Disney High

Chapter 15- Aurora

"You look simply wonderful, dear," my mother says, fixing my hair.

It was past five o'clock. My date was meant to pick me up at five-thirty. I wasn't looking forward to it much; I didn't even know the guy.

And I hadn't bothered to ask my mother and father for his name because I hadn't cared that much; I would meet this guy probably once in my life and then never talk to him again.

My mother and I had gone dress shopping the other Saturday. She had selected a pink dress for me, with satin fabric and a strapless top. It was nice; I liked it, although I had never been one for the color pink. My aunts had insisted on a blue one, but in the end, my mother won. We had gone to the tailor to make some adjustments for the theme of homecoming. Now the dress went to my feet and swept behind me as I walked.

A car pulls up the driveway, and my mother squeals. I can't help but sigh.

"There he is!" she cries. "I can't believe this! Your first homecoming!"

"Yay," I say flatly, not wanting to go downstairs.

"Come on, Aurora!" my mother cries, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the room.

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who lived in the house with us, were on the landing when we reach. They're excited too; I can tell by the way Merryweather's foot bounces on the carpet.

"You look lovely, dear," says Fauna sweetly. I crack half a red-lipped smile. "Come on, we don't want to keep him waiting."

"No," I whisper to myself, low so no one can hear it. "We really don't."

The stairs block the main hall, so I can't see downstairs from here. But I could hear voices talking, deep and low. Curious, I go down the stairs first. There were a lot of them; the ceiling of the main hall was quite high.

"I can't wait for you to meet him!" my mother cries. "I don't know if you know this, but his name's-"

"Phillip."

I say it softly, low and surprised. Phillip stands in the living room, next to my father; he wears a black tuxedo with a bowtie (I suppose boys have it harder on this theme) and has combed his hair back so that it curls around his forehead.

"What?" he says, clearly as surprised as I am. "But I thought you had a date!"

"I did!" I cry. "I was supposed to go with Hubert's son. Why are you here?"

"I- I am Hubert's son," says Phillip, grinning. "At any rate, it worked out."

"Yeah," I say, aware that my parents and aunts are still watching. "It did. Funny."

"We'll take some pictures of you two real quick, so that you can get going," says my mother, pulling out her phone. My dad has a larger, more professional-looking camera. "Smile."

I smile. Truly, from ear to ear. It probably looked really ugly on camera, but I didn't really care.

They let us go to the car after almost thirty pictures, where Phillip opens the door for me. "After you," he says. I take a seat in the passenger, adjusting the dress so it doesn't ride up.

Phillip gets in on the driver's side. "You look really pretty," he says.

"You do too," I say. "Handsome, not pretty. God, this isn't going well."

Phillip laughs. "Thanks," he says, starting the ignition. "Did you know?"

"I didn't know," I look at him, and he's adjusting the mirrors. "Did you?"

"They told me I was going with Stephen's daughter, but they told me her name was Aurora," he says. "I didn't know that was you."

"Well," I say. "Everyone calls me Rose. It's what my aunts called me when we lived in the country."