21 Proms

Sometimes the night of your dreams can be a total nightmare.

The prom. It’s supposed to be one of the best nights of your life. Or, at least, you’re supposed to have a good time. But what if you’d rather be going with your best friend’s date than your own? What if a sinister underground society of students has spiked the punch? What if your date turns out to be more of a frog than a prince? Or what if he’s (literally) an ape?

There are ways you can fight it. You can protest the silliness of the regular prom by hosting a backwards prom — also known as a morp. You can throw a prom for fat girls. You can stay at home to watch old teen movies and get your cute neighbour and his cuter brother to join you. You can dance to your own music.

Here, 21 of the funniest, most imaginative writers today — including John Green, Libba Bray, E. Lockhart, David Levithan, and Holly Black — create their own kind of prom stories. Some are triumphs. Some are disasters. But each one is a night you’ll never forget.