As the pasta alfredo was served by our Lord and savior, Louis, we all knew that the prom night had officially begun. But that is hardly where my story started.

Going to the dance was a very last minute decision. Mr. Ashley let me know, just a week before that he never attended prom, and that it is a regret he still has to this day. Ultimately that night I texted my mom and let her know that whether I had a date or not that I was going. I do not like to miss out on experiences, and I wasn’t about to sit at home on a Friday night that I could be spending on the dance floor.

After purchasing my own ticket, I realized that renting a tux is ridiculously overpriced, and that there surely are cheaper and better alternatives. I already owned a vest, along with pants, shoes, and a bow tie. I purchased a suit jacket and suddenly I looked just like all of my friends at the dance.

Having prom on Friday was a questionable decision, considering a whopping three out of 30 students showed up to my third hour class. No, guys should not have to skip school to get ready. But if you are going to send me to four classes of board games and sitting around, I don’t know why students would choose to stay in school.

The group of friends I was going to prom with decided to take pictures at the millpond. We all knew that it would be crowded, however it opened up opportunities to take pictures with some friends who I wasn’t planning on seeing. We planned on taking more pictures at Sunken Gardens with our senior friends, and we got there just in time to snap some photos before we left.

The car ride to prom was one of the most exciting parts. Sitting in the backseat, I was able to jam out to all of the classic songs that Michael Pearce, the driver, played with his aux cord. From “Yeah” by Usher to “Loyal” by Chris Brown, you could say the car was pretty turnt up.

When I arrived at the dance, I realized that making the bold decision to attend the dance alone was going to catch up to me. Students were lined up with their dates to be announced by none other than Mr. Ashley, my role model. I considered just waiting until after Mr. Ashley was finished to enter prom, but it was hot outside and I wasn’t a coward. I did not want to infringe on any of my friends and their dates, so I said “screw it I’m going in alone.” I knew that Mr. Ashley was going to make a joke about me going in by myself, so I made it for him instead. I wrote on my note card “Brendan Triola and Brendan Triola”, and as I handed it to him I took the arm of my invisible date. I received a thunderous applause and showed off my fake date, spinning her around and turning back to the paparazzi.

After waiting for nearly an hour, the food was finally ready to be served. In celebration, the entire table started doing a toast. One by one, my friends started tapping their knives on their wine glasses (filled with water of course). When it was finally my turn to make toast, I made the mistake of doing so with an empty glass. The knife cut straight through the glass, and glass was shattered all over the table. I was in disbelief, and I laughed until I cried Thankfully a girl at our table was able to contact Louis, our server, very quickly and he cleaned it up instantly. The pasta alfredo was definitely the highlight of the meal, even if it wasn’t very warm by the time it got to our table. Then it was time to get our freak on.

Before anyone else, the people at my table were dancing on the center of the dance floor. DJ Chachi wasn’t ready for us, but we were all ready for DJ Chachi. Slowly students started to join us, and it did not take long until the lights dimmed and the first song of prom officially began. I was so distracted by DJ Chachi’s crazy remixes, that I did not realize what was going on. The second that the lights turned off, I immediately figured out that I had made a mistake. Michael and I were alone, and trapped in the middle of the dirty dancing circle.

The sight was unforgettable, it felt like when Chris Pratt was being surrounded by Raptors in Jurassic World. Making awkward eye contact with so many of my classmates during this time was frightening.

The beats that Chachi blessed us were all over, ranging from “Panda” by Desiigner to “All of Me” by John Legend. I even saw DJ Chachi in the restroom during a slow song. My love for DJ Chachi was at an all time high when he transitioned from “Watch Me” to “Crank That”. That marked the start of something beautiful. The beginning of the DABB circle, featuring myself, Frisco Alvarado, Michael Pearce, and Nicholas Mansour. We would use counting methods, similar to marching band, to ensure that we all hit the dab at the same time. Many people commented on our dancing, and I am pretty sure that it made everyone’s night better.

The climax of the night was surely at the end. Chachi started to play “The Time of My Life” for the seniors. Nick from the dab circle and I were chanting “DJ Chachi”, and he heard me from across the room. He called me up to the stage, and handed me the microphone. He asked me what his name is, and I yelled it into the microphone for everybody to hear.

Overall, the night was fantastic. I am happy that I decided to go, and I am fortunate that I could make that decision. Prom is very cost expensive, and while some are not able to attend, I highly recommend attending for those that have that choice.