by Judy Corry
“Are you decent?” Ashlyn called from the other side of the door.
“Yeah.”
“Then get your butt out here. I want a full-on fashion show.”
I opened the door, and as I stepped out, Ashlyn's jaw dropped.
“You look stunning! Like, seriously. You should get the dress even if you don’t go to homecoming. It would be a crime to not get a dress that was made for you.”
I shrugged. “It would be dumb to buy a dress I have no reason to wear.”
“You still have a week to get asked. We should at least ask the store to hold it for you, just in case.”
I did have some money saved for college. I could use some of it for this.
I looked longingly at my reflection one more time, trying to imagine what it would be like to wear this dress to a dance. But me getting asked to a dance was such an unbelievable dream that I couldn’t even summon the image of it in my head. I sighed. “It’s okay. If I do get asked, I’ll know where to find it.”
“Let me at least get a picture of you wearing it.” She pulled out her phone. “Smile.”
I did as she said, posing with my hand on my hip.
Ashlyn inspected the photo. “You look hot!” She returned her phone to her pocket. “Are there any other dresses you want to try on before we leave?”
“No.” I didn’t think there could ever be a dress more amazing than this. “I’ll just change and I’ll be ready to go in a minute.”
Ashlyn had me hand her the dress over the door so she could put it away while I finished putting on my normal clothes. It was probably a good thing she did, or I may have been tempted to hang on to it forever.
After Ashlyn dropped me off at the library, also known as my new hang-out spot that kept me away from “home,” I got a text from Jess.
Jess: How was shopping with Ashlyn? Did she try on a billion dresses?
Me: Just about.
Jess: Exciting. *rolls eyes* Did you try any on just in case?
Me: One, but it was probably pointless. At least I’ll get to hang out with you even more while you’re here for the weekend.
Jess: All those guys at school must be blind, or stupid. But their loss is my gain.
Me: Yeah, right. Thanks for trying to make me feel butter.
Me: *better. Not butter. Stupid autocorrect.
Jess: Any guy would be lucky to take you to Homecoming.
Me: Apparently no one got that memo.
Jess: *Checks sent mail folder* Dang it! My secretary forgot to send the memo out two weeks ago. I can have her resend it if you want.
Me: Meh…it’s ok. I won’t mess with fate. Apparently, she thinks it’s better for me to hang out with my best friend when he’s home for fall break instead of dancing with some guy I’ve never talked to anyway.
Chapter Eleven
Finally, it was October twelfth. Homecoming had come, but an invitation had not. So while all my classmates would be enjoying a magical night, I decided to throw a party of my own and definitely not think about how much fun everyone else was having. I wouldn’t even think about the fact that Jess had cancelled his plans to come home for fall break, saying he had a study group he couldn’t miss. Nope, I definitely wouldn’t think about that.
I holed myself up in my room with my laptop and all sorts of goodies tossed on my unmade bed. After taking a bunch of online quizzes to pass some time, I discovered that my real age should be twenty-three, Belle was the princess I most resembled, and I was destined to marry a Mr. Darcy-type guy and have four kids. My fake life sounded way better than reality was turning out to be.
Deciding I’d spent enough time “learning” new things about myself, I moved on to the next activity of the night. I was turning on my favorite K-Drama when I heard a knock at the back door.
It was probably Davey trying to hide from his wife again, so I didn’t bother getting up.
A minute later there was another knock. Why isn’t Uncle Peter getting that?
Then I remembered Uncle Peter had actually trimmed his beard this week and was in NYC showing a new app idea to a couple of guys. I paused my movie and slid out of bed and down the stairs.
The knock sounded again. “Coming!” I called out as I fiddled with the lock. “Sorry, my uncle must be…”
I opened the door and my jaw dropped to the floor. Standing there, on my back porch, was Jess. He wore a black tuxedo, his hair styled to perfection, and he looked good—like take-my-breath-away good.
He held out a bouquet of peonies.
I put a hand to my chest, trying to catch my breath. “What are you doing here?” I managed to ask, though it came out more like a sigh.
A huge grin stretched across his face. “I came to see if you wanted to go to homecoming with me.”
“You… But… What?” My brain stopped working. I couldn’t manage to form a simple response. “I thought you said you had a study group this weekend.”
He shook his head. “I made that up. I had to surprise you somehow.”
“But you’re a cool college guy now, why would you want to go to a dumb high school dance?”
Jess smiled. “Because you deserve to go to a high school dance, Eliana.”
“What about Kelsie?” There was no way she knew about this.
“She’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want this to cause a fight,” I hedged. “I really am fine with my movie and junk food.”
“You might be. But I’m not.” He took a step closer and held the flowers out. “I have to make up for not taking you to prom last year. So, Eliana, will you go to homecoming with me?”
I almost melted.
Then I remembered something.
“But I don’t have a dress.” I looked down at my ratty gray sweats.
“Don’t worry, Cinderella, your fairy godmother took care of everything.” Jess jumped off the porch and pulled a teal blue formal dress out from behind the bush by the door.
I covered my mouth with my hand. He was holding the exact dress I’d been coveting at the mall a week ago.
“You didn’t,” I whispered.
“I did.” He held it out for me. “And it would be a crime for this dress to go unworn. So Eliana, will you please go to the dance with me?”
“Yes!” I leaped onto the porch and threw my arms around him. “Of course I’ll go with you.”
He laughed and hugged me back. “Good.” His voice was muffled against my shoulder, and I got a whiff of his cologne. I stepped back before any old feelings could bubble up.
He called behind him, “She said yes, Ashlyn. You can come out now.”
“What? Ashlyn?”
A giggling sound came from behind the bushes. A second later, Ashlyn sauntered into the house, already wearing her pink dress with her hair in an elegant up-do.
She hugged me. “I told you to get the dress.”
My eyebrows knit together. “Did you know about this all along?”
I inspected their faces, and they both looked guilty of conspiring together.
“Of course she knew,” Jess answered for Ashlyn. “You don’t think I’d be able to pick out a dress like that all on my own, did you?”
I shook my head, resisting the urge to cry. “I can’t believe you guys did this for me.”
“Well, that’s what friends do.” Ashlyn smiled and tugged on my arm. “Now let’s fix that hair.”
After eating the most delicious dinner I’d had in a long time, we drove to the school. Jess and me in his Camaro, Ashlyn and Luke in Luke’s Jeep. On our way to the dance I decided to come up with a game plan for the night. Step one: Don’t trip on my dress. Step two: Have fun at the dance. It had been all I’d thought about for weeks, I needed to make sure to enjoy the moment to the fullest. And step three, which was the most important step of all: Don’t let my mind run off with any romantic notions of Jess and me being more than friends. Taking me to the dance was just something nice he was doing, and I needed to try not to make things awkward between
us by letting it slip that I had feelings for him.
Jess gave me his arm as we walked into the school. The usually drab gym had transformed into a magical wonderland fitting the dance’s theme, “Midnight Fairytale.” Fake trees wrapped with twinkling lights marked the rope-lit path to the dance floor. Quite a few students from the drama department had taken the theme to heart, dressed in full-on fairytale costumes. I almost didn’t recognize some of them at first glance. Nena from AP English had forgone her typical goth makeup and black clothes, and instead looked brilliant in a blue knee-length Cinderella dress and light makeup. I hoped this wasn’t a one-night look for her. She looked so much better when we could actually see her face. Madison, the girl who’d taunted me last year for having never kissed a boy, was standing in the corner with her minions Natalie and Hannah. Was it be possible that nobody had asked them either? I tried to keep a smug look from my face at the thought that karma had finally kicked in. My eyes next spotted Ryan and Bridgett, dancing near the refreshments table, holding each other close.
Jess led me further onto the dance floor. My stomach tightened when he rested his hands on my waist, pulling me into his arms for the slow dance. I couldn’t help but remember the last two times we were this close, when we said goodbye and that practice kiss that seemed so long ago.
I shook my head; I shouldn’t be thinking about those things right now. I scrambled for something to say before he could read my thoughts.
“Are you sure Kelsie won’t be mad about this?” I blurted out before realizing how stupid it was to bring up his girlfriend at that moment.
“No, she’s the one who had the study group this weekend. She won’t miss me.”
“Well, that’s good.” I’d hate to be moved up even higher on her enemy list. “Thanks again for bringing me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, meeting my gaze. His eyes looked more blueish green than usual, probably matching the teal-blue of his vest. He leaned closer, whispering into my ear, “You look stunning in that dress, by the way.”
Heat rose up my neck at his compliment. Stunning? Jess thought I looked stunning? I swallowed, hoping he hadn’t notice my blush. “Y-you look good too.” Jess in a tux…sigh.
I tried to push the nervous jitters from my stomach as we swayed to the music, but they would not go away. All my mind could think about was how nice it felt to be in Jess's arms, how they were the perfect fit for me. And how in the world could someone smell so good? His clean masculine scent was so addicting I might hyperventilate if I didn’t watch myself.
I needed to stop noticing so many things about him. That would definitely not help me accomplish goal number three.
“How have you liked college so far? Is it like you thought it would be, or a lot different?” I asked.
“It’s good.” He shrugged. “The first week was super stressful and tiring, but I’ve got the hang of things since then.”
“That’s good.”
“Any news about your dad?”
My chest deflated. “Nope. Still nothing. We have FBI agents contact us every once in a while, but they haven’t found anything either.”
“Does that mean the search for your dad is dead?”
“I guess. It’s been eight months with no trace.”
“Are they going to at least unfreeze your accounts so you can get back in your home?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
Jess let out a frustrated sigh. “That isn’t fair. You guys are innocent.”
“Yeah, but who knows if any of that money is even ours. It’s probably all stolen anyway.”
Jess frowned but looked like he was going to drop the subject.
“Is your mom still dating that guy? Brandt?”
“He practically lives with us now.”
Jess scrunched up his nose. “That guy is huge. Is he nicer than he looks?”
I bit my lip. “He’s okay.”
“You need to get out of that place. I hate that you’re living there.”
And you don’t even know what my mom is like now.
I forced a smile. “At least I’ll be off to college in less than eleven months.”
Jess looked like he was about to ask me something, but didn’t; instead, he continued to lead me in the dance.
Ryan found us as soon as the song ended.
“How have you been, buddy?” He slapped Jess on the back and gave him a hug in a way that only guys can do. “I hear you’re off to some fancy-pants university.”
Jess smiled hugely. “I don’t know about the fancy pants part, but things are great. College life is awesome.”
“Good to hear.”
I excused myself to go to the bathroom so they could catch up without me.
Madison, Hannah, and Natalie were primping in the mirror when I walked in the bathroom.
“So are you and Jess an official thing now?” Madison asked when I went to wash my hands at the sink next to her.
“No. Of course not,” I said.
Madison glanced at her friends through the mirror. The way they looked at each other told me they didn’t believe me.
“We’re just really good friends.” I shrugged before grabbing a paper towel.
“Sure.” Madison nodded slowly. “Since it’s completely normal for best friends to check each other out.”
I crumpled the paper towel. “I wasn’t checking Jess out.”
Madison raised her eyebrow. “I never said it was you.”
Was she saying that Jess had been checking me out? Had I been so focused on making sure he didn’t notice my feelings for him that I’d been blind to any signals he’d been putting out? My fingers went all tingly at the thought. Could Jess actually want to be here with me?
I worked hard to keep from running back into the gym to find out. Jess and Ryan were finishing up their conversation when I got to them.
“So how’s it been having Ryan back at school?” Jess asked with a teasing glint in his eye. A slow song started in the background.
Ok…he was teasing me. Definitely not checking me out. Why did I believe Madison?
“Pretty much the same as when he was gone,” I said.
He pulled me into his arms for another slow dance. “Really?
“Believe it or not, I’m no longer crushing on our old neighbor.” I found a new, old neighbor to crush on.
He pursed his lips and studied my face as if deciding whether I was telling the truth. Seeming satisfied with whatever he saw, he asked, “So what are the qualifications a guy needs to get you to go out with him?”
My cheeks flushed, my mind scrambling for something to say. I tried shrugging nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Breathe. Have a heartbeat.” I tried to keep my tone light. “Why are you asking me this? It’s not like I’ve been turning down guys left and right.”
Jess tilted his head to the side in contemplation. “I think you make guys nervous and they don’t want to risk being shot down because they aren’t good enough for you.”
I pulled my head back, completely confused. “Why would anyone be nervous around me? It’s not like I’m this mean girl, am I?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not that at all. You’re so beautiful, and smart—it’s kind of intimidating.”
“You’re talking to the girl no one’s ever looked at twice, except for when I had rumors swirling around me and my family. I doubt I intimidate anyone.”
He moved his cheek next to mine, the warmth of his breath on my ear. “You intimidate me.”
My face grew hot. Intimidate Jess? How could that even be possible? He knew me better than anyone. He’d seen me at my worst, when my eyes were so red and swollen because I couldn’t keep from crying after my dad left and my world was falling apart.
He’d seen the desperation in my eyes every night last year when he dropped me off and I kept talking to him about random things because I didn’t want to go inside.
“I wish you could see yourself the way I do,” he said af
ter I’d been quiet for too long.
I nodded, feeling way too awkward. What was I supposed to say anyway? Did I intimidate Jess? What did that even mean?
Ashlyn and Luke bumped into us. “So, did you notice Shao and Rackelle came to the dance together?” Ashlyn asked, her lips red with the juicy gossip.
Jess's face fell slightly with the interruption, but he responded with, “I wonder how long they’ll last this time around,” while my mind still reeled and tried to catch up.
But as Ashlyn kept talking, I knew the moment was lost. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get that moment back.
“I had a great time tonight,” I said to Jess as we stood on my back porch after the dance. The moon was full and high in the sky, backlighting the soft clouds in a way that made me feel as if it was just Jess, me, and the moon still awake.
“Me too,” Jess said, looking like he had something on his mind. “It was fun hanging out again.”
“Yeah.” I fiddled with my bracelet.
“I guess I better let you go.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve kept you from your chick-flick long enough.”
“I don’t think I’ll be getting to that tonight after all.” I looked down at my hands, unable to ignore the nervous feeling growing in my stomach.
Jess chuckled awkwardly. “That’s probably wise, I guess. I forget how much you enjoy sleeping.” Was he stalling?
“Well, I’ll let you go.” I stepped toward him and gave him a hug. “Thanks again,” I whispered, backing up.
“Anytime,” he said. A hesitant look flashed across his face. Before I knew it, he leaned close, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. and spoke next to my ear, “It’s nights like tonight that make me wish we could go back to last April.”
He pulled back. His eyes were haunted.
I had a thousand things to say, but they all stuck in my throat. And before I could respond, he disappeared down the sidewalk and into the dark night.