The Snow Ball was supposed to be the highlight of the winter semester, but for Elias, it felt more like a looming avalanche. As the lead organizer for the Northbridge High formal, he had spent three months obsessing over every flake of artificial snow and the exact wattage of the blue LED uplights.
"I was going for 'Winter Wonderland,' but I think I landed on 'Coffee Shop in a Blizzard,'" Elias admitted, his heart hammering harder than any bassline. "I like the blizzard better," Maya smiled.
In the corner, Maya, the girl Elias had been too terrified to ask to the dance, approached him. She wasn’t wearing a gown; she had paired a vintage velvet blazer with combat boots.
"This is actually tolerable," she said, handing him a cup of lukewarm blue punch. "Usually these things feel like a neon migraine."