Beata's Winter Formal 2016

Anthony glanced over at the girl sitting across from him and pulled himself into a more upright position. "The punch," he said, raising his voice to compete with the music coming from the other side of the room. "Tastes a little bit illegal for a bunch of teenagers."

Briefly, his eyes darted down to the object she'd set down on the surface of he table. He wasn't even going to begin questioning what that device was, or what she'd been doing with it. Computers had only just started down their long path of development when Anthony had hopped forward in time. Now, not only were there computers, there were wireless phones that did a hundred different things aside from calling. They were more like tiny computers than phones, really. It was mind-boggling. For Anthony to fully understand how even the most basic computer worked after seventy years of improvement would probably take him an additional seventy years.. And at the rate he was downing booze, he would probably die of liver failure in forty years' time.

Placing his glass, now three-quarters empty, down in front of him, Anthony surveyed his table-mate's expression. She was trying and failing to seem unfazed by his sudden presence, and looked nervous enough to jolt fifteen feet into the air if someone so much as brushed up against her. Instead of drawing attention her discomfort, he grinned half-heartedly and looked out at scores of dolled-up students, swaying back and forth in pairs under the pale blue lighting. "Hah. God, I'd stick out like a sore thumb over there. Last time I wore a tux, I was eight."

He wasn't sure what the fuck he'd been expecting out of the thing anymore, but he supposed this was as good as it was going to get. Pretty. she called it. Shit, that was enough for him. He only took a moment longer to take one more breath, straightening out his collar and shoving any stubborn plaguing thoughts aside.

Preston set off after the back tables, several strides ahead of her in a matter of seconds, and he had to stop and wonder why she hadn't shoved him aside and raced him over to the nearest plate of food. He paused, glancing back and watching the girl take uncertain, teetering steps; taking a glance down at her heels. "It's a miracle that you haven't fallen on your ass yet," he called after her, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face. Not to be a total douche, he did wait for her all the same, stepping along with her stilted walk. "Where'd you get that shit anyways?"

The Autumn was quick to dip into that precious punch bowl, pouring a glass for himself and leaning back against against the counter.

---

Did someone need saving already, Jason wondered, watching with a blink as the Guardian wondered off in strange haste. He did his best to think little of it, pushing his drink back up to his lips and taking a long sip. Soon as he set it down again, his date seemed finally made her appearance, just in the nick of time. "Elodie," he grinned. Just seeing her face was enough to wash the sting of being abruptly ditched away. "You picked the best season to visit." She'd only been at the school once or twice before? It was a shame. This dance was the best the place had to offer.

The formal was always so elegant, so fancy, just judging by the air around Elodie, the way she carried herself, she fit right into the scenery. There was no doubt in Jace's mind if she'd ever attended as a student, la belle dame would've stolen the Queen's crown for herself.

She seemed distracted all of a sudden. He soon thought maybe to take her out to the dance floor or check out what was with the built-in zoo. No sooner than the thoughts did his crime did he see a sudden out pour of wine, headed straight for him. "Oh, shit!" The was no time to move. He'd only managed to stand up afterwords, leaning awkwardly over while his date scurried off again, trying to avoid the punch from spilling into his pants.

What could go wrong would go wrong, he told himself with an exasperated smile. He was admiring the new streak on his shirt when a sharp pound against the table near startled him. A student; had to have been. Jason let out a sigh, letting his smirk soften. Maybe he should have said something about the spiked drink after all. How do you run into someone sitting?

"It's fine, it's fine," he near-sang, squeezing a few drips out of the end of his shirt. There was no hope of saving the fabric, no matter what was laying around the ballroom. "Red was always my color anyways." The joke cracked out of him. He was quick to admit defeat.

Jace finally pulled his gaze up towards the girl, catching a glimpse of her chestnut hair and cool violet eyes. He'd thought he'd started to recognize most of the students in his short time as teacher, but he couldn't have been quite so sure he'd seen her before. Was she new?

He allowed himself to straighten up, somewhat at least. "Are you alright?" His eyes flickered to the empty wine glass beside them.

---

Liam turned his head away, wrinkling his nose as he perfectly perfumed palm was shoved straight into his face. Hell, at least he tried. With a sharp smirk, he took a few steps forward, keeping a sharp on eye on her as she teetered to and fro, on the brink of falling straight into the punch bowl. "You'd think you were drunk already," he muttered, clasping onto her arm as she leaned on against him for balance. It only took one good step to get in reach of the glasses. He swooped a pair up in his hand, holding one out to her, shooting her a questioning look.

"Don't make me carry you out."

---

Brailynn already felt herself beginning to crumble then and there. That handsome idiot. She hadn't seen him in how long and there he was, just standing there, fumbling around and straightening out his shirt - like he was seriously worried about the way he looked, like he wasn't the best thing in the room to her eyes already. She covered her lips with the back of her hand, hiding the way they'd started to tremble. She couldn't make out anything else around her; the loud music falling on deaf ears, the people surrounding mere ghosts. There was only him.

And then he was moving, walking on up to her, and she found herself following suit, step after step, carefully as if the world below her might fall apart at any moment. The moment he called out to her, she felt herself lose whatever composure she'd had, a grin breakout out and her tears falling freely down her cheeks. Lynn reached out to him, practically leaping into his grasp. She held onto him for dear life, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shoulder.

"Where - where have you -?" After all this time away from her, what had happened to him? Did it even matter then? He was here, and he was safe. "I thought that maybe you were -" She couldn't string together a single sentence it seemed without a small hiccup, shaking her head and pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes. An unsteady hand brushed up against his jaw, running into his hair. "I missed you too..." Brailynn pushed her forehead to his, clenching her eyes shut. Thank God, Thank God, he was home. "Richard..."

A girl's voice caused Axel's head to turn. He blinked once, then twice before he realized she was talking to him. He cleared his throat and responded casually. "Yeah, I wonder how got the snowflakes to disappear like that. Must be someone's power." Axel propped up his arms behind his head, eyes watching the flakes disappear at a certain level, avoiding touching anything. Head tilting to the side, he asked with an eyebrow raised. "Is this your first year at Beata?"

A greatly familiar voice spoke at his other side. Axel didn't have to look to know who it was. The teen pressed his lips together and send a pointed look at his younger brother.  "Jax, I barely have enough game to ask someone their name. So chill."

Mikaela laughed as she imagined little Shepard in a tux. “He would be so cute!” she said. ”I’ve got nothing better to do, although I think both of us are nominated for Formal Princess.” Not that that would matter, if one of them won and they ditched, they would probably give it to the only other remaining nominee. A girl Mikaela didn’t know, Stephanie Hawke.

---

Piper looked over at the boy who had choked on the punch. ”Are you doing alright over there?” she asked him. She took another sip from her cup. The punch still didn’t taste very good, but she kept drinking it even though she had no idea why. The girl looked back at the boy who had been choking with slight interest. He looked like he had never been to anything like this before, with the way he had been watching everything.

---

Will’s face turned slightly pink as she reached up and straightened his tie. He wasn’t sure why, though. ”I’ll try, but no promises,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her. Dancing with her was something he had been planning on doing even before she had said something, but her requesting a dance or two solidified that he wasn’t going to get blackout drunk like he normally would’ve at an event like this. He noticed the hesitation as she moved her hand back down, but didn’t mention it. He figured that she was just nervous about tonight. ”C’mon, let’s go get some pictures with the bunnies,” Will said, grabbing her hand and leading the way to the garden.

---

Thomas stood up and rolled his eyes. There he was. ”They’re not rodents, they’re baby rabbits. And I’ll have you know that they’re very cute!” he said to Declan, crossing his arms. Looking around the boy, he noticed a lack of a date and he sighed. ”Where’s your date?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Couldn’t he have at least paid off someone to come as his date, like he does with his homework? Thomas regretted the bet he took immensely.

She couldn't help but smile. She was weak for compliments. "Maybe once or twice," she said. "But please, keep it coming. You don't look so bad yourself tonight." Jane glanced over the punch bowl, breaking their brief eye contact, twisting her lips. Yeah, she'd heard a couple rumors about Beata's Formal tradition the year before... It was nice to see that not everything had changed. Without another word, she grabbed two glasses and filled them up. "A toast. To Madison."

Logan took his glass with little hesitation, both abandoning his suspicions and not caring much as to what he concluded about them. He gave a brief eye to the people around him, high schoolers drinking the punch between laughs and conversation, and said with a cheerful levitation of his glass: "To Madison." His eyes caught Jake's face against the crowd as he brought the cup to his lips, contrasting suddenly like ink spilled on paper, and Logan subsequently tilted his glass further upwards, downing the punch more viciously.

____________

"You might have to soon. I'm not one for formals." Maisie tried her best to keep her weight off the boy, rather on her own heels, but she looked like a newborn horse through the entire short walk to the bowl. When she spoke, she almost bit her tongue in the tenseness of her walk. Liam's clasp on her was strong, even stronger when she wobbled the most, and by the time she made it to idleness, her pale arm was adorned with a red ring, his grip. When he swooped up a glass for her, she eyed him for a few moments, her small face without delicacy in its suspicious glare. "I have hands," she reminded him, taking it finally after a few moments, sipping it cautiously. Yep, that was the tang of alcohol. Some bastard did it!

____________

Like a hawk, Lucy eyed the boy until he turned his attention to the crowds, and snatched the video game console back into her purse when he did so. What was he talking about? Alcohol? "There's no alcohol in this," she said, rather uncertainly. "Someone would have to go complete stealth mode to get that past the teachers." But as he revealed his suspicions, she swirled the liquid around, noting on a delay the bitterness she tried to capture on her tongue. Was it really? No waaaay.

"I wore a dress to middle school prom," Lucy said, still cycloning the liquid around her crystal glass. Her brain racked itself for more to add to the conversation. "And to a convention, but I was cosplaying, I don't know if that counts."

Declan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Rabbits, rodents, same thing..." he mumbled until Thomas asked him about his date. Suddenly, the boy got choked up. Falling silent, he tried to think of any excuse he could to get himself out of this situation. How was he supposed to say that he didn't find anyone? Hell, he didn't even know anyone to ask in the first place. "I, uh..." Pulling on the collar of his shirt, he awkwardly avoided Thomas's gaze. It was obvious that he, in fact, had no date.

---

As their foreheads met, Richard couldn't help but cup her face in his hands, his thumbs wiping the tears from her hot cheeks even though the cast was annoyingly getting in the way. He didn't care, though. Instead, he took in the feeling of her embrace and let just her physical being soak in and make him fully realize that she was here. She was real. There was no mistaking that. With Lynn in his arms, he didn't have to question it, and for the first time in several months, his mind grew quiet and calm as he stood there holding the one he couldn't live without.

"I'm here..." he cooed softly. "I'm here. I missed you too. Oh God, I missed you!" The intensity in his voice was heavy but he held her with such a soft and gentle touch as he pulled his head away from hers and just simply stared at her, getting lost deep in her eyes even through the tears. "I'm not ever going to leave again." With a deep breath, he finally calmed himself down long enough to put a smile on his face and dry up the tears. A small laugh escaped him as thinking back on what just happened made him feel a little embarrassed but he couldn't have imagined it any other way.

As everything between them began to calm down, the surrounding noises and festivities finally came back into his perception. The music was soft and the chatter was nice to listen to while he was just trying to get back into the swing of things. "Sooo..." he said, holding on to the vowel for a moment as he tried to think of what to say. "I'll explain everything later... but for now, why don't we enjoy this formal? I feel that among the usual chaperone duties, we can sneak in one nice dance before the night is over?" he asked her, trying to lighten the mood and make the night more enjoyable.

Nervous, oh definitely. She'd been to dances before, but nothing quite so crazy, and never exactly with a boy; and certainly not one like him, or one who was so openly going to get drunk faced. Hopefully she wouldn't have to babysit him too much, but he seemed like the type to handle his liquor well... Not that she'd be a good judge. "Still holding you to it," Dakota smiled, well on her way to crossing her arms when he suddenly took her by the hand. She never even saw it coming, her green eyes growing wide. "Oh, okay -" The red-head stepped off after him, catching herself with ease. Thankfully, she was one of the few women in the room practiced in heels.

Kota's smile inched wider. "Good to get it done while you're still sober?" she teased.

---

"I noticed," Liam sniffed, raising the glass up himself and taking a few deep gulps. The overly-sweetness of the punch masked away much of the alcohol's harsh burn. That would come back to bite most people in the ass later. Not them, though, not hopefully anyways. He still remembered Blondie when he'd first met her, crashing around the dorm room, life of the crowd, taking shots, beers in hand.

He shuffled back from the punch, making room for others to have their fair share of the bowl. "You still need to dance later, your Majesty." The thought of her dancing off in front of the school left him feeling nothing good; her in her tall ass heels, drunk off the stupid wine, with some other guy... Liam frowned, taking another drink.

---

Brailynn let out a big, 'ol ugly sniff, her grin impossible to mask as she nuzzled her cheek into his hands. She missed him too, so damned much, it was all she could think in that moment; her mantra. "You better not," Her hands clenched gently onto the back of his head, holding him close to her. By the time the two of them had finally managed to pull apart, somewhat anyways, his face looked as much as a tear-stained mess she guessed hers was. She didn't really care what the two of them, they could do anything, so long as he wasn't leaving her side.

Reluctantly, as if she were afraid she'd let go and he'd disappear, the Guardian drew her hand up, wiping away at her cheek with the back of her palm. It didn't do much to fix her face up. "Is that the best idea? My makeup's a mess now, thanks to you..." Even in her fragile state, she still had that playful bite to her, blinking her hazel eyes clear and gazing back up at him. He really did seem so handsome, cast or bandage or not. "I suppose I could manage one dance." The dirty blonde squeezed tenderly on his hand.

The boy always lead. She'd told Kayla as much.

Jane clinked the glass and drank deep. Sour. If it wasn't spiked, then it was just some sour punch. But what was the point of drinking it if it wasn't spiked anyways? What was the point in having it there if not to let it get spiked? They had to know. She made a point to burn through half the glass like she was dying of thirst. This was the closest she'd gotten to any kind of alcohol since she'd woken up. Sugar, a trace of alcohol. Bittersweet. Jane let herself drown in the dark red.

---

Tongues of electricity lashed out from beneath her feet with every click of her heels against the tile. Shit, careful... Walk on her toes, or something? That's what Brailynn had said, but fuck, it wasn't that easy... Kayla grit her teeth and shot him a glare as he cut ahead of her, glancing back with that usual stupid fucking smirk she'd started to miss. "Shove it, jackass," she said, grateful when he fell back into stride beside her. He was supposed to catch her, or something. Brailynn had said that too. She glanced around, looking for her in the crowd, but her eyes kept gravitating back toward the punch bowl. Damn, her mouth felt dry... "I'd like to see you walk in these things."

Wouldn't that be a sight?

She looked away as he poured the punch, rubbing her arm. "A... friend helped me out, I guess." Was it right to call her a friend? The word felt uncomfortable in her mouth. "I look fucking stupid, huh?" she laughed. Kayla snatched up a glass for herself and tipped the ladle, quick to bring it to her lips once she'd filled it up. Hey, that didn't taste too bad...

---

Did he have to smile? Did he have to joke? Evelyn kept herself from laughing, turning her eyes to the stain on his shirt, down, down, down to his shoes, balling up her hands. There was a pang of emotion, hot and sharp through her chest, but she couldn't have said what it was. Guilt? Anger? Sadness? There wasn't any sign of recognition in his voice, no startled look on his face, just that usual smooth gracefulness. Even after something like that, he always stayed so upfront, so casual, so fucking friendly, she hated it. She wanted him to scream at her.

Look at me. Don't forget about me again...

"I-I'm..." She bit her tongue. "...fine..." Evelyn glanced up, glanced down, reached toward his shirt as if to help, and then jerked her hand away like the fabric would kill her. "Your sh-shirt, I-I'm..." Her hand retreated to her chest, touching the snowflake pendant around her neck. "I'm so s-sorry, sssorry, so-sorry..."

Sorry for what?

Something burned behind her eyes. She needed another drink to crush down the sensation welling up in her chest, until she felt normal again.

Peter turned to face the newcomer, a somewhat displeased expression - as a result of the alcohol - still plastered to his face. "Oh, ah.. Yeah." His shoulders relaxed a little as the taste began to fade away. "I just.. Drank it too fast." A lie, but he didn't want to look like he'd never tasted alcohol before. This was the first dance he'd ever been to. Letting everyone know he was the untainted little rich kid surely wouldn't look very good. He looked down at the liquid in the glass and then tentatively raised it back up to his lips. It was like poisonous sludge going down his throat, but refrained from letting his disgust show. He forced a smile and then set the glass aside on the table next to him. "Ehm.. I'm Peter, by the way."

---

"Never wore a tux to any of my middle school dances." Anthony sniffed in amusement as the memories of all his ridiculous middle-school endeavors came trickling back into his mind. He'd always been the kid who walked in with a pair of grubby jeans and an over-sized Beach Boys t-shirt. "My mom tried to get me to clean myself up, but I never listened to her. Guess I'm paying the price now, because I don't know how to dress for these sorts of things." The boy's smile waned a little. His mother. He resented her for a good many things, but he couldn't help but feel a tiny prickle of guilt somewhere deep inside of him when he thought of her. Anthony knew she'd wanted the best for him - despite their rocky relationship - and the last thing she had to remember him by before disappearing was a fiery argument.

No. Now wasn't the time to get all sappy and nostalgic. There was alcohol, fancy lights, and a whole Grand Hall of people to talk to. Without a hitch, Anthony took up his glass and downed the remainder of his drink, relishing the warmth it brought to his throat. He looked over at Lucy's glass, which still seemed pretty full. The end of his lips quirked upwards. "Having a bit doesn't bite, you know." He got up and turned towards the punch bowl, which was conveniently standing right next to the table. "It always helps me loosen up a little when shit's crowded."

Eating the mini sandwich while the student replied, she was so glad that she didn't pick to talk to some smart ass. This guy seemed pretty chill and she wasn't about to complain. Swallowing the little snack along with some fear, Pepper tried to calm herself down and gave a nod to his comment about the snowflakes. There was no reason to be nervous, he was just a guy at a dance, no biggy. Besides, he was probably just as nervous as she was.

Before the Spring was able to reply, a silver haired student in a sparkly pink dressy vest came over and swung his arm over the student's shoulders. Oh, were they friends? She would've assumed they were brothers except for the fact that they look almost nothing alike. But they way that the new guy swung his arm comfortably around the dark haired student's shoulders... were they gay? Almost choking on some water, Pepper set the glass down on the table and looked back to the dark haired student with a meek smile.

"N-no, this isn't my first dance. It's my second," the brunette replied, looking to the silver haired student. He was definitely something else compared to his friend. "Are you brothers?" she asked, not willing to straight up ask her other question. If they were, then they should be the ones to tell her, not her asking them and assuming they were.

~~~~~

Letting out a chuckle, Jax had to admit that Axel wasn't one to play around with the ladies. Well, not that he knew of anyway. Releasing his brother from his arm, Jax shuffled to the other side of the Autumn and popped a cheesecake bite in his mouth. Mmm, amazing!

Looking back to the girl, the taller student tried not to stare and quickly swallowed the wonderful food, a bit disappointed that he wasn't able to savor it for a bit longer. "Yep!" he replied with a cheery grin. "Bros till the end. Well, unless Axel manages to kill me before the end," he teased, nudging his brother's side with an elbow. Unlike the older student, Jax was a bit more... outgoing and in all honesty, he wouldn't be surprised if his brother threw him and his crazy self off of a cliff someday.

"I'm not dancing," Maisie said firmly with a scoff, scrunching her nose as she took a sip of the hyper-fruity drink, sticking her tongue out. Alcohol was alcohol, however, and she kept the drink firmly in her hand, eyeing a group of complementary water bottle amongst the refreshments. She extended her arm for one, trying to move as little as possible, and watered down the drink a bit, refilling the section it lost from her sip.

_______________

Logan had finished his glass of punch in one down, cringing at the sweetness that seemed to rot his teeth. His mouth felt drier than before he drank, but it was warm enough down his throat to make him smile and keep his empty cup nearby, on the edge of the table. He looked upon the crowd on the dance floor, a sea of people in the epicenter of a wave."I don't take it you're the dancing type." He himself wasn't, but he wasn't a lot of things before he came to that school. Of course, now he wasn't dying. Impromptu trips to Paris now seemed like a burden on his wallet.

_______________

Lucy watched him get up, panging with the suspicion that she did something wrong. Of course, he seemed to want her to follow. Having a bit. She bit her lip and took up her small purse, clasping it in her slender fingers. "It's uber scary, though," she said, the word very streaming through her head like ticker tape. "I've never been drunk, tee bee eich. My halabeoji would get drunk a lot and my pa would legit torch him over it for hours." Nevertheless, she stood as she spoke, awkwardly stepping over chairs and around people who didn't seem to know he was there.

"The only alcoholic in my family is me," Anthony snorted, dunking the punch ladle into the bowl and filling his glass up to the rim. He took a gratuitous swig of it. She'd thrown a handful of funny slang terms at him, but he wasn't going to bother questioning them. Every time he had to ask what a modern phrase meant, or how a piece of tech worked, he felt like his goddamn grandpa. "Getting shitfaced at dances and public events has never turned out well for me anyways, so I wouldn't recommend it. Throwing up on the floor in front of a hundred people isn't fun. Having a little, though, always helps still the nerves when I'm on stage playing, or something." Again, he tipped his head back and drank. He wasn't planning on having 'a little', but he didn't want to coax someone he'd just met into getting drunk.

Preston smirked, taking another sip of his drink. "You always look stupid," he muttered under his breath, looking her over once more. Well, she wasn't the worst girl in the room by far, so he thought anyways. It wasn't often he saw her out of her ratty clothes as it was, or in make-up of all things, or... shit... drinking? He paused, watching her eye the drink in her hands, her gaze shimmering. She must have known, right? It was so obvious. It wouldn't have been worth it to say anything...

He didn't know she had any friends... Fuck.

"They did an alright job," his voice was low, quiet, as if he were afraid someone, anyone might hear him. It was easy to retreat back to his drink. "I like it, I guess." Had he said that once before already? Fucking hell, he had no idea anymore. Pres tilted his head back, guzzling down the last of the punch and going back for a second spoon.

---

Jason kept his gaze glued to the empty glass atop the table, bunching up bits of stained fabric between his fingers. It'd hardly registered in his mind, but he could make out her hand move out in the corner of his eyes, making a reach out for him and flinching away at the last second. Was she sure she was right? Out of sheer instinct, he smiled again, trying his best to reassure her - if she even saw him. "Hey, it was an accident, right?" His eyes flickered back over to her, resting just above her shoulder, glancing back into the crowd. Where had Elodie disappeared to?

At worst, he could hunt down his jacket and cover back up. The way she clenched up and stumbled over her own words, damn, it was just making him feel worse. "You'll just have to make it up to sometime, won't you?" Exactly how, he wasn't sure yet, but if she were a student at school, then he had to have seen her around in class at some point. He'd find something for her to do eventually, whoever she was. He looked to her chest, fingers brushed up against a small, shimmering pendant.  "Just promise you won't back out, Snowflake."

---

He eyed her as she made a grab for the free bottles, watering down her own drink. Wasn't that a shame or a waste? Liam made a point to top off his drink, stepping around Maisie and away from the punch bowl, looking her over. "But isn't that part of the formal passage?" The red-head mused, glancing down at her heels for a split-second. Hell, he could manage a song or two. "You don't have a choice, Blondie." Why he wasn't one to draw attention to herself, it wasn't as if he was born with only left feet, and he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this; not if he could help it.

Eliza could sense all the people in the room. Flared dresses told her who the more feminine people were and people who wore the suits told her the other people were. She wouldn't be able to tell who was a boy or girl until she spoke to them. At the moment all the voices mixed together, but one voice stuck out above the rest and was rather close by. The pink haired girl brightened up. Eve!

Gripping tightly to her cane, she moved over to the girl unaware that she was speaking to someone else. "Eve!" Eliza said with a smile. "Thank you for helping me with my dress." She said as she approached, and then paused her smile dropping as she detected another person. "Who is this?" She asked Eve, hoping she would know.

---

Sophia turned to face Noah, with a small giggle escaping her lips at the line he had just told her. "Good one." Though it was rather cheesy. "You look nice tonight." The spring girl said to the rather taller boy. She hoped that maybe they could go somewhere after dancing tonight, and maybe have some fun. Though she wasn't aware of the plans that Noah had in mind, and didn't know it was going to turn out badly for both of them.