It was late in the afternoon, a warm February day. I had just come home from a long walk. I came into my room, kicked of my shoes, and stretched out comfortably on my bed. It felt so good to just lay there, sunken into the soft plush blankets. I rolled my eyes across to my beaten desk. Under the lamp was a leopard print photo album. I smiled, "let's take a walk down memory lane." I said to myself. I grabbed it and began flipping through the photos. Junior Prom. My girls and I went stag that night; but we were looking devilishly beautiful.

There was Shayla. Her creamy colored skin matched well with the stunning red strapless dress she wore. Her hair was pulled back in tight, golden curls. Bertha was in a simple, yet classy strapless black gown with a white stripe at the top. Her long black hair was half pulled and curled at the top, while she let the rest flow down her back. Then there was me, dressed out-side the box, as was always my style. Hair brushed strait with a few sections crimped. A black Gothic style dress with purple buckle straps, and black and purple mesh on the bottom. The hems could easily be held up with metal clips sewn in at the middle. On my feet, simple, but shiny new converse sneakers and nails painted black.

The pictures played vivid videos in my mind. I remember our good friend Chris coming to the table. He looked so handsome in his gray suit and multi-colored tie. He gave us a shy smile and sat down. The pictures show us play fighting with him. I have him in a headlock. He was my last dance of the evening.

At the moment my eyes fell on that picture, a cold chill crept up my spine. My cell phone rang; I jumped! "Valerie!" it was Shayla. How strange, I thought, that she would be calling out of the blue after months of not talking; and as I was looking at our prom pictures. "Did you hear about Chris?" The news hit me like an arctic wind. I could not breathe, I could not cry, I could not feel, I could not believe.

A few days later, I went to the church to tell Christopher Lee good-bye, and Thanks for the last dance.

Learn more about this author, Gabriel Fin.
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