I Took My Boyfriend’s Best Friend to Prom
The title of this post sounds like the plot of a cliché teen movie buried deep in Netflix’s oversaturated romance section. But in real life, there was no scandal, no betrayal, no drama deserving a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes—just a high school boyfriend who couldn’t go… and his best friend who could.
For anonymity’s sake, let’s call Boyfriend’s Best Friend “Ben.” He didn’t go to our school, and we’d only ever crossed paths during one of those chaotic teenage FaceTime calls—where friends add more friends just for the thrill of it, like social roulette.
At the time, my boyfriend’s inability to take me to prom felt like a personal tragedy. The kind that sends a sixteen-year-old girl spiraling. I was the type who had been dreaming about prom since middle school, searching for the perfect dress since fall, with hair and nail appointments booked weeks in advance. Looking back, I want to shake that version of me by the shoulders and tell her, “It was never that serious.”
But some lessons have to be lived to be learned.
The night went off without a hitch—corsages pinned, bowties straightened, photos snapped in a rainbow lineup of floor-length dresses. We danced poorly under strobe lights to "Dancing Queen," fully aware that, yes, we were young, sweet, and (some of us) only seventeen. And honestly? It didn’t matter that it was Ben by my side instead of my boyfriend. Not even a little.
Ben was perfectly kind—he made conversation with me on the hour-too-long bus ride, danced with me and all my friends, and never once acted like prom was some obligation he had to endure. It wasn’t anything movie-worthy. Actually, if anyone were watching it would probably seem pretty boring. But without the pressure of prom being the grand romantic climax of my teenage years, I think I actually had more fun than I would’ve otherwise.
In the end, it wasn’t about the date at all. It was about the people who really do matter most—my friends. And as the night unfolded, I realized that not every moment needs to be a milestone in some cinematic love story. Sometimes, they’re just meant to be memories filled with a different kind of love.
Prom was never really about the date. In fact, after four more years of school dances and sorority date parties, I can confidently say that most “date” events aren’t. The moments I remember most fondly have nothing to do with boys. It’s the ones where my friends curled my hair for me, where dresses were passed around like we were in a fashion show, and where makeup was done side by side in a bathroom mirror. It’s the dancing that happens when you’re not worried about your date’s opinion and the conversations in the bathroom line that feel like they last a lifetime.
I’ll admit, I still find myself holding onto that faint hope before every “date” event that this will be the night. But here’s the truth: the world won’t stop spinning if the night doesn’t unfold exactly as planned. Maybe it’s time I start shifting my focus to the moments that truly matter—the ones spent prepping with friends, the perfectly imperfect catastrophes, and the conversations that continue in car rides home. After all, when the heels come off, it’s the people who made you feel seen that you’ll remember. And in the end, isn’t that the kind of love we all deserve?
So, thank you, Boyfriend’s Best Friend for showing me that sometimes, it’s not the grand romantic gestures that define a night—it’s the friendship that lingers long after the last song plays.
