Worst Impressions

Chapter Sixty Four

After at least eight photographs courtesy of Lisa's doting parents, we climbed into the back of the limousine and were on our way to the hotel the academy had hired for the prom. Teachers and parents were waiting outside to guide us through to the ballroom. Not that they needed to. From the noise alone, we deduced which room we were having our party in. It was the only one full of shrieking girls and rowdy pop music.

They had spared no expense.

They had left a large space for us to dance, but there were also tables, and a grand buffet with a chocolate fountain for anyone in need of refreshments between turns on the floor. I'd pictured gaudy balloon arches and crepe paper hanging all over the place.

The school had settled on something akin to an enchanted forest theme.

There were fake trees standing around the edge of the room, the branches arching up across the ceiling, each one decorated with white fairy lights. On the ground, they had scattered fake leaves to add to the effect. They were gold, bronze, and silver, just like the leaves embroidered onto the tablecloths.

'Wow,' Jenny said, standing close with her arm linked through mine. 'I was expecting something a little simpler.'

'I love it,' Meg announced.

'Me too. Although, they could have gone for a few more balloons,' Georgia said. 'I was going to take one as a souvenir.'

'You could just take a leaf,' I suggested. 'Or a boyfriend. I see a lot of guys without dates.'

'Not the one coming over,' Chrissy said. She gave Jenny a light nudge. 'Go on.'

'But we agreed to do this as friends,' she said.

I turned her so that we were looking into one another's eyes. 'Jen', I order you to go and dance with your boyfriend.'

'Okay,' she agreed. Before she left, she pulled me into a tight hug. 'Don't just stand by the chocolate fountain and look depressed, otherwise I'll come back for you.'

'Trust me,' I said, gesturing down to my white dress, 'there's no way I'm going near a chocolate anything wearing this.'

I loved that Jenny worried about me, but she had no need. Perhaps in her eyes it didn't seem fair that she should get the happy ending while I didn't, but that wasn't how the world worked. Georgia and Wyatt had fallen apart, just as Will and I had. I hadn't thought about how hurt she might be when the relationship failed. I'd been too relieved to see her free of Wyatt. If I'd known that I'd have been in a similar situation, I might have been more attentive to her.

It was only since our return from Italy that I'd spared her relationship a second thought. There must have been some spark with Wyatt for her to consider him as an option in the first place, and I'd selfishly made it my mission to snuff it out as quickly as possible. Just because I didn't particularly like him, it didn't mean that Georgia felt the same way. We were different people with different tastes and desires. If she'd wanted to go out with that pompous idiot, then that was her decision to make, and not mine.

It hadn't escaped my notice that Wyatt was also at the party. He'd done his level best to avoid us at every turn and, with our exams to distract us and his lack of presence on the trip to Rome, he'd succeeded. Still, I noticed how he kept glancing in our direction when he thought we weren't looking, and how Georgia's gaze was drawn to him.

It made me feel nauseous to do so, but I stepped up to her and said as quietly as I could over the music, 'Wyatt looks lonely.'

'Yeah,' she agreed with a forlorn expression.

'Do me a favour,' I squeezed her hand, 'and go and ask him for a dance.'

'What? No, we broke up.'

'I know. But he is sort of my brother. And it sucks to have him looking so miserable. Besides, he looked at you when you first walked in. He obviously still likes you.'