Test Tube stared at herself in the mirror. Did her hair look okay? Should she wear contacts? So many questions and too little time to answer them. Paintbrush and Lightbulb would be here any minute.

"Test Tube, for the last time, you look great!" Fan spoke from the bathroom floor. He was scrolling through social media, waiting for the "here" text. The lights above the mirror buzzed, and Test Tube was not convinced.

"I just wanna make sure, this is their only Prom after all. We get to have ours next year. I don't want to ruin anything for-"

"Lightbulb likes you just fine," Fan interrupted, giving his friend a sly look.

Test Tube turned red and pushed her glasses up, "Stop that, you're making it worse."

Fan held up his hands, "Sorry, sorry. But that is why you're so worked up, right?" Test Tube didn't answer. She smoothed out her green jumpsuit and took one last good look at her reflection. Fan's phone chimed.

The two tried to leave their concerns behind them as they descended the stairs. Test Tube slipped on her flats and Fan snapped his suspenders. They both grab backpacks with comfier clothes inside. They exit, and Test Tube locks the door behind her.

Paintbrush's car was parked in her driveway, the sun was just beginning to set. The passenger door opened, and out stepped Lightbulb, radiant and yellow as always. The breeze rustled her dress as she popped the trunk.

"Hey guys! Ready for the best night ever?" She pumped her fist into the air, her excitement was contagious. Fan brightened up as he tossed his bag into the trunk. Test Tube waved and did the same.

"Shotgun!" Fan scrambled to the front seat. Lightbulb giggled, closed the trunk, and opened the back door.

"After you, ma'am," she dramatically gestured to the seat. Test Tube shook her head and smiled at her silliness. She climbed inside the backseat, and Lightbulb's silver heels clicked on the driveway as she walked around to the other side.

Paintbrush turned to look back, "You all better wear your seatbelts. I am not getting pulled over tonight."

Lightbulb closed her door and replied, "No promises, Painty."

And with that, they were off. Test Tube was quiet for most of the ride, listening to her friends chat about who they might see there and whatnot. She was too occupied with her own thoughts to pay full attention to the conversation.

Test Tube felt a hand on her forearm, she looked up to see Lightbulb sporting a worried look.

She whispered, "You okay?"

Test Tube hoped the color of her face hadn't changed. She nodded and gave a small smile back. Lightbulb patted her arm and pulled away, rejoining the discussion.

Soon enough, the car pulled into the school parking lot. Fan and Lightbulb watched their classmates cross the road to enter the doors. Test Tube caught bits and pieces of what he was saying.

"See! I told you, she totally brought a girl from another school." He pointed at a tall girl accompanied by her very short date. Paintbrush finally found a parking spot.

All four scrambled to get out of the car. Paintbrush stopped the group before they could leave.

"Wait! Does everyone have their phones? Just in case." The other three patted their own pockets and checked inside purses. When all three gave the thumbs up, Paintbrush locked their car and the group made their way towards the entrance.

The school gymnasium was humid as ever with the entire senior class and their plus ones crammed inside. Student council had talked up this event for weeks. Most students were excited for this year's theme, though a multitude of string lights and an ungodly amount of glitter don't necessarily convey "Space Adventure." Nonetheless, the atmosphere of the room was still welcoming.

Almost immediately after walking in, Lightbulb excitedly points over to the back of the room, "You guys, we should totally do the photo booth!"

"I'm down," Fan nods. Paintbrush and Test Tube share a glance, shrug, and follow their friends.

How they all managed to fit inside is a mystery. Fan and Lightbulb made odd faces, Test Tube awkwardly held up a peace sign, and Paintbrush just barely made it into the top right corner. The four earned a few looks as they tumbled out of the cramped booth. The strips of film printed, and each of them pocketed their own with a few chuckles.

Paintbrush soon spots a trio of classmates and ushers everyone over.

"Hey Marsh! Hi Apple and Bow! Glad to see you here." Paintbrush was much more social than the other three. Lightbulb is big on stranger danger, and the other two are just introverts.

Marshmallow smiles at the group, "Hey Paintbrush! It's been a while!" Lightbulb shuffles her feet. She knows these three, but she hadn't ever been to close with Apple or Bow. She and Marsh grew apart over the years, though it was nice to see she was doing well.

Test Tube stood behind Paintbrush. She didn't know these three much at all, didn't she have biology with the redhead last year? She felt bad for not remembering. She glanced at Fan, who seemed to be in the same boat. They shared an awkward look.

"Um, Fan and I are gonna go get some punch," Test Tube motioned for Fan to follow, and they aimlessly wandered through the crowd until they found the drinks table.

Fan fills them both cups of sickeningly sugary juice, and they stand in silence for a moment. They stare back at the group, feeling out of place.

"So, are you gonna ask her to dance or what?"

Test Tube chokes on her punch at the question, and gives Fan a glare. He begins to laugh, but he suddenly stops, frozen in place. He grabs her wrist, almost spilling her punch, and practically drags his confused friend into a far corner.

"What was that about?" Test Tube was concerned, but mostly glad no juice ended up on her clothes.

Fan is turned around, nervously staring across the room to make sure they weren't seen. Test Tube peeks over his shoulder to see a figure in black with his back against the gym wall. He was with the two girls Fan had pointed out earlier. She recognized him immediately.

Test Tube sighed, "Fan, in case you haven't noticed, this is a formal event. There's no way Knife is going to mess with you h-"

"No it's," his face reddens, "it's not that." He looks at his shoes and fidgets with his bowtie. She catches on.

She places her hands on her hips, "And to think you had the nerve to make fun of me?" She stiffens when she realizes her mistake.

"Sorry, that was mean of me."

They stand awkwardly for a minute, looking out at the sea of people presumably having fun, this was supposed to be the best night of their lives after all.

Test Tube smiles at her friend and shrugs, "I'll ask Lightbulb to dance if you ask Knife, what do we have to lose?"

She holds out a hand for Fan to shake, he takes it and says:

"Only our dignities, I'm in." They begin to walk back into the light, wish one another good luck, and part ways.

Test Tube finds the group, but Lightbulb is absent. Paintbrush seemed to be engaged in conversation, she hadn't seen Paintbrush this happy in a while. She tugged on their blazer sleeve.

"Hey Paintbrush, where'd Lightbulb run off to?"

They turn to look at her, "I can't be too sure, but your best bet would be the snack table."

"Alrighty, thanks!"

Test Tube crosses the room, glancing around, she sees Fan look at her from a few feet away. He began to frantically type something into his phone. Her jumpsuit pocket vibrates.

FAN: tt i dont think i can do it

'TUBE: Fan just go over and say "hey, do you wanna dance?"

FAN: what if he says no????

'TUBE: Then at least you asked? IDK I'm looking for LB

FAN: did you look where the snacks are

'TUBE: On it, good luck buddy

FAN: you too !

Test Tube glances up from her phone as she arrives at the snack table. Just a few feet behind it, Lightbulb sits quietly on the bleachers, munching on a cookie. Test Tube feels her stomach churn with anxiety.

You can do it, Test Tube!

As Test Tube approaches her friend, Lightbulb glances up, notices her, and quickly wipes the crumbs off her face. She springs up and brushes imaginary dust off her yellow dress.

"Hey," Test Tube scratches the back of her neck, Lightbulb crosses her arms and smiles, she shrinks in on herself.

She's nervous too?

Test Tube clears her throat, mustering up a bit of courage, "Would you, maybe, wanna dance with me?"

Lightbulb takes Test Tube's hand and looks away sheepishly.

"Honestly, I was gonna ask you if you didn't find me before I finished my cookie," they both laughed a little. Lightbulb looked back at the other girl.

"Shall we?" she asked, extending an arm towards the dance floor.

Test Tube bowed and feigned formality, "Yes, we shall." Both girls snickered and made their way into the light.

As they arrived near the center, Test Tube realized she'd never danced with someone before. She held up her hands.

"What do I-" before she could finish, Lightbulb guided Test Tube's hands to rest on her hips, then placed her own on the taller girl's shoulders.

In her flustered stupor, Test Tube caught a glance of Fan and Knife, trying to dance and laughing at each other's inexperience. She smiled and focused back on Lightbulb.

Their timing was almost perfect, just as the two of them were comfortable, the lights dimmed, and a slow melody filled the room. Lightbulb led them in a swaying sort of dance. Test Tube was stiff, when did her hands get so sweaty? Lightbulb noticed her discomfort.

"Hey, you're doing just fine. We can stop if you want."

Test Tube frantically replied, "No! I mean, I wanna keep dancing. I like this, I just don't know how to do it right."

"You have the movement down, you just have to get loose. Relax."

Lightbulb moved her hand from Test Tube's shoulder and up to her face. Test Tube felt her muscles lose their tension. She felt safe, like they were the only two people in the room. She closed her eyes, and let her mind go.

The song faded out into a slightly more poppy tune, and the spell was broken. Both girls lethargically separated.

"You wanna go find the others? It's getting late," Lightbulb had to raise her voice to hear herself. Test Tube nodded. Lightbulb took her hand and led her over to where Paintbrush and Fan were chatting. They stopped in front of them, Lightbulb didn't let go.

Fan was too excited to notice, and Paintbrush was too tired to ask questions.

Fan bounced on his heels as he spoke, "Test Tube! Look," he held his phone up to her face, "he gave me his number!" Test Tube giggled at Fan, she was happy for him.

"I don't mean to be the fun sponge, but we should probably head back to my place now. Any longer and I might pass out," Paintbrush looked exhausted, their voice was hoarse. The four of them left the building and made their way to the car. Lightbulb still hadn't let go.

A cold breeze and distant noise from the school gym snapped Test Tube out of the trance completely. The car came into view and she began to overthink, what did this mean for the two of them? Lightbulb's hand slipped away, and she climbed into the backseat. Test Tube followed.

The car ride was quiet this time. Not awkward or tense, everyone was too wiped out to make any meaningful conversation. Lightbulb leaned over to rest her head on Test Tube's shoulder. She could have dozed off right there.

The car pulled into Paintbrush's garage, and Test Tube jolted up. So she had fallen asleep. Lightbulb stirred as well, realizing where they were, she stretched and stepped out of the car. The others followed suit.

The moment Lightbulb stepped onto the carpet she flung her heels off. Those things are NOT comfortable. Test Tube caught sight of her standing in the kitchen with a glass of water.

Still in her prom dress, her short golden hair was in disarray and her makeup had become smudged. Even still, Test Tube couldn't look away. Lightbulb noticed and stared right into Test Tube's soul. The taller girl sputtered while the other just laughed.

Paintbrush had abandoned their blazer on a kitchen chair, and Fan was already texting away on the couch.

"Hey, 'Tube," Test Tube flinched, "You wanna go wash our faces off? Not sure how much longer these lashes are gonna last." Lightbulb nodded her head towards the stairs.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Let me get my bag first."

Fan gave his flustered friend a look from the couch. She pretended not to notice as she slung the strap around her shoulder and followed Lightbulb.

Test Tube had to admit, Paintbrush has a nice house. The bathroom was huge, so was the mirror. Lightbulb had already brandished an abundance of wipes and Q-tips onto the counter.

Having changed into more comfortable clothes, the two set to work in silence. They both knew something was on the other's mind. Test Tube scrubbed off the last of her foundation and looked to her friend.

"So..." she trailed off. Why was this so hard to talk about?

Lightbulb looked back at her, now combing the stiffness from her hair.

Test Tube took a deep breath, "Do you want to talk about, y'know," she began plucking the bobby pins from her hair. Lightbulb knew what she meant.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she set her comb down and hops up to sit on the counter. Test Tube removes the last pin from her hair and leans up against the door.

"Is it weird? Did I make you uncomfortable or anything?" Lightbulb's arms are crossed again. Test Tube immediately responds.

"No! Not at all. I feel the same as you do," she looks at her with sincerity, "Lightbulb, I like you. Kind of a lot. Maybe more than a lot?"

Test Tube takes off her glasses and covers her very red face. Lightbulb stares hard at the floor, she can't stop smiling.

"Are we dating?" she blurts out, "Are we girlfriends?"

Test Tube squeaks from inside her hands, "I'd like that."

The bathroom is still, Test Tube can almost hear her own heartbeat. She peeks through her fingers at first, then lowers her hands from her face.

"I- I still have to," she stutters, "My hair. I haven't combed it yet." Test Tube lets out a breathy laugh.

Lightbulb makes an amused "tchh" sound

and hands her the comb. Test Tube steps closer to the mirror, right next to Lightbulb. Her attempt at bringing back some normalcy worked. Though, she could only brush her hair for so long. She shakily set the comb down.

"What do we do now?" she warily glances over at Lightbulb, who hops off the counter and stands to face her.

She reaches up to cup Test Tube's cheek in her palm, like she had done hours earlier. This time felt more. That's it, just more. Test Tube swallowed hard.

"Only if you want to, I don't want to rush y-"

Test Tube leaned down and kissed her. It was quick, and a little clumsy, but she did it. Lightbulb stared at her, wide eyed and with a confused smile.

"Ooooh my god?" Lightbulb could feel the heat radiating from her face. Test Tube had never seen her at a real loss for words. She felt self conscious.

"Sorry if it was bad, I've never done that before."

"It wasn't," was all the shorter girl could manage to say. Neither moved a muscle.

"Again?" she asked cautiously. Test Tube nodded.

"Yeah."