Thomas was home-schooled for most of his life by his adoptive-mother Ava Paige. She sent him to high school for the final years of his education and he fell in love with his childhood friend, Minho. The day he goes to ask Minho out to the prom, Newt comes to him asking for a favour.
Thomas had been home-schooled by his adoptive-mother, Dr Paige, for most of his life, and Dr Paige had suggested he go to high school for the final few years in order to get social skills. Luckily, he had been friends with a few of the boys in the neighbourhood and that made the transition a lot easier. But that didn’t make the environment any less intimidating or unfamiliar. The hallway was full of noise, people talking, lockers slamming shut, and papers rustling as students scrambled to find the homework that’s due next period or the textbook that’s at the bottom of the mess in their lockers.
Thomas stood by his locker, holding onto the door as he stared down the hallway at where Minho stood talking to Alby and Gally. Minho’s face was lit by a radiant smile as he laughed and gently punched Gally’s arm.
Today’s the day, Thomas told himself. It’s now or never. If I don’t ask him now, I won’t get the chance to again.
Thomas shut his locker and drew in a deep breath.
He took a step forward when Newt’s voice rang out over the chatter of the hallway.
“Tommy!” Newt sprinted over to his side, skidding across the linoleum and bumping into the locker to stop himself. “I need to ask you a favour.”
Thomas blinked, stunned. “Okay.”
“Long story short, Rachel has to do the announcements and everything at prom so Harriet is taking Aris, and Sonya has been getting a lot of attention that she doesn’t want. A lot of guys have been asking her to prom, guys with clear intentions of what they’re going to do on prom night.” Newt stopped himself, drawing in a deep breath before continuing, “You’re the only guy in this whole buggin’ school who I can trust to look after my sister. And I know you probably want to ask someone else-”
Thomas couldn’t help himself, he glanced over Newt’s shoulder at Minho who was watching them with a confused frown.
“Please, Tommy?” Newt begged.
Thomas sighed, feeling his heart sink into his gut as he said, “Yeah, sure.”
“You’re the best,” Newt said, a bright smile lifting the corners of his mouth as he thanked Thomas again and made his way over to Alby’s side.
He chest ached, it was as if someone had punched him in the gut. He felt hot tears well in his eyes. He blinked them back, turning away and making his way down the hallway as the bell rang throughout the school.
There goes your chance, Thomas scolded himself.
Thomas sat at the dining table, prodding at the food on his plate.
“Hey,” a soft voice called from the doorway.
Thomas glanced up, looking at the woman who stood there watching him with weary eyes. Her straw-blonde hair had been pulled back from her face, her brow furrowed as she looked at him quizzically.
Thomas offered her a kind smile, but she saw straight through it.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Dr Paige asked.
“I, um… I’m going to prom with Newt’s sister,” Thomas said, trying to stay away from the truth about what was occupying his mind. “We’re going shopping today.”
“Do you need some money?”
“Nah,” Thomas said, pushing his chair back and rising to his feet. He carried his plate over to the kitchen, dumping the last of his breakfast in the bin and setting the plate down in the sink before turning back towards Dr Paige. “I’ve got enough saved up. Besides, it’s an investment, right? Every guy needs at least one good suit.”
“Thomas,” Dr Paige said, her voice firm. “You’re rambling. What’s really going on?”
Thomas let out a heavy sigh. “I’m taking Sonya to the prom as a favour for Newt,” Thomas admitted.
“And?”
“And that means I didn’t get to ask the person I wanted to go to prom with,” he said solemnly. “But it’s okay. I mean, it’s not like Minho would have wanted to go with me anyway.”
“And why would you think that?” Dr Paige asked.
Thomas shrugged slightly. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard a car horn outside the house. “I’ve got to go,” Thomas said dismissively. “That’s Newt. I’ll be back later.”
Thomas waited in the hallway of Newt’s house, tugging nervously at the cuffs of his shit. He wore a simple black jacket that was fitted to his slim shoulders and a white dress shirt. He had voted against a tie; he was nervous enough about the prom without adding the sensation of something strangling him.
Newt’s half-brother, Chuck, was in the lounge room, playing on his Xbox and muttering something about not being able to go to the prom. Newt had told him many times that he’d get his chance to go to prom in a few years and promised that they’d all hang out together on the weekend so Chuck could spend time with them, but until then Chuck had to stay at home.
Newt made his way into the hallway, dressed in dusty blue shirt and a tan tie. A grey trench coat was draped over his shoulders and he buried his hands in his pockets as he stepped over to Thomas’ side.
“Alby and Minho will meet us there,” he said. “And Sonya will be ready in a minute.”
“I want to come too!” Chuck shouted from the living room.
“When you’re older,” Newt called back, walking over to tousle his brother’s mess of curly hair.
Chuck pouted, mumbling something as he slumped down on the couch again.
Thomas’ attention was drawn to the sound of a rattling door as Sonya stepped into the hallway. She was dressed in a long white gown that was fitted to her slender shape, the fabric covered in fine lace. Her pale blonde hair was draped over one shoulder and twisted into a fishtail braid. Loose strands of hair hung around her face and sprigs of pale white flowers and baby’s breath sat in her hair.
Thomas offered her a sweet smile. “You look beautiful.”
A soft blush coloured her cheeks as she said, “Thank you.”
Newt made his way back into the hallway, smiling as he looked at his sister. He grabbed a coat from the door and held it out.
Sonya rolled her eyes and slid her arms into the sleeves.
Content, Newt grabbed his car keys and turned towards the door. “Let’s get going. Bye, Chucky!”
“Bye!” the kid shouted back.
Alby and Minho were waiting for them outside the doors, the rhythmic pounding of the music filtering out into the foyer. The heavy base rattled in their chests every time the door opened.
Alby’s face lit up when he saw Newt.
“Hey,” Minho greeted as they made their way over to join him and Alby. His dark eyes rolled over Thomas. “You look good.”
Thomas felt a rush of warmth flush his face. He bowed his head and cleared his throat, trying to hide his face as he said, “You too.”
A small smirk played on the corners of Minho’s lips. He turned to look at Sonya. “You look gorgeous!” he said enthusiastically. “Give me a twirl.”
Sonya chuckled and complied, turning in a circle as Minho complimented her. She continued to giggle as she asked, “Can we please go inside now?”
Minho stepped over to the door and opened it for her. She thanked him as she walked into the gym, Thomas, Newt and Alby following.
The school gym had been transformed. Long ribbons of flowing white fabric had been draped from the ceiling, radiating from the central point in the room and pinned back against the walls so that the middle sagged slightly. The billowing fabric had been lined with twinkling lights, giving off the illusion of a starry sky. Stings of lights cascaded down the walls like curtains of falling stars. The parts where the sheets of fabric had been pinned to the ceiling or to the walls were decorated with hanging strands of crystal-like beads, the glass chunks shimmering and glinting as they caught the light, and little lanterns. A few tables had been set up around the edges of the gym, covered in white table cloths and decorated with miniature statues of old, twisted trees with lights coiled around the branches and trunks.
“Remember to vote for prom king and queen,” Minho said in his most mockingly preppy voice.
Thomas struggled to smother his laughter and Newt shot Minho a dirty glare.
Sonya spotted Aris and Harriet among the crowd and quickly excused herself, running over to her friend and throwing her arms around Harriet.
The four of them retreated to a table at the back, letting the rest of the night pass quickly. They listened to the music play as the dance floor filled with people. Occasionally, Sonya would run to their table and ask one of them to dance with her. Minho would jump at the opportunity, scarring off any other boys who offered her a dance with sharp glares and the occasional threat.
Newt and Alby disappeared a few times, taking to the dancefloor for slow dances or sneaking out of the gym to make out.
Thomas didn’t mind being left alone. He was more than happy to blend into the shadows, watching Minho smile and dance.
Finally it came time for the announcement of Prom King and Queen.
The boys huddled around the table; Gally and Aris joined them and Harriet and Sonya made their way over to the table, cuddling as they listened to the announcement. They made quick bets, coming to the unanimous conclusion that Sonya would be Prom Queen – which she scoffed at – but argued over who would be Prom King.
“Gally,” Alby ventured.
Minho burst out laughing. “With a face like that?”
A look of pain passed over Gally’s face, but he brushed the comment aside. “Nah, it’ll be Ben.”
“You know, I could swear you have a crush on the guy,” Newt teased.
Gally lightly punched him in the arm and Newt and Minho burst into laughter.
“My money’s on you, Newt,” Minho said. “Everyone loves that accent of yours.” He leant forward, exaggerating a loving gaze as he added, “And those eyes.”
Newt pushed him away, snorting with laughter as he turned and rested his head against Alby’s shoulder. “Well, there’s only one king in my heart.”
A soft smile played across Alby’s lips.
“And the Prom King is…” Up on stage, Rachel opened the glossy silver envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfurled it and read the name, “Thomas.”
Thomas felt his heart skip a beat, his stomach twisting as everyone turned to look at him. Minho and Gally jostled him, cheering as they gently shoved him forward. He stumbled over his own legs, his heart pounding against his ribs as he made his way towards the small stage they’d set up.
Rachel picked up a silver crown, a simple metal design of interwoven details. She offered him a kind smile and whispered, “Congratulations” as she set it atop his head before returning to the microphone stand. Someone off to the side of the stage handed her another silver envelope.
“And the Prom Queen is…” She opened the envelope and read the name, “Sonya.”
The same uproar came from the corner of the room as the crowd parted to let Sonya make her way towards the stage. Thomas stepped forward, offering her his hand and helping her climb up the small steps onto the stage. She joined him in the centre of the stage where Rachel gave her a matching crown and a bouquet of flowers; purple bellflowers, blush pink roses, pastel pink and white carnations, and baby’s breath.
She stepped over to Thomas’ side as Rachel made an announcement for the Prim King and Queen to have their dance.
Thomas took Sonya’s hand, helping her down the stairs. The lace-covered skirt of her dress billowed around her legs as she glided across the floor.
“Thomas,” she whispered. “I know you only asked me to prom as a favour for Newt, and I really appreciate everything you’ve done; you’ve made this a wonderful night. But it’s not fair that you had to give up your chance to ask out the person you wanted to.”
Thomas swallowed hard and dropped his gaze. “It’s not like they’d want to go with me anyway.”
“How would you know if you never asked him?” Sonya asked.
She took a step back and smiled as she made her way back towards the edge of the crowd surrounding the dance floor. She stopped by Minho’s side and whispered something into his ear before taking Harriet’s hand and pulling her towards the dance floor.
Minho straightened his back and made his way over to Thomas’ side.
People turned to look at them, the room filling with a buzz of hushed whispers as people stopped dancing, cleared the dancefloor and turned to watch them.
Thomas froze, his racing heartbeat aching in his chest.
“Hey,” Minho whispered as he stopped in front of Thomas. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, but-”
“Will you dance with me?” Thomas blurted out, his face flushing red.
A soft smile lifted the corners of Minho’s lips. He reached forward and took Thomas’ hand in his. “I’d like that.”
He adjusted his hold on Thomas, taking one hand in his and setting his other hand on Thomas’ waist. He pulled Thomas close against him and Thomas didn’t resist, feeling secure in Minho’s hold.
Thomas set his free hand on Minho’s shoulder and followed his lead, moving back and forth slowly to the soft melody of the music. He stared into Minho’s eyes, feeling all fear and hesitation wash away. He leant forward and brought his lips to Minho’s.
Minho’s hand on his hip grabbed at his jacket, pulling him closer. He let go of Thomas’ hand and cupped his cheek, deepening the kiss. As they broke away, Thomas rested his forehead against Minho’s.
They heard their friends cheering, making them smile and laugh.
Thomas buried his face in the curve of Minho’s shoulder, hiding the bright red blush that coloured his cheeks.
Minho chuckled, pressing a kiss to Thomas’ temple. They stayed that way, swaying back and forth and moving slowly to the music.
It was just the two of them, dancing beneath the twinkling lights.
