Double Date

by Melody Carlson

  Bryn had been pretty impressed and amazed at the Santa Sleigh entries. To be perfectly honest, it seemed that many of them outshone her team’s efforts. She could tell that Abby thought so too. Maybe it really was better to be out of the competition. At least she wouldn’t have to admit that they’d lost.

  The sleighs were numbered, and the team of judges was about halfway around the room when they stopped at a sleigh she actually recognized. The one that Emma had made for the assembly. As Bryn studied it, she felt slightly disappointed. Oh, the sleigh itself was still colorful and fun, but the toys and wrapped presents inside of it seemed rather miserly and somewhat anticlimactic. Especially compared with the other entries. Although there was a small flat-screen TV wedged into the back of it. But was that an appropriate gift for young children? “This one seems a bit dull,” she said aloud.

  “Don’t be too quick,” Jack told her. “See this?” He picked up a remote with a note that said “Click me.” He pushed the button, then called the other judges to gather around to see. Together they watched a video where four adorable little kids were doing all sorts of fun things. To start with, the kids were trying on colorful new winter wear, and then they were watching a Christmas parade. Sometimes the teens were in the footage with the kids, but someone had edited to be sure their faces were obscured. Mostly it was just film of the kids. The next scene was the kids wobbling around on the same ice-skating rink where tomorrow’s party would be held. The legs of the teens showed as they helped the kids practicing some skating skills. This was followed by a lunch scene, and after that the kids played miniature golf and even went bowling. There were spots of the kids going shopping for Christmas gifts for their family members and shots of them wrapping the presents afterwards. Next they were filmed at a tree lot, where they picked out Christmas trees and then took them to their houses to decorate. There was footage of the four smiling faces waiting in line for a new Christmas movie and eating pizza afterwards. Finally they saw shots of the kids in their homes, proudly presenting food boxes and gift certificates to the surprised parents.

  “Wow,” Jack said when he finally clicked it off. “Impressive.”

  “Those kids really put a lot of thought and effort into their project,” Mrs. Dorman commented.

  “And they invested a lot of themselves in it too.” Beth bent down to make notes on her list.

  “That took some serious time and energy,” Mr. Worthington added.

  Some of the other judges made similar comments, and eventually the team of judges continued on their way. As Bryn wrote down numbers for the other entries, some that were full of toys and looked flashy and colorful and charming, she couldn’t get that video out of her head. Emma and her team had really done it right.

  It took nearly two hours to judge all the sleighs, but Bryn’s mind was already made up, and as she handed her sheet to Jack, she suspected she wasn’t the only one who’d felt this way. At least she hoped she wasn’t. In her opinion, if anyone truly deserved to win, it was Emma, Felicia, Isaac, and Marcus.

  “Meet you back down here in a few minutes?” Jason asked as she, Abby, and Amanda were exiting the ballroom. Jack and Beth had offered the girls the use of their hotel suite to get ready.

  “A few minutes?” Bryn frowned. “Is that all we have?”

  “It’s almost 7:00,” he pointed out.

  “Well, we might just be elegantly late,” she retorted.

  As she rode the elevator with Abby and Amanda, she asked what they thought about the sleighs. “Did any of them stand out to you?”

  “Sure,” Abby said. “One in particular—and not just because they’re friends either.”

  “Emma and Felicia got my vote,” Bryn confessed.

  “I picked them too,” Amanda admitted.

  “Wouldn’t that be cool if they won,” Abby said as they hurried down the hall to the suite the Hartfords’ had offered to share with them.

  Because they’d already done their hair and makeup, it didn’t take long to dress, but when Bryn stepped out in her long white gown, Abby frowned ever so slightly. “What’s wrong?” Bryn asked her.

  “Nothing,” Abby said quickly.

  Amanda was starting to giggle.

  “What is it?” Bryn looked over her shoulder, trying to see the back of her dress. “Do I have a price tag hanging somewhere?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Abby was giggling now too.

  “What’s going on?” Bryn demanded.

  “Nothing.” Abby tugged on Bryn’s arm. “Let’s go. It’s almost 7:30, and I want to be there when they announce the winner.”

  Yet it was obvious that both Abby and Amanda were amused by something as they rode down the elevator. When it stopped at the lobby, Bryn pushed the Close button on the elevator panel. “I refuse to let you guys out until you tell me what’s so funny,” she told them.

  Abby and Amanda exchanged amused looks, then turned back to Bryn. “It’s just that . . .” Abby laughed nervously. “You sort of look like . . . well, like . . .”

  “Like you’re getting married,” Amanda finished for her.

  “Yeah,” Abby said. “Is that a bridal gown?”

  “What?” Bryn tried to peer at her reflection in the smoky mirrored wall inside the elevator. “A bride? Seriously?”

  “Yeah, but you’re a really pretty one,” Abby said as the door opened.

  “I look like a bride?” Bryn repeated in a horrified voice as they exited the elevator. “Really?”

  As Jason walked up to meet her, she could see that he had a slightly puzzled expression, which he quickly turned into a grin. “Don’t you look pretty!” He handed her a box with a red-and-white wrist corsage.

  “Amanda and Abby think I look like a bride,” she hissed at him.

  He laughed. “Well, I can kinda understand that.”

  “Come on,” Abby called to Bryn. “Kent says they’re about to announce the winners. Don’t you want to hear it?”

  All Bryn could think about was that everyone thought she looked like a bride. She’d wanted to be the belle of the ball—not a bride! As they walked into the ballroom, it all flashed through her mind—all the time and effort she’d put into her appearance, how she’d carefully picked everything out, how she’d spared no expense, how her dad had hit the roof when he’d seen the bill. All for what?

  Emma was so excited that it almost felt like she was floating as she and Isaac and Felicia and Marcus walked into the ballroom. She felt pretty in her rented mint-green dress and thrift store shoes, and Isaac looked and acted like a real gentleman in his rented tux. This was going to be fun!

  “Look at all these sleighs!” she exclaimed as they walked the perimeters of the ballroom. “Do you guys realize how many kids’ lives are going to be touched by this?”

  “I can’t wait to see everyone at the ice-skating rink tomorrow,” Felicia said. “I even have a few more things to add to our sleigh.”

  “Wow, some of these sleighs are really something.” Marcus pointed to one that was heaped high.

  “Ours looks a little empty in comparison,” Emma said as they came to it.

  “But that was the plan,” Isaac quietly reminded her.

  A small crowd of onlookers was watching the video with interest.

  “Looks like it’s doing just what we hoped it would do,” Marcus pointed out.

  “Anyway, the kids sure had fun,” Felicia added. They continued on around the circle, checking out all of the competition.

  “I didn’t know we had so much creativity at our school,” Emma admitted after they made the complete circle. “People really worked hard on this.”

  Mr. Worthington was trying to get everyone’s attention up in front, announcing that they were getting ready to reveal the winners of Project Santa Sleigh. “To do this, I’d like to invite the chairs of the committee up here.” Emma watched as Bryn, escorted by Jason and trailed by Amanda and Abby, got onto the small stage.

  “It looks like a wedding,” Isaac
whispered to her.

  Emma laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  Bryn took the microphone from Mr. Worthington. Emma could tell she wasn’t exactly comfortable in her long white gown, which did seem rather wedding-like. But she graciously thanked everyone for coming, making a sweet little speech about the enthusiastic participation in the contest. Finally she handed the mike to Jason.

  He held up an envelope. “This, my friends, contains the winning entry—the four lucky people who will win the grand prize of Rose Bowl and red carpet tickets.” He waved it in the air. “You guys ready?”

  Everyone cheered and he slowly opened the envelope. “The winning sleigh is number 37, and it was put together by Emma Parks and Isaac—” But that was all that Emma could hear because everyone was clapping and cheering. Isaac swooped her into a lifted hug, and then the four friends did a group hug. Finally they went up to the stage to claim their prize. Emma didn’t think she’d ever had a happier moment.

  The celebration got even better when, later on, she was congratulated by all her friends in the DG. Every single one of them seemed genuinely happy for her and for Felicia too. As they were all gathered around the table, chattering happily together, Emma realized that the DG had grown—not just in numbers but as people too.

  1

  I’m so envious, I could spit,” Bryn declared.

  “Just don’t spit in here, okay?” Emma teased. The six Dating Games friends were seated at a big corner table in the airport restaurant, waiting for their pizza to be served. It was the last Friday in February, and the plan for the afternoon, arranged by Cassidy, was to give Emma and Felicia—the winners of the Project Santa Sleigh competition—a nice little send-off party before they boarded the nonstop jet to Los Angeles. Emma was so excited that she wasn’t even sure she could eat a whole slice of pizza, but she would at least pretend to enjoy it. Mostly she was just happy to be here with her friends. “Honestly,” she told Bryn, “I wish you could go. I wish you all could go.”

  “Well, I’d give anything to be in your shoes,” Bryn confessed.

  “Really?” Felicia’s dark eyes twinkled as she stuck out a foot. “You like these flip-flops, do you? Wanna trade?”

  “Or maybe these?” Emma held up a foot. She knew that Bryn wouldn’t be caught dead in her practical walking sandals.

  Bryn gave them both a tolerant smile. “Well, I didn’t mean literally. But I have been wondering why I didn’t try harder to win the Project Santa Sleigh contest myself.”

  “Like that was going to happen,” Abby taunted. “Get real.”

  “But the red carpet! At only the biggest celebrity event of the year—the Oscars!” Bryn moaned dramatically as she pointed at Emma and Felicia. “And you two aren’t even into fashion.”

  “Thanks a lot.” Emma feigned offense.

  “Sorry.” Bryn looked slightly contrite. “That was my jealousy talking.”

  Emma gave her a sympathetic smile. It was ironic that someone like Bryn could be jealous of Emma and Felicia.

  “It’s okay,” Felicia told Bryn. “Everyone knows that I’m seriously fashion challenged. If you hadn’t helped me pack yesterday, I’d probably look like a total loser down in LA this weekend.”

  “I’m not trying to be mean.” Bryn sounded like she was backpedaling now. “But you guys know me—I’m the one who obsesses over fashion and style and all that ‘shallow’ stuff.” She rolled her big blue eyes.

  Emma chuckled, remembering Bryn’s New Year’s resolution less than two months ago. Bryn had resolved to stop being so superficial, but she obviously still had a long road ahead. Who could blame her for feeling bummed, though? Winning this amazing trip to Hollywood had pretty much blown Emma’s mind. She still could barely believe they were really going.

  “Excuse me, Bryn,” Abby interjected. “I might not be an obsessed fashionista like you, but I happen to care about style, thank you very much. I feel a little bummed about not going too.”

  “What about me when it comes to appearances?” Devon demanded. “I’m not exactly slumming here.” She held her head higher, pausing to pat her auburn curls. “I care about my looks too.”

  “Hey, ladies, we’re not here to argue over fashion.” Cassidy picked up her soda, lifting it high for a toast. “We’re here to celebrate Emma and Felicia. Here’s to them having a great trip to Los Angeles and a fabulous time at the red carpet event.” Everyone lifted their glasses, clinking them together and adding individual toasts, which went from serious to silly, until all six of them were giggling.

  “You guys are so lucky.” Devon playfully punched Emma in the shoulder.

  “Luck had nothing to do with it,” Cassidy defended. “Emma and Felicia worked hard to win the contest—fair and square.”

  “That’s true,” Abby agreed.

  “But the kids we helped were the real winners,” Felicia said humbly. “Rosa and Roberta and Mindy and Jackson—the best part of that whole project was seeing their faces light up every time we did something with them. That in itself would’ve been enough of a reward for me.”

  “Which reminds me, I promised to send the kids photos from the red carpet—just like Isaac and Marcus did from the Rose Bowl.” Emma double-checked to make sure her she’d put the Family Assistance Center’s phone number in the iPhone that Isaac had insisted she borrow. So sweet of him!

  “Don’t forget to send us photos too,” Bryn reminded her.

  “Yeah,” Devon agreed. “I want the whole trip documented, from beginning to end, so it feels like we’re there with you.”

  “We’ve already told you a dozen times that we’ll keep you posted,” Emma reassured her.

  “Emma and I have it all worked out,” Felicia added. “She’ll be the photographer and I’ll be the texter. Between the two of us, you should have pretty good coverage. Anything beyond that, and you better just turn on your televisions or watch a live stream.”

  “Don’t forget to snag some selfies,” Devon insisted. “We want to see you actually rubbing elbows with celebs—you know, to prove you were really there.”

  Bryn set her drink down with a dreamy look in her eyes. “I wonder if you’ll see Taylor Lautner.”

  Emma wrinkled her nose. “Seriously? You’re still into him? I thought he was, like, so last year.”

  Cassidy laughed loudly as she gave Emma a high five. “Good one.”

  “Anyway, we’ll do our best,” Emma reassured Bryn. “And if I happen to see Taylor, I’ll set my personal bias aside and grab a pic. Want me to blow him a kiss from you too?”

  Bryn frowned at Emma. “Funny.”

  They continued to laugh and joke until their pizza arrived, and as Emma looked around the table, she couldn’t help but be thankful for this group of good friends. It seemed slightly ironic that the Dating Games, a club they’d created to improve their dating life, had brought them closer together as friends. During the past six months their friendships had become more important than dating. Not that Emma cared to admit this out loud.

  “I’m so glad you guys came to the airport to see us off,” Emma told them as they were finishing up. “It’s been great.”

  Cassidy held up her arm, pointing to her watch. “Speaking of seeing you off, you promised your mom you’d meet her at security by 5:45. That’s like right now.”

  Emma nodded. “Yeah, but our flight’s not until—”

  “Boarding time is 6:10.” Felicia reached for her bag. “And our gate’s in another terminal. Plus security might be busy since it’s a Friday. We better go.”

  Devon blinked. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

  “Lots of times,” Felicia told her. “We visit relatives in California about once a year.”

  “Well, you guys better get moving,” Bryn said.

  Emma opened her purse, reaching for some money.

  “The pizza is on us,” Cassidy told her. “Save your money for LA.”

  All the girls stood, and everyone took turns huggi
ng Felicia and Emma good-bye—acting as if they were going around the world.

  “How long are your friends going to be gone?” the waitress asked Cassidy with concerned eyes.

  “Just until Monday,” Cassidy said brightly.

  The waitress chuckled and walked away.

  Emma and Felicia waved their last good-byes and hurried on down toward the security lines with their purses and carry-on bags in tow. Emma hadn’t been overly thrilled that her mother was going with them as an escort, but because Felicia’s parents refused to let their daughter take this trip without an adult along, Emma had agreed. Even though it meant she and Felicia had to exchange their first-class tickets for coach to cover Emma’s mom’s airfare, everyone had agreed it was well worth it in the end.

  Really, it was better than having Felicia’s overprotective mom along with them. Fortunately, she had to stay home with her other two children. The upside of this arrangement was that Emma’s mom was a lot more laid-back than Felicia’s parents.

  “There’s my mom up there.” Emma pointed to where her mom was standing near the end of the security line—a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other.

  “I was just about to call you,” Mom told Emma as they all got into line together.

  “Sorry, we lost track of the time,” Emma told her.

  “Luckily the line hasn’t been very long.” Mom tossed the remains of her coffee in the trash container and sighed. “So, girls, are we having fun yet?”

  Emma made a face, and Felicia just laughed.

  “I feel a tiny bit bad that my ticket ousted you two from your first-class seats.” Emma’s mom made a slight smirk. “Or not.”

  “You’re so funny,” Felicia told her. “I’m glad you’re going with us, Mrs. Parks.”

  “I’m glad too.” Emma’s mom nodded eagerly. “I’d be even more glad if I got to go to the red carpet event with you as well. But I guess you can’t have everything.” She patted Felicia on the back. “Just to make this trip more fun for all of us, you can’t keep calling me Mrs. Parks. Okay?”