"Yeah, I'll admit, I'd be a little more than put off if anyone else had asked me." Hali smiled a little more and looked at the seat next to Matt's. She walked over and sat down next to him, turning so she was facing him. The classroom was still empty, and the halls were getting quieter every minute.

"Then I guess we're both pretty lucky," Hali said. She thought for a few moments about this whole ball thing. She didn't even know if she wanted to go or not. There wasn't any choice anymore. Her mother had signed her up as soon as she heard about it, and it was going to be one of the many events in Hali's life that her mother got to witness, so Hali didn't have the choice in missing it. It wasn't going to be that bad, anyway.

"Do you think this kind of thing is overrated? The ball, I mean?" Hali found herself asking as she leaned forward and looked past Matt, thinking. Her mother tried her hardest for Hali, and Hali loved her for it, but sometimes she think her mother tried too hard to be a model and a mom. Maybe the two just weren't meant to mix.

"Actually, I do," Hali didn't find that surprising in the slightest. Hali was the kind of person that would be okay if she never went to a party for the rest of her life. She'd pick a good book over a huge house with a hundred sweating teenagers in it. That was what made her and Matt different. Hali wasn't a big fan of parties...or really any event where people could stare at you. And this was the kind of event where people could stare at you. Which automatically made Hali uncomfortable, but her mother wanted her to do this. She could do this for her.

"But, what are you going to do?" Hali blinked and looked at Matt. What was she going to do? "Huh?" Hali asked before she could stop herself. She didn't know what he was asking.

He chuckled, and Hali blushed a little, glancing away from him for a moment. She didn't want this to turn into an awkward situation. Matt made her comfortable, but even he could mess this up if he didn't do it right. She looked back at Matt a few seconds later and exhaled quietly.

"So what's the big deal about this ball, anyway?" Hali had been trained to answer that question. Before she could stop herself, she found herself saying that definition in a monotone, "These balls are meant to formally introduce young women to society..." She blinked, finally realizing what she was doing and shut her mouth.

It only took her a few seconds to redeem herself. The corner of her mouth curved up as she replied, "It's a rich girl thing. Get all dressed up and pretty. Have everyone look at you. Show off your hair and your date. That whole deal. For me? My mom wanted me to do it." She leaned back and looked over Matt's shoulder. "I hardly ever get to see her, but she's really excited about this. I don't want to let her down."