This our life, our time, we livin' well
Late nights in the city, causin' hell
Burn this bitch into the ground, oh well
If all we got tonight, let's do this right

Jade shifted awkwardly from her seat, pulling down on her dress even though we were sitting down.

"Are you guys sure I look okay?" she asked again.

Zoe and I glanced at each other before yelling together.

"JADINE DELA ROSA, YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE GODDESS. YOU ARE THE ONLY QUEEN WE WORSHIP, THE ONLY LADY THAT MATTERS—"

"YOUR BEAUTY CONQUERS EVERYTHING. I AM COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY WHIPPED FOR YOU, MILADY. NO ONE CAN EVER COMPARE—"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" She giggled, her awkwardness fading away. "Thank you. You girls look lovely as well."

I know we did. I mean, how couldn't we, when it was the last night we were all getting together? Mom had fixed us all up earlier, getting us glammed up and ready for prom. Now, we were in a rented limousine with Jade's driver on the way to prom, fulfilling our promise from before of going to prom together without anyone else, even boyfriends.

Speaking of boyfriends, Zachary already met my parents. Mom loved him immediately because she knew about him painting for me, but Dad was a little harder to convince. After quite some time though, he started to love him, too. I told them about Zachary when we were watching a movie together in the middle of the night, and he literally demanded for him to come at that time. Luckily, he did, but while he was on his way, Dad pulled out a fake gun that looked so real. I didn't want him to scare the boy, but he was too adamant about it. Good thing I didn't stop him though because the moment Zachary saw the gun, he squealed like freaking mouse and jumped away, making the whole family burst into tears.

Kaden, on the other hand, was the first one to warm up to him. My brother was banned to use a motorcycle m because of an incident when he was younger, so when Zachary let him use his, Kaden fell in love with him.

And he called me easy.

A silky, champagne-beige colored long dress hugged her body perfectly, emphasizing every good thing she had. Her dress was a strapless sweetheart, and the lacey top part hugged her curves well. The lace stopped at her waist and silkiness flowed down below, along with a long slit that showed off her leg and the silver heels she was wearing. Her hair, which was mildly tamed than usual but still curly, was in a half up-do. She looked seductive but classy at the same time, which was a very Zoe thing.

Jade, who was usually the conservative one, proudly showed off her stunning figure for once. Her white dress stuck on her tightly, flaunting all her curves in the right places. Since she couldn't find a turtlenecked dress, she bought a halter one instead. Like Zoe, she had a slit, but it wasn't as high as hers. She paired up her dress with white, pointy heels, and I chuckled as she struggled to stand up straight with it. Even though her dress was supposed to be sexy, she looked so angelic and innocent especially with her hair up in a proper bun, white accessories displayed on her hair.

I, on the other hand, had my hair curled loosely, framing my small face. I matched my dress with black heels, and luckily, it wasn't as high as theirs or else I would've fallen down as soon as I tried walking.

Since Zoe was in the middle, she threw her arms around Jade and I, pulling us close.

"I can't believe it's prom already!" she cried. "I feel like everything's going too fast."

"Right?" I agreed with a frown. "I'm not ready to grow up yet."

"I still can't accept the fact that we're not going to be in high school anymore," Jade said. "We're really growing up.

I had to let go of them. If I continued to hug them, I'd burst into tears and consequently ruin my makeup.

We had grown so much since our first year of high school, back when we all had awful braces and questionable hairstyles. I remembered how we used to read Harry Potter books back when we were in seventh grade, how we wrote childish stories together when we were in eighth, how we used to hang and talk about our classes and shitty teachers during lunch—just every little thing I got used to doing with them. It was our last night worrying about boys, our appearances, and high school drama because once we grow up, we would have to worry about other things.

I wasn't sure if I was ready to let go of all of that yet.

"You know what, we haven't graduated yet." Zoe's lips spread into a grin as stuck her phone out. "Let's just take pictures!"

We did exactly that on the way to school. Well, not only that, we also reminisced about the old times. Zoe even popped open a bottle of champagne, getting Jade to agree to try a sip for the first time!

Jade stuck her tongue out, crinkling her nose in disgust. "Never again."

Zoe and I burst out laughing, drinking the whole bottle of champagne to ourselves as Jade drank apple juice.

When we arrived at school, I literally jumped out of the limousine and ran to the stairs leading to the gymnasium, where Nico and Wyatt would be waiting at the bottom. At first they wanted to wait at the parking lot, but I wanted to give my friends a Cinderella moment to complete their prom.

Nico was tinkering with his boutonnière and corsage and Wyatt was gripping a bouquet of assorted flowers when I spotted them.

"You look nice, Kath." Nico complimented, smiling at me after I rushed down the stairs.

"I have to agree," Wyatt said cheekily. "It's good seeing you prim and proper for once."

I curtsied at them. "Thanks, boys. You guys don't look too bad yourselves."

Just as I was about to tell them to get ready, a loud yell of my name erupted from the gymnasium.

"KATH, YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!"

I rolled my eyes at Ivan, who came running towards me. The other three were behind him, following after him closely. Their eyes were wide as they took in my whole look for tonight with Ryder even letting out a whistle.

But my focus was specifically on Zachary, who had the softest smile on his face as he looked at me.

"Katherine—"

"Shhh, compliment me later." I put up a finger at him when I caught a glimpse of Zoe's heels at the top of the stairs. "It's time for their Cinderella moment."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked for all of them, puzzled.

I didn't have to answer. Zoe and Jade showed up at the top of my staircase, looking so majestic I wanted to cry. Nico and Wyatt stood at the bottom of the stairs, their eyes widening at the sight of their girlfriends. My heart burst into fireworks as I watched Nico and Wyatt fall in love all over again with their girls when they started to slowly walk towards them.

"Why didn't she get a Cinderella moment?" I heard Ivan ask the others in a whisper as I continued to squeal at my best friends.

"You're a dumbass, Zach. You didn't even do anything sweet!"

"Where's her grand entrance? You know she's a sucker for those kinds of things."

"Fuck," Zachary muttered. "I did the whole thing wrong, didn't I?"

It was my cue to turn around and face them. The two pairs of couples were busy making googly-eyes with each other anyway. I glared at Ryder, Ivan, and Logan, who simply shrugged at me, as I wrapped an arm around Zachary's.

"Don't listen to them," I told him. "You did nothing wrong."

He didn't utter a word. The playful atmosphere turned into a tense one, so I took it as an opportunity to check them out.

Logan wasn't wearing his glasses today, showing off his dazzling green eyes. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a light blue polo in it, his tie dark blue as well. He reminded me of an intelligent business man who was ready to bankrupt the whole city with his wits.

Ivan stood out with his gold tuxedo and gold bowtie, a black polo underneath the popping color. He looked like he just won millions of dollars from the casino and was now ready to build his own bar.

Unlike the other two, Ryder had on a slim fit three-piece tuxedo. The jacket and the vest inside were light gray while the inner polo was white. He matched it with a rose gold tie and handkerchief, which was tucked in his front pocket. It was as if he was straight out of a fairytale as he looked like a dashing prince.

"Wow." I nodded at the three boys in approval. "You guys clean up well."

Ryder let a smirk spread on his lips. "You can just tell us we're hot, sweetheart."

"You wish."

Logan ignored his comment, offering me a dimpled smile instead.

"You look dashing yourself, Kath," he complimented.

"Amen to that," Ivan agreed. "Didn't know you can pull of looking like an absolute queen."

Ryder nodded in agreement, eyeing me from head to toe. "I don't wanna make you more egotistical, but I have to agree, sweetheart. You do look pretty tonight."

I couldn't help but grin at them. I was used to getting complimented, but it was different when it came from them.

Zachary beat me into replying.

"I'm sure she appreciates your compliments, but she'll appreciate it more if you let her be alone with her boyfriend."

"I think you're the one who'll appreciate—"

Ivan stopped talking the moment he saw Zachary's death glare. He ran off inside the gymnasium with Ryder and Logan following after him, leaving me alone with Zachary.

I looked at him and felt all kinds of giddiness. Without any warning, I pulled on his tie and kissed him, finally feeling his soft lips on mine. He kissed me back immediately, carefully caressing my face to make sure he wouldn't ruin my makeup.

"What was that for?" he asked breathlessly when I pulled away.

"Because you look so gorgeous tonight," I blurted out with a smirk, fixing the tie I just ruined. "I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend as attractive as you are."

He was wearing an all black suit, but his tie, just like in his painting, matched my colorful dress. It was ombré colored; starting from violet to dark magenta. It was a common knowledge that he usually just wore black, gray, and white, so it flattered me to see that he was getting out of his comfort zone to match with me.

"Bullshit," he quipped. "I'm the one who's lucky here. You're so beautiful and stunning and amazing, yet I'm a dumbass who didn't do anything romantic for you."

"I already told you, it's fine—"

"No, it's not fine!" he snapped, averting his gaze away from me. "If you were with Ryder, he'd give you all the presents you deserve. If you were with Ivan, he'd sing you a song and make you laugh until you cry. If you were with Logan, he'd do something cliché and drastic, but it would be sweet. I can't even give any of those things that you deserve, and it's so fucking annoying."

I knew that his insecurity about our relationship was serious, but I couldn't help but laugh.

He frowned. "What's funny?"

"You," I said. "Insecurity doesn't look good on you, babe."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me as I stared into his eyes. "I don't care whether you do something romantic or not. Hell, I've had enough romantic getaways in a lifetime, I don't need more. I don't need Ryder's gifts, Ivan's voice, or Logan's wit and cheesiness. If I needed any of those, I could've gotten it, but I didn't because it's you I need—I chose you. I'm fine with not having a Cinderella moment or some shit like that because you make me feel like that without even trying. Understand?"

Finally, he smiled. "What, so I should be flattered that you chose me from the others?"

"Yes," I agreed teasingly as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Kind of like Ash to Pikachu, but in my version it's 'Zachary, I choose you!'"

He shook his head at me, but the smile was still on his face. He gave me a light peck on my lips. "I love you," he murmured when he pulled away.

Some people had drugs, alcohol, and sex to make them feel good or complete, and there were times where I wondered if something was wrong with me since I wasn't addicted to any of those things. But maybe, I just wasn't meant to be addicted to those superficial things. I was meant to be addicted to Zachary—his moodiness, his rudeness, his loyalty, and his complete love and devotion for me (even if he doesn't show it much). Why would I need anything else when I had his I love you's to make me feel complete?

"I love you, too," I smiled, letting go of him and wrapping my hand around his. "Now, let's go. I want to see everyone!"

I pulled him inside the gymnasium and immediately gasped when I saw how much the student council outdid themselves.

The whole place was designed as perfectly as the theme that's Lost in Paradise. Faux palm trees with beautifully arranged shells on each trunk stuck out at the center of each circular table in the room. The leaves that reached the ceilings were connected to hanging exotic looking flowers, the kaleidoscope of colors like vibrant purple and blue shining through the whole place. Painted in the walls were waterfalls, mountains, the ocean, and other natural beauties, making everything feel serene and magical.

People in different colored gowns and tuxedos swirled around the gymnasium that was turned into a paradise, completing the ethereal vibe of prom night.

After interacting with people who didn't hate me and taking a whole bunch of photos in the photo booth with the Playboys and my best friends, Zachary and I walked over to our table, which we shared with Zoe, Jade, Ryder, Logan, Ivan, Nico, Wyatt, and Jordan.

"Kath!" Jordan exclaimed as I took a seat beside him. He hugged me, and I felt the weight of Zachary's stare on us. "Thank God you're here now; I had no one to talk to!"

I looked around the table to see the couples flirting with each other and the other Playboys busy conversing among themselves.

"Wow, look at me being your knight in shining armor," I giggled. "Except, I'm in a fabulous dress."

He eyed me from head to toe before letting out a low whistle. "Damn, girl, you be slayin' the whole prom tonight. I love your dress! And your makeup! And your hair—"

"Excuse me," Zachary interrupted, moving his chair closer to mine. He lazily placed his arm around me as he shot daggers at Jordan. "Not to be rude, but what are you doing here? You don't go to our school, and I don't see a date with you."

I gasped, turning to him. "The fuck's wrong with you?"

Even though Jordan should be offended, he laughed it off. "I think what's wrong is that your boyfriend's jealous, Kath."

Zachary's jaw clenched. "I'm not jealous."

Jordan eyed Zachary's arm, which was wrapped around my shoulder possessively. "Sure. But for your information, I'm here because the school committee asked our band to perform tonight and also, you don't need to worry about me."

He leaned into Zachary's face as I chuckled. "I might be bi, but I have zero interest in dating this psycho. She reminds me too much of her brother, who I'm currently moving on from."

Jordan winked at me before standing up and saying something about getting fruit punch. Zachary blinked at the new knowledge he acquired, letting go of me.

"Oh."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Stop being so possessive, no one's trying to steal me away from you."

"I can't help it," he sighed. He grabbed my hand and played with my fingers. "I'm always so afraid of losing you."

"Then I'm going to be more stern about you letting go of that attitude," I told him, "because you're stuck with me."

The president of our school stepped on the stage, getting all of our attention. The program went by smoothly; first with the introduction and small games (some I had to participate since Zoe dragged me and Jade), then, there was a video compilation of our pictures through the years.

I smiled as the video went on. I didn't even care that Natalya Gray was the center of attention of the whole presentation. I was mostly on the background, but there I saw the times Zoe, Jade, and I were fangirling by our lockers, the times I was meeting up with my teammates before training, and I even saw the time when Brett and I were still together. Through the pictures, I saw how everybody grew up, and because many had drifted apart, it was a bittersweet thing to watch.

How weird it was to see my whole high school life in a five minute video.

"As you guys can see, a lot has changed since our freshman year," the president said once the video was over, her voice cracking slightly. "Now, we're all grown up and ready to take on college, but I hope none of us will forget the times we've spent together and how we watched and helped each other grow despite our differences. High school is a blissful memory I won't ever trade away, and I know it's the same for you guys too. Whether good or bad, I'm sure everyone learned a thing or two from the four years of being stuck in school."

"But for now, since technically, we are still in high school," she continued, a grin spreading across her lips. "Let's get lost in the paradise of youth! Grab your partners, your best friend—just anyone dear to you and dance to this slow song while the committee calculates the prom king and queen this year!"

Music started to play, and everybody burst out laughing when we realized that Can I Have This Dance from High School Musical was playing. Nevertheless, since we were all secretly cheesy motherfuckers, we stood up.

Except Zachary, of course.

"Come on!" I whined at him.

He shook his head. "I don't dance, blondie."

"Please?" I asked just before the song started. I grinned, extending my hand to him. "Take my hand," I sang jokingly, waggling my eyebrows at him.

Thankfully, he did take my hand. "Take a breath," I continued, but he didn't. Instead, he shook his head at me again, but there was a smile that was starting to spread on his lips.

"Pull me close," I put my arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his