> Frankly, I just don't get it. Apparently, convention has it that I'm *supposed* to just drop a few hundred dollars to go to a dance. And people are surprised that I refuse.
>
> "But it's your Senior Prom!"
> "Yeah? And?"
> "Well, you *have* to go! It's your senior year! Everybody goes to their Senior Prom!"
> "Yeah? And?"
>
> Apparently these people don't seem to understand that:
>
> A - I HATE dances. Despise them. I don't like the music, I don't like 90% of people in attendance, and I DON'T LIKE TO DANCE.
>
> B - Even more than that, I HATE spending hundreds of dollars to do something that I HATE.
>
> So, given that, I get to spend the next month and a half listening to everyone talk about their prom dress, or how to split up the fee for the limo, and, of course, whose house to go to afterwards to party at. (There's a group of football players offering to pay any guy $100 to go to prom with this one girl (who will pay for all the stuff the guy needs for prom) because she'll have a party afterwards if she goes, and she has a reputation for throwing "good" parties)
>
> I just don't understand these people.
>
> The Other "Or maybe I'm just anti-social, or something" Matthew

I don't know about other schools, but there was almost no emphasis put on the Senior Ball here. They had it in November I think. Barely a fifth of our class went, at best. And this is not just because most of them were out partying elsewhere, as usual, but mostly because people at my school don't care about it. There was actually more emphasis put on the Junior Prom than the Senior Ball.

I went to my Junior Prom. Personally I don't like dances all that well. My experiences with them in high school had one of two outcomes: I was picked on to the point of tears and went home crying or I won contests, met new friends and wanted to go back as much as possible. If I wasn't so afraid of the former I think I would have gone to more, because the latter helped me meet some really cool people.

Back to why I went to my Junior Prom. A)I had always planned to do it, because people of my, ahem, social class in high school almost never go and B)Because I was asked out by a guy. I was incredibly shocked when he asked me. He and I weren't even that close of friends. Of course he made the mistake of asking me about 8 months before the prom, and by the time it came around he had started dating this other girl, and couldn't take me without seriously angering her. He was way shy, and I actually had to call him to get him to admit he wasn't going to take me.

I went anyway of course. Why let some guy keep you from doing anything? My aunt bought my dress, so I'm not even sure how much it cost. It was worth it just to see how uncomfortable she was in the store. This is the aunt who gives me cards at Christmas that say, "It's not too late to embrace Jesus." No offense to Christians, but would you like it if someone gave you a card saying, "Your religion is wrong, but it's not too late to embrace mine?". I rest my case. Of course it is not nice to deprive pleasure from others misery, but oh well.

Back to my point, and yes I am making one. I went to the prom and had a great time. Me, I'm no social butterfly, but I had enough acquaintances at the dance to hang out with(including the guy who asked me. I still like him even if he couldn't even tell me he was going to take someone else). And, surprisingly, a lot of the people who were always such collosal jerks to me in middle school turned out to have grown up a bit and were actually civil. Nobody got picked on at the dance, although we of course commented on everyone elses dresses(including a girl who had the same dress as me. How very gauche :P). A lot of people had after prom parties, but it was almost one in the morning when the prom ended, and I had no greater interest than to go home and sleep.

It was not nearly the greatest experience of my life, but I would do it again. Half the fun was playing dress up for the prom. I never wear makeup. There are some people at my school who may never recover from seeing me in it... So that is what is cool about high school proms.

One is enough though. I didn't go to the Ball because, hey, I'd been there and done that and most of my friends were as bored as me and staying home. Only the really cheerleader types really went to the Ball. The prom is worthwhile, once, but definitely not something to do every day.

Mel"I have pictures from that prom, but do to blackmail possibilities I have burned the negatives and hidden the photos where no mortal eyes will ever find them. BWAHAHAHAHAH"anie