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Niles West News

The Student News Site of Niles West High School

Niles West News

The Student News Site of Niles West High School

Niles West News

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The Perils of Prom

Senior Cedes Sifuentes

There’s a buzz and she quickly glances down to the new text message in her lap, thick mascara lashes brush against freckled cheek bones, when she looks back up her brown eyes are wide so I know it’s got to be something good.

“Guess who wants to ask me to prom,” she says.

Cedes Sifuentes, like any other senior girl, has been full of chatter and anticipation of the most memorable night of any high school career. Prom season is here and it’s a busy time for girls full of dress picking, after-party planning, and group making but none of it can start until a boy finally gets the courage to ask her.

“You know that kid in our math class, the one that sits next to us?” I nod.

This boy has been lusting over Cedes all school year, passing her notes, laughing at everything she says, asking what the homework is when it’s evident that it’s just an excuse to talk to her, but she’s simply not impressed, besides, there is someone else keeping her attention.

“I don’t understand,” she says. “I told him I have a boyfriend.”

Cedes has been with her boyfriend for a year and a half and he doesn’t go to Niles West, but they have been talking about going to prom together. I ask her what she’s going to do and she says she doesn’t know. Her and her boyfriend have been fighting recently and she still doesn’t know for sure if they are going together or not.

“I mean I don’t think he [her boyfriend] even wants to go, and he can’t get mad at me for taking someone else,” she says.

This is a problem with most out-of-school relationships. It’s always a question whether or not it’s okay to go with someone else to prom just because they don’t go to your school, same thing if the couple isn’t in the same grade. This really depends on the couple and sometime most people don’t care that much if they take a different date.

“So does this mean you’re going to say yes?” I ask.

She doesn’t respond. We laugh and the conversation immediately turns to prom dresses. We scroll past the dresses posted by other senior girls in the Facebook group which was made to make sure no one ends up with the same dress. We awe at few but mostly harshly critique the others; it’s only girl nature to do so.

“All I know is I want a blue dress,” she says. We make plans to look at dresses together over the weekend and say good bye.

I get a text later on that night that reads, “Effie what do I….his best friend wants to ask me to prom too.”

I respond asking for more details. The boy in our math class’s best friend has been crushing on Cedes as well and doesn’t seem to care that she has a boyfriend either.

Cedes remains indescisive about who she will say yes to because she doesn’t want any feelings to be hurt. This is really common when a girl doesn’t know or like a guy that asks her to prom, the girl feels inclined to say yes because she doesn’t want to be mean. However, Cedes can’t say yes to all three.

With the date fast approaching and lots of planning to begin the pressure is on to decide who she’s going to take, funny because no one has technically asked her yet.

“I’m just going to say yes to whoever asks me first, this is getting ridiculous no one is just coming out and saying it,” Cedes said.

Asking a girl to prom can be an understandably daunting task.  

Senior Zahid Majeed said, “When you’re going to ask a girl you need to make sure she’s going to be a talkative date, someone that is going to be fun,” he said. “I don’t wanna be on the dance floor and the girls not moving. Then when you decide who you want to take you want to make somewhat sure that she’s going to say yes, planning takes some time and thought and isolation, coming up with a new idea that someone else hasn’t done before can be hard, when you ask her you want it to be unexpected…a surprise. Until she says yes, you’ve got butterflies in your stomach.”

“Telling or hinting to the girl that you’re going to ask her kind of secures the date, because no guy wants to see the girl they want to ask go with another guy,” Majeed says.

Cedes steps one silver stiletto out of the dressing room, just a glimpse blue chiffon fabric makes it out the door as she refuses to come out any further. After some give-and-take pleading she stands in front of the mirror in a floor-length deep sea of rhinestone. She tucks one strand of black hair behind her pierced and studded ear. A smile runs quick across her lips and is gone before you could catch it. I smile back at her with reassurance. She looks spectacular.

With the perfect dress and still no idea who the finishing accessory on her arm that night will be a brow furrows and the frustration takes center stage on her face.

“WHY IS IT SO DAMN HARD FOR ONE OF THEM JUST TO ASK ME ALREADY!” she yells. I feel for her, it must be really aggravating knowing someone is going to ask you and not knowing when.

A week has gone by and neither of the two boys have asked Cedes to prom. Another boy, however, has.

“We were just talking about prom in conversation and he paused and said that he had something to ask me, then he asked me to prom and I said yes!” Cedes says.

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