The party kept rolling like a dryer on high heat. People danced, devoured cake, snapped selfies, and made ridiculous slow-motion videos of the exploding butt piñata. Max was in the thick of it, bouncing between groups, mock-yelling at Sophie for attempting to spike the mocktails, and challenging Earl to a bass-off with a ukulele someone found under a table. The sugar high had fully taken hold.
Just as she was debating whether she could take another bite of cake without going into frosting overload, Alex grabbed a mic and tapped it.
"Alright, alright, listen up!" His voice echoed off the tiled walls. The music dropped to a murmur, and people turned.
Max looked over, squinting. "What now, magician?"
Alex smiled widely, the kind that meant trouble and fun in equal measure. "We're not done yet. Time for the final spin of the night."
People cheered automatically, though a few looked confused.
Alex pointed to the door at the back of the laundromat. It had been locked all night. "Through those doors is part two of the party. A little something I like to call... Prom Night: The Afterload."
There was a pause. Then a wave of laughter.
Caroline nearly choked on her drink. "You did not name it that."
Alex nodded. "I absolutely did. Now, grab your dates or don't. But get ready, because the prom's starting, and yes, finally, there's real booze."
A loud cheer went up. Oleg screamed something unintelligible and lifted Sophie like a prize. Couples grabbed hands. Singles perked up.
Han, clutching a spring roll in each hand, spun in a circle like a dog in a field. "Is it open bar? I must flirt faster!"
He darted into the crowd like a caffeinated Cupid on a mission.
Earl swung the back door open with a dramatic flair like he was revealing Narnia. A wave of bass-heavy music spilled out, followed by a burst of colored light. Everyone surged forward to see.
The next building had been transformed into a full-blown 90s-themed prom hall. Think glitter curtains, inflatable furniture, lava lamps, and a handmade photo booth with a backdrop of a pixelated galaxy and cardboard cutouts of the Spice Girls and a T-Rex wearing a crown. A disco ball spun overhead, casting shifting light across a checkerboard dance floor. Posters from Clueless, The Fresh Prince, and Titanic covered the walls. At the center stood a punch fountain glowing pink under a blacklight, and next to it, a table stacked with corsages, glow sticks, and disposable cameras.
The crowd erupted into cheers. Oleg yelled, "THIS IS MY DESTINY!" before running to the punch fountain and sticking his whole face under it. Sophie handed someone her phone and posed like she was in Beverly Hills, 90210.
Alex leaned toward Max. "One last thing before we dance our faces off."
He guided her past the dance floor to a smaller side room with a few string lights looped lazily across the ceiling. In the center was a clothing rack packed with dresses of every kind, tulle, velvet, satin, sequins, and every color from tragic teal to radioactive pink. On the corner sat a shoebox full of tiaras and a mirror surrounded by old vanity lights.
Max blinked. "You set up a whole damn prom closet?"
Alex shrugged. "I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I got options. Vintage, weird, glam, goth-lite..."
She stepped closer to the rack, brushing her fingers over the fabric. Then she spotted it. A dress unlike the others... simple, clean, classic. Pure white with a fitted bodice, sweetheart neckline, and a flared skirt that hit just above the knee. Elegant without trying too hard.
She held it up, raising an eyebrow.
Alex smiled. "Knew you'd pick that one."
He turned to leave, giving her space.
But Max clicked the lock behind him.
He paused, looking over his shoulder. "You locking me in?"
Max leaned against the door with a smirk that was pure trouble. "You made this all romantic. Would be rude not to let you help, right?"
Alex raised both eyebrows. "Help... you get dressed?"
She gave a mock-innocent shrug. "What? Buttons are hard. Zippers are emotional. I'm just a girl in need of gentle, supportive hands."
He laughed, stepping back toward her. "Oh, I can be very supportive and as you already experienced..." He wriggled his fingers. "Magic fingers."
They stood close now, the dress still hanging between them like a barrier neither cared about. Max held it up. "So, you gonna unzip me, or do I have to wrestle this thing solo?"
Alex's eyes flicked down her frame and back up. "You sure? Prom's waiting."
Max took a step closer, voice low and playful. "Prom can wait five minutes. Maybe ten."
Alex grinned. "Well. In that case..."
He took the dress from her hands and leaned in, brushing a kiss across her cheek before whispering in her ear.
"Let's see what kind of chaos prom queen's really made of."
Max laughed, tossing her head back.
"Oh, honey. You have no idea."
From the dance floor, Earl's voice boomed: "Where's the birthday girl? We need her to judge the worst-dressed!"
Max called through the door, not missing a beat. "Give me ten! I'm making memories!"
[Outside]
Oleg shouted, "SHE'S PROBABLY NAKED!"
Caroline yelled back, "GOOD FOR HER!"
Scarlett mumbled to herself while sipping on her mocktail, "That lucky big-boob girl. Argg!"
"You sound jealous," Lilly chimed in with a smile. "And I won't argue about that big boob part. I mean, how? Why?"
"I think we should corner her sometime when she's alone and get all the details out of her. She must have a secret," Scarlett whispered.
Lilly's eyes went toward Scarlett's chest. "Tsk." She clicked her tongue.
"What?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
"You already have big assets. God knows how big those two melons of yours will grow in a few years. And you still want big boobs? Look at me," Lilly said as her eyes went toward her chest. "I got nothing. It's like a freaking flat board with little mounds... Like little tea cups. I need that secret, not you."
"That was my idea," Scarlett replied with a sly smirk.
"Tsk. Fine. By the way, I think I should tell you. My birthday is in two months. So, I wonder what kind of surprise Alex will give me," Lilly said with a warm smile and a little blush.
"Don't dream too much. Focus on how to get Max alone," Scarlett said as she placed the empty glass on the side table.
"Maybe we should invite her and Caroline on a girls' night out," Lilly said after thinking for a bit.
"Nice idea," Scarlett gave her a thumbs up.
[Meanwhile... Inside the little dresser]
Max turned to Alex with a wild grin.
"Now help me into this dress, and don't you dare make me horny."
Alex raised his hands. "Scout's honor."
Max narrowed her eyes. "You were never a Scout."
He smirked. "Exactly."
He reached for the hem of her T-shirt, knuckles grazing her ribs as he pulled it up and over her head. His fingers lingered just a little too long as they brushed her back. Max raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop him. He took off her bra and as usual, her boobs needed immediate attention.
Alex cupped her boobs and rubbed her nipples with his thumb before kissing them gently. Max closed her eyes for a moment and let out a soft moan as her nipples hardened. Alex pulled away after that tease.
"Accidental contact," he said, completely unconvincing.
"Sure," she muttered, but her smirk gave her away.
He helped her out of her jeans next, fingers curling around her waist with just enough pressure to make her shiver. She wasn't used to people handling her like something worth being careful with. It messed with her in the best way.
"You're stalling," she said, arms crossed now in just her underwear.
"Am I?" he asked, gaze flicking over her, not quite lingering, not quite innocent either.
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then her collarbone. Then between her boobs, slowly trailing his tongue down to her belly button and then he pulled down her panty, revealing her clean pussy. No pubes.
Alex leaned in, kissing the top of her clit and then flicked the tip of his tongue on her clit.
'Shit! If this goes on...' Max closed her eyes briefly, letting herself feel it, then gave him a gentle nudge.
"Prom, remember?"
Alex laughed softly, stepping back. "Right. Focus."
He picked up the new bra and panties and put them on her. Then he picked the dress carefully, like it was more fragile than Max ever claimed to be, and unzipped the back. She stepped into it, and he guided it up over her hips and shoulders, his fingers brushing against her sides like a secret.
After a bit of adjustment.
Once it was zipped, he looked at her, taking her in.
For a moment, Alex was mesmerized.
Max stood in front of him in that white dress, red lips curled into a knowing smile, black eyeliner like war paint for the dangerously charming. The string lights behind her caught in the gloss of her hair, and for a beat too long, he didn't breathe.
"Wow," he said quietly. "You're gonna ruin lives tonight."
Max snorted and gave him a light punch to the chest. "Focus, loverboy. We've got a prom to crash."
But Alex was already pulling out his phone, angling it just right to catch her in the mirror's glow. "Wait! Hold it." Click. One more. "Okay, now smirk like you're about to commit theft."
She struck a look straight out of a '90s teen movie villain reel. He took the photo, grinned like a fool, then leaned in and kissed her temple.
"Let's go make this night ridiculous."
Back through the side door, the beat hit them like a wave. The prom floor was already in chaos... people dancing with reckless abandon, fake tiaras skewed, someone slow-dancing dramatically with a mop. Oleg was wearing two corsages and doing the worm. Sophie had commandeered the mic and was singing a Britney Spears ballad like it was a power anthem.
Caroline spotted them and screamed, "SHE'S ALIVE! AND DRESSED! And yes, Max, you look like a whole fantasy."
Max curtsied dramatically. "Thank you, commoner."
Alex extended a hand with mock formality. "May I have this dance, Your Majesty?"
Max took it. "Only if you can keep up."
They spun into the crowd, disappearing into the colored light and bass like they'd never needed anything else but the music, each other, and a party that refused to quit.
[Dance floor]
Scarlett and Lilly were twirling lazily near the edge of the dance floor, just enough sway to count as dancing, not enough to attract too much attention. A few guests had stopped and squinted, doing double-takes.
"You know," a tipsy girl in a feather boa said as she passed, "you look exactly like Scarlett Johansson."
Scarlett flashed a perfect smile. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Then another voice from the crowd: "And her... Evangeline Lilly, right?"
Lilly gave an exaggerated gasp. "Are you suggesting I'm a famous actress crashing a laundromat prom in a dead-end town on a Saturday night?"
The group laughed and moved on, leaving the two of them to keep swaying under the glitter of the disco ball.
"I mean," Lilly said, "they're not wrong. You do look like Scarlett Johansson."
Scarlett smirked, leaning in. "And you do look like Evangeline Lilly."
They both cracked up.
Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Han nervously fidgeting by the punch fountain, clearly unsure what to do with himself. Sophie's friend, a girl in red platform boots and a denim jacket covered in enamel pins, gave him a little nod. Then, with what looked like pity wrapped in amusement, she grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor.
Han's face went through all five stages of surprise before settling on pure delight. He started dancing with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated squirrel. The girl kept up.
Scarlett nudged Lilly. "That girl's a saint."
Lilly chuckled. "Or chaotic neutral. Hard to say."
Then Scarlett's attention drifted. "Look."
At the center of the dance floor, Max and Alex were moving like they didn't care who saw. Close. Intimate. The kind of dancing that wasn't about moves, it was about mood. Max had her arms hooked around Alex's neck, swaying slowly even when the beat got faster. He whispered something in her ear, and she laughed, pressing a quick kiss to his jaw. Then another, slower one to his lips.
"They're so gross," Scarlett muttered, but there was no real venom in it.
"They're also kind of adorable," Lilly admitted. "And you and me... Both are jealous."
Scarlett tilted her head. "I mean… yeah. Slightly jealous, and they look adorable. It's like watching the start of a teen rom-com except with better lighting and slightly more believable chemistry."
Lilly leaned in. "You still want to corner her and get her secrets?"
Scarlett grinned. "Absolutely. But later. Let the girl enjoy her moment."
---
AN: Ok. I wanted to end the party in 1 ch, but it was impossible. 1 more chapter for Max's party.
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[7 advance chs] + [16 chs of Two and a Half Men: Waking up as Charlie Harper] [All chs available for all tiers]