Terrible Night
The night was supposed to be an amazing one. She was supposed to be laugh and dance. She had even hoped for a kiss by the end of the night from her prom date who she was crazy for. But it was all good to be true.
Her dreams of a wonderful night had been shattered. She could feel tears stream down her face while she wondered what she did to deserve this. Her heart was pounding while she walked through the doors.
Busy Teen
WAFB
With her attending school and working part-time as a waitress at a pizzeria, Josie Reason, age 16, didn’t have many hours left to finish her homework and maybe watch a show or two.
She was so busy but she knew she’d have time for prom. This would be her chance to let her hair down and have an amazing night. But she could never have anticipated how things were actually going to turn out.
Surprise
HuffPost
She had just walked through her bedroom door and collapsed onto her bed to get some much-needed rest when she heard the sound of the doorbell ring.
Her parents were busy at work so she decided to answer the door herself. She was confused at the sight of a pizza delivery driver. She never ordered a pizza, she was even more surprised when the man handed her a large pizza.
Wouldn’t Return
iStock
Josie told her work friend that there must have been a mistake. She tried to explain to the pizza guy that she didn’t order it, but he refused to take it back.
“I’m not even hungry. Honestly, give it to the guys” Josie exclaimed, but the driver simply said, “it’s from Christian. He asked me to deliver it to you. Just eat it later!” Josie felt her face start to flush.
Prom
Credits
She ran inside, pizza box in hand. She felt her heart skip a beat when she opened the box only to find the words, “I know it’s cheesy, but….. PROM? ~ Christian”. scrawled inside the box.
Josie had always had a crush on Christian, it seemed that he had developed a crush too! She grinned at the cheesy pizza and felt like her life was complete.
From Different School
Wikipedia
Christan went to a different school and invited Josie to his prom. Since it was an unfamiliar school she had to quickly learn what was the most fashionable wear for prom.
Christian was from a Christian school that had stricter rules compared to Josie’s. The school would expect his date to have the same standards that he had. This is why things went so bad.
Dress Code
Credits
Josie’s school had plenty of rules regarding prom dresses. The dress couldn’t be too short or revealing and as long as it didn’t create a safety hazard. She didn’t realize how different Christian’s school would be.
She knew it was conservative, she just didn’t know quite how conservative they actually were. She was still very keen to go out to prom with Christian, not knowing how terrible things would turn.
A Mom And Daughter Outing
Credits
The next day, Josie’s mom took her out to find a dress that suited her just right. Her mother was excited about the prospect of her daughter going to prom with her crush. She knew she would get her daughter the best dress.
Her mother offered her opinion on all the dresses and gave her some insight. Josie looked up to her mother and trusted her intuition. But as the days passed, they still hadn’t found the right one for her.
Getting Close
Credits
She kept up the search looking for the dress, now out with her friends. Her friends already found their dresses, but she still hadn’t found hers.
She was trying to find a dress that would follow the school’s conservative rules. It was getting harder and harder to find one. Then, she went to an old expensive boutique at the other end of town.
Final Search
Credits
After so many days of searching and trying out dresses, Josie was feeling rundown and tired. She needed a dress that compromised between beauty and being conservative.
The problems that followed were that the dress she’d finally found had not so conservative fabric on the sides and it was quite pricey. Her mother took pictures of the dress and sent them to Christian’s mother.
Tense Wait
Christian’s mom suggested to Josie’s mom to send the picture the school administration too, just in case her opinion was wrong.
Josie and her mom did as he suggested and waited for a answer before they bought the dress. They asked the shop owner to put the dress on hold until they could get confirmation that it was appropriate!
School Approval
WAFB
Christian’s mom thought it was fine and when Josie and her mom heard back from the school with an echoed approval, she was estatic! Now, they could finally move forward.
They went back to the boutique and signed off on its $400 price tag. It was a steep price but one Josie’s mom was happy to pay. Afterall, it was such an important right of passage. If only they knew what they were paying for…
Planning Ahead
Credits
Now that Josie found her dress, she could relax and focus on the other aspects of getting ready for prom. She booked herself a spray tan and searched online for what she wanted her hair and make up to look like.
She wanted to be different from the other girls. Most of them, like her best friend, Sofie, who was also going to the Christian school’s prom decided on the natural make-up look with her hair down. But Josie wanted to do more – a decision she’d later regret!
Prom Day
Rebecca Reason
It was finally prom day and Josie felt like she was sailing on cloud nine. Christian looked dashing when he came to collect her. They took some pictures at her house before she waved goodbye from her adoring mom!
The thrill of the evening so far was all Josie hoped it would be. She felt like she was taking one more step into adulthood and she couldn’t have been happier with who ended up beside her! But it wasn’t just himself he brought…
Private Car
orlando chauffeured services
Besides a lovely corsage, Christian hired a private car and driver which was theirs for the entire evening! It was more than she cold have imagined!
Butterflies rose in her stomach and her cheeks turned bright red as Christian held her hand and helped her in. But if she had known what was coming, she would have told the driver to turn around.
Familiar Faces
Credit
Josie and Christian made their way into the reception lobby. People lined up to show their tickets and make their way into the main dance hall. That’s when Josie saw a familiar face.
“Oh My God! Josie!”, she squealed! Josie bumped into a friend she hadn’t seen in months since she moved school last semester. Josie was so happy to know another person here. She knew it was going to be an unforgettable night – and she was right!
No Entry
As Christian handed over their tickets, Josie marveled at the amazing decorations. It was so much better than what her public school could ever afford.
They were about to enter the elaborate hall when one of the administrators quickly came over. He was scowling. He pointed at her dress and suddenly, disaster struck!
Facing Disgust
The Billigs Gazette
“You can’t come in wearing that!”, he pointed. He had a horrified look on his face. Confused, Josie followed his finger to where he was pointing.
She lifted her arms up and realized he was pointing at the side panels of the dress where the unusual fabric was. “I- I can’t?”, Josie stammered, “Why?”, she said.
Changed Their Minds
Rebecca Reason
All the joy that had built up immediately drained from her body. Even Christian’s eyes turned wide and confused.
They both tried to explain that the school had already approved the dress. But even with the screenshots of the conversations and a call from her mother, the old man gave them a ridiculous choice.
Center Of Attention
Daily Echo
Meanwhile, Josie felt all eyes on her. Everyone around her began to notice the problem and began to look at her dress. While some showed sympathy faces, others tried to muffle a giggle.
Josie felt humiliated. She tried to ignore the onlookers as she told the teacher that he wasn’t being fair. She double-checked with the school if this dress was safe before attending but he wasn’t having any of it.
Silly Choice
The Krazy Coupon Lady
He told her that she could either wear her date’s jacket all night or run to Walmart to buy a belt to go around it.
She felt ridiculed! All the happiness Josie had felt that night was replaced with soul-crushing sadness. 400 dollars … down the drain. The worst part was that no one watching all of this was stepping up to defend them.
No Support
Credit
Everyone wanted to get inside and enjoy prom. No one wanted to risk making the old man any grumpier and having their tickets revoked.
But they had already asked, and the school said the dress was okay! It was all over two mesh panels around her waist. It was so stupid! Even her mother’s rage sent smoke billowing out of the phone when she called in the update.
Unfair Treatment
The Mirror
Josie wasn’t being let in. She called her mom in distress and told her what was happening. Chrisitian also called his mom. Both mom’s were outraged but they couldn’t do anything.
The school had decided that Josie was banned unless she did something about her dress. But Christian had decided on something too and he wasn’t about to let Josie cry any more tears…
New Plan
kiev checkin
“Forget this!” Christian said, pulling Josie out of the line. “I have a much better idea”. Christian was determined to try his best to salvage the night they had planned.
If they couldn’t do prom, maybe they could do the next best thing; dinner and a movie, they still had a private driver for the night after all. Her heart fluttered when he made her a promise.
Second Prom
NewsTimes Danbury
He promised her that they would do it all again at Josie’s prom, where the dress was more than acceptable. There was no way she couldn’t show off such a beautiful dress!
It didn’t matter how angry their moms got or how many social media tweets supported them, the school wasn’t going to budge. So, they would take control and made the best of a bad situation.