The connected absence

Entering into the arena as the last two couples- Anna with her partner, Anthony and Lillian Grey with her date, Diego got stunned at the sight of the makeover.

The place didn't look like it was basketball court at all.

The large indoor stadium got transformed into a perfect room for the Prom night. Since the theme for this year is colors, the administration went creative with every illustration.

..

Starting off, once entered into the hall, to the left side stood a photo booth for taking photographs.

The photo booth would the first stop for the students to encounter, decorated with colorful backdrops along with natural flowers to add a scenic view. As expected, it got packed pretty soon. Regardless of the crowd, everyone waited calmly for their turn to arrive. Meanwhile, the right side of the room served the food for the guests to enjoy. It included appetizers, desserts, and beverages for the students to treat themselves in between dances.

The center court area got staged into a dance floor for their official dance. Preceding the dancing area is the stage where the crowning of King and Queen will take place along with a speech from the principal, Mr. Chester Clarence.

Although the entire room appeared bright and radiant, it is not the picturesque ambiance that lightened the room but the people in it.

..

Lillian Grey noticed all of her classmates scattered around the arena along with their partners, happily, hand-in-hand.

They all wore a smile on their faces; there was no melancholy or a taste of a dreary atmosphere.

Prom is a ceremony to honor and enjoy the night, which may end up becoming one of the precious memories for the kids.

The girls went crazy with this year's theme, colors. They made sure to stay unique out of the bunch. With their stunning colorful dresses, all of them appeared artistic for the occasion. Meanwhile, most of the guys stayed safe by choosing either a black or white suit except for a very few risk-takers and fashion lovers. Those rare guys took the theme to their heart and dared to play with it. They wore outfits of various colors like maroon, dark purple, turquoise, and soft orange.

Of course, these guys matched with their dates and received help from the girls in choosing the right shade to match. Seeing them, Anna hissed at Anthony for not wearing a color suit.

"You are a model, and you could pull off any color easily," Anna commented.

Anthony sighed.

"I can, but if I do it, it will be obvious. Also, I don't want to personally," Anthony dejected the idea.

"I guess so," Anna accepted.

Anthony's gaze meets with Josh's, and they both greeted each other with a sign. Josh also bowed to Anna, following Diego and Lillian Grey as well.

The two couples noticed Josh and Carmel shining together as the couple. It got crowded around them as most of the girls swarmed Carmel and teased her with Josh while Josh playfully survived their teasing while supporting his girlfriend, Carmel.

"So, they are the star couple, I suppose," Anna mentioned with the rest three agreeing together.

"I don't see Bridgette with them. Sara is with her date too. Also, where is Ivy?" Anna asked.

'Now that Anna mentioned it, I don't see the gossip girls all together.' – Lillian thought.

Anthony explained how Ivy is in charge of handling the decorations and almost everything from food to buying the royalties for the king and queen. Since she had a lot on her hand, Ivy refused to participate in the dance.

Ivy turned down all the offers she received from the boys. Even right now, Ivy is behind the stage, dealing with the committee to let the promenade go smooth.

"Why would she take such a huge responsibility?" Lillian asked Anthony, who seems to know a lot of information.

"I think they wanted to have a student representative to handle things between us and the authorities. Ivy sighed up for it by herself. Also, she wanted to direct the entire event by herself. It can become a valuable practice for her filmmaking career. That's what I know. Maybe she didn't want to attend the prom because of Bridgette!" Anthony revealed, ending the last sentence to contradict his information.

..

"Bridgette?" the three listeners roared together.

'Because of Bridgette?' – Anna thought.

'What happened to Bridgette?' – Diego wondered.

'What is she playing now?' – Lillian thought.

"Don't tell me that you guys don't know Bridgette didn't agree to attend the prom?" Anthony's eyes grew wide in shock.

"The whole school knows it, and you three didn't have a clue?" Anthony raged, his eyes naturally went to Anna's. Raising his brows, he signaled if she too isn't aware of it.

"I knew Bridgette kept rejecting the few guys who approached her. I thought she would wait and choose. I didn't think she would completely reject all of them and even not willing to attend the prom. Wow, what a turn of events."

Anna's explanation pleased Anthony.

"I once saw Ivy and Bridgette arguing but didn't think that things would turn out his way-" Diego mumbled.

"Who else isn't attending?" Lillian raised the question out of nowhere.

"Hmm… let's see, Ivy, Bridgette, and Mike- yes, Mike also not attending," Antony replied.

"Ah, Giselle, too-" he added.

The names all connected to each other. Anna, Lillian, and Diego realized that chances are there for Mike and Bridgette to atone for the sins they committed against Giselle. Though they don't entirely believe it for Bridgette's case, Mike seems to be the guy who got tricked and even hurt in the process. Therefore, the guy chose to avoid an event like a prom where people gather together.

Lillian Grey felt a little sorry for Mike as he got played by the leader of the gossip girls while getting stabbed in the process. However, she could never forgive the guy for what he did, not in years. Thinking of Bridgette, Lillian wasn't sure if the girl is doing this to repent for her mistakes, or she is not willing to participate because of another reason.

Nonetheless, the event itself arrived, and everyone is already present. There is no chance for those who missed to join in later or so.

"You reap what you sow," – Lillian murmured to herself.

Diego heard it even though she sounded so low. Although he wanted Lillian Grey to stay away from Giselle, in his heart, he knew that those two deserved to get punished for their wrongdoings.

Anna looked at Lillian Grey and saw the girl disturbed. She quickly pinched her out of the state.

Lillian suppressed the overflowing thoughts of Giselle and retained a calm grimace.

"Alright, where shall we go first?" Anthony asked.

**

Anna and Anthony, along with Lillian Grey and Diego, went straight to the food area. They decided to chill out first as the photo booth is already packing with couples swarming next to each other.

The self-service buffet included a giant chocolate fondue placed in the middle of the table along with large plates filled with fruits, crackers, sweet treats to dip and taste.

Anna picked a piece of pineapple with a toothpick and dipped it into the chocolate. She then turned to Anthony and fed him. Seeing them behave so informal, Lillian Grey and Diego blinked at each other in awe.

"Do you think this is the guy for Anna?" Lillian whispered to Diego; without letting the couple take notice.

"Maybe she found her handsome hunk," she added.

Diego looked at the two for a while and then shook his head in denial.

"I don't think this is the guy for our Anna. I mean, he might belong to her type, but I don't think Anthony and Anna will become a thing. She is going to meet someone else and go crazy for that guy. I'm sure of it."

Diego's explanation seemed possible, knowing Anna's personality. She may be a jolly girl to interact comfortably, but to win her heart is something else. As much as Anthony looked handsome for Anna, the other two felt that he might not be the one for her.

"Ah, whatever, I'm a little hungry," Lillian spoke and turned to get some food.

The appetizers look appealing, specifically the mini quiche and mini stuffed mushroom. Helping herself first, Lillian grabbed another plate for Diego. She picked fried ravioli and chicken quesadilla, as they are to Diego's likings.

Returning, Lillian gave Diego his plate while she stood next to him.

Diego took notice of the items on his plate and let a soft chuckle. He liked how she remembered his tastes. When he started eating, the food tasted even better.