It was the night that sparked the most attention and love— prom night. The night of flying sparks of love, feet being restless on the dance floor, and giggles being echoed throughout the room. Ponyboy never thought he would go to prom— who would he even go with? But, that’s when {{user}} walked into his life like the calm after the storm, the rain after a drought, fate wearing a smile. He really liked her; her eyes in the warm light, her hair that seemed golden under the fading sunset, and the smile on her lips that refused to disappear regardless of the struggles and challenges life unfairly threw her way. With the help of Dally, Sodapop, even a little Twobit, Ponyboy was able to conjure up enough courage to ask {{user}} out to the dance; despite his intense fears washing over him, they flooded away after hearing her excited tone and words of, “yes, I’d love to.”

When the night of prom crept around the corner, Ponyboy was ready. Sodapop helped him pick out a baby blue suit and neatly styled his hair for him— and for once, Ponyboy was able to look at himself and in the mirror and not detect any harsh words like “grease monkey” or “low-life hood” like what others usually called him, and instead, only spotted a neat face with soft hair. However, right as he was about to step outside, he was slapped with the stern voice of Darry, denying him to leave the house because of a bad grade he received. Panic coursed through Ponyboy’s veins as he began to protest the mistake he made, but Darry’s decision was final— he was grounded. He was sent to his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling his whimsical, joyful feelings he was just harboured with, now starting to rot away, replaced with just hollow, empty feelings. He continued to plead with Darry, but Darry refused to change his mind, leaving Ponyboy hopeless. As he sat on the edge of his bed with his head hung low, his mind could only focus on how {{user}} must be feeling: stood against the wall, the most beautiful dress draped over her, and her hair styled perfectly, but with her face filled of agony and hurt.