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[sub][i]In the eye of the storm?[/i][/sub]

As Bernie eyed the doors, Alice was right alongside her, though the anticipation felt between the socialite and the outcast were founded on entirely different concerns. While Bernie eagerly awaited her fellow students to populate their lives once more, Alice remained apprehensive. She hid it rather well, though. She'd become quite good at that. Dances were never her thing, but once again, attempting to evade another big event in the lives of her friends never went well for Alice. If she were to be honest with herself, Alice would have preferred the crowds never arrive, leaving her friends to intermingle with a certain degree of peace. That wasn't how dances worked, though. Alice knew that.

When Rob arrived, that certain degree of solemnity covering Alice's face seemed to fade ever so slightly. His humor did seem to brighten the group up in general, and it shifted the focus of Alice's wracked mind. [b][color=coral]"Perhaps things could have been better if one of us stepped up to help... Really anything we could do would be an improvement..."[/color][/b] As Alice mused aloud, her eyes lofted up to view the cheap strings of decorations. She knew that, in part, Bernie was right. [i]It was Homecoming. What could they expect?[/i] Alice wasn't sure that their prom would do anything to dazzle her and her friends, but it had to be better than this. 

It seemed the entirety of the dance was under scrutiny, which Alice couldn't help but join in on as Augie had shuffled the set music already. A smile crossed her face for the first time since Alice and her friends had entered the building. [b][color=coral]"Between all of you, we'll definitely have an interesting mix..."[/color][/b] When Augie polled the group for suggestions, Alice was hesitant to speak up. Some part of her knew that whenever her song arrived, she wouldn't be around to hear it. The auditorium in which they found themselves was dull enough as is, but to spend an entire night here was something Alice was never prepared for.

When the group of familiar faces had finally amassed, Alice relaxed her posture. Being with her friends had at least made the night somewhat worth attending. The flow of humor and playful teasing kept their chatter alive and well until Isaac spoke up to pull Bernie aside. Alice maintained silence at that point, her curious eyes watching the pair as they moved off beyond the rest of their friends. It wasn't until Bernie returned with Isaac's hand in hers that Alice seemed to fully comprehend what was going on, but she had greater things to worry about. As other guests began to come rapidly into the building signifying the start of the event, Alice was reminded once more of how much she'd dread being witnessed by all the watchful eyes. Alice spoke before anyone could bring up the strange ordeal between their two friends.

[b][color=coral]"I'll be back. I'm going to use the restroom."[/color][/b] Alice had already begun to move off by the time Bernie and Isaac had made it back, and really left little time for words of protest after she spoke. As she weaved in between the crowd of the others, Alice let herself intermix with the eye of the storm that was the dance in its full breadth. It wasn't where she wanted to be, but beyond the aching cloud of gossip and glamour lied a salvation— or at least, as close to a salvation as one could find in a school. When Alice reached the restroom doors she didn't hesitate a moment lest prying eyes scout her out. Without much thought, her direction changed, leading her down a set of stairs beyond the dance and deeper into the school's halls.

Alice knew the layout well, and her destination was by no means far in the labyrinthine hallways. Within moments, Alice stepped up to the door of the art room.