The dimly lit space was adorned with colorful flashing lights as people energetically bumped and jostled against each other, moving in sync with the clamouring music playing in the background.

Benji's eyes scanned the crowd of sweaty teenagers, his vision partially obscured by the darkness of the room. Midway through prom, his date—whom he strongly suspected harboured no affection for him—had vanished. Perhaps she was dancing with her group of obnoxious girlfriends, or hiding in the ladies bathroom, grumbling and whining about how awkward and boring her date was.

A soft sigh parted his lips as he quickly pushed through the horde of people, his mood ruined on prom night. He would have preferred feeling upset over being turned down for a date rather than experiencing the pain of being dumped after she had agreed to go out with him.

God, what a waste of money.

As the cool breeze of dusk gently swept through the air, it urged Benji to step out of the doorway, inviting him out of his misery. His mind was consumed by pure frustration, intensifying his agitation.

The atmosphere was shrouded in near darkness, the only source of light being the street lamps in the distance. With his hands in his pockets, he moved to sit on the top step of the entryway stairs, bored out of his mind yet somehow unwilling to just go. He didn't have anything better to do anyway.

Suddenly, he heard a soft sniffle coming from his left. His curiosity piqued, Benji's eyebrows shot up as he turned towards the source of the sound. To his surprise, he saw a person sitting not too far from his spot, their face buried in their hands, clearly distressed.

His momentary anger was replaced by slight concern as he watched in silence, contemplating whether he should walk away and give them space or initiate a conversation.

Finally, Benji inched closer, clearing his throat with a fist in front of his lips.

"Good thing there's no next year, huh?"

Fun fact. He isn't great at conversation starters.