but right now I don't care. I'm going to Prom.
I say goodbye to everyone, and after at least 100 pictures of Luke and I, I can finally leave. Jason follows behind me, and when we get outside he smirks as I gasp. Luke. Rented. A. Limo. This is a dream come true.
"Your chariot awaits." He says, pulling the door open.
I gracefully slide into the seat, and Luke follows. Jason follows in as well, as he gives the driver directions to Tina's house. She only lives a minute or two away.
We get to her house, and Tina comes into the car, dressed in a short blue dress with white beading on the front. Her usually curly blond hair is straightened, held back with a simple blue hair band to match the color of her dress, with a little bow on top. How cute.
She smiles at me, and I smile back, for Jason's sake. She is his date for tonight, and Jason is my friend. He offers up his own little silver box, holding Tina's corsage, made of baby's breath and blue sunflowers. I can see that they are fake, but Tina doesn't seem to care or notice.
We pull up to the school in style, and everyone gasps as Tina and I head out of the same car with our smoking hot dates.
Luke links his arm through mine, and we walk in proudly to flashing lights, music blaring, and tons of McFly students everywhere. Some look up at me as I pass, some are too focused on making out with their dates in dark corners, and some are idly chatting away at the punch bowl, which I can clearly see Samuel is spiking with tequila.
"Want to dance?" Luke asks.
"I would love to."
We head out to the dance floor and I dance to the fast song like an idiot. Luke isn't much better, but we follow what everyone else is doing, me grinding all over him, and him loving every second of anything happening.
Soon enough a slow song comes on and we go back to being a respectable couple. I lean my head on his shoulder and he wraps his arms around my waist. We sway back and forth in time to the music, and not once do I open my eyes, too entranced by the wonder of it all. I'm at Prom. And I might be Prom Queen at the end of the night.
Two months ago, I was in the Capitol, getting ready for the Hunger Games, not even sure if I would come out alive. But look at me now. I have everything I could ever want, and I am perfectly alive.
"I am having so much fun." He says to me when the music rolls to a stop, and I finally open my eyes and look at him.
"I am so glad. I'm having fun too."
"So this is Prom? The one thing you wanted before we got married?"
"It'll be the last normal school year. By this time next year...we'll have a baby probably...if all goes well. I won't be able to come to Prom. Not without people thinking terrible things of me. At least now I can say I was a normal teenage girl from District 2. Just for one night, I'm not the Hunger Games victor, or the girl that is getting married, or Cato and Clove Hirsch's daughter. I'm me, Elizabeth Hirsch. The one person I always wanted to be, with no interruption."
Luke takes my face between his hands and kisses me. We keep it short, just in case there are people watching, but the taste of him still lingers. It always lingers. And I love it even more. Now. Where everyone can see me. Where everyone can make up their own story of what they saw. Where only Luke and I know the truth about it all, and we aren't telling a soul, no matter what. I'll remember this day for the rest of my life.
"It's that time of the evening ladies and gentlemen. It's time to announce your McFly High School Prom court. Would our two lovely candidates and their dates come to the stage?" Our principal says cheerfully.
Luke and I walk to the stage, and we see Tina and Jason come up next to us. We stand on either side of the principal.
"First...your Prom Queen...Elizabeth Hirsch!"
Thunderous applause come to my ears as one of Tina's lousy friends comes to put the rhinestone covered tiara on my head. She probably thought Tina would win and she would be crowning her friend. But instead, it's me.
The tiara feels perfect against my head, and I am given a sash that I sling over my dress, feeling as magnificent as I could ever imagine.
"Your Prom King...Luke Mellark!"
Even more applause come, and Luke gets his crown, and his own sash, which he is all too happy to receive.
"Wait...wait boys and girls. We aren't done here. For every king and queen, there is a prince and princess. I announce to you our own prince and princess...Tina Louve and Jason Miller!"
Tina and Jason's expressions are priceless as they get their applause. Their recognition. Their own crowns and sashes.
"Would our queen and king like to give us a speech?" The principal asks, handing me the microphone.
I've been planning this for a long time now. I take a breath and raise the microphone to my mouth.
"I cannot tell you how happy I am to be standing here tonight. Not as a Prom Queen. But as a high school sophomore. I never thought I would be attending Prom at all. Two months ago, I didn't even know if I would be alive, thanks to the gracious Capitol's Hunger Games. But now that I stand here, I know that this is one of the biggest joys I have ever had in my life. Shared with my biggest joy. My fiancée and I are standing here, as a king and queen. United as one. Just like we will be from now on. And I couldn't be more thrilled. Thank you for this honor, and for giving me your votes. I love all of you, and I hope that all of you are feeling as wonderful as I am feeling right now. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your evening."
I give the microphone to Tina.
"Thank you. I had no idea that there was such a thing as Prom prince and princess, but I know that I am honored to be given a spot alongside two amazing people like Liz and Luke. They deserve to be here more then I do, and I am glad that it was seen fit to give me a place. And Jason...he deserves to be a prince. And I hope that he is having as much of a surprise, and fun filled evening as I am. I am honored, and...I am too happy to even speak."
There are some tears running down her face and I know that she is as happy as I am. This is the most beautiful and enchanting night of my life. And the real fun hasn't even started yet. Bring on the afterparty...
I just wanted to say that there will be links to the dresses and Liz's hairstyle on my profile, in case you were curious and wanted to see them. Also, REVIEW! Please. Don't forget about Dora. LyndseyRyder12 doesn't mess around. I have Dora on SPEED DIAL. So review! Thanks! I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations.