Prom 2010--The Lost City of Atlantis

[The Phantom of Paris]

Marcus de Benedetto Academy's 2010 prom will be held Saturday, May 22, from 7:30 PM to 11. The dress code is formal and the theme is The Lost City of Atlantis, and all members of the junior and senior class at de Benedetto are invited to attend...provided they purchased their tickets on time!

This year, the prom is being held in what was once a middle school, that has now been converted for use in functions like this. The event is being held on the second floor of the building, and the decorating committee has even thought to throw some decorations into the elevator as well. When one leaves the elevator, they will see a long hallway that will take them to the dance floor. This has been set up in almost a 'red-carpet', scheme, only with blue to match the theme. Twinkle lights line the floor of the hallway, giving it an ethereal, underwater glow.

Before one enters the dance area, they must present their ticket to one of the chaperones at the door. There are tables strewn about the back of the room, near the entrance, for weary dancers to sit and relax or enjoy their desserts and drinks. The line for drinks is right by the door, where one can order a fruit-juice and soda concoction in a "real" cocktail glass. The strawberry-mango drink appears to be a favorite this evening. An old rowboat sits upon a long rectangular table, lined with tablecloths and filled with any kind of mini-dessert you can imagine, including truffles and chocolate-covered strawberries.

About halfway into the room is where the tables end and the dancefloor begins. Directly opposite the doors, at the other end of the room, is a stage where the DJ has set up.

In keeping with the theme, the majority of the decorations are blue. Blue and white balloons, meant to represent bubbles, line the walls going upward, and cardboard cutouts of different tropical fish are visible on every window, creating pleasing silhouettes that make one believe they really are in Atlantis. A huge "castle" has been created as a backdrop for the ever-important prom pictures, easily the most noticeable thing about the decor, and tall containers of water containing three colorful fish serve as a centerpiece on each and every table.

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: So I know that this whole prom thing never got off the ground, but Mascii and I wrote this up anyway and I thought it deserved to be posted. Not as long as some other P-RPs, but still sweet. So behold...PRESBY PRE-PROM CUTENESS! ^_^ BIC:

Shelby Wright

Shelby stared at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the girl she saw there. This couldn't be shy, mousy old Shelby Wright, could it? Not the girl in the mirror. She was confident and beautiful, dressed for a prom she hoped she'd never forget. This girl looked like a siren from a fairy tale in her deep blue dress, hair styled to near perfection, makeup effortlessly applied by Ilaria--and this girl was smiling. No. This couldn't really be Shelby, could it?

"Shelby, mia cara, you look bellisima!


Shelby turned around, turning a shy smile onto Ilaria. "Thanks." It was weird to get used to the idea of Ilaria being here, in Shelby's mother's house. With it being the weekend, Shelby and Cassie would ordinarily be with their dad in the Lower Gardens. But with Kristen's recent hospitalization, Mark and Ilaria had made the trek over to the mansion, staying with the girls for a few days while their mother recovered, choosing to make the trip themselves to present the least amount of emotional trauma to the girls. Kristen was scheduled to be released Monday, but until then , the four of them would remain. Hey, it makes sense. It's dad's house anyway, isn't it? Why did mom end up with it, anyway? This deviation from the norm had thrown Shelby for a bit, especially the prospect of remaining at the mansion on a weekend, but she had quickly grown used to the idea once she realized that it was a much better location for prom pictures.

She turned back to the mirror, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Preston would be coming soon to pick her up, and she didn't think she'd ever been this nervous. She wanted to kick herself for it--what was he going to do, laugh at her?--but she found she couldn't get rid of it no matter what she did. She had no idea what to do. As a sophomore, technically she didn't even belong at prom. What if she made a fool of herself? She had no idea how to act, how to dance, whether she was supposed to pay for dinner or not, what to expect. She took a few deep breaths, trying unsuccessfully to relax. Was she supposed to get the door for him when he showed up, or did he want her to descend the grand staircase and meet him like in a movie? What if he laughed at her? What if he thought she looked horrible? What if--

"Shelby?" Ilaria asked, appearing in the mirror beside her. "Is something the matter?"

Shelby gave a sheepish smile. "I guess I'm just nervous...which sounds really lame. Wow."

Ilaria patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous. You are beautiful and you're going to have a great time. I know it."

Shelby nodded, remaining unconvinced. There came a knock at the door then, sending Shelby's heart leaping into her throat. Ilaria gave a satisfied nod. "And there he is now. Come on, Shelby!" She took off briskly out the door, one hand on her pregnant stomach. Shelby heard her clattering down the stairs, sounding like a little girl on Christmas morning.

Shelby hung back, walking slowly out of her room and to the top of the staircase. "Daddy, can you get the door, please?" she called out, her voice carrying through the house loud but shaky. She moved to a spot near the landing where she could easily see the door but couldn't actually be seen herself, watching as her father opened the front door.

"It's nice to see you again, Preston," she heard her dad say. "I think you've met my wife, Ilaria? Shelby should be down in a minute. Shelby? Your date's here."

There was no way out of this now. "I'm right here," Shelby called, appearing at the top of the stairs.


~~~

Preston Brailsford - =3

The formal suit felt like just another costume to him, with its buttons and silk and its soft formality. He held his corsage for her in one hand, his keys in the other, turning over and over again until he reached her doorway. Then, he forced himself to slip them into his pocket, losing the object for him to play with that would have let out some of his nervousness. After giving the door a brisk knock, he stepped back, his hands in his jacket and suddenly feeling quite claustrophobic, despite being out of doors. He felt eyes coming through the windows, then the door opened to reveal Shelby's dad.

"It's nice to see you again, Preston," he said cheerfully - obviously not disapproving of Preston in general, which allowed Preston to smile and let out a little breath of relief. He took a little step inside after being gestured in, and stood facing the parents "I think you've met my wife, Ilaria? Shelby should be down in a minute." Over his shoulder, the man called up the stairs, "Shelby? Your date's here."

"I'm right here," came a familiar voice, and Preston turned on his heel to see her, standing resplendent at the top of the stairs as she waited for him to notice her. He grinned from ear to ear, glad that she had let her long red curls down to frame her face, the enormous blue gown a perfect match to it. Her eyes, though, were wide and slightly fearful, watching him as he came to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're beautiful, Shelby..." he breathed, his words slightly slurred from the way his mouth was still so broadly stretched in his smile. "I really mean that." He held out to her his corsage, which he had nagged her about the color of until she'd given him an exact shade. The tips of the petals was dyed to match her gown perfectly, with the main color a pure white to indicate purity and innocence. When he took her wrist and gently placed the corsage around it, he sent her a smirk and a kiss, adding, "So, is Alphonse ready, or are we going without a third wheel tonight?"


~~~

Shelby Wright

From her perch unseen atop the steps, Shelby watched the strange "pick up the girlfriend for prom" ritual unfold before her. Ilaria looked ready to burst from excitement, one hand on her stomach and the other clutching Shelby's bright red digital camera as she prepared to capture every moment. Her father stood nearby, happily riding out what he'd done time and time again before school dances for her siblings. I suppose it's better than him hating Preston on sight or something. "It's nice to see you again, Preston. I think you've met my wife, Ilaria?" he said, gesturing over to her. Shelby watched her greet him in her quirky mix of accented English and her native Italian. "Shelby should be down in a minute. Shelby? Your date's here."

Shelby took a deep breath, knowing that it was way too late to back down now. It was inevitable--she would have to reveal herself, she would have to go downstairs. She would have to go through with tonight. Slowly, she walked from her hiding spot to the top of the staircase, the silky skirts of her dress swishing here and there as she moved. "I'm right here," she called down, wishing her voice contained more confidence than it did.

She wished she could bottle up the look on his face when he caught sight of her. She'd never had anyone look at her like that, so excited to see her, so...she didn't even know what. For once, she felt vaguely pretty, and she wished that she could see what she looked like through his eyes. Her hair and makeup were perfect, Ilaria had assured her even though Shelby herself remained mostly unconvinced; she'd fallen in love with her dress immediately; and although she'd gained most of the weight back that she'd lost, her shoulder blades and cheekbones still stuck out a bit, sharp and defined. She wondered if she looked the part, or if he could tell just by the look in her eyes

"You're beautiful, Shelby..." Preston told her as she made her way down the long, winding stairase, Ilaria happily taking picture after picture. She only smiled at this, looking down shyly as she joined him on the main floor. "I really mean that."

"Thanks," she said quietly. "Ilaria helped me. My mom was supposed to be here to, but..." her smile faded slightly. "That didn't happen."

"No, no no!" Ilaria said, waving her hand at them. "No sadness tonight, Shelby! This is your night!" As if to prove her point, she aimed the camera at them again, taking the picture before Shelby could even protest.

She let a smile cross her face again. "Right." Her eyes fell on the corsage he was now offering to her, and she grinned. "Oh, wow...thank you..." Gently, he slipped it over her wrist like a bracelet, smiling at her as he did so. "Smile!" Ilaria cried out, and Shelby turned toward the camera.

"So, is Alphonse ready, or are we going without a third wheel tonight?"

Shelby snorted in amusement, glancing quickly at her parents. "No, just us...Daddy, I think I left the boutineer-thing in the kitchen, can you get it a sec?"

"Way ahead of you, Shelby," her father said, holding out the flowers on some sort of pin-type mechanism that almost perfectly matched the ones that graced Shelby's own corsage. Shelby took it with a grateful smile and turned to Preston. "I'm supposed to pin this on your lapel, but I don't really know how. I've never done this before. So I might need some help, and if I stab you with a pin or something, then I'm really sorry." She lowered her voice as the camera flashed once again out of the corner of her eye. "I'm kind of nervous about this whole thing," she admitted.


~~~

Preston Brailsford

Like royalty, she glided her way down the stairs, and he beamed up at her, feeling his heart thud against his rib cage with unheeded violence. "You're beautiful, Shelby..." Preston told her as she made her way down the long, winding stairase, Ilaria happily taking picture after picture. Shelby only smiled,, looking down shyly as she joined him on the main floor. "I really mean that."

"Thanks," she said quietly. "Ilaria helped me. My mom was supposed to b e here to, but..." her smile faded slightly. "That didn't happen."

"No, no no!" Ilaria said, waving her hand at them frantically. "No sadness tonight, Shelby! This is your night!" As if to prove her point, she aimed the camera at them again, taking the picture before Shelby could even protest. Preston took hold of Shelby's hand, leaning over to give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

"Then your mother seriously missed out," was all he said.

A smile graced her lips again, "Right." He then held out her corsage, and that smile turned into a sunny beam. "Oh, wow...thank you..." Gently, he slipped it over her wrist like a bracelet, smiling at her as he did so. "Smile!" Ilaria cried out, and Shelby turned toward the camera. Preston laid an arm over her shoulders, quietly claiming her as his own while they both sent a mutual nervousness-plus-happiness sort of grin. When the camera flashed, Preston blinked away the strange multi-colored bubbles impairing his vision and turned to Shelby.


"So, is Alphonse ready, or are we going without a third wheel tonight?"

Shelby snorted in amusement, glancing quickly at her parents. Preston gave a little chuckle, considering for the first time that perhaps she didn't want her parents to know about the little inside-joke. "No, just us...Daddy, I think I left the boutineer-thing in the kitchen, can you get it a sec?"

"Way ahead of you, Shelby," her father said, holding the flowery thing out with a proud look on his face. Shelby took it with a grateful smile and turned to Preston.

"I'm supposed to pin this on your lapel, but I don't really know how. I've never done this before. So I might need some help, and if I stab you with a pin or something, then I'm really sorry." She lowered her voice as the camera flashed once again out of the corner of her eye. "I'm kind of nervous about this whole thing," she admitted.

Preston grinned down at her, "Me too, actually. But hakuna matata, right?" He puffed out his chest a little, preparing himself for a quick and painful poke. "Hit me with your best shot, babe!" When she got the pin on, he leaned down and planted another, but longer kiss, on his fantastic girlfriend. "Not so bad, eh?" he murmured as he pulled away, holding out his bend elbow for her to take hold of, old-school style. To her father, he tipped an imaginary hat and said, "What time should I have her back, my good man?"


~~~

Shelby Wright

"Then your mother seriously missed out," Preston told her, the simple words of encouragement meaning more to her than he could ever know. Somehow, she knew that he meant it, that she knew how hurt she was at her mother's actions even though she would never willingly show it. It was strange, to think that he could read her like that when they'd only known each other a short time, even though he had insisted that she was 'very hard to read'. Maybe you're just a fast learner, Mustang.

The smile came back over her face at her words, only growing wider when she saw the corsage. She felt lame for liking it so much--surely a little wrist-bracelet of flowers shouldn't make her so excited. But the matching corsage-and-boutineer thing made the whole night so much more real in her mind. Everyone who saw them would know they were together. That is, if they somehow missed lunch the day he asked me...and have been hiding under a rock since then and haven't heard people talking about it. Her voice grew nearly breathless as she thanked him, the corsage sliding over her hand and settling on her wrist. Ilaria delightedly called out for another picture, and Shelby felt his arm come around her shoulders, which she leaned into as the camera went off. Cassie told me I'll always remember prom night...maybe she's right after all.

"So, is Alphonse ready, or are we going without a third wheel tonight?" Preston asked, turning to face her once again. Shelby only snorted at that, looking over at her dad and stepmom to make sure they hadn't caught what he said. The two of them would miss the entire prom if she had to explain that whole story. "No, just us...Daddy, I think I left the boutineer-thing in the kitchen, can you get it a sec?" she asked, intending to distract the parental units for a minute.

Of course, it didn't work. Always thinking ahead, her dad had the boutineer at the ready, poised for that exact moment. "Way ahead of you, Shelby."

"I'm supposed to pin this on your lapel, but I don't really know how," she told Preston, slightly apologetically. "I've never done this before. So I might need some help, and if I stab you with a pin or something, then I'm really sorry. I'm kind of nervous about this whole thing."

Preston gave her a reassuring smile. "Me too, actually. But hakuna matata, right?" Shelby chuckled. "What a wonderful phrase?" But secretly, she was glad that he was fighting a few jitters as well. It made her feel less alone in the whole thing...although she hadn't bothered to consider that Preston could even get nervous before. "Hit me with your best shot, babe!"

Murmuring to herself, Shelby took hold of his lapel and studied the little pin. "Okay, I think maybe it goes here...oh, sorry! Sorry! God..." After a few more seconds of struggling and confusion, she finally got the pin stuck on, slightly lopsided but none the worse for wear. In fact, it looked good. "Got it!" The words had hardly at a chance to come out of her mouth before Preston was kissing her, paying no mind to the adults that stood a few feet away. Shelby kissed him back, feeling more mortified than she had the day he'd kissed her at school, but not necessarily in a bad way...until she heard the camera go off again. Oh, Ilaria...

"Not so bad, eh?" he murmured as he pulled away, offering her his elbow to take.

"Not bad at all."

"What time should I have her back, my good man?" Shelby watched as her dad pretended to think seriously for a moment, groaning in disbelief when he said, "Hmm...ten-thirty?

"Dad. It's not even over at ten-thirty. You know that. Come on."

He grinned. "Fine. Midnight. Or earlier if you feel like it. I think we can trust the two of you, don't you?

Goodbyes were said and more pictures taken, and then they were finally out the door. Shelby walked beside him down the sidewalk to the car, her arm still linked through his. "So...prom," she said quietly. "What's the plan? Are we going straight there, or...?"

"I'm really excited, by the way," she said quietly.


~~~

Preston Brailsford

"I'm supposed to pin this on your lapel, but I don't really know how. I've never done this before. So I might need some help, and if I stab you with a pin or something, then I'm really sorry. I'm kind of nervous about this whole thing."

Preston gave her a reassuring smile. "Me too, actually. But hakuna matata, right?"

Shelby chuckled, finishing with, "What a wonderful phrase?"

He puffed out his lapels for her. "Hit me with your best shot, babe!"

Murmuring to herself, Shelby took hold of his lapel and studied the little pin. "Okay, I think maybe it goes here...oh, sorry! Sorry! God..." Her attempts were cute, and a little painful, but she managed the pin. "Got it!" Preston leaned forward to give her a 'hey, thanks for pinning my lapel to my chest' kiss, catching her and holding her quite happily there until he heard a camera go off next to them. That made him smile as he pulled away.

]"Not so bad, eh?" he murmured as he pulled away, offering her his elbow to take.

"Not bad at all."

He turned to Mr. Wright - a name he'd found quite amusing during his free time and now would always call him in his head - and asked, "What time should I have her back, my good man?"

Mr. Wright considered this for a minute, feigning dark seriousness, then tried, "Hmm...ten-thirty?

"Dad. It's not even over at ten-thirty. You know that. Come on." Shelby protested, and Preston merely beamed.


"Fine. Midnight. Or earlier if you feel like it. I think we can trust the two of you, don't you?

"Yes, sir!" He saluted, waving goodbye to Ilara and coaxing his date out the door. There wasn't a word for how good it felt to have Shelby's hand looped around his arm.

"So...prom," she said quietly. "What's the plan? Are we going straight there, or...?"

He turned to grin at her roguishly, "I was thinking we could go out for a little bite to eat, then head to the party, successfully crash it, then be home again by midnight." He leaned over to kiss her again, his hand gently tangling one of her red curls around his fingers as he did so.

"I'm really excited, by the way," she said quietly.

"You better be," he laughed, starting the car up.

Are we finished here, you think?


~~~

Shelby Wright

Her attempts to pin the boutineer on were frustrating as well as mortifying, and she was sure that it would result in her relationship ending before it even really began, just basing it off all the times she'd accidentally poked him with the seemingly harmless little pin. She breathed a little sigh of relief once it was finally on, prompting Preston to pull her into a kiss regardless of the proximity to Shelby's parents. Not that she really minded, of course, she reminded herself with a hint of embarrassment. What was worse than that was the pictures, of course. Even as she heard the camera go off, Shelby knew that these incriminating shots would be plastered over Facebook before the night was out, and potentially joining the other prom pictures on the mantle back at her dad's house. Oh well. Family. What would we do without them?

"Not so bad, eh?"

"Not bad at all," she responded quietly. Preston asked Shelby's dad what time their prom curfew would be--Shelby's prom curfew, really--prompting the man to quietly mull it over before answering just to annoy his youngest daughter. "Hmm...ten-thirty?

Shelby saw through that at once. "Dad." She said, clearly exasperated. "It's not even over at ten-thirty. You know that. Come on."

"Fine. Midnight. Or earlier if you feel like it. I think we can trust the two of you, don't you?" Shelby smiled at that as Preston offered up a mock-salute and a "Yes, sir!" as they made their way out the door and said their respective goodbyes. "I hereby claim the right to get copies of all these pictures you're taking, Ilaria!" she called over her shoulder.

"So...prom," Shelby said as they walked. "What's the plan? Are we going straight there, or...?"

He turned, smiling down at her. "I was thinking we could go out for a little bite to eat, then head to the party, successfully crash it, then be home again by midnight." Shelby only grinned. "Sounds like a plan," she said before her words were cut off by a kiss so incredible and sweet it almost made her go light-headed. Wow. Her smile grew more shy as he pulled away from her, looking up at him to say, "I'm really excited, by the way."

"You better be."

I believe we are finished here, yes!