by Tara Brown
I was downstairs with my dad getting the speech when Shane arrived, “No drinks you didn’t crack open, don’t even drink from the water fountain. No boys except Shane and he doesn’t touch you except to hold your hand at the most.” He paced the kitchen ranting while my sister and I exchanged looks of bewilderment.
Shane knocked on the door saving me from the insanity and I jumped at the door feeling a slight head rush. I trembled a tiny amount before I got my hand on the door to steady myself.
Blake stood there in a tux beside Shane. Both were in black Tux’s with shiny black shoes and a white rose. I laughed, “The Blues Brothers are here.” I opened the door up wide for them to come in. My dad laughed at the comment but where my sister looked confused both guys looked astonished, as they stood completely still staring at me.
I looked at my sister who raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
Blake finally taking at least one of his eyes off of me turned to my sister, “You look incredible.”
She really did. Her dress was silver like her eyes and cut perfectly. She had her dark thick hair flowing around her shoulders, which were bare. Her skin was tanned and glowing. Her dress was a halter style with the thinnest straps imaginable and cross-stitched pattern in silver beads and gems. It was a corset and skirt. The skirt was pleated and long with a soft flow and a shine to the silk material. She had slightly blue eye makeup with plump pink lips. Her earrings were huge silver dangling ones and a crystal and silver bracelet. She had strappy silver sandals on. She looked like a supermodel. When she turned around to say goodbye to me I noticed her entire back was bare as the halter straps actually crossed thinly in the back and the skirt of the dress hugged the very top of her bum.
My dad gulped looking her sternly, “Same rules apply for you.”
He shook slightly as he looked at the guys, “you boys take good care of my girls, are we clear?”
Blake nodded but Shane had still not come out of his coma.
My dad snapped his fingers in front of Shane’s eyes and smirked as Shane came back blinking. “You look amazing Aimee.”
I smiled at him as I sipped my glass of water and set it down and kissed my dad on the cheek, “Night Dad. Don’t worry we’ll be fine.”
He looked worried regardless of what I said and smiled the most fake smile I had ever seen cross my dads lips.
Alise kissed his cheek and patted his back, “Its okay daddy. I think I saw something about a special on discovery channel tonight about astropsycics. Should be fun.”
He nodded weakly and walked us to the door, “Its astrophysics sweetie. I have it taping.”
I laughed as she shrugged not fazed but Blake smirked, “Astropsycics, is that a space psychic?”
She smacked him in the arm making me laugh harder.
Shane offered me his arm, his gaze fighting desperately to focus on my eyes as half my chest was exposed and my breasts were pretty much popping out the top of the dress. I would have cursed Giselle under my breath but she needed prayers more.
Before I took his arm I hugged Blake.
He hugged me back, “I feel naked.” I whispered to him.
“You are.” He smiled at me as I pulled away. I knew we were going to be okay.
I looked around me and decided this was the life I wanted, if Aleks left tonight he would take a very large part of my heart with him and all of the air I had breathed for nearly a year but I would survive on the air from the people in this room, and Giselle. I had survived heartbreak before, one much more severe than this one would be.
I took Shane’s arm, looking up at him feeling butterflies as he squeezed my arm, he was warm and inviting. He was flesh and blood and he didn’t fly through the air or pretend to be something he wasn’t. Shane had never lied to me about anything and in that moment that was more attractive than a crooked smile and the bluest eyes ever created.
Shane kissed my cheek and turned us both around to face my dad, he put his hand out, “Goodnight sir and please don’t worry I will have her home at a respectable hour.”
My dad tried hard to hide his true love for Shane, “You better.”
Blake followed Shane’s lead having never dated a real girl before and put his hand out afterward.
My dad smiled looking at least a little relieved as we walked out onto the porch and he looked over our dates once more, “Well you kids have a good time.”
We walked out into the cool night air, Shane taking me to his truck and opening the door, “Wow Aimee, like wow. That dress and your hair. It’s going to be a long night.” He bent and kissed me softly, “Remind me later that I have self control okay.”
I nodded giggling, “Okay. You look great too.”
He laughed, “I look like your butler, you look, wow.” He walked around to the other side of the truck still talking to himself.
Blake took my sister to the car he had arranged with a driver who stood before my sister in his suit and top hat. She waved at me slightly as she gushed and climbed into the car.
I smiled at her feeling so many good things all at once that I didn’t have to fight to keep the bad things down deep. It seemed the wall I had build had crumbled down and filled in the moat and I didn’t need any of it anymore.
I looked out at the night sky as it darkened and knew that regardless of how rotten my night was going to end I was determined to have a great time until it was over. I knew the heartbreak that was waiting for me but I was resolute to have something resembling fun up until then.
We walked up to the huge doors of the school where the gymnasium was holding the dance. The teachers were there with the spring formal committee taking the five dollars the dance cost per person. Teachers were more than likely checking each person to see if any intoxicated people were coming in.
Police were standing around in plain clothes but with their weapons on their hips like detectives in the city would wear. I breathed a small sigh of relief seeing Constable Bindley.
Shane paid our entrance fee and walked me in. Mr. Mac was already talking to Blake and laughing as my sister stood there looking confused.
Mr. Mac stopped talking as I walked in, he smiled at me almost blushing, “Well well Cinderella you have cleaned up for the ball I see. You look fantastic kid.”
I felt myself blushing as Shane squeezed my arm. “Thanks Mr. Mac. I feel a little weird being in a ball gown but this is my last chance at doing it.”
He looked concerned, “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged, “Good days and bad. Today is good.”
He rubbed my arm, “I’m so glad to hear that, I have been very worried about you.”
“Thanks Mr. Mac I’m just glad the years almost up and I can take the summer to relax and focus on my health.”
He nodded, “Yes, school is almost up. Well I better be getting back to chaperoning, I’d hate for anyone to say I slacked off.” He gave me a sideways glance smiling one last time. I smiled back and let myself be dragged to the dance floor with Shane.
He looked down at me as he led me into a slow waltz. “You look incredible.”
I nodded rolling my eyes, “Yeah you said that already. I actually hate that I look like this amazingly hot babe and everyone is nodding as they look at me. Its like my sister was right all along, a little care and attention wouldn’t have killed me.”
He laughed, “Ah but you’re still the bitter cynic that I love.” I didn’t know what I was about to say when he said those words but I stopped breathing. I knew I didn’t love him back, not yet, not the right way as a large piece of my heart was reserved for something impossible. I knew I could love him. I could be happy with him and that when I got my heart back from Aleks I would be all Shanes'.
He bent softly to kiss my cheek. He lingered at the side of my face, “I do love you Aimee, I have loved you since we were five and you saved the all the worms on the sidewalk when it rained at kindergarten. I’ll never forget you putting them into a rubber pail, a thousand creepy slithering worms and put t
he pail under the back deck at your house. You stayed with those dirty bastards until it stopped raining and then you released them.”
I laughed into his chest as he continued, “I loved you in grade seven when that girl Robin got picked on by the mean girls and you found the maxi pad colored with red felt on her bag and before anyone came around the corner you grabbed it and stuck it to your bag. You think no one saw but I did.” I remembered that and the merciless torture I got for it.
My head was spinning now, “I loved you in grade ten when Grace Mellotti's dog got hit by that car and you carried him three miles to the vets office and saved his life.”
He kissed the other side of my face, “I loved you last summer so much but when your mom got killed I couldn’t bring myself to ask you out. Then your sister told me you were madly in love with that Blake kid and I thought I had missed the boat. I panicked while asking your sister about you and accidentally acted like I wanted to ask her out.” His voice was filled with regret, “I am so sorry I never man’d up and just asked you out.”
I laughed nervously, “You make me sound like a saint. I have done bad things in my life FYI.”
He raised his eyebrows in doubt.
I shrugged, “Okay well not bad but stuff. I’ve lost library books and let my sister take the blame. I wanted to try to peroxide my hair lighter than it is when I was in eighth grade but I was nervous about doing it. I thought the bleach might ruin my hair. So one night I filled a spray bottle with water and peroxide and I sprayed Alise’s hair. In the morning her hair was a tacky color of copper brown and all streaky and when my mom yelled at her for trying to die her hair I never fess'd up it was me. It cost my mom a fortune to fix it and Alise got so confused she actually tells the story now like it was her who did it.” I actually felt a small bit of shame still for that one.
Shane laughed, “Your sister was an evil brat so it isn’t hard to imagine her doing bad things like that. Surely your mom knew she was evil.”
I laughed nodding, “Yeah my mom knew. Her sister is exactly the same.”
I looked him deeply in the eyes, “Shane I am so lucky to be with you.”
He smiled, “Ditto.” We hugged and danced slowly just enjoying each other. I loved the fact he was my history. He knew everything about me and remembered the things that made me proud of myself.
We danced for a few minutes before he stopped again and looked at me very seriously this time, “Where is that Aleks guy? Have you seen him?”
I nodded trying desperately to keep my emotions under check and not reveal anything in my looks, “I’ve seen him a few times but he’s not the bad guy. I know you want him to be but he’s really not. I saw the guy that day he had a different face than Aleks. Besides Aleks is leaving town tonight I think.”
He nodded processing this. “I am joining the police force, I write the test in the city in two weeks.” He said it and left it out there for me to think about or comment on.
I smiled at him proud of him for making a choice for himself and desperately grateful we got to stop talking about Aleks, “Nice, good for you. That’s a great fit for you I think.”
He watched my reaction letting a smile grow on his face.
We had covered a lot of relationship areas in one night, which I knew was a bit intense for my first dance, first boyfriend, and first person that was in love with me. I wished he was my first real love but I guessed you didn’t get to have it all in the first go around the merry go round.
“Will you wait for me?” He raised his eyebrows and smirked.
I nodded, “Yes of course, its only six months isn’t it?”
He nodded laughing, “Yeah it isn’t exactly a huge wait. What if I get posted somewhere crazy though?”
I shrugged, “Cross that bridge when we get there?”
He agreed, “Yeah it’s a long ways away. I’m not even guaranteed to get past all of the tests. They’re pretty intense.” He kissed my hand, “I just want us to be together, like boyfriend and girlfriend together. Are we there yet?”
I nodded, “Yeah.” I knew I had another door to close before we were completely there but I wanted this more than anything else.
We stopped dancing as the music picked up and walked to the punch table where two parent chaperones stood watch, I smiled at them as Shane got us both a drink. I watched him drink his before I had any. He smiled knowing what I was doing, “It’s safe Aims, that’s Becky Magee’s mom, and she’s a Baptist.”
I laughed and drank some punch.
We went and sat at a table where my sister and Blake were sitting with a few other people.
I smiled at Shane, “So the police force, I watched a show on it once, it was brutal. It’s like the marines. Police boot camp is savage but the guys seemed so confident and proud of their accomplishments there are you excited?” I asked trying to keep the conversation light.
“I saw that one too, it looked pretty intense. Yeah I’m excited but I have a long process before I'm in.”
I wanted to encourage him, his parents were living for themselves and he had such potential. It would be a shame for him to spend his life in our little town never trying to become anything out of guilt for his family’s problems.
I looked down the table at Blake who looked so happy talking to my sister, she looked partly mystified and the rest happy.
The girl next to us was named Nadine, she was one grade behind us but her boyfriend William was in graduating with us. She smiled at me as Shane started talking to Tommy who was beside him. My sister tried to be discreet as she eyeballed Tommy and then me.
I nodded slowly as if not responding to her. We both were watching him when Nadine whispered to me, “You look really pretty.”
I smiled at her, “Thanks. You do too.” Her long brown hair was pulled up into a French twist and her yellow satin halter dress was very form fitting. She looked amazing for a sixteen year old, more like twenty-five but I assumed that was the point.
“Have you heard how Jaime is doing?” She asked.
I shook my head, “No I have been meaning to go see her, have you heard?”
She nodded, “Yesterday I heard she woke up but that she doesn’t remember anything. She seems to be on the mend I guess. Kinda creepy hey?”
I nodded watching Tommy talk to Shane. His lips were full and thick. He had slightly crooked teeth in the front. He had a very tiny mole on his left cheek low on his face. None of which the rapist had. Tommy was creepy enough to do a lot of things but I could never believe him that creepy.
The dance was a booming success, not that I had anything to compare to but my sister appeared to be having a great time with her friends and Blake was fitting in with them completely and oddly enough everyone appeared to be sober. I knew Blake felt out of place as he made eye contact with me, looking uncertain of his surroundings but also of us. I smiled hoping to reassure him we were fine. It was a conversation that was eventually going to have to happen but not that night.
I was starting to feel light headed and excused myself to the bathroom. I couldn’t seem to focus my eyes and I was starting to sweat a little. Shane gave me a worried look but I shook my head at him and walked toward the bathroom.
Mr. Mac walked toward me smiling, “Hey kid, you look a little pale. You feeling okay?”
I nodded, “Yeah just still a bit weak I guess. Who knows how long that’s going to last.
Mr. Mac nodded, “Yeah you’ve had quite the year haven’t you. Well take it easy.”
He frowned at me like my dad did sometimes, usually when I went along with whatever bad idea my sister was convincing me of.
I walked around the corner to the girl’s bathroom. I barely made it into the bathroom when I started to pass out. I felt a warm breeze and slipped into Aleksander's arms. I couldn’t see him as my world went black but I would have known the feel of him anywhere. I floated into him and relaxed, I knew I was safe as the blackout took me.
“Aimee, please wake up. Please or I’m taking y
ou back to the hospital. Please wake up.” I felt my lips curl up into a smile, I could feel his warm touch on my arm. I was safe as long as he was there.
I strained to open my eyes but the focus took longer than I expected. “Aleks, you here?” I knew the answer but I needed to be sure I wasn’t dreaming.
My eyes fuzzed out and then focused on his worried face, “Yeah I’m here baby. Just hold onto me. Did you drink anything at the dance?”
I shook my head, “Just the punch the Baptists were guarding, it was clean trust me. Everyone else is fine. I think it’s my liver still.”
He nodded, his solemn face was scaring me, “I can’t stay any longer, I feel the pull already taking me somewhere else. But I can’t leave you sick like this. None of this should have happened.”