Ethan and Jules
Jules's lips parted and it felt instinctual to say thanks, but no... If she showed up to prom with Ethan, everyone would talk. Then again, everyone talked about her already and... honestly, did she really care? Maybe on some level but Jules had run out of fucks to give several months ago. And Ethan was her friend and it was sweet that he showed up tonight, not wanting her to miss a night that had once been important to her. Taking a breath, she glanced briefly at her mom, who was standing behind Ethan and smiling, before her eyes found Ethan's again. "Okay," she said finally, though internally she was starting to panic because she hadn't bought a prom dress and her hair was a mess and most of her friends had spent all day getting ready for his. Jules had... well, very little time. Licking her lips, Jules nodded. "Okay," she said again before turning to head back upstairs. "Give me a few minutes?" Obviously, he didn't really have a choice but Jules didn't think he would mind waiting.
After a quick shower, Jules found her mom in her bedroom with a dress bag. Margaret looked sheepish as she carried it over to the bed and began to unzip it. "I know you kept saying you weren't going to prom, but... I was hoping you would eventually change your mind. And I knew if you did, especially last minute, you wouldn't have anything to wear. So, I saw this at Veronica's and though it would be perfect. I always figured I could return it if you stayed home tonight."
Jules was a little apprehensive as she stared at the garment bag. Her mom generally shared Jules's fashion sense, so Jules tucked the towel around her chest and unzipped the bag. The dress inside was exactly something Jules would have picked out for herself. Beaded bodice, blush-colored with a flowy skirt. It was gorgeous and definitely better than wearing something from a previous dance so Jules smiled faintly at her mom and thanked her.
With Margaret helping, Jules was able to get dressed, get her hair dried and styled - some curls and pearl hairpins kept it out of her face. After finishing up some simple, natural colored makeup, Jules slid into her heels - Ethan was tall, so it made sense - and followed her mom downstairs. She felt oddly calm and maybe even a little excited. It wasn't the prom she had hoped for, but it meant a lot to her that Ethan was there and willing to spend his Saturday night with her at a school dance. Jules came down the steps and gave Ethan a smile. "This was really nice of you. Thanks."
Ethan knew it would take more than a few minutes, but he was willing to wait. He really didn’t have anything better to do tonight and even if they only stayed for ten minutes and then cut out, he’d consider it a success. He’d even brought a change of clothes, just in case they came back to her house and wanted to watch a movie instead. He sat on the couch, playing on his phone while she got ready, then rose to his feet when he heard someone start down the stairs again. “Wow,” he said softly when he caught sight of her, unable to help himself. She was beautiful and, if things were different, he would have considered asking her out for real. “Welcome,” he smiled. “I just hated to see you miss it. We’ll go for a little bit, you can make the rounds, and then if you want to come back here and veg in your sweats, we can do that. I’ll even spring for pizza.” He stepped up to her, offering a white rose wrist corsage. “I didn’t know what color you might wear, so white seemed safe.”
Jules couldn't help but laugh a little, because vegging out in her sweats had been her plan for the night. The thought that he would be okay if she wanted to leave early helped relieve some of the tension she felt about going. Holding out her wrist for the corsage, she felt so many conflicting emotions. Excitement... sadness. Thankfully Ethan was her friend and he knew about Jasper, so it wasn't like he would be expecting anything out of her tonight. He was doing this for her and she was grateful for it. The only other guy friend she could imagine being this nice about everything was Bash, and he had his own date tonight. "It's beautiful," she told him, touching the rose delicately.