Growing up in a Christian home, Hadassah was reserved yet virtuous. Her parents brought her up.in the way of the Lord; at five years of age, she could recite 150 different Bible verses and pray in comprehensive words. In school, she was an excellent student, always topping the class, winning awards and bringing honour to God and her parents and this made this really proud of her. She grew up to be a beautiful, well cultured and mannered young girl and her parents were proud of the way they brought her up.
She was in senior year and in her 12th grade grade, ready to graduate from high school and go to college. She had already sent her application to Princeton university which was the university of her dreams and the university her siblings attended so she couldn't wait to leave high school and join them and be free from her parents. She was tired of her parents and their craving for perfection. It was all or nothing for them and they moulded her into their perfect little girl.
She wasn't allowed to go out and play with other kids as a child, visit friends or even attend sleepovers and she dare not mention the word 'party' to her parents or she'd be automatically grounded. This took a toll on her social life but at least, she had two best friends that her parents allowed to visit and this was because they had been friends since childhood. Chloe and Tricia were the best friends a girl could ask for. They knew the parents she had and even though she never came to their houses, they kept visiting and that's one of the reasons she loved them very much. They planned to stay together but their different dreams and university choices couldn't make that possible. Hadassah wanted to be s pharmacist, Chloe a chemical engineer and Tricia, a fashion designer. They were all chasing their dreams and that's all that mattered.
Hadassah's parents kept a close eye on her because they didn't want her to end up like her sister Tabitha whose offence had been told her. They only told her that she became "rebellious" and she shouldn't end up like her. All Tabitha did was to change her denomination from Catholic to Pentecostal and her parents didn't like the Pentecostal church because according to them, they were too "loud". Hady as her friends called her, had a feeling that her parents were being dramatic about everything and she knew deep down that her parents were just exaggerating the whole matter.
Hady never had a boyfriend even though she was very pretty and many boys asked her out and she had her parents to thank for that. She couldn't even consider dating anyone behind their backs because they'd eventually find out and everything will be messed up. So, she was forced to live her high school years without one. On the other hand, Tricia and Chloe her best friends, had boyfriends and that was torture for her. Their boyfriends were possessive and clingy, always wanting to be with them and so most of the time, hady was like a fifth wheel. Her friends noticed the look on her face every time and decided to always make it up to her by visiting her house after school everyday.
So, it was time for their final prom before they graduated from high school and everywhere was already blooming with students so hyped for the prom. Girls went shopping for the beautiful dresses they'd wear and guys were planning the mega and epic ways they'd asked their girls to the prom. Another things the girls looked forward to was having their virginity taken. For some reason, it was a thing that "hot, mature" girls did and no one thought it was really stupid and unnecessary, everyone wanted to get it on that. Boys were watching all sorts of nasty stuff to get ready and girls did same because no one wanted to look like s novice when clearly, they were. Hady heard about this but she didn't care because she felt it was stupid and unnecessary and thought about the disadvantages; sex before marriage, or even worse, pregnancy at 17. She wanted to save herself for marriage and definitely not get pregnant at 17 and get sentenced to an early grave by her parents.
So it was finally Saturday and we best friends came over and did their "spicy girl talk" which was obviously gossip. As they were discussing, Tricia talked about what was going down on the night of the prom which was boys and girls having "fun" before they leave school. Hady said she wasn't cool with it because she could risk many things and she wasn't ready to do that. She thought they were all on the same page until Chloe said she was in because she finally wants to feel like an "Adult". Tricia added that at least they'll be kind of experienced before marriage and of course, they'll use protection and it can't be that bad. While they said this, hady hung her mouth wide open, staring at them in shock and disgust. She warned them about the risks like STDs and other infections but they had already made up their minds. They asked if she was coming but she told them she doesn't know yet because she has to ask her parents.
Later in the evening and when her friends had left, she went downstairs to ask her mom if she could go. She asked her first because she was the hardest to convince and her dad always agreed with what his wife decided. So hady asked her, she said a solid NO but she begged so much until she finally agreed but on a lot of conditions which was to return home by 9:30pm, stay away from boys and to not drink which she already planned to do. So hady went shopping and bought herself a really pretty flared lilac dress and she got ready for the prom. While other students rented limousines and went in groups, Hady was forced to be driven by her mom and she was even lucky her to talk her mom out of following her to the hall. When she entered the hall, all eyes were on her because she looked really stunning, even her best friends were shocked at her glow that evening. They ran to meet her and they both said at the same time, "Hady look so beautiful, I can't believe it" and she said "I know right, thank you and you both look so amazing too". Then they started looking around to see how other girls dressed up and also rate their dresses which was typical of girls.
So it was time for the slow dance and their boyfriends came to take them to the dance floor leaving hady alone in the corner. She took punch so she didn't look sad and lonely but she looked even worse, helpless. The dance was finally over and she tried to look for her friends but all of a sudden, everywhere was hazy and she noticed that she was losing her balance. She looked for something to hold on to so she wouldn't fall and she finally found a chair and sat on it and tried to understand what was happening to her. She thought to herself "why am I tipsy? I didn't take any alcohol so what's happening to me? Even though she wasn't herself, she noticed some guys staring at her and laughing and that's when she figured out the punch was spike by those jerks. She didn't know them but what she knew was that she was in grave danger if she didn't get out of there and find a safe place to stay. Just as she was trying to get herself up, she was a guy coming to help her up and all he said was that he was going to get her a safe place but she could feel the sarcasm in his tone. She said in a really weak voice "where are you taking me to? Let me go!" And tried screaming but he covered her mouth and speedily entered a room and dropped her on the floor.
"Just be calm, we're just gonna have a little fun and that'll be all" he said but all she wanted to do was escape. She tried to scream but she had not even one ounce of energy to do so. She felt so hopeless at that moment but then, she remembered the only Person that was always there to help in all situations-God. She prayed to God with her whole heart, begging Him to save her from this situation as the tears rolled down from her eyes. As he got closer, the prayer got intense, it was a cry to God for help and before she could even say Amen, someone entered the room and screamed "get away from her you jerk!", It was Tricia's voice and she was so happy. Chloe went to get her up and out of that place. They took her to a room and stayed with her. She asked them how they knew she was there and they said that after the dance, they were looking for her and when they couldn't find her, they asked around and someone told them they say a guy taking a girl in a lilac dress to a room in the corner and immediately, they rushed because they knew she doesn't just enter rooms with boys. After hearing that, she thanked God so much and slept because the drug they put in the punch started doing it's job. They felt guilty that they hadn't been there to stop her from being carried into the room but they were thankful that nothing happened to her.
When she woke up, she was shocked to find herself in her room because she remembered being in school. She went downstairs to met her parents and they just looked at her and bursted into laughter at the same time. Her mom said "were you that bored and lonely that you had to sleep all through the dance". She was confused for a bit but then played along because she figured that Chloe must have lied to her, "typical Chloe", she said in her mind. She ate breakfast and went back to her room to call her friends but they already walked into her room. She explained everything that happened to her and they apologized for not being there initially but she said they shouldn't be and thanked them for coming to her rescue. They hugged it out and they told her how they were still virgins because saving her disrupted their plans and they were thankful it did. They all shared a laugh, hugged each other for a long time, and Tricia and Chloe left for their houses.
They were graduating from high school the next week and lucky for them, they had all been offered admission to study their dream courses in the university of their dreams so nit was double celebration for their families. Hady was the valedictorian for their class and her parents were so proud of her. The three made sure they made the most of the time by spending the holiday before college together because they knew they wouldn't get that opportunity again.