As Bee and I were sitting alone at one of the many tables inside, there was a rather uncomfortable silence that both of us could not ignore.
So, trying to be a gentleman, I did my best to make small talk.
"Soo, Aunt Bee, so you're the date Charlie set up for me. Gotta say, it's quite nice seeing you wear something so formal for a change," I told Aunt Bee.
"Oh, ah, thanks. I don't usually wear these kinds of clothes, so it's kinda embarrassing as all hell," she said, looking away with a blush on her cheeks.
"Don't be, you look absolutely stunning."
This caused her face to turn completely crimson, and she hid underneath the table.
"Um, Aunt Bee? You okay?" I asked the now-hiding demon.
"...." She didn't respond, simply ignoring me.
With a sigh, I looked underneath the table and saw Aunt Bee crouching and holding her legs together with her arms.
"Hey, you want to talk about why you're hiding from me?" I asked her.
She looked at me, her face still a bit crimson, but she mustered enough courage to finally speak.
"I've… never really… felt like this before, and it's not like I haven't dated anyone before. I've dated plenty of guys and gals, but whenever I look at you, I feel something inside me stir. I just don't know, okay?" she said, blushing as she spoke.
"Well, I'm not really a professional when it comes to these types of things, but my guess is you're feeling butterflies in your stomach — so, as the kids say."
"What! Pfft, don't be so corny! We're not kindergartners!" she said, laughing a bit.
"Well, if you don't want to be treated like one, maybe we should talk about it more above the table?"
"Fine, but don't go making sweet talk with me now," she said, finally going back to her seat.
"No promises."
"Well, that's not fair at all, but I guess this is your prom night, so I'll let it slide," she said, finally regaining her confidence.
We then started talking about the most random things since we both wanted to avoid talking about our work.
Our conversation mainly focused on the different foods we liked, and once I brought up the topic of a cotton-based candy, she was absolutely thrilled and delighted that I knew her favorite type of sweet.
She conjured some cotton candy, and we all knew what happened next — eating the sweet treats, Bee and I enjoyed our time together, and before long, the topic quickly changed from random things back to our love lives.
"Soo, Stygian, are you, like, dating anyone? I mean, if you're okay talking about it."
"To be perfectly honest, I haven't really been too focused on these types of things. As much as I would like to date someone, I don't really have the time to actively look for someone — let alone date them long enough to see if they actually like me or are just aiming for the crown," I said, then took a bite.
"True, but… what if someone already… liked you?" she said, looking slightly away from me.
I caught on to her question, and with a small smile, I answered.
"Well, if they really liked me, then they should probably tell me right now," I said with a smug grin, looking at her directly.
This caused her to blush furiously before she took a deep breath and spoke.
"Stygian Morningstar, would you give me — me, Beelzebub — the honor of taking you out on a date this weekend?" she said, hopeful and expectant.
I finished my cotton candy, and after throwing away the handle, I placed my hand on top of hers before speaking.
"Sure."
This made her eyes sparkle with excitement, and without a second's hesitation, she jumped toward me, giving me a hug.
"Holy shit! I can't believe this is happening! I promise you won't regret this!" Bee said, hugging me tighter.
"That's nice, but could you tone it down a bit? Everyone's staring," I said, trying to calm her down.
"Nope! I don't care what they think! I'm gonna enjoy this moment!" she said, still hugging me.
Bee continued to hug me for a long while before she finally decided to let go, though she still had a giant smile on her face.
"Come by Gluttony — my place — this weekend! I have a bunch of date plans all pre-planned and ready to go!" she said, handing me her address and the time to go.
As I looked and memorized the information, a thought dawned on me.
She already had plans long before she confessed. Well, let's just hope she didn't plan anything too crazy.
"I'll be there," I said, grabbing her hand once more and giving it a kiss.
"You better, 'cause I'll be expecting to see your tall ass over there," she said with a grin, flying a bit closer to me and giving me a kiss on the cheek.
"So what do you want to do while—" Bee was cut off when the bouncers suddenly opened the door.
"Miss Beelzebub, you are not part of the guest list," the guard spoke and began dashing toward us.
"Earl! It's so good to see you! Well, smell ya later! And also — don't forget the date!" she said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
When the guard finally got close to me, he looked around the area before snapping his fingers and leaving while grumbling.
Those two must go way back. But with nothing left to do but wait for the announcement, I began eating more of the food the event had to offer.
After what I thought was the eighth chicken I'd eaten there, I looked toward the stage and saw the principal, Raum, holding a velvet envelope.
He walked to the middle, and with a booming voice, he spoke.
"Students of Pride Ring Academy, today is a momentous occasion, because today marks the last day of you being students and the start of your new lives. As per tradition for the past five years, we have gathered votes from the many students from our fine institution, and this century's prom king and queen shall be…"
He opened the envelope and read the letter inside.
"Seviathan von Eldritch and Charlie Morningstar!"
The crowd cheered and clapped for the two. As they cheered, Seviathan walked up to the stage, and Principal Raum gave him a black crown and handed him a bouquet of flowers.
He stood in front of the crowd with a wide smile and gave them a cocky wave. As he waved, I began looking for Charlie, since she was supposed to be up there as well.
This became more apparent when our principal started calling her name and got no response, so acting quickly, I began looking for her.
I checked every possible place she could be around the venue — the bathroom stalls, backstage, and even the ceiling of the roof.
I was just about to call for help when I heard crying at the back of the venue. Following the noise, I ended up in a rather filthy area where they kept the trash cans.
Looking behind them, to my horror, I saw Charlie crying behind them, her makeup ruined from the tears and her dress covered in dirt.
"Charlie?" I threw away the trash can blocking my path, and Charlie quickly took notice and looked at me.
"Heeyyy… brooo…" she said, trying her best to hold back tears.
"Charlie… what happened?"