2015.03.12 - Prom Night

"... I wear your grand-dad's clothes... I look incredible... I'm in this big-ass coat, from that thrift shop down the road..."

One day, the people who lived through 2013 will have to explain to their children why a song about buying used clothing was the most popular song of the year. Those kids will probably be flummoxed, as were most people who actually lived through the year.

In the back of his rented car, a young man seems more or less indifferent to the song. At this point, he's already heard it quite a few times, so perhaps that reaction is to be expected. But perhaps the main reason that he seems indifferent to the music is the same reason that he's busy fidgeting with his bow tie for the twentieth time tonight. Put simply, he looks a little bit nervous.

"I I I'm huntin', lookin' for a come-up, this is fucking awesome..."

The young man looks away from the flip-down mirror, giving up the idea that his tie will ever be exactly straight. He peers through the partition at the driver. "Hey man, I told her I'd pick her up before 8. Do you think you can get around these clowns?"

The driver turns around looking back at the young man. "Sorry sir, but it looks like we're stuck until they get those cars out of the intersection." He starts to turn around, before doing a double-take. "Your tie is a bit crooked, by the way. Might want to fix that before you meet up with your date."

"... Mom. Ty is going to be here soon..."

Tandy Bowen is standing before a full-lengthed mirror as her mom does a few touches on the hem of her dress, the stitching in need of repair as her heel got caught in it and pulled it loose. It is rather a simple affair, perhaps not one would expect from the girl, the strapless gown white and unembelished, her hair styled simply in loose waves, some of which have been pinned behind her right ear with a silver clip. The makeup she wears is a little more than what might be considered 'natural' but it is close as she has on only a light dusting of eye shadow and blush, her lips painted a pale pink via the careful application of lip gloss.

"Tandy," comes her mother's voice, semi-muffled as she speaks around the straight pins she holds between her lips, "I am hurrying as fast as I... ah. Done." The pins get stuck into the pin cushion just before her mother stands, Ms. Bowen's eyes filling up with tears for about the hundreth time tonight. "Have I told you how beautiful you are this evening?" Tandy's eyes roll slightly as she smiles, her mother's praise and compliments helping to curb the nervousness a bit although not quite so much that she stops the fidgeting entirely. "You've told me... I think that was the twelth time. Now can I go downstairs, please?" Even as she asks she grabs a small wrap off of her desk and a clutch purse, the accessories more for show than anything else, the former draped over her left forearm.

Nodding, her mother allows for Tandy to go downstairs where she'll continue her waiting while trying to convince her father not to embarrass her or hound them for too many pictures or...

FIVE MINUTES LATE...

"Shit... " The young man sends his second apologetic text message, clearly starting to get a bit flustered. "There's gotta be a faster way to get around than this. Do I get my deposit back if my date is already gone when I get there?"

The driver chuckles, shaking his head. "You're looking at it all wrong Mister Johnson. Being on time is never cool, and I'm sure your date would rather go to prom with someone who's cool than with someone who's punctual."

In the back seat, the young man looks skeptical. "This is some kind of scam to get a bigger tip, isn't it?" Looking back in the mirror, he turns his face to one side then the other, making sure that the lines of his scraggly goatee are even. They are. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for his tie, though he's gotten it closer this time. "I don't think 'cool' is really an option tonight. I don't think any of the 'cool' kids are even going to the prom, they're just skipping straight to the afterparty." He doesn't sound bitter, but it's clear that he'd be perfectly happy skipping the entire thing.

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATE...

"Dude! You just missed the turn!" From his position behind the driver, Ty is quickly becoming the worst back seat driver in New York. However, he's correct, and the driver rectifies his mistake.

NINETEEN MINUTES LATE...

Ty looks down at his torso, making last-minute adjustments to his black tux and trying to smooth out the front of the jacket. He takes a deep breath, counts to three, and rings the doorbell. "Be cool, Ty."

It is a good thing that Tandy knows to expect him but even then, part of her worries. What if Ty can't make it suddenly or something comes up or... God, why is she tormenting herself? Why is she... Just as Ty's date is about to really start beating herself up the bell rings, announcing someone at the door, and she perks up, her eyes going wide. As if she wasn't nervous before! Now she is VERY nervous and she finds herself with sweaty hands and butterflies that feel like they'll very well leap out of her mouth.

Mr. Bowen answers the door after he makes sure his daughter isn't going to faint or break out into hysterical tears. He offers the young man a hand (and his name as well, if this is the first time they are meeting) and a reminder of the rules and Tandy's cerfew which has been extended to 2am.

Led to the living room, Tandy's standing there, waiting for Ty, her expression awed. "You look so handsome," is squeaked in compliment which makes the blonde blush something fiercly. "I mean.. you always do, but... um... hi?" Oy. Nice, Tandy. So lame!

Fortunately, Ty speaks very good 'parent.' He is able to quickly win over Mr. Bowen with a firm handshake, a friendly smile, lots of eye contact, and all of the right promises. Yes, they'll be back on time. No, of COURSE there won't be any alcohol tonight.

By the time he's walking into the living room, both he and Mr. Bowen are laughing, though a bit awkwardly. But that completely stops when he sees his prom date. Sure, he's always thought she was cute, but he wasn't quite prepared for this.

"Oh... right. So do you. Pretty, I mean, obviously." It's never a good idea to call a girl 'handsome', but she probably knew what he meant without his having to explain it.

For a second, he just stands in the walkway, but he starts walking toward her before the conversation has a chance to get too awkward. He's apparently taking the chauffer's advice (and his own) seriously, and trying to stay cool and calm. "I brought you something..."

Holding up the box he brought in with him, he opens the lid. Inside the container is a traditional wrist corsage. Simple, but classy, it consists of a single blue orchid with a white ribbon. "I hope it's not too cheesy. I don't know what the different colors are supposed to mean, but when I saw it I thought it matched the color of your eyes."

There'd normally be a kiss offered to Ty as he draws close but Tandy's folks are watching, her mother with camera in hand in anticipation of the moment she'll be allowed to memorialize this special occasion, it making things just all strange for her. So he's instead given a hug and a brief peck on the cheek. Lengthier kisses can happen on their way to the dance, right?

The corsage is just right and is accepted by her holding out her left hand, allowing for Tyrone to slip it onto her wrist. That is exactly when the picture-taking starts. Tandy's expression goes from pleased to distraught when she realizes they're not going to stop with just one and that her father is joining her mother in picture taking, his own taken via cell phone so he can send them out to other members of the clan. "Moooooom. Daaaaaaad! Please?" Glancing to Ty, she grimaces. "Let's get out of here, please?" The request is voiced in a whisper so she won't hurt her parents' feelings.

If she thought she was going to get off easily, Tandy isn't as smart as she looks. But being mortified by one's parents is an important milestone on the path to adulthood.

After making sure that the corsage isn't going to go anywhere, Ty does his best to herd Tandy toward the door without being rude to the parents. If this means he has to cheese for a couple of pictures... he'll live.

With a final promise that he'll be sure to have pictures taken at the actual prom, Ty finally manages to get out of the door. Out front, a shiny black limo is parked, with the chauffer standing dutifully next to the door to hold it open. Ty takes his date's hand in order to escort her down the treacherous and potentially lethal walkway. He's remaining as cool as possible, but he can't help but smile at the sight of the limo. After all, he didn't tell her that he was going to be renting one.

A limo? "Did... is that for me... er, us?" Tandy is totally floored by the sight of the stretched vehicle, something she was not expecting. Flowers, yes. Limo at their disposal? Not so much! Ty's hand is given a squeeze just as the driver opens the door for the duo, Ty's date more than happy to get into the car so she can hide from her parents and their cameras although it is probably safe to assume some have been taken of her climbing in.

Once she scoots in far enough to leave him some room Tandy starts to take it in, it just now really starting to sink in that it's prom night. Their prom night! By the time Tyrone gets in he'll find her in tears, the kind of tears borne from happiness. "Never... I... oh God, Ty. Thank you so much." Reaching up, she hurries to dry her eyes before she starts to cry. The last thing she wants is to have her makeup ruined this early in the evening.

The door shuts behind Ty, and he's finally alone with his date. Well, alone with her and Katy Perry (on the speakers, it isn't THAT kind of party...). Fortunately, her song is wrapping up, and the final set of 'Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohs' is almost over. But, as before, Ty doesn't seem to be paying much attention to the music.

The gets in place and pulls away from the curb just as the song ends. It's immediately followed by 'Get Lucky' from Daft Punk. Sounds like the driver is sticking pretty close to the Top 40. But he gets paid to drive, not DJ, so maybe we should all cut him some slack.

Ty can't help but smile as he slides next to his date and bumps her playfully with his shoulder. "Hey now, there's no crying allowed tonight. People will think we're in a fight."

"Besides, it makes your eyes look fat."

Tandy rolls her eyes and pokes Ty in the side before leaning in, her cheek now coming to rest upon his shoulder. "The word is 'puffy', not 'fat'. Eyes get puffy." Done educating him, she lifts her chin and offers him a kiss, the kind of kiss she wanted to give him when he first arrived.

At the same time she does that she reaches for his hand, fingers intertwining with his as she whispers, "I love you so much, Tyrone." Her voice breaks and she goes silent, her face, still angled up, bright red. Someday she'll get the hang of this whole having-a-boyfriend thing and maybe not blush like a dork whenver she says something like 'I love you' to him.

The car leaves the neighborhood, and makes the first of many turns on its way toward the high school. The driver has left the partition down, but like a professional he's keeping his eyes pretty squarely on the road.

"The present has no ribbon, Your gift keeps on giving. What is this I'm feeling? If you want to leave, I'm with it..."

The catchy song drones on in the background, filling the limo with repetitive electronic beats and autotuned vocals. There are worse songs to have permanently burned into one's brain, which is exactly what's going to happen to Ty after tonight.

He's hyperaware of everything as he raises his arm to let Tandy nestle into his shoulder, leaving his hand loose as her fingers weave around his. But he looks a bit shocked when she drops the 'L Bomb.'

"We're up all night to get... We're up all night to get..."

For a second, he just stares at her, his mouth slightly open. But the look of surprise quickly turns into a smile. "You're just saying that because I look good in a tux..."

Leaning forward, his face slowly lowers toward hers to meet in the middle. His eyes start to close unconsciously in anticipation of the kiss.

But just before their lips meet, he sees something through the window over the top of her blonde hair. His eyes open wide just in time to see an oncoming delivery truck running a red light and speeding toward the side of their slowly-moving limosine. Completely freezing, he doesn't even have time to make a sound before the truck collides.

Ty's date is facing the wrong way so she doesn't see it when the truck comes baring down upon them, but that is a good thing as it spares her from realizing the horror that is about to take place

With a protest on her lips as to her feelings for Ty, Tandy almost stops the kiss to chide him for being so mean but the impact of the truck robs her of the chance to speak, what does sound being the horrible squelching of metal as it's twisted and bent and glass shattering inward, those shards cutting deeply into Tandy's bare arms and shoulders.

Between the momentum of the truck and the point of impact, the limo gets flipped over and rolls, littering the ground with the debris. The violent motion yanks Tandy out of Ty's arms and sends her bouncing, her head and body colliding with the hard wood fixtures that makes up a small wet bar that sits not to far from where the two were sitting. When the ruined vehicle eventually comes to a rest Tandy lays there, upon the ceiling that is now the 'floor', unresponsive and bleeding.

For some reason, the whole accident seems to be moving at a slightly-slowed rate for Ty. As the vehicle begins to flip, he can see it moving around him, as if he's in the peaceful center of all of the chaos. Until his head collides with Tandy's and his vision blurs. From then on, it's one shock after another as he's bounced from one side of the limo to the other, impacting against the sides several times as the limo flips completely over.

"We're up all night to get lucky. We're up all night to get lucky. We're up all night to get lucky."

When the vehicle stops moving, Ty is lying on his side with his arm twisted all the way behind him. But a dislocated shoulder is the last thing he needs to worry about now. The trauma to his brain is so severe that he is unable to even process the accident that just occurred, or understand that the sensation that he's feeling is 'pain.'

His vision blurred, the last thing that he sees before blacking out are multiple Tandys, floating toward and away from each other in a slow, meandering fashion. Soon his eyes close, and he drifts off to sleep, his heart gradually slowing until it stops entirely.