Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!
So yesterday I went to the prom with Jack.
It was… well… I’ll explain.
Jack picked me up, even gave me flowers. He didn’t have to do that (I mean, he really didn’t have to do that, I’m not really one for the kinds of token gestures), but I accepted them anyway. They were pretty and smelled nice. He even gave me a nice corsage and put it on my wrist.
He cleans up nicely, he wasn’t wearing a tux but a very nice suit, and I’ll take that. Tuxes are overdone anyway.
Anyway, we got there, and it was, well, a typical prom. Students just kind of milling around, inexpertly dancing, you know, kind of how you’d expect a prom to go. Jack and I had a couple of dances, and, well, it kinda went south.
I saw a group of girls hovering around a phone and looking at me.
Crap. They recognized me.
“Jack?”, one came up to him. “Your girlfriend is train onee-chan?”
I sighed. “Yes, I’m train onee-chan”.
Then they literally squeed, and soon I had a crowd of girls around me, and it kept getting bigger. Apparently someone started showing people the music video, and I heard the chants of “onee-chan! onee-chan!” from the YouTube of that time they played that greeting video of mine in the arena…
I signed a bunch of autographs. And a few guys were slapping Jack on the shoulder and going “Lucky dog! She’s HOT!”
Sigh. I admit I was blushing a little.
I went outside and just kind of stood there. I wasn’t mad or anything, but I wasn’t really happy either. I guess I kind of brought it on myself, but I can’t even go to a prom with my boyfriend without being mobbed.
I guess that’s how Yuki feels, right?
Anyway, Jack came out and stood next to me. We were at a facility that, well… didn’t have any really great scenery, but the air smelled really nice.. and so did Jack.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sadly. “I didn’t know that would happen.”
I sighed. “I should have expected it.”
“This isn’t Japan…”
“No, but you’d be surprised how many weebs there are in high schools.”
“I guess.”
He was quiet for a bit.
“I just wanted to give you a good time.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, but…”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, turning to him. “This is just what it means to be me… and what it means to be with me, and… well…”
“I wouldn’t still be with you if I couldn’t accept that.”
“I know,” I said, a little morosely.
He reached over and grabbed my hand. It was warm. I just kind of leaned into him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Let’s go back inside,” I said, softly, after a little while. “This is who I am. This is who I always will be.”
And, so we went back inside. There was a little more murmuring, but then it quieted down and we had a few more nice dances. I did meet a couple of his friends. I wouldn’t say we hit it off, but they seemed decent enough.
And then came time for the prom king and queen. And guess what?
I’m prom queen.
I’ve never even set foot in that school before. But apparently all the girls who know who I was voted for me. Some popular girl was really, really pissed off, but hey. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t campaign or anything. I just sat in a train while my sisters took the mickey out of me (I think that’s how you say it). So I just accepted the crown, acted as demurely as I could, and then… well.. that’s it.
At least Jack got to be prom king too. He’s not very popular but the same girls decided that if I was going to be queen, he was going to be king, and… that’s that, I guess.
The popular girl tried to confront me, you know, like in those stupid high school movies, but I just sighed and waved my hand, and those girls just came and took her away. Just like that. I don’t know what they did with her but I didn’t see her again. I think she’s alright, they’re just high school girls… they probably forced her into a car and drove her home.
She smelled of booze anyway. What kind of school is that?
Good to be the queen.
So, eventually we went home. I don’t feel like making this a subscriber only post, so… let’s just say we did some stuff together that would make it one if I told you and leave it at that. I missed him. I really missed him, and it’s been too long.
I know it’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I was the one who told him he needed to buckle down and take his studies seriously if he wanted to be with me, because I wasn’t going to be with someone who couldn’t take care of our kids. I’m the one who somehow became a minor celebrity in Japan, and apparently amongst the Texas weeb community. And now he’s taking his studies seriously and I’m taking my studies seriously and we don’t have as much time with each other as we used to, and when we do try to have a nice evening together I get recognized.
And September is coming fast. Very fast. Way, way too fast. And then I’ll go to Japan, and he won’t… and what will become of us?
I mean, I think we’ll still be together… but…
I guess I wouldn’t blame him if it all became too much for him at some point.
It was a nice memory. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And yet… it was another last. All the lasts are coming together and piling up and pretty soon will come the last hug and the last kiss and the last subscriber post, and I’ll be on a plane to Japan and he’ll be driving to whatever college he settles on here, and… and that’s it. At least for a while.
I wish I didn’t feel so sad and helpless every time one of these lasts hits.
Anyway, today I spent all my time practicing. I think I’ve pretty much got it.
Yuki’s friends have their tickets now, and we’re pulling some of the futons out that we scrounged up for when the aidols came over, and, well… it’s going to be a full house for a while. I don’t know what kind of visa they needed, but Yuki got it all sorted. I had no idea she was so efficient.
And David already got “the talk”. Two Japanese women staying with us, he’d better keep that bathroom door closed.
Speaking of the aidols… Minami is still having a blast in the after-school friends idol light music club. She’s been checking in every now and then, and she’s having a great time. She says it’s hard work but they’re all looking out for each other and having lots of fun singing and dancing. She and Miki have become pretty good friends (even though Miki is her senpai) so they’re extra-special looking out for each other.
I’m glad.