June's Gala.

"Did you get an invitation to June's Gala? I did! I do not know what to wear. I am sure you know the theme. A garden party is not something that is really in my wardrobe. What about you?" My friend asks. I roll my eyes. I swear this is all anyone is talking about. I did get invited. I just have nothing to wear. Going to dances is just a waste of time though. I would not go. How juvenile it would be to go. Not for my friend, but for me. I would not be asked out anyway. I tell my friend so. They roll their eyes at me. "I am going. I would let you come with me, but I am already going with somebody. You will change your mind." My friend insists. No, I will not. I will not go. It is a waste. But it is all anyone can talk about. Annoying, I know. But whatever.

The next day I come in and see all these huge proposals to go to the gala. June is helping out with romantic plans. I cannot believe all this mushy gushy nonsense is really happening right before my eyes. Who decided this was a good idea? Whatever. I was not to have anything to do with it. The drama started breaking out all over the place, even in the most unexpected spots. My parents told me to go. That I should. But I was not going to budge. Nope. I talked about it with one of my friends. They wanted to ask out their crush but were too scared. I could relate. I had a vacation and felt better about it. But as soon as I got back it was like the drama had doubled. Come on! June, why did you have to have this gala, I wonder. Why?

But I was fine with it. It did not really concern me. But by the end of the week, I was super tempted to do something. And then Monday. And then Tuesday. And by Wednesday, I knew who I was going to ask. If they said yes then I was going to go with them and have a good time. If they said no, then I would not go. I put on something nice, and then went and had a normal morning. I was really nervous. We were hanging out. I was really nervous. An argument broke out in my head, telling me not to say anything or to say something and then it slipped out of my big dumb mouth. I was mad at myself. "Would you like to go to the gala with me?" I kind of slur it out of my mouth. I am really mad at myself.

They look at me bewildered. "Wh-what?" They ask. I feel the way they look. I want to slap myself for saying that on impulse. Why could I not have kept my mouth shut? I wonder. But now, it was too late. I could either lose them as a friend or keep them as a friend. And with that reaction, I was almost sure that I had lost them. Well, I might as well say it again, to signify the end of our friendship. Might as well at this point. Nothing else I can do. Except for embarrassing myself even more than I had before. Or pretend. But I knew that would make matters worse. I had to be brave. Besides, there was still hope. Some amount of hope. Little to no hope at all. But still, there was hope.

"W-would you go to the gala with me?" I say definitively. I think I might sound a bit angry, but my anger is not on them. It is for myself. It is my fault I said it. Why did I have to go and ruin that moment? Everything was perfect. And then it was not. Why did June have to have this Gala? If she had not proposed it and invited us, would everything be fine? Probably. But thanks to my dumb fat mouth and her inviting us, I had ruined everything. Why was I being so stupid? So juvenile, and utterly disgusting. But now there was no point in saying that. I had made a complete and utter fool out of myself. And who was there to blame? Myself of course. Who else would there be to blame?

"Uhm...Yeah sure." They say. Wait, really? No way! I think. One moment ago I was wallowing in shame, and the next I am practically jumping for joy. I give them my phone number and we do not say much after that. In the afternoon, we text for a bit. I get my clothes for it and then we text a bit after that. I then went to bed. We see each other just about every day. They were super supportive of my college decision and felt sorry when I had to be evacuated on the first day. On Monday we talk very little. On Tuesday we talk more. On Wednesday we talk a bit. Same for Thursday, and Friday. But Friday was the same day as the gala. We both had so much fun, I could not believe it. Midway through, we snuck out.

We talked and talked, and eventually came back. Shockingly, we had a lot of fun, and it was so worth it to us to go I decided. In the end, it was not as bad as I thought it would have been. I personally think that there were so many fun things we did while we were there. It brought us together. I know that it was over-the-top, but it was a way for us to enjoy ourselves without being in the usual environment we are in. And it was better than we had thought before. I know it was not something I really wanted to ever attend or thought of myself doing, but shockingly, I did not hate it.