RACHEL

The party was in full swing when I entered the massive hall room with my arm linked with Elliot's. The hall room was decorated with colorful disco lights hanging on the roof, glittery decorations and a huge red banner where "Welcome Seniors" was written on it with sparkly white letters.

The music was loud, almost vibrating through me and seniors were spread out on the whole dance floor, talking, laughing, tasting snacks and drinks and of course dancing. A wild and joyful atmosphere was created among everyone and I had never felt so pumped up to let my body swing along with the rhythm of the music.

This is just how imagined it to be. What I didn't imagine was my condition. I never saw it coming. However, tonight I wanted to happy.

"Minute by minute," I said, Elliot's voice mixing up with mine at the same time. I rapidly glanced at Elliot who was already smiling at me before I could.

They say every guy looks handsome in tuxedos, but the way Elliot rocked that black tuxedo, the tie in contrast to his white shirt and the white rose pinned to the pocked on his chest, stating that Elliot looked handsome tonight would've been the understatement of the year. I didn't have the words to describe how handsome he was in that tuxedo. And the excitement across his face made his whole face light up.

"You okay?" He asked, gently taking my hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.

Pressing out a approving smile, I nodded. "Yes. I am okay. "

For a brief moment, Elliot's eyes traveled up and down my dress. My dress was sparkly white, resting just above my knee and it fitted me perfectly well. Maddie straightened my hair and applied my makeup. After what Elliot said to me, I didn't cover my scars with foundation.

To be honest, I was scared to show up here, because I wasn't the Rachel I used to be anymore. Especially with these scars. However, nobody threw me any judgmental looks. Some smiled while others briefly waved in our direction.

"Oh, my god! Skylar's stunned voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Skylar, Maddie, Vici and Will stood before us, smiling of immense excitement and happiness.

"Elliot, you look so handsome!" Skylar said, giving him a short hug.

"Thanks, Sky. You look really pretty yourself. So do you two, Mads and Vici," he said, smiling.

While Elliot and Will went shopping for a tuxedo together earlier today, us girls dragged Vici to the mall as well to buy her a dress. I knew she would say yes to Will. I just knew it.

The four of us got ready together and Maddie did our hair and makeup. She was beautiful wearing a sparkly red dress and a matching red lipstick. She had curled her sunshine blonde hair that hung loose down to her waist.

Skylar went for the adorable look with a pink dress and her blonde wavy hair was curled. It was quite amusing, because Madelaine couldn't take her eyes off her, let alone let go of her hand for one second. She wasn't even trying. That made me smile.

And Vici, well, words couldn't describe how beautiful she was tonight. I was used to seeing her in old jeans and sweaters. She never even brushed her beautiful chocolate brown hair, which was now beautifully straightened. I was pretty sure this was the first time she wore a dress. It was a dark blue dress with sparkly diamonds dotting on it, causing it to look like the starry night sky. Will constantly stole glances at her, his cheeks slightly pink.

"You look amazing, Rachel," Will said, smiling.

"Thanks. So do you," I replied. Will looked as handsome as ever in his black tuxedo.

"Let's go dance before they put a slow song on," Skylar said, cheerfully.

"You want to dance?" I read the desire printed across Elliot's face.

I nodded and we all threw ourselves on the crowded dance floor. The rare scent of Kingstone academy's very own wine filled the room. Some teens were already drunk. I didn't care if I got drunk though. I was eager to just forget and be happy. That one moment where nothing mattered. It didn't matter how drunk you were, how scared you were, how broken you were or how crazy you were. The only thing that did matter was simply cutting lose and let your whole body move with the music beating to the rhythm of your heartbeat.

~

"I thought you hated school dances," I said while Elliot took a bite of a strawberry covered with chocolate sauce in his mouth.

"It's not that bad," he admitted, licking his bottom lip. "And you? Are you happy you came after all?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm having a lot fun."

When a slow song was turned on, everyone started to dance with their dates. I caught a glimpse of Maddie and Skylar dancing together. Maddie's arms were wrapped around Skylar's waist and Skylar's hands were wrapped around the back of Maddie's neck while they talked intimately, giggling and whispering sweet words to each other.

Additionally, Will and Vici were dancing together. I could tell Vici was nervous as Will taught her how to slow dance, but when he started making small jokes and teased her, she occasionally laughed. Her laugh warmed my insides. Happiness looked so beautiful on her.

"Come on, lets go dance!" I said, excitingly.

Elliot choked on the strawberry he swallowed and his eyes widened. "You want to dance with me?"

I grinned. "Well, I am your date, aren't I?"

Elliot didn't say anything. Instead he looked down at his shoes, nervously biting his lip. He looked like an adorable child.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I chuckled, gently placing my hand on his arm.

"I...um, I don't know how to slow dance," he murmured, shyly. His cheeks flushed of embarrassment.

For a few seconds, I stood completely still, just staring at him with a blunt expression. And then it hit me, causing me to squeal of victory. "Oh my god! Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Finally!"

Under my moment of victory, Elliot looked completely puzzled. "W-What?"

I laughed as I dragged him to the dance floor. "I'm happy, because finally you're not a winner at something. Finally, I can do something you can't do. I can teach you something you haven't already learned."

Elliot rolled his eyes before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Okay. Firstly, I place my hand in yours. Like this," I said as I placed my palm in Elliot's. Afterwards, I instructed him to place his other hand on my waist as I placed my other hand on his shoulder.

"Now, we move along with the rhythm of the music," I told him.

"Stop speaking in riddles," he commanded. 

"That wasn't a riddle you, idiot," I laughed, amusingly.

The innocent confusion across his face made my stomach tickle. "But how do you move with the rhythm of the music?"

"Just follow my lead," I replied as I slowly started to move, Elliot eventually following my lead.

"What's that drink everybody's having?" He scrunched up his nose of the odd smell. That was downright adorable.

"It's Kingstone academy's special wine. I've heard it's good. Drinking too much of it can get you drunk though," I replied.

Elliot raised his brows before curiosity clouded his face. "I've never drunk alcohol before."

I grinned. "That's one of the many reasons why you're not badass."

Elliot shot me a grumpy look before he huffed, causing me to tip my head back to laugh. As we continued to dance, Elliot's gaze stopped on my hand in his. His gaze swept across the scars on my wrist and his eyes transferred to mine, his expression softening.

"Are you comfortable with letting the scars be visible?" He asked, gently.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, people aren't say anything, but I do feel a bit uncomfortable. And anyway, I did this to myself so I need to face the consequences."

Elliot let go of my hand and pulled me closer, now his both arms around my waist and mine around the back of his neck. His face was closer to mine, our foreheads almost touching as we smiled to each other. Now we were moving to the rhythm of the music, magically.

"You know, I wish everyone in the world could look at themselves the way you look at others. That way, nobody ever would've needed to hide anything. They would've been real, not a copy, not perfect, just real," I confessed, wholeheartedly.

"Wow! Did you just compliment me?!" He tried to sound shocked with a hand on his chest. I rolled my eyes before we exchanged a grin. It didn't take long before silence fell between us as we continued to dance. The thing is, with Elliot there was no awkward or unbearable silence. I didn't only find solace in his words, but also in his silence. When silence fell between us, everything kind of felt right. It felt good.

"Elliot!" I scolded when he stepped on me. I noticed he was lost in my eyes so I smacked his arm to break him out of his thoughts.

Puzzled, he blinked several times. "Huh? Yes? What?"

"Stop looking at my face and pay attention. You stepped on me."

"Sorry, you just look really pretty today," he complimented, intently.

"Aw, thanks, shithead." I felt my cheeks flush red. "You look very handsome yourself. I don't think I've ever seen a guy look as handsome as you do in a tuxedo."

Cheeks adorably pink, Elliot put on a goofy grin. "Thank you, redhead snake."

"Those names are never getting old, are they?"

He grinned. "Nope."

Suddenly, he twirled me around and I giggled.

"You're so happy. Why can't you stay like this forever?" He asked, smiling.

"Forever is a strong word," I paused looking at Elliot who tilted his head to the side. I swear if I looked closely, I could find something more in those brown eyes of his. They lacked something. Either it was hidden or yet to come. Whatever it was, I knew it would make Elliot extremely happy.

"And anyway, I like that minute by minute thing better," I admitted, flatly.

Elliot grinned and I leaned closer, resting my head on his shoulder. Elliot's heart was hammering against my chest. I furrowed my brows. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he paused, inhaling a deep breath. "It's just that, I'm at Kingstone academy's special senior dance, wearing an expensive tuxedo, my date is Rachel Adams, a pretty girl with apple red hair and I'm currently slow dancing with her. I don't think I've ever been so close to a girl before."

He said my name as if I was someone special. Someone rare.

"Seriously?" I laughed.

"Seriously," he mumbled.

"There, there, little Elliot. It's okay. Nothing to be nervous about. I don't bite," I said, gently stroking his back.

Elliot exhaled deeply against my ear before leaning his head on mine. I could tell he closed his eyes when his tensed body relaxed against mine. We stayed like this, slowly swaying together along with the music.

~

VICTORIA

Slow dancing was oddly fun and surprisingly not that hard. Or maybe it was Will who made it fun. His idiotic jokes and teasing made me laugh in a way I had never laughed before. Will made me feel things I had never felt before. Happy, safe, at home and loved.

After dancing to a long slow dance, which by the way didn't feel long at all, the upbeat music was turned on again.  Crowds formed on the dance floor, jumping up and down, letting their bodies swing, hips moving, hands thrown up in the air and nobody had ever felt so young and alive.

"Do you mind if I have one dance with Rachel?" Will asked. He was wearing a black tuxedo, looking quite handsome.

I noticed some girls kept looking at me with sour faces while others smiled of the cuteness before them. During that moment, I considered myself lucky for the first time. I had an extremely good looking date.

"Not at all. I'll go grab something to eat in the meantime," I replied, smiling.

He nodded and we parted ways for some time. I approached the large table with all sorts of snacks and drinks, my stomach instantly growling. Everything looked so good, I had no idea where to start. My gaze stopped on plastic cups filled with liquid that smelled oddly...addicting. It didn't have any color, which slightly confused me.

A few girls and boys fell in line next to me an grabbed a plastic cup each, drinking up faster than I used to drink alcohol. As the liquid rushed down their throats, they made sour faces. After a small moment, they grabbed another cup each, drinking it up faster than the last one.

Shrugging, I grabbed a cup too, moving the edge of the glass to my lips as the odd scent of the liquid entered my nostrils.

"Kingstone academy's wine isn't as bad as I thought," one of the guys said, licking his lips before taking another sip from his cup.

Every limb in my body froze.

Wine. Wine. Wine. Wine.

Alcohol. Alcohol. Alcohol. Alcohol.

The words echoed like a painful reminder inside my head.

"Hi, Victoria!" One of the girls said, standing before me with a smile on her face. She had short blonde hair and was wearing a tight black dress.

"You look so beautiful! And your date is Will Harris! You guys are so cute together. Tell me, are you two a couple now?" She asked, excitingly.

I barely heard her. I was too lost in a shocking daze as I stared down at the cup in my hand of...wine. Blinking twice, I properly met her gaze. "Um, no. I-I have to go,"I mumbled before pushing through the crowds and sprinting out of the hall room, leaving the brunette girl completely flustered.

As soon as I stepped out of the hall room, I ran through the empty corridors till the upbeat music stopped vibrating through me. I placed a hand on the wall as I tried to catch my breath while my other hand trembled badly.

"Tori!" I heard Will shout as he approached me, his hand falling on my shoulders to gently turn me around.

When our eyes met, Will frowned of by pale and horrified expression, causing him to hastily cup my cheeks in his warm palms. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"W-Why?" I croaked, breathlessly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Confusion clouded Will's face and he furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about? What didn't I tell you?"

"T-The wine. Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't Rachel - why didn't anyone say anything to me?"

"It's just wine. Kingstone academy's wine. Trust me, it's nothing compared to the powerful drugs and alcohol you used to consume. I promise," he swore firmly, putting some extra weight on the word "promise".

Even though I was still hesitant, I briefly nodded. "But I almost drank it, Will. Almost. I was so close to drinking something that destroyed my whole life, my health, my dignity, my appearance, my self-respect, my everything," I sobbed.

Will frowned, but tried his best to calm me down. However, I was too panicked, too frightened and too horrified to be able to calm down any time soon.

As tears rolled down my cheeks, I gripped Will's shoulders as if my life depended on it. "Will, I-I...I don't know what's happening. I need to g-go away from...here. I...I can't breathe. My chest...my chest is hurting."

Will's hands on my face became firmer as he forced me to look into his eyes. "Hey, Tori, look at me. Focus on my eyes and breathe with me."

"Breathe in. Breathe out," he says, gently. I inhaled deeply along with Will and then exhaled. My first few breaths were shaky, but eventually as Will continued to breathe with me and my eyes never peeled off his, my breaths became less shakier.

I didn't realize when I got so lost in his eyes that Will's face was only an inch away from mine. I could practically feel his soothing, warm breath on my face. He leaned closer, our lips almost meeting.

However, my words stopped him from leaning in any closer. Will, I've...I've never done this before...,"

He put on his sexy smile, melting my heart. "It's okay. It's not hard. Just close your eyes and lean in. Easy."

I didn't nod. Instead, I did as he said and leaned in at the same time Will did. Within a quick second, our lips briefly brushed against each other before they connected. And then time just stopped. Everything faded in to the background. Will's lips were soft as they moved against mine. I could feel his heart pounding against my chest just like mine was. The kiss was gentle in the beginning before Will deepened it and I let him. Now it was more passionate, filled with lust, desire and love. The love I never wanted, but always needed.

Neither of us made any attempts to break apart. Instead, the kiss became even more passionate as Will locked his arms tightly around my waist and I circled mine around the back of his neck. Butterflies and fireworks were going wild inside of me and sudden happiness beamed through me, causing me to smile against Will's lips.

Eventually, the lack of oxygen made us reluctantly break the kiss. Will's cheeks were flaming red as he caught his breath and I knew mine was even redder then his when he grinned at me. 

We stood in the same position, our bodies glued against each other with our arms around each other. Will's eyes were sparkling. "Was that...okay?"

I nodded, breathlessly. "Yeah. It was...amazing."

"I wanted to do this for so long," he confessed, affectionately stroking my cheek with the back of his hand.

"What?"

"I kind of had a crush on you since the day I first met you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's a little creepy," I chuckled, amusingly.

Will pouted. "What? I thought you were going to say that it's cute."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, it's kind of cute."

"But why?" I questioned as it was my turn to gently stroke his cheek.

"You're just so cool, funny and so beautiful," he replied with a smile.

I froze. "You...you think I'm beautiful?"

Cheeks pink, he nodded. "Yeah. Like really, really beautiful."

Smiling, I briefly pressed my lips against his before whispering, "thank you, Will."

RACHEL

"They're kissing, they're kissing!" Maddie and I squealed a few feet away from Will and Vici who's lips were pressed against each other.

Finally. Seeing them so lost in the kiss was so beautiful. I had never been happier for Will or for Vici as much as I was during this moment.

"Come on, let's go before they see us and we ruin the whole thing," I said as I wrapped an arm around her waist and we headed back.

Maddie grinned while wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Yeah. We'll make sure to spill the details out of Vici tomorrow."

Tipping our heads back, we laughed. I was truly having a lot of fun tonight. I was glad I came with Elliot today. I needed this happiness I hadn't felt for a long time.

"It's so cool that you're okay with this. I mean, with Will and Vici," Maddie said, smiling.

"I love Will and Vici. I always will. Mom always used to say that if you love someone, you always have to make them happy. I just want Will to be happy. He deserves happiness and another chance in love. And Vici, well, she has been through hell and back her whole life. I want her to be loved by someone who'll never let her down and I'm glad Will is that person," I said, truthfully.

Maddie genuinely smiled. "You're amazing."

"I know." I grinned back.

"Mads! Rachel!" Just when we were about to enter the hall room again, Skylar approached us first. She looked extremely panicked.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Maddie asked as she left my side to place a hand on her girlfriend's cheek.

Instead of meeting Maddie's gaze, she looked at me. I swallowed hard. I had a bad feeling about this. When she opened her mouth, her words left me speechless. "Elliot is drunk."

*******

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