|
| Thread: Prom Night Stories: Magical or Otherwise | |
|
guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
|
posted April 23, 2005 12:33 PM |
|
|
Prom Night Stories: Magical or Otherwise
Last year on the 24th of April, I attended my high school prom with my friend Laura (whose real name has been changed for privacy reasons). I only shared briefly about the occasion in my DT thread, so I think it would be fun to tell more about it. If anyone has their own stories or comments they'd like to share, please feel free to do so.
It was around late Saturday afternoon and I was totally thrilled. Putting on layer after layer of clothing in the bathroom, I was totally absorbed with what was about to take place. My thoughts were on Laura all day, and as each hour passed, I could feel my heart beating with increased intensity. My worries and concerns for the night ahead were overtly tangible; I'd struggle to catch my breath at times. As for my clothes, this was the first time I ever wore a complete dress shirt, clip-on tie, dress pants, and dress shoe combination. I actually like dressing up formally; strangely enough, I think I look more decent when I do. I was pleased with how I looked in the mirror, and by that time I had to leave with my mom and dad to go and pick up my date at her house.
I felt nervous as ever when we approached Laura's place. It was around five, so there was still light in the sky. I'd seen Laura's driveway before when our youth leaders would take us home, but I never got to close enough to see her house. A long, narrow alleyway of fence and shrubbery led straight from the driveway to her house, perhaps a good twenty yards or so. Gathering courage, I got out of the car and slowly made my way down the narrow pathway. I nearly froze in my steps when I saw Laura standing there on the other side, dressed in a slim, black prom dress and slippers, waiting for me. Mark my words, I was captivated where I stood. Laura has aways been strongly conservative in the way of dressing and appearance, so this was definitely a rare treat. I greeted her when I'd gotten to her side and handed her a small bouquet of pink flowers. She gave me a nice lei made of seashells. Laura and I then went inside to see her father. Nervous as usual, I shook his hand and tried to act as pleasantly as I could. He kept us to take a few pictures, which we took on their porch. Saying goodbye, Laura and I went back to the car and headed off with my parents far to the other side of the island to the hotel where the prom was located. My folks agreed to stay as quiet as possible during the drive so my date and I could talk; that worked out pretty much as planned. Sitting in the back, Laura and I engaged in some nice conversation to pass the time. I knew that the two of us were nervous, but it seems we managed quite well. As we sat there and chatted, I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest guy on Earth; I still wonder if she knew I felt that way. By the time we reached the hotel, we all got outside and set up for another round of pictures. Laura and I stood there, smiled around four times, and then said goodbye to my parents. We looked around for the hotel entrance and went inside.
The hallways were somewhat cramped and stuffy, but otherwise formal-looking. We found the way to our ballroom and I instantly noticed some familiar faces. Not exactly classmates, mind you, but my teachers and the principal of my school. It was a shocking experience, but I made the best of it, no less. I introduced them to Laura and hoped like heck that she didn't feel overly uncomfortable. Then we saw an old teacher friend of ours (he taught both of us English during our freshman years at my old school, and then he got a job at my new school and taught me yet again). It was good to see him there; I'm sure he was pleased to see both of us together. I concluded by thanking my teachers for assigning homework on prom weekend, and then we moved on. Laura and I checked out the place, which was still mostly empty. There were several freshmen kids hanging around here and there, but there I didn't see any of my senior classmates yet. We found our table and took our seats; we still had little over half and hour until things got started. My classmates arrived slowly but surely, and I got to introduce them to my date. I even saw my friend John from the junior class; I was quite surprised to discover that he and Laura attended the same elementary school together! I hoped that this chance meeting would help Laura to feel more at home as time went on.
The empty ballroom eventually transformed into a full house. Everybody took their seats, our class president welcomed us all there, and then we lined up to get our pictures taken. As we stood there in the line, Laura commented meekly about seeing everyone dressed so nicely. I tried to be reassuring and told her that she had nothing to worry about, telling her she looked quite lovely herself. After getting our picture taken, we went back to our table and waited a short while for the buffet tables to be set up. All the while, I continued to talk to Laura in an effort to make her feel at ease. After all, besides John and myself, she was a total stranger to an entire mass of my peers. I felt sorry for her, because I know being shy can really start to hurt after a while. Fortunately, however, most of my classmates presented themselves in an uncharacteristically mannerly fashion when I introduced them to her. In no time at all, we had gone through the buffet line and started having dinner. There was nothing outstanding about dinner, apart from the fact that this was the last moment of the evening with good lighting and quiet music.
Things started to get active after dinner. The lights were dimmed real low for the dancing to start, and a good majority of the people took to the floor. Laura and I strongly agreed that we wouldn't dance; we lacked both the skill and the bravery. We were determined not to make fools of ourselves. An annoying moment came when two girl classmates of mine tried to pry both of us from our seats, but we sat firm and didn't do any dancing. Of course, that meant we'd have to sit down for an hour or so doing virtually nothing. I was hoping to get in some nice chatting time with Laura, but not only was the room dark, but the DJ put on new music and turned the volume all the way up. Within seconds, we got blasted by Britney Spears and Ja Rule tunes at full speed. Laura and I are not fans of this kind of mainstream music, so that made things a bit unpleasant. Secondly, we couldn't talk; we had to shout at each other in order hear over the noise. We decided to get up and walk around, since sitting down was getting pretty boring. There wan't much to see outside the hotel window at eight in the evening, so we went over to the back of the room and chatted with some teachers for a bit. No matter what we did, however, the music blared loudly the whole time. With the exception of one okay song, Outkast's "Hey Ya", there was plenty of racket music with uncensored cuss words that the teachers (mysteriously) failed to hear. I didn't know about Laura, but I was pining for "My Special Angel" by The Vogues or some other soft song for a change.
It was a long two hours of sitting through dancing. Once the prom started wrapping up, we reunited with our teacher friend and snuck outside to a balcony so that he could take a picture of us. It was truly a unifying moment; three of us people from my old school together, for once. Then we said goodbye to everybody and left to wait for my parents outside the building. One-on-one talk ensued, mostly about the satisfyingly cool breeze and peaceful quiet. I felt good because she was there with me, but I also felt bad that the prom might have left a lot to be desired. She appeared pleasant about the whole thing when I asked her about it, though, so I felt relieved.
My parents arrived and we took off towards town to take Laura home. They asked us about how we liked the prom and we were honest in response. We got to talk some more on the long drive back, and I steeled myself to part with her. Laura told me that she'd rest the next day (church), so I wouldn't see her until the week after. At that time, of course, I was only too happy with her being so close. When we pulled into her driveway, I accompanied her down the darkened alley and stopped with her outside the door. I thanked her for being my partner that night and we gave each other a hug (I loved it!) Saying goodnight to her, I turned around and headed back to the car and went home.
I can't say that I enjoyed the prom as much as I wanted to, but having Laura there with me was instant gratification. Typing out this true story has helped me to live the entire night all over again. In addition, I've got the prom picture on my shelf to look at. There's little else to say about this, except that it was the best night of my life.
Oh, I forget to emphasize further: Laura looked absolutely stunning! 
-guitarguy
____________
|
|
IYY
Responsible
Supreme Hero
REDACTED
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 01:59 AM |
|
|
I hate the idea of prom, and believe it represents everything that's wrong with modern society. And let's make this clear, it is not what is wrong in society, but a good reflection of it. And so, I decided not to go.
Of course, I was invited to the prom by one of the best looking girls in school who rejected several requests by that time, and even offered to get me my ticket.
But a Comrade can resist temptation! Instead, I stayed at home with some friends, played guitar and got drunk.
Money saved for tux rental: $100
Money saved for limo : $50
Money saved for ticket : $80
Rejecting the prom queen for my counterculture beliefs: priceless 
____________
|
|
Svarog
Honorable
Supreme Hero
statue-loving necrophiliac
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 02:21 AM |
|
|
First of all, i have to say that I always read this thread at first sight as "Porn Night sotries", then click it mildly aroused, only to find pathetic love confessions.  j/k
Now guitarguy, it would be the perfect addition for ur story there if u posted that pic with Laura you two took in the end, dont u think?
PS: I'm sorry u didnt score.
As for IYY, not going to the prom, sounds bad. When someone gets too deep into that contraculture culture thingie, we call it "he enters in a bad film", which is what u r doing. Limo, tux?! U dont have to do those, but not going to the prom is bit farfetched, mate. Prom here is a a crazy evening where everyone gets drunk, parties all night long until late morning the nxt day, and dies from dancing exhaustion. Altogether a good idea for a party.
____________
The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
|
|
IYY
Responsible
Supreme Hero
REDACTED
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 03:07 AM |
|
|
Quote:
As for IYY, not going to the prom, sounds bad. When someone gets too deep into that contraculture culture thingie, we call it "he enters in a bad film", which is what u r doing. Limo, tux?! U dont have to do those, but not going to the prom is bit farfetched, mate. Prom here is a a crazy evening where everyone gets drunk, parties all night long until late morning the nxt day, and dies from dancing exhaustion. Altogether a good idea for a party.
Clearly, prom in your country is not the same as it is here. When a ticket to a party costs $80 it should give you some impression.
I may be a bit deep into counterculture, but being the only guy in there without a tux, limo and a fancy hairdo is in my opinion even further into it. I'd literally be the only one looking like I just came for a fun party.
Sure, I could spend the money for the ticket, go a party with a bunch of people I don't like (my friends didn't go, many for the same reasons as me) in a giant hall, eating fancy food and listening to bad music and speeches. Sure it could be fun looking at girls being all proud of their expensive dresses and hairstyles that cost more than all of my university textbooks combined. Sure it could be fun looking at the jocks trying to hide their pimples as they walk around with pretty girls drooling on their fancy rental tux.
All our prom was about was people pretending to be rich and successful, if only for one night. Yes, half of them may spend the next 40 years flipping burgers, but boy will they have photos of themselves being all dressed up.
____________
|
|
Svarog
Honorable
Supreme Hero
statue-loving necrophiliac
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 04:24 AM |
|
|
I think i get you, though if u and all those friends of urs that dont go, go, then u can all have a group laugh at the jerks, and spoon catapult them with bread balls. 
____________
The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
|
|
IYY
Responsible
Supreme Hero
REDACTED
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 04:26 AM |
|
|
Sounds like fun, but not my style.
____________
|
|
guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
|
posted April 27, 2005 04:36 AM |
|
|
Good prom, bad prom, sad prom, fab prom
Quote:
First of all, i have to say that I always read this thread at first sight as "Porn Night sotries", then click it mildly aroused, only to find pathetic love confessions. j/k
Svarog-- Hmm, I'm sorry I couldn't cater to your urgent needs. I guess you'd have to be the actual narrator to get the kicks. And about my "pathetic love confessions", I had to put away my cartoon mallet when I saw the smilie. Lastly, as much as I'd love to post my prom pics, I don't think Laura would feel comfortable about those being on the Web. That's quite likely to be her wish, so I will respect it. Maybe someday, though.
IYY-- During my sophomore and junior years, I felt similarly about going to the school proms. I felt it would be totally junk if I didn't have a date, especially since I heard everyone else seemed to have one. I bitterly turned down the opportunity to go stag at those two proms and stayed home (only I didn't get drunk). Come senior year, my liking of Laura had grown so intensely that it provided a drive for me to attend for once. I thought it would be awesome if I could be with her that night, so that's exactly why I went. It wasn't because my high school is known for it's top-class proms (it's not) or because I have the coolest pals to hang out with that night (they're not). Laura was the sole motivation, and that was all I needed to be happy that night. I'm not afraid to admit it: all in all, my prom was kinda junk. It could certainly have been a lot better. But as I said, one person made the experience far more worthwhile than nine hundred 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitars.
Note: There's something I heard that I find interesting yet a bit upsetting. Somebody commented to me (weeks after the prom) that several previous years' saw the hotel food causing a lot of prom-goers to go home sick. Why didn't anybody bother to tell me about it? Two years of people getting food poisoning??? Heck, if I knew the food could've been that bad, I would never have invited Laura in the first place. You can bet your life savings that I wouldn't want her to get sick. Thank God it didn't happen. My classmates were kinda dense sometimes.
-guitarguy
____________
|
|
Sir_Stiven
Honorable
Legendary Hero
banned
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 01:58 PM |
|
|
Quote:
PS: I'm sorry u didnt score.
haha that was supposed to be my punchline...
all that talking and still no action tsk tsk
|
|
IYY
Responsible
Supreme Hero
REDACTED
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 07:07 PM |
|
|
@guitarguy: I did date the girl for a short time after the prom, and I believe that if you need a fancy highschool party for a relationship to be romantic, it's not worth it. If I love a girl, I love her equally in a prom hall, in the forest or in a small and smelly apartment. Her wearing a fancy dress will not make me love her any more.
____________
|
|
bort
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Discarded foreskin of morality
|
|
posted April 27, 2005 08:12 PM |
|
|
Quote:
@guitarguy: I did date the girl for a short time after the prom, and I believe that if you need a fancy highschool party for a relationship to be romantic, it's not worth it. If I love a girl, I love her equally in a prom hall, in the forest or in a small and smelly apartment. Her wearing a fancy dress will not make me love her any more.
But to be fair, her not wearing the dress will probably make you love her a lot more, and in a more immediate sense. (It does need to be noted that it has been clinically proven that while people will love eachother equally in prom halls, forests and small smelly apartments, their love for eachother declines 5% in hardware stores.)
____________
Drive by posting.
|
|
IYY
Responsible
Supreme Hero
REDACTED
|
|
posted April 28, 2005 12:29 AM |
|
|
Quote:
But to be fair, her not wearing the dress will probably make you love her a lot more, and in a more immediate sense. (It does need to be noted that it has been clinically proven that while people will love eachother equally in prom halls, forests and small smelly apartments, their love for eachother declines 5% in hardware stores.)
Yes, that's quite true.
____________
|
|
mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
|
|
posted April 26, 2009 06:31 AM |
|
|
Revived, for I just had a prom night story.
So I went with my female friend - but in a group of 10 people. So we decide to go to a restaurant in Oklahoma City, and get there in two cars: one with the 5 guys, and one with the 5 girls. The girl who drove the others is a crazy driver, or so I've heard. She sped the whole way there. But our car - we were fine. Until we were about 15 minutes from the restaurant and my friend's expensive Land Rover's air conditioner breaks. It starts smelling like burnt sugar, and it gets really hot - 5 guys, in tuxedos and otherwise formal attire... not too comfortable. But anyway, we got to the restaurant, ate without much incident (other than losing The Game a few times thanks to my friend's girlfriend), and went back - and, of course, the Land Rover still had no AC. It wasn't fun.
So we get back, take a few pictures of the pairs and the group as a whole - and then we go to the actual prom. Neither I nor the girl I went with are much of dancers (that is, not at all). So we didn't dance at all for the first hour and a half. My other friends, though, danced - some with expert skill. So there we're sitting, bored (but then again, our expectations weren't that high to begin with, and it was better than we expected - the music wasn't extremely loud) - when I have a brilliant idea.
I walk up to the DJ and ask, "Will you play 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley?"
And he agreed to - obviously, he didn't know what was going on. But then we were waiting for him to play it, and then we waited some more, and some more... and he kept playing songs, but not Rickroll. So I go up to him and ask if he's going to play it, and he says it's on the list. We wait another half hour. Still nothing. So I went and talked to him again, and he played it next. So it started. But then, I couldn't really dance to it (as I'm basically a noob and a failure in that regard) - although my group got it. (No one else did, though.)
So then the DJ played a slow song afterward, I danced with my date, and then we left. And so I am here, telling you this story.
It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I wouldn't do it again if I could.
(Has anyone noticed that "Never Gonna Give You Up" has the line, "We know the game and we're gonna play it"?)
____________
Eccentric Opinion
|
| |
|
|
