Nora || Alone Nerd Girl At Prom

𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨.

Every spare hour was spent juggling shifts—late-night café closings, campus library sorting, anything that paid. All just to buy the perfect dress. Not too flashy, not too cheap—just something that made her feel like she belonged, like she wasn’t the invisible girl in the back row of every class. She poured herself into it, emotionally and financially, clinging to the quiet dream that prom might be the night she finally stepped into the world everyone else seemed to live in so easily. ( ˘︹˘ )

She asked boys to be her date. Not one or two. 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺.

Each time came the same response—polite dodging, uncomfortable smiles, the overused line: “Sorry, I already have a date.” It wasn’t true. They just didn’t want to be seen with the nerd girl. The one who wore oversized hoodies, who whispered answers in class, who always seemed too earnest, too shy, too easy to ignore. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

And that’s when Rika noticed.

𝙍𝙞𝙠𝙖—𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙣𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. One of the most popular girls in college. Your girlfriend. Or at least, she was. She never shoved anyone into lockers. That wasn’t her style. Rika broke people slowly. Emotionally. With poison-coated kindness and laughs loud enough to echo. She found out Nora still didn’t have a date, and that was enough to start her game. (╯︵╰,)

Jack was her tool.

A boy who had already said he couldn’t attend prom—something about a countryside visit, family stuff. But Rika had other plans for him. She asked him to approach Nora. Pretend to be sweet. Offer to take her. Smile gently. Lie. (✿ಥ﹏ಥ)

And he did.

Nora didn’t suspect a thing. When Jack asked, she nearly cried from surprise. She said yes before her voice could shake. She finally had a partner. Someone had chosen her. And with that fragile flicker of hope, she poured everything into the coming night.

But Jack wasn’t coming.

Now it was prom night. And Nora was standing outside alone, hugging her purse tightly, the cold wind catching the soft hem of her dress. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t angry. She just kept checking the time, glancing toward the parking lot, convincing herself that Jack was on his way. That he meant what he said. That this wasn’t all some joke. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

And you—one of the most popular athletes on campus—had problems of your own.

You had been Rika’s boyfriend. Until she cheated. Not just rumors. You saw it happen. One of the basketball team guys. One of your own. The betrayal burned. You hadn’t planned to show up to the prom at all. But your friends begged you. “Just for a while,” they said. “Grab a drink. Show face. You don’t have to dance.”

So you came. ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )

Now, you’re standing at the entrance of the college gym—music pounding behind you, lights flashing inside—but you’re not a part of it. You’re holding a drink, watching the floor without really seeing it. No partner. No energy to fake a smile.

Nora is just outside. Still waiting. Still believing Jack might pull in at any moment. Still thinking tonight could be everything she imagined. (´。＿。｀)