Part 41 - The gala

Y/n

"Hold still! I can't get it straight if you keep moving around."

Enid let out a huff of a laugh, and she muttered a small 'sorry' , trying to keep her head still as I drew the eyeliner onto the edges of her lids. She said she was too nervous about her dance tonight that her hands kept shaking, and asked me to do it instead.

But honestly I was feeling just as many nerves as she was, I was just trying not to let them get the best of me.

The two of us had spent the last hour up here in my dorm getting ready for the gala, listening to her playlists and hyping each other up and laughing over little things that probably weren't even that funny. But tonight we were each other's company, and frankly it's been awesome finally becoming friends with her. Honestly it was dumb that I stayed away from her just because we liked the same guy, though it did end up being something we could bond over.

I glance up at the clock on the wall above my bed where we were sitting.

Okay, 30 minutes until the gala is supposed to start.

That's fine, I think we're close to being done with makeup anyway. Then all we have to do is get our dresses on and head down to the main hall. I kind of wish Bianca had been able to get ready with us, I mean this part of the night was just as fun as what I expected to come later, but she was so swamped with school, plus all the tasks she had to do to help set up for the gala, she didn't have any left over time after that, so we had to wait and meet up with her there later.

But at least I had Enid here, it was so much nicer not to have to spend this time by myself. I think I would've gone crazy if I had to sit here with my thoughts in a dress that, yes was very beautiful, but just wasn't as special if nobody got to see it before everyone else did.

Plus she was a pro when it came to doing my makeup. When I saw her work in the mirror, I just felt so... pretty. I know that was kind of the whole point of tonight, but it was nice knowing I didn't have to worry about looking bad. Especially in front of Pugsley.

The eye makeup wouldn't be that visible under the masks we were going to wear, but it was fun to do it anyway.

"Okayyy, I'm almost done. I just have to do your mascara."

I reach down next to me and rummage in my makeup bag for a little bit, plucking out the mascara wand that I kept for special occasions, it was my best one, so I wanted to make it last. This thing was not cheap.

"How are you feeling?"

She hums for a second, thinking over her answer as I apply the first swipe on her lashes.

"I think I'm feeling pretty good, I've been practicing non stop for weeks, so I have no doubt that it'll be flawless. But, I wanna talk about you. What's the deal with you and Pugsley tonight?"

I smile softly, touching up the final corners of mascara, making sure it looks perfect.

"Uhmm, yeah I don't know. I haven't really seen him much today since he went back to the cottage instead of getting ready here."

I uncross my legs to get up off my bed and Enid blinked a few times as I go stand in front of the mirror stuck to the door of my closet, starting to apply the mascara on myself.

"But we did talk last night. I might have maybe fucked it up a tiny bit, but I definitely got somewhere with him. And you know, I think I'm going in the right direction with this thing. I am a tad nervous to see him tonight though, how do you think he's gonna react when he sees me?"

I glance back over at her, and she flashes me a smile as she makes a move over to me, walking to stand behind me and made eye contact through the reflection as she placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Trust me Y/n, if that boy knows what's good for him, he'll drop to his knees when he sees you tonight in that dress."

I felt my jaw drop at her statement, and I give her my best 'what the fuck' face as my head turned around to face her directly. I was half between laughter and just pure shock as I replayed her words in my head.

"Enid!"

She lifted her hands off my shoulders, holding them up in mock surrender and she shrugged before she took a few steps back and over to my bed again.

"I'm just sayin'. You look really hot in that thing, he'd be a fool not to."

I roll my eyes, but not too far in case the mascara wasn't fully dry yet, and I let out a scoff.

"Yeah okay, but do you really have to say it like that? You make it sound like he's a dog or something."

She laughs, crouching down next to my bed and lifting up the blanket that grazed just above the floor, reaching under the frame where I had the box stored, my dress still waiting inside to be worn.

I could hear the sound of the cardboard sliding on the floor as she took the box out from it's hiding place, and lifting it up onto my bed. I'd kind of been stress eating all day, so I really hope it still fits well. 

And surprisingly enough, I had been able to put aside all of my nerves, and not pick at my fingernails all week, no matter how much I was tempted to with all of the weird things that have been happening to me with Pugsley. So I was actually able to paint them properly, though I doubted it would last any longer than tonight.

"Well, however he reacts, all I know is that if I were him, I would be on my knees in a heartbeat. I mean have you seen the way that guy looks at you? He's so going to pass out when he lays his eyes on you."

I snort.

"I hope not, I would very much prefer him conscious tonight if possible thank you."

My eyes travel over to where Enid had laid the box atop the covers of my bed, and she removed the lid to reveal the dress inside. And it was almost like I could see the air around it shift when it was exposed to the pure beauty of the gown, and Enid carefully took it by the top of the bodice, and lifted it from where it rested.

The fabric gracefully fell towards to floor, just grazing over the wood as Enid smiled at me.

"Now, what do you say we get these gowns on and make our way down to that gala?"

I stared at the dress as she suspended it for me to see, and I nod after a few seconds.

"Yeah, let's do it."

««« ♪ ♪ »»»

"Okay you were right, we look so hot right now."

The words left my lips while I turned myself around to look at the other angle of the dress in the mirror, and Enid did the same as we both pulled funny poses and faces at each other through the reflection.

"Hell yeah we do, and I guarantee you'll catch everybody's attention when you walk in, trust me."

I wasn't sure if I actually liked the idea of that or not. I mean yeah I wanted people to think I look good, but if that meant all the people in that hall were going to be looking at me then maybe I shouldn't go after all.

Honestly if that is the case, I'll probably just hide in a corner somewhere until the attention is off of me, but if I wanted to do that, then we have to get going like right now.

"I really don't wanna have to leave but if we don't wanna be late then we should definitely get a move on."

She nodded at my observation, and both Enid and I moved away from the mirror reluctantly. And she wanders over to my desk where the two masquerade masks were sitting, grabbing mine and taking it back over to me before lifting it carefully over my eyes and reaching behind my head to secure it on me.

"You really do look amazing Y/n, I hope you know that."

She gives a more soft, sincere look as she made eye contact with me, and I returned her smile in kind.

"Thank you... So do you, and you're totally gonna crush it tonight, so don't even worry about it. Just have fun."

Her eyes narrowed, but her gaze still held a grateful look to it as her arms dropped back down by her sides, holding her own mask in her hand.

"I feel like I should be the one telling you that."

I let out a small huff.

"Yeah well, maybe..."

Enid places her free hand gently on the side of my arm.

"Let's both just enjoy this evening, whatever happens, okay?"

I nod, but I couldn't help the small thought in the back of my mind that maybe what would happen tonight is something I wouldn't enjoy.

"Yeah, whatever happens."

She sighs and shakes her shoulders one last time.

"Okay, you ready to go then?"

"Yep, I'll be out in a sec I just have to grab my keys."

She gives me a short nod as she walks over to the door, stepping out into the hall as I turned back to the end of my bed where my bag was, and my keys too. I mean I kind of need them if I don't wanna sleep in the hallway later after this thing is over, and Pugsley still has yet to get his own set.

I lean down, picking up the pack and undoing the drawstrings to dig inside the abyss of random objects and discarded pieces of paper and the occasional gummy worm that I forgot about.

What the fuck? Where are they?

I swear I put them back in here this morning after I locked up, did I accidentally drop them in one of my classes? Fuck, if I did then I'll have to go tonight without them, I don't have time to search the entire school. 

I picked the whole bag up, tipping it upside down over my bed as the mountain of stuff inside came falling onto the sheets, and I tossed it to the side as my eyes and hands scanned through everything I could see. Did I seriously lose them again...

Wait wait wait, hold on a second.

I turn towards Pugsley's side of the room, quickly walking over to where his desk was, and I looked through the stuff scattered across the top and on the shelf above it, and when I still couldn't see them, I opened up the drawer underneath.

Bingo.

Honestly I really should have realized they were in here sooner, seeing as it was the exact same place that Pugsley had left them the last time he borrowed them and forgot about it until I thought I lost them, and then he was all like 'oh sorry my bad I just chucked them in here for safe keeping'.

I wouldn't exactly call it safe keeping if I don't know they're in there, but hey at least he was consistent.

I plucked the keys from in the drawer, tossing them up into the air and catching them again before tucking them away into my purse that I'd found in my closet to use specifically for tonight, since carrying around a backpack just seemed a little impractical.

I almost closed the drawer again and left without acknowledging what I saw, but there was something sitting on top of the couple notebooks inside of it that caught my attention.

Since when does Pugsley know how to do origami?

It looked as though it was made simply from just a lined piece of paper torn from one of his books, but it had been folded into the shape of what I believe was a butterfly. It was actually pretty cute, one of its wings was bent just a little bit too far so it made it look a smidge deformed, but that only added on to how adorable it was.

The question of how he made still persists though, I mean I guess it might have been a skill that he just never mentioned he had, but I'd never seen do anything like it before. Plus the imperfection of it tells me it probably wasn't something he was particularly amazing at.

And there was something on the inside.

It was folded in, so I couldn't tell what it said, but there was writing on the paper.

And while I didn't really want to ruin the work he'd done, my curiosity outweighed the guilt of undoing what he'd done. So, I carefully took the wings in between my fingers, unfolding each bit one thing at a time, and by the time I'd gotten the paper flat again, the ink could be seen through the other side, and when I turned it over to face me, I could feel my heart drop down to my stomach.

'Will you let me be your date to the gala?'

Oh my god...

He was going to ask me? Wait, last night, when we were talking he had his hands behind his back, like he was hiding something from me, and I was just too nervous to even register it.

Fuck I am such an idiot.

He was going to ask me to the gala, and I went and said to his face that it would be weird if we went together. 

But holy shit, he wanted to go with me!

Fucking fuck fuckity fuck yes!

I might have ruined the chance he had to ask me, but the night was far from over and I was not going to let him spend it thinking I didn't want the same thing.

Maybe tonight wasn't going to be as bad as I feared...

But this is an insane development. I never would have thought I'd be feeling this many butterflies in my stomach before I even left my room, but now I was going to walk into that gala, more nervous than I have ever been in my entire life, all because of this boy that my heart could not get enough of.

Wait, what am I even supposed to say to Pugsley when I see him? I can't just straight up tell him I know about this, I mean how do I bring up the fact that I know he wanted to be my date, and perhaps maybe even likes me. 

This is way too much... I think I'm starting to feel dizzy.

"Y/n! Come on we gotta get going!"

Enid's voice snaps me out of the rabbit hole of worries my brain was going down, and I quickly scrunch up the paper and throw it back onto his desk in a hurry, and I shut the drawer before walking towards the door with a rushed pace.

"Coming!"

I rushed out the threshold, pulling the door closed after me and locking it as Enid noticed my nervous expression.

"Hey, you feeling okay?"

I nod quickly as I heard the lock click and I pulled my keys back out and put them back into my purse, and I turned towards her with a smile.

Because believe it or not, the feeling that was coursing through my veins right now over everything else, was pure happiness.

"Yeah, I'm great. Come on, let's go."

I hooked my arm with hers, and I grinned ear to ear as we started to walk down the first flight of steps, and we passed by a couple of other students who were also dressed up and on their way down to the gala, and I could feel the excitement spreading throughout my body as Enid and I made our way down the few floors it took to get to the main stair case out into the courtyard.

When we stepped through the doors out into the cool night air, my arm tightened around hers in anticipation, and I could see her head turn to look at me through my peripheral vision.

"Somebody's in a good mood, what happened up there when I left?"

I look back at her.

"Nothing, just the most incredible thing ever."

Enid let out a small laugh.

"Alright then, if you say so."

My eyes wandered up to the sky above us, where soft purple lights were being shone as an addition to the already beautifully decorated courtyard, and they moved around in a synchronized fashion while they lit up the cloudy night from below, and I couldn't help but smile at the amount of effort that had been put in to make this night special for everybody.

And my excitement only grew bigger when my gaze dropped back down towards where Enid and I were walking, and my eyes locked onto a certain bee boy who was sitting outside on the steps with some sort of jar in his hand, which he put down on the concrete when he saw me, and his jaw dropped.

I send him a short wave with my free hand and I bump Enid's shoulder with mine slightly.

"Hey, I'll see you in there, okay?"

She looked between me and the boy waiting on the steps, and she nods as she unlinks our arms.

"Yeah, okay. Have fuuun."

I got one final smile from her before I watched her run off ahead, stopping briefly as she passed Eugene, and they shared a look that I couldn't quite see properly, but it didn't last long enough for me to figure it out, as Enid climbed up the steps quickly and disappeared into the hall at the end of the around the corner.

I kept walking for a few more meters, stopping just in front of the boy who waited for me with a hand extended, silently asking for mine and he smiled at me.

"Hey there gorgeous girl."

I felt my heart flutter at his sweet words, and I placed my palm atop of his and his hand closed around mine. He lifted my arm up, gesturing for me to spin around so he could see the full view of the dress, and I did so without question, feeling like a princess as he kept my hand in his and admired me as I gave him a slow turn.

I heard a low whistle from him as I came back around to face him and he lifted the back of my hand up to his mouth, pressing one of those gentlemanly pecks to it and smiled.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the gesture, even though it was super sweet of him.

"Oh my god you are such a dork.."

He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head in agreement to my small dig, but I meant no malice in my words, I was just a little surprised by his actions.

"Yeah well, you look beautiful. That dress was made for you."

At the end of the day, Eugene was still one of my best friends, and even if he couldn't fully comprehend the meaningfulness of his words, I was glad he was here.

"I know, right? And the funny thing is, I didn't pay a single cent for it."

Eugene nods, as if he wasn't that shocked by the information, and he let go of my hand and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm aware, your boy told me all about his little gift to you, I just hope you weren't too mad at the guy, it was really nice of him if you ask me, that thing looks really expensive."

I shake my head with a smile.

"No, I'm not mad at him at all, though I do feel like I should be doing something in return for him. Because yeah, it was pretty pricey, believe me."

He waved a dismissive hand at my concern, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, him just being able to see you tonight in this, is going to be plenty more than enough to make up for it, that I know for sure."

I take a deep breath, looking up the steps and seeing the lights coming from inside, along with the soft music and bustling sounds of the people already in there, and I felt that wave of nerves wash over me again, so I looked back to Eugene.

"So uh, are you gonna go in orrrr..?"

Eugene glanced back at where I was pointing, over to where a few kids were hovering around the stairs, and there was even a couple making out where they thought the teachers couldn't see them. He shakes his head and gestures over to the jar that he had placed down when I walked up to him.

"Nah, big crowd of people who I don't really wanna talk to, plus music that I don't know how to dance to, not really my thing. Also I think my moths are really close to coming back, so I wanna be out here when they do."

I sigh and nod. I was asking partly because I wanted to know if he was going to be alright out here on his own, but also partly because I was nervous to go in.

"Okay... Well uhm, have you seen Pugsley yet?"

"Nope, not yet. But he said he's not too far away so it shouldn't be long before he gets here."

Great, cool, I'm not freaking out at all. It's not like I've just discovered my best friend probably likes me as more than such, and that I may or may not feel the same way about him. Or the fact that he'll be here any minute now and I still have no idea what I'm going to say to him.

I shake out my arms a couple of times, trying to get the jitters out before I had to face Pugsley, but it wasn't working very well. And when Eugene saw my actions, he spoke with concern in his voice.

"Hey, you okay?"

I shut my eyes and nod quickly while breathing deeply.

"Yup, I'm awesome. Awesome sauce dude, totally A-Okay."

When I open my eyes to look at him, I'm met with a skeptical look and a sigh.

"While I don't believe a single thing that just came out of your mouth, I'm just gonna say that you should go in there, have an amazing night, and if you need anything, anything at all... I'll be right here."

I let my lips turn up into a small smile, and I nod before pulling him into a tight hug, in hopes that maybe it would help calm me down at least a little bit.

"Thank you... for everything."

He gives me a short pat on the back before I pull away, and I turn myself towards the steps, and I lift the bottom of my dress off the ground, taking the first move up the stairs. The music got clearer the closer I got to the entrance, which I could now see was covered with two curtains on each side, a small gap in the middle for people entering and leaving.

I could see through said gap slightly, and the glow of the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling captured my gaze as I took in the magical sight, slowly moving through the curtains and onto the balcony that overlooked the hall, and the dozens of students and adults wearing clothes just as fancy as my own, all standing around the many tables, and a few of them were even swaying gently to the music.

Woah...

It really was an exquisite sight to behold. But thankfully enough, this place was attention grabbing enough that Enid's theory of everyone staring at me was quickly proven wrong, which allowed me to breathe in relief.

I made my way carefully down the staircase that brought me to the main floor below, getting a few looks on the way past, but nothing too embarrassing so far. Just some quick glances and a couple of 'oohs' that gave me a bit of a sense of confidence in my look.

But, speaking of Enid, as soon as I got down onto the floor, weaving myself through the few crowds of people, she was quick to run up to me with a giant smile as she grabbed both my hands in hers.

"Heyyy, this place is amazing! I can't believe they pulled this all together in two days, I'm impressed."

I nodded along with her words, and my head turned around to look at everything surrounding us, but when I looked back up the stairs that I just came from, I felt as if I was going to throw up when I saw who was standing there.

Oh fuck.

««« ♪ ♪ »»»

I felt like I couldn't breathe.

And it wasn't the nice kind of breathless either, it was the kind that made me feel like I could pass out at any moment just from how dizzy I was right now. My heart was beating so fast that I wouldn't be surprised if it just stopped working all together by the end of tonight.

As much as I wished Bianca's comforting hand rubbing up and down my back was helping, the feeling faded into the background as I tried to get my breathing under control. I thought I was brave enough to do this, but now I'm not so sure anymore.

The moment I'd seen Mr. and Mrs. Addams standing up on that balcony, I felt the most fear I'd ever experienced in my whole life, and not because of their naturally spooky demeanor, but because I knew that if they stepped only a few inches to the right, I would see him. And I couldn't handle the pressure in that moment, so I ran.

Obviously I couldn't get very far, but I'd been able to find a corner hidden by one of the giant curtains that I had dragged Enid to, but when she saw how overwhelmed I was, I think she got kind of freaked out, resulting in her going to get Bianca, who was now crouched down next to me on the floor trying to help me calm down, while Enid kept a look out for Pugsley to tell me if he got close to here.

This was so stupid, I'm scared of facing my own best friend, who's probably out there right now wondering why he can't find me, and I'm hiding back here from him for no reason other than I don't know what to say to him.

And I'm scared shitless.

"I don't think I can do this.."

I could feel my whole body shaking, and Bianca's hold on me got tighter.

"Hey, you're okay. It's normal to be scared right now. But Y/n, look at me."

She tilted my head up with her hand towards her own gaze, staring directly into my eyes through the mask that covered them.

Her presence was so gentle, like she could calm a crying baby just by being in the same room, and honestly it's exactly what I needed right now.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay? I'm sure that Pugsley will be happy just to spend time with you tonight, even if that's all that happens. If you're scared, that's okay. I'd be pretty terrified if I were you right now too."

I nod gently as I swallow the lump that had formed in the back of my throat.

"If it helps, he's dressed like a jester. It's kinda funny actually."

Enid turned her head down towards me, and her observation made me curious to what she meant, so I moved over to the edge of the curtain, peaking around the corner to scan the room for Pugsley.

When I couldn't see him immediately, Enid pointed him out in amongst the crowd, and I snort when my eyes lock onto his figure.

She wasn't kidding, but it was sort of adorable.

He was covered head to toe in a checkered silver outfit, with a matching hat to go with it, and he was looking around like he was searching for something. Or more like someone.

And if I was guessing right, that someone was me.

I felt guilty for hiding, especially when I could see the look on his face, as if he was losing hope by the second, and I turned my self back to Bianca, and she gave me an empathetic look.

"If you're really not feeling like going out there, we can help you sneak out before he sees you."

I shake my head, glancing back at the boy walking through the people surrounding him, eventually turning his back to where we were, and I take another deep breath, this time with a determination not to let myself downward spiral again.

"No, I can't do that to him. I need to do this, even though I have no idea how."

Bianca grabs my hands with hers, and sends me a soft smile.

"Alright. Then I suggest you get off your butt, and go over to that boy, because it looks like he's waiting for you."

She stands up off the floor, lifting me up along with her, and she brushes off my shoulders before turning to Enid, who stepped away from the opening in the curtain.

"We have to leave now, I have to get ready for my speech, and Enid's got her dance, so you'll be on your own. You know where to find us if it get's too much though, yeah?"

I give her a quick nod, and her and Enid move away from me, leaving to disappear through the crowds and off to backstage, and I tap my foot against the floor as I sigh.

"God what am I doing..."

It's okay. I'll just go over there and hang out with him, and I just won't say anything unless he does. I mean, yes I do want to talk about it with him, but if I wait until he brings it up, then I'll have more time to think of what I should say to him.

Ow...my ankle.

I lift my right foot off of the ground, balancing on one shoe as I dip my hand under the edge of my dress to take of the one hurting my skin and holding it in my hand to give my foot a break.

I don't really know why I agreed to wear heels. Enid insisted I borrow a pair from her, because they just went so perfectly with my dress. And yeah she wasn't wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if these heels were made specifically for whoever bought this gown, but boy were they doing a number on my equilibrium. I was barely able to keep myself up right on the sliver of a heel already as it was, I was pretty sure I'd have to take them off way before the night was over if I wanted my feet to survive.

You'd think I would have learned from the last time I wore shoes that hurt my feet this bad, but I'm just a sucker for punishment I guess.

I was so distracted while trying to gather my thoughts, along with moving my ankle around to give my muscles a stretch, that I didn't even hear the footsteps that came up behind me.

"Y/n?"

Shit.