On the day of the dance Collin still refused to go no matter how much Harriette pouted or pleaded. Finally Harriette gave up and went to her room to get ready.
Collin came into her room a few minutes later.
“Harriette?” he asked.
“Yes?” Harriette said, carefully curling her hair.
“I’ll go to the dance with you,” he said quietly.
“Really?” Harriette said, almost burning herself with the curling iron.
“Yeah.”
“You’re are the best,” Harriette said, running over to hug Collin.
“Don’t burn me,” Collin said.
“Oops,” Harriette said, remembering was still holding the curling iron. “Good thing I got you a costume anyway.”
Collin frowned.
“What? I had to be prepared,” Harriette shrugged. “You’re my Prince Charming.”
“I don’t wanna be that,” Collin said.
Harriette frowned and looked up from where she was searching in her closet. “Well, what are you gonna be?”
Collin shrugged.
“See? stop being difficult,” Harriette said. She found the clothes for Collin’s costume and then handed them to him.
Harriette went back to her hair, assuming that Collin would just put on his costume. But after she had curled her hair, put it up into a bun and put on her tiara, Collin was still sitting there.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“I don’t want to be Prince Charming,” Collin said.
“Oh, come on, Collin,” Harriette said, “You’re just saying that because you want to be difficult.”
“I’m saying it because I don’t want to,” Collin said, setting the clothes on the bed. “I can do things for myself.”
Harriette watched as he got up and left the room, not really knowing what to say.
--
Collin didn’t really care about being Prince Charming, he was just upset that Harriette would go ahead and plan his costume, assuming that he would just agree with it. Sometimes it felt like she controlled his life. But honestly he was just tired of everything that had to do with school, and he really didn’t want to go to this dance. But for Harriette...
Back in his own bedroom he stared at his closet. He was wondering what he could be for the dance. He still planned to go with Harriette, he had already decided on that and it would be rude to cancel on her. Harriette was his best friend, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
He just hoped he hadn’t already.
Harriette appeared in his doorway, “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be,” Collin said, “I don’t want to ruin this for you.”
“But it’s just a stupid dance,” Harriette said. She walked in and sat on the bed. “I’m getting upset about a stupid dance.”
“It’s important to you,” Collin said.
“But not everything that’s important to me has to be important to you,” Harriette said.
“I just want you to be happy,” Collin said.
“But I want you to be happy,” Harriette sighed.
“I’ll be Prince Charming,” Collin said, “Just this time, next time I get to choose.”
“Collin, you’re the best,” Harriette said, hugging him and skipping out of the room.
So maybe Collin was a pushover, but it was all worth it to see Harriette smile.
---
The gym was decorated from the floor to the ceiling with Halloween decorations. There were bats hanging from the ceiling, cobwebs everywhere, orange and black streamers were hanging on the wall, with fake spiders clinging to the cobwebs.
“You’re costumes are so cute,” someone said as soon as Collin, Harriette, Tamarai, and DaeRi entered the dance. Collin doubted that they even knew who they were being.
“This is gorgeous,” Harriette said, walking over to the snacks table.
“Yumm,” Tamarai said, picking up a cupcake with a gummy spider on it.
“You guys look great,” Heather, one of the Popular Followers, said.
“Thanks,” Harriette said, “you look cute.”
Heather, dressed as a faerie, thanked her back. She then looked around, as if looking for someone.
“Are you looking for someone?” DaeRi asked.
“Yeah, Tracy,” Heather said. “She told me she would only take a second. But knowing her she got caught up in the bathroom trying to perfect her hair. Again.”
“You should probably go find her then,” Harriette said.
“Nah, she’ll come out eventually,” Heather said, “so what are you guys being?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Harriette said.
“Oh, yeah of course,” Heather lied.
Harriette smiled, “I think the tiara and the blue dress would give it away.”
Heather nodded, obviously trying to put it together. Harriette laughed and rolled her eyes. Collin couldn’t help but notice that Harriette was so different when she was with other people. He had noticed it before, but now it felt weird. She was way more snobby.
“Their modern disney princesses,” Collin said.
“Oh,” Heather said, “Yeah, obvious. You’re Cinderella. And, uhm, Jasmine and Mulan?”
“Yep,” Tamarai said.
Finally Tracy came back from the bathroom. She was dressed as Pocahontas.
“Tracy!” Heather said, “I was just talking to these girls.”
“Oh,” Tracy said, “sorry for taking long,”
“It’s nothing,” Heather said. “Let’s go dance.”
“You guys go,” Harriette said, “we just got here, I wanna mingle first.”
“Okay,” Heather said, taking Tracy’s hand and leading the way to the already packed dance floor.
“Finally,” DaeRi said, “now let’s mingle with actually important people.”
“I’m just gonna stay here,” Collin said,
“Don’t get too lonely,” Harriette said, “if you need me, find me.”
“Okay,” Collin said, “have fun.”
After they left Collin found his way outside. A bunch of people were smoking in the back so Collin went to the front. This dance was quite frankly a waste of time.
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