Dating Games #1

by Melody Carlson

  “He says it’s strapless.”

  “But it has a strap.”

  “He says one strap is not enough.”

  “Oh.” Bryn looked at her image in the mirror. Her sapphire blue dress had two straps, but they were pretty skinny. What would Mr. Morrison think about that? She could offer to trade dresses with Abby—although only for Mr. Morrison’s sake, because a dress swap really wouldn’t work since they were different sizes. Surely he’d think Abby’s dress had more coverage than this one.

  One way or another, she had to come up with a solution. As she gathered up what she needed to continue getting ready at Abby’s house, she wondered if there could be a creative answer to this problem. What if they could construct something to work as another strap? She looked through her closet now, going through belts and scarves and throwing a few random pieces into her bag. Somehow she needed to remedy Abby’s dress, and she needed to do it quickly. After all, she was the one who’d encouraged Abby to get the gown. Oh, bother!

  She hurried downstairs, explaining to Mom that she needed to get over to Abby’s ASAP. “She’s having a wardrobe emergency,” she told her.

  “Oh dear. Poor Abby.” Mom frowned. “Do you need my sewing kit?”

  “Yes! Good idea.” Bryn waited for Mom to return with it.

  “You look beautiful.” Mom kissed her cheek. “Dad said he’ll drive you over. He’s just getting his keys. And then we’ll see you later at the Banks’s.”

  “That’s right,” Bryn said. “I forgot that Mrs. Banks invited the parents for dessert.”

  “And for a photo shoot,” Mom said. “This is so exciting.”

  “Yes, as long as we get Abby straightened out.”

  “You girls are still coming back here after the dance?” Mom asked. “For the sleepover?”

  “That’s the plan, Mom.” Bryn reached for her bag. “All the girls dumped their stuff downstairs earlier today.”

  “Five hyped-up kids raising Cain down in the basement all night,” Dad teased. “Reminds me of the good ol’ days.”

  Before long, Bryn was in Abby’s bedroom, studying the sleek purple dress and trying to think of some way—any way—to fix it. “That color is so gorgeous against your skin tone,” Bryn said as she pulled various accessories out of her bag. She held up a black-and-white striped scarf, thinking it might work for dress straps, but it looked cheesy. She tried a brown suede belt, hoping it could be transformed into straps somehow, but that was all wrong too. Finally, she examined the single strap that went over Abby’s shoulder and came down in the center of the dress’s bodice.

  “Hey, this is so wide that I’ll bet I could cut it and use some of the fabric to make a second strap.”

  “But wouldn’t it ruin the dress?” Abby frowned.

  “I don’t know for sure. But I do know this dress is useless if you can’t go to the dance.”

  “Good point.”

  “You’re certain your dad won’t let you wear it as is?”

  “He really put his foot down.” Abby scowled. “He’s convinced this dress will get me kicked out of the dance. And that would be so humiliating for him.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Girls have worn dresses like this at Northwood before.”

  “According to my dad—he looked up the dress code on the school’s website—a dress must have at least two straps to be acceptable. He’s certain that if I go like this, I’ll be cast out to the streets or thrown in prison, or maybe the earth will slip off its axis.”

  Bryn unzipped the back of the dress. “Slip out of it and let me have a good look. I took sewing in home ec back in middle school. Let’s see if I can remember anything. In the meantime, you get your hair and makeup done.” She pointed at Abby’s face. “I can tell you’ve been crying, girlfriend.”

  Abby sniffed. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Yeah. Probably.” She pulled out Mom’s seam ripper and began to pick apart the seam inside the strap. She hoped this would work. After she got it apart, she pulled out the scissors. “Say a prayer,” she told Abby.

  “Huh?”

  “For this dress.” She cut into the fabric, removing a long section of fabric from underneath the strap. “Voilà.” She held up the long strip. “Strap number two.”

  Abby frowned. “But now strap number one looks like a mess.”

  Bryn ignored her as she threaded a needle with black thread. “Just be patient.” She proceeded to sew the strip of fabric into a narrow strap, trying to keep the stitches on the underside, which looked like a mess but hopefully would never be seen. She did the same thing to the existing strap so that now it was only about an inch wide, instead of two or more.

  Abby peered over her shoulder. “Interesting. But where will you attach that other strap?”

  “Put the dress on again,” Bryn commanded as she rethreaded the needle with more black thread.

  With Abby wearing the dress with the one now thinner strap, Bryn played with where to put the second strap. Finally she decided to attach it in the middle so the two straps made a deep V that started in the middle, then went across both Abby’s shoulders.

  “Hey, this looks kind of cool,” Bryn said after the strap was pinned into place. “Look.” She spun Abby around to the mirror.

  “Wow!” Abby’s face broke into a huge smile. “That’s even better than before. Seriously, you could be a dress designer.”

  Bryn grinned. “Well, I’ve always had a passion for fashion. Now take it off carefully, and I’ll sew the second strap into place to please your sweet old daddy.”

  By the time Bryn had finished the dress, they had only minutes to finish getting ready. “You look fabulous,” she told Abby as she reached for her makeup bag. “But I still haven’t done my hair or finished my face.”

  “Why don’t you just wear your hair down,” Abby suggested as Bryn brushed on some blush, then quickly applied some mascara. “It looks beautiful.”

  Bryn looked at Abby’s alarm clock. They should be on their way by now. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  “All because of me.” Abby looked sad.

  “Hey, it’s worth it.” Bryn smiled at her. “I’d go with my hair in a total mess as long as I have my best friend with me.”

  “I mean it, though. Your hair really does look beautiful,” Abby assured her as they went downstairs.

  “Let’s just hope your dad doesn’t put the kibosh on the dress.”

  “Daddy,” Abby called out sweetly. “Hurry to see how Bryn fixed my dress.”

  Mr. Morrison emerged from his study with a book in hand, frowning as if he expected to be disappointed. But when he saw his daughter, a slow smile crept onto his face. “See, there, Abigail. I knew you could fix it if you tried.”

  “Bryn fixed it,” Abby informed him as she called for her mom. “Now someone needs to get us to Cassidy’s so we can help get dinner set up.”

  “Oh, Abby,” her mom said happily. “Look at you.”

  “It was Bryn’s doing.” Abby gave a little spin to show off the dress. “Isn’t she brilliant?”

  “Absolutely.” Mrs. Morrison patted Bryn on the shoulder. “Thank you for coming to our rescue. I am hopeless with anything remotely connected to sewing.”

  “We gotta go, Mom,” Abby urged.

  “Just let me get my purse,” Mrs. Morrison said. “I’m coming.”

  Soon they were on their way, and even though Bryn’s hair was not in the sophisticated updo that she’d imagined, she was happy to sacrifice it for Abby’s sake. It would’ve ruined everything if Abby hadn’t been able to come tonight. Bryn just hoped that the dinner would go smoothly.

  She knew there were only going to be four couples after Devon and Jason had bowed out—and the truth was, Bryn had been secretly relieved. It wasn’t that she was jealous about Jason. Oh, maybe she’d been a little miffed at first. But after hearing more about his character—or lack of it—she felt certain she’d dodged a bullet. Whether he was great looking or not, she did not want to go
out with a guy with only one thing on his mind. Devon could have him. Besides, Bryn really did like Harris, and she was looking forward to getting to know him better. Maybe he wasn’t as hot as Jason, but he would probably have better manners.

  Mostly she was relieved that Devon wasn’t going to be at their dinner tonight. That was only because Devon had been acting like such a total brat lately. It seemed like she’d gotten bossier than ever these last few days. Ever since she’d landed a date with Jason, she’d acted like the queen bee, like she should be ruling the world. Not only did she take all the credit for the DG, but she kept acting like none of them would’ve gotten dates without her precious help. Really, Bryn was just about sick of it. She wouldn’t miss Devon a bit tonight. Maybe when it was all said and done, she would suggest they discontinue the DG permanently. Who needed it? After the night was over, they would have experienced their first dates. It should be smooth sailing from here on out. Shouldn’t it?

  19

  Devon tried not to show her disappointment when she learned Jason was not taking her to the Cove for dinner. He claimed that it was impossible to get reservations, but when they drove past the swanky restaurant, it didn’t even look that busy. Instead he took her to the Alpine Inn, which was slightly run-down and smelled musty. Of course, it was not busy at all. Devon hadn’t been in this restaurant since she was in grade school, but she had detested the heavy, greasy German food then, and as she skimmed the menu, she felt pretty certain she wasn’t going to like it now.

  “My parents always bring me here on my birthday,” Jason told her as he set his menu aside. “The borscht soup is killer.”

  “Oh?” She nodded. Well, at least the prices were reasonable. He wouldn’t have to complain about the bill. He’d already complained about the cost of renting his tux as well as the wrist corsage, which in her opinion looked like it came from the grocery store anyway. Not that she was complaining. He’d also bragged that he was saving money by not having to chip in for the shared limo. He had borrowed his brother’s old Subaru instead, and he hadn’t even bothered to wash it or clean the junk food wrappers from the backseat. Not that she was complaining. No, she was not.

  She smiled across the table at him. “What do you recommend besides the borscht soup?”

  “The Wiener schnitzel is my favorite. My dad likes the chicken. It’s wrapped in bread dough and baked. Comes with gravy.”

  “Uh-huh . . .” Everything on the menu sounded fattening and boring to her. Not nearly as appealing as the dinner her friends were fixing over at Cassidy’s house. Why hadn’t she insisted on being there? She wondered if it was too late to change their minds. But the waitress, who looked like the Swiss Miss cocoa girl, was asking to take their order.

  Devon decided on the baked chicken but passed on the borscht soup. After the waitress departed, Devon excused herself. “I need to powder my nose,” she said with a forced smile.

  He just laughed. “I don’t know why you girls say that. Don’t you think we know what you do in there?”

  She faked a laugh like he was amusing, then hurried to the restroom, which was as lackluster as this restaurant, and called Emma’s number. “Are you guys eating yet?” she asked Emma.

  “No, we’re having appetizers,” Emma said cheerfully. “Abby’s mom made these yummy shrimp things. To die for. Are you at the Cove?”

  Devon considered lying, then wondered, why bother? “No, we’re at the Alpine Inn.”

  “Oh?” Emma sounded concerned. “How’s that going?”

  “Not terribly well.” Devon moved out of the way of a large elderly woman.

  “Oh, my—what a pretty dress!” the woman exclaimed as she squeezed into a stall.

  “Did you need something?” Emma sounded distracted on the other end. “I think it’s almost time to go into the dining room.” She laughed and said something to someone else. “Oh, you should see this place, Devon. I’ll take some pictures. Cassidy has all these candles in jars and strings of light, and the music is perfect. Too bad you had to miss it.”

  “Yeah. Too bad.” Devon wanted to kick something . . . or someone.

  “I better go now.”

  “Well, I just wanted to tell you guys that you don’t need to send the limo to get us. Jason has his brother’s car. We’ll just meet up with you at the dance. Okay?”

  “Okay. Have a great dinner.”

  “Yeah, right.” Devon turned off her phone and slid it into her evening bag. “Like that’s going to happen.” Still, Devon knew it was her fault that she was stuck in this cruddy little restaurant. She was the one who’d suggested that a potluck at Cass’s house would be a disappointment. Jason probably would’ve gone for it if she’d mentioned that he could save a few bucks as well as be with friends. However, she’d imagined them dining alone in sophistication, not squalor.

  It was unfair to blame him. And besides, she reminded herself, Jason was one of the hottest guys in school. Wasn’t that worth something? So what if his manners lacked a little polish. Or even if his taste in restaurants was pathetic. He was easy to look at. At the very least she could brag to others that she had dined alone with him this evening. Really, did the rest of it matter so much?

  “Get over yourself,” she said as she emerged from the restroom. “Have some fun.”

  “Everything was so delicious,” Lane said to the group sitting around the table. They’d finished with the dinner and were about to start on dessert. “You girls could open a restaurant if you wanted to.”

  “Not without our parents’ help,” Cassidy reminded him. “My dad was the main chef tonight. But Bryn made the salad and Emma did the potatoes.”

  “I helped make the dessert,” Abby announced as she set a piece of chocolate torte à la mode in front of him. “But if you guys like it, I’ll take the full credit.”

  “This has been so much fun already,” Bryn said happily. “And we still have the dance to look forward to.”

  “I’m glad I decided to do this,” Kent told Abby as she set a piece of cake in front of him.

  “Decided?” Harris teased him. “Don’t you mean we let the girls bully us into it?”

  “Bully you?” Bryn pretended to be hurt. “Really? Is that how you feel?”

  “Hey, we just needed some encouragement,” Isaac said to Emma.

  “And that’s exactly what we gave you,” Emma told him.

  “Here’s to encouragement.” Bryn held up her water glass for a toast.

  “To encouragement,” they all echoed.

  “Devon called earlier,” Emma said. “I think she was wishing she was here.”

  “Why didn’t they come?” Kent asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Emma said. She was still feeling sorry for Devon and wondering why Jason would’ve picked that restaurant to eat at.

  “Because Jason wanted to spend money to impress her,” Bryn said in a teasing tone. “At least that’s what Devon thought.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the Jason I know,” Harris said.

  Lane nodded. “Yeah. Jason is usually kind of a cheapskate.”

  “Then why didn’t he want to come here?” Cassidy asked. “The price was certainly right.”

  The guys exchanged knowing looks but didn’t say anything.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter,” Bryn said. “We’re having a good time, and we’ll catch up with them later anyway.”

  Emma still felt slightly worried for Devon’s sake. The more she learned about Jason, the less she liked him. Even so, she hoped that Devon wouldn’t be too disappointed over tonight. Especially after Devon’s work on getting the DG together. Really, based on how it was going at Cassidy’s house, the DG had been a success.

  The parents had already arrived armed with cameras, so shortly after dessert was finished, the four couples took turns posing. After about twenty minutes, the limo arrived and gave them the perfect excuse to make an exit.

  “You girls are still having that sleepover at Bryn’s house after the dance, right?”
Abby’s overly protective dad called this out loudly enough for everyone to hear. Almost as if he didn’t trust his daughter. Or maybe it was the boys he didn’t trust. For a split second, Emma was glad her father wasn’t around to embarrass her like that. Then again, maybe it would be nice.

  “I feel like a celebrity,” Bryn said as they got into the back of the stretch limo. “This is too fun.”

  “Too bad Devon is missing out,” Emma said wistfully.

  “Hey, it was her choice,” Abby reminded her.

  They continued to laugh and joke, enjoying themselves all the way to the school, where the dance was being held in the gymnasium. Although the gym was decorated, the girls agreed as they gathered in the bathroom that it felt anticlimactic after their lovely dinner.

  Still, they had fun dancing and being together. Eventually Devon and Jason showed up. Emma could tell that Devon was trying to put on a game face so that the rest of the group wouldn’t guess how unhappy she really was, but Emma had known Devon for years. She knew that Devon wasn’t just unhappy, she was mad.

  “Come to the restroom with me,” she said as she grabbed Emma by the hand. “I need a girlfriend.”

  “Sure.” Emma waved at Isaac. “I’ll be back in a few,” she called.

  “I am so mad,” Devon hissed as she ushered Emma toward the restroom. “I have to let off some steam before I explode all over everyone.”

  “I’m sorry,” Emma said. “Was dinner really bad?”

  “Don’t even get me going.”

  Emma was about to say how great their dinner was but stopped herself. That would not help. “Well, you’re here now,” Emma said positively. “Maybe it’ll get better.”

  “Yeah.” Devon touched up her lip gloss. “I don’t think it could get worse.” She lowered her voice. “Jason is, shall we say, very frugal.”

  “Hey, frugal is good,” Emma told her. “I’m frugal too.”

  Devon rolled her eyes. “I mean he’s cheap, Emma. Stingy. You should’ve seen the miserly tip he left. Sure, the waitress was awful, but it was still embarrassing.”