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Just then, Sienna extended her index finger, painted with a glamorous manicure, and lightly pressed the lid of the velvet box. With a soft click, the box closed.
[I'll take this. Hunter bought it for his prom date, after all.]
She then slid the velvet box out of the packaging and returned to the table where her friends were waiting. As she sat down and pulled the bracelet from the box, a cheer erupted.
[This bracelet is from Tiffany, right?]
[How about a sapphire blue dress? To match Hunter's eyes and the bracelet's pendant?]
As her friends fussed over her with flattering excitement, Sienna giggled with a voice full of happiness.
[Oh no, I don't have much time left to go shopping!]
Chloe shook her head and clicked her tongue.
[Does she have no pride? Still, it's a victory for the persistent. She'll actually get to link arms with Hunter Hamilton before graduation. Ugh, how can she be that thrilled... ]
[Ollie, are you okay?]
Josh asked cautiously.
Jiyu, who had been staring blankly at the empty packaging, lifted her pale face. Even these two did not know about the relationship between her and Hunter.
She forced the corners of her mouth upward and nodded toward her two friends, who were looking at her with concerned expressions.
[Yeah. I'm okay.]
✾ ✾ ✾
In truth, she wasn't okay at all.
It wasn't that she had never imagined going to prom with Hunter.
He might not consider her a friend, but to her, Hunter—whom she had known from preschool through high school—was a long-time friend just as much as Chloe was.
Just once, before leaving for a far-off place.
She had been greedy, wanting to spend time with him without caring about how others looked at them. Though she had given up immediately after hearing about the tournament, she felt a lingering regret deep inside.
'If only I had known the tournament would be canceled...'
But thinking about it now was useless.
Was it the catalyst that someone like Jewel Parker had felt a strange sense of superiority over Sienna Reed?
Every time she saw the sparkling bracelet on Sienna's arm, tanned to a sophisticated hue, an invisible awl stabbed deep into her chest.
Sienna had openly declared that she would seduce Hunter at the after-prom party. She had even claimed to have already booked a hotel suite.
After hearing that from Chloe, Jiyu had thrown up everything she'd eaten for lunch into the bathroom toilet.
Hunter and Sienna suited each other.
It wasn't hard to imagine them clinging to one another, kissing passionately. And she knew Sienna wouldn't resist Hunter's touch, which would be just as invasive as it was with her.
Hunter simply found it tedious to have a girlfriend, go on sweet dates, or get emotionally entangled, but his physical desires were strong. He would get aroused just from a kiss, or sometimes, even from the mere touch of a fingertip.
Spending the night with one's partner after the prom party was a long-standing tradition, a sort of rite of passage into adulthood. So, if the confident and attractive Sienna set her mind to it...
There was no reason for Hunter to refuse.
It felt as if someone were squeezing her heart, leaving her breathless. Her steps felt heavy, as if she were walking through sinking mud. She was anxious and restless. It was more agonizing because she knew exactly why she felt this way, yet there was nothing she could do.
Despite all that, time flowed on, and the long-awaited prom day arrived.
Jiyu mechanically changed into her dress and applied her makeup.
The deep navy, off-the-shoulder dress made of satin was a find from the 75% off section of Macy's—a store Ae-jeong had once dismissed as a "commoner's department store"—where she had snagged it for $39.99.
The dress, which hugged her waist and flared slightly below, fluttering at mid-thigh, was practical; it suited the prom and didn't require a change for the casual after-prom party.
Just then, a text arrived from Joshua saying he had reached her apartment.
As soon as she left her room with her clutch in hand, she ran into Hunter, who was dressed sharply in a tuxedo and passing through the hallway. He seemed to be leaving now as well.
His face contorted as he scanned Jiyu from head to toe.
The two had been in the longest cold war since the cafeteria incident.
She cast her eyes down and quickened her pace toward the elevator. As she waited for the elevator, keeping a distance from Hunter, Lauren came running out holding a small box.
[Hunter! You have to take the corsage for Sienna.]
Lauren, far more excited than the consistently indifferent Hunter, handed him a transparent box containing an expensive fresh flower corsage. Once again, a sharp awl stabbed deep into Jiyu's heart.
Lauren took out her phone and gestured to them, snapping photos repeatedly.
[Get closer together. And smile a bit; you look like you're being dragged to a slaughterhouse, not prom.]
While Jiyu forced a smile, Hunter sighed and turned his head away.
[Stop taking pictures.]
Lauren, glancing at Hunter and having taken enough photos to satisfy her, suddenly looked touched, dabbing at the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.
[When did you two grow up so much... ]
The elevator arrived just in time. As they stepped inside, Lauren smiled broadly and waved.
[Have a wonderful time!]
As Lauren's excited voice faded, a suffocating silence descended within the elevator. Jiyu felt as if she were being crushed like a sheet of paper by the imposing energy Hunter radiated. The trip down to the lobby felt like an eternity.
Walking briskly through the lobby and exiting the apartment building, she saw a snow-white stretch limousine parked right in front of the awning. It seemed to be the limo sent to pick up Hunter.
Loud music and laughter spilled out from the limousine.
[Ollie!]
Jiyu turned her head at the sound of Joshua calling her.
Expecting a shabby Joshua in a rented tuxedo, she blinked in surprise. He looked impressive, wearing a well-fitted, handsome tuxedo, having removed his glasses and neatly styled his usually messy hair.
As Jiyu approached with a faint smile, he frowned while looking past the top of her head. The only reason the good-natured Joshua would make such a face was because of Hunter.
Shrugging as if he didn't want to care, he abruptly held out the corsage in his hand. He then wrapped the corsage—decorated with navy organza, pearls, and an ivory artificial rose—around her wrist.
Jiyu took a matching boutonniere from her clutch and pinned it to his tuxedo pocket.
It was an old prom tradition.
Just then, with techno music vibrating through the air, the limousine door swung open, and Sienna stepped out, wearing a deep blue dress that matched the color of Hunter's eyes.
[Hunter~!]
Calling him in a coquettish voice and reaching out both arms for a hug, she was met by Hunter abruptly handing her the box.
[Kya, it's so beautiful! Here, your boutonniere.]
She carefully pinned the boutonniere she had been holding onto Hunter's tuxedo jacket, seductively stroking his chest.
[Perfect!]
As Hunter pulled Sienna's hand away and began walking toward the limousine, she quickly linked her arm with his. It was a gesture any prom date was entitled to.
Jiyu watched with a stiff face as Sienna walked happily, clinging to Hunter's arm for the few short steps to the limo, when Joshua extended his arm toward her.
[Let's go, Ollie. Benjamin and Chloe are waiting for us, parked two blocks up.]
[Huh? Oh, okay...]
Feeling clumsy in the kitten heels she was wearing for the first time, Jiyu stumbled slightly and grabbed Joshua's arm, just as Sienna had done. Then, she forced herself to ignore the sight of the stretch limousine driving away beside them.
✾ ✾ ✾
Prom was an upscaled version of the Spring Fling party.
The Grand Ballroom of the Lafayette Hotel, located at the southern end of Central Park, was filled with Alton School seniors in tuxedos and Aster School seniors in expensive designer dresses, carrying luxury clutches with shimmering logos.
This year's theme was 'Old Hollywood.'
After finishing the course dinner at the round tables, the DJ started the music. Everyone flocked to the stage to dance, or took photos in front of a classic Hollywood-style backdrop.
[I think those two are in love.]
With fast dance music as their background, Jiyu pointed to Chloe and Benjamin, who were locked in a slow dance and sharing a kiss.
[You're right. They're like a pair of... mallards.]
Joshua made a mischievous face as he looked at Benjamin, whose tuxedo collar was trimmed with the same fabric as Chloe's taffeta dress, which appeared green or purple depending on the light.
[What kind of metaphor is that, Josh?]
Jiyu chuckled and turned her gaze back to the stage. It didn't take long for her smile to fade into a bitter expression.
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