by Magan Vernon
His eyes flashed downward and I could catch a hint of disappointment before he looked back at me. "Well that's good. You all should come with our group to Fall Ball. Pictures at Brad's house at four and then dinner at Maria's."
"Uh, yeah, that sounds great. I'll let Ace know."
"Awesome." He smiled and turned back toward the front as Mrs. Huff began her lecture.
But I couldn't concentrate on any of the dribble that was coming out of Mrs. Huff's Pekinese mouth. All I could think about was actually bringing Ace to the dance. If I couldn't help but laugh at the alien who came into Cuppa Java, then was that how people saw Ace? Would I just be another laughing stock? The real questions were, how would Ace take being laughed at or would he even still want to go with me?
***
I managed to get through the rest of my day, even though it seemed like every time I turned a corner Gemma was there with her big pink cast watching me. But that wasn't my concern. I had the day off work, my mom was at a coffee shop, writing, Elijah was in preschool, and my stepdad was working. That meant I had the house to myself.
Ace beamed in just as I opened the door to my house. He stood in the front foyer, grinning from to ear.
"What if it wasn't me that opened the door?"
"Well." He stepped closer and lifted me completely off the ground, cradling me in his arms like a baby. "Someone else would have received a very good view of me."
"Is this really necessary?" I held onto his neck, afraid he would drop me. Not that he wasn't made of pure alien muscle, but because I wasn't exactly tiny.
"Of course it is." He walked with me in his arms, down the hall and into my bedroom, setting me down on the bed. "It seems like it's been forever since I've had you to myself."
I inched closer to Ace, pushing myself up on my knees and wrapping my arms around him. "It hasn't been that long. I just saw you yesterday"
"Well, it seems like it. And that doesn't count. That was an apology meeting, not a real one."
He kissed me deeply. His breathe was hot on my lips while he pressed his body to mine and eased me down onto the bed. The rest of Ace's body was cold as ice, but his hands and lips pulsated heat and the combination of the two feelings on my skin was enough to send my senses into overload.
His lips trailed down to my neck while his fingertips traced my sides, like he wanted to remember every curve. He stopped and put his face to mine. I wanted all of him. It had been a long time since I'd really seen him and I ached to be near him.
Vrmphhhhhh. Vrmmmphhhh.
My phone vibrated on my desk. Crap. I reached over to grab it
Ace grabbed my wrist, nuzzling his face against my neck. "Don't answer that."
"I have to. It could be my mom coming home early or something." I snapped my head up and grabbed my phone off the desk. Ace groaned and sat up at the end of the bed.
"Hey," Simone's sultry voice came over the receiver. I didn't even look at my phone to see who was calling.
"Oh, hey."
I looked at Ace and mouthed sorry.
"So, I saw you weren't on the schedule tonight. What are you up to?"
"Oh, nothing just uh, hanging with the boyfriend?"
Crap.
"I thought your boyfriend lived in Arizona or something?"
"Uh, yeah," I stumbled. "I meant like hanging out doing a video chat and stuff."
"Oh, that's cool. You're busy I get it." Her voice lowered. Now I felt like the bad guy.
"But I should be free when you get off, or tomorrow after work."
I looked up at Ace's narrowed eyes and quickly turned away from him.
"Oh, cool! Alright I will call or text you later then!" Her voice perked up.
"Kay, bye."
"Bye." I hung up and looked back over to Ace. His head was down and he slowly stood up.
"I guess I should be going if you have plans."
"Ace, wait!" I reached out and grabbed his hand. How could Simone have this effect on me? One minute I was ready to jump Ace's bones and as soon as I get the call from Simone the feeling went away. Like it was killing me not to hang out with her.
"The moments gone, Alex. Even you can't deny that one."
I stood up and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I should have listened and not answered."
"What is going on with you anyways? It feels like you don't want me around half the time." He stared down at me.
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe senioritis is a real disease and I'm just trying to enjoy my last year as a high school student."
"Before you are stuck with me for all eternity?"
"That's not what I meant!"
He shook his head. "I don't know what is going on with you right now."
"Maybe I just want to actually enjoy my life instead of having it chosen for me."
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. It was like a verbal slap to Ace and he scrunched his face as if I'd really hit him.
"If that is what you want, then so be it." He clenched his hands together.
"Wait!" I reached out and grabbed his fists. No longer were they warm, but as cold as the rest of his body.
"What? What more could you have to say?" he spat.
"I...I..." I could feel the tears that were begging to escape. "I love you, but I just need some time. Figure out what is going on."
He swallowed, not looking at me and not saying a word.
"Just give me some time, okay? The Fall Ball is coming up and I still want you to go with me. I just need to wrap my head around things."
He pulled his hands from mine and stepped back. "Take all the time you need. I will be waiting."
With that he disappeared in a beam of light, and I could finally let the tears flow freely.
Chapter 14
"You need to get out of this funk. It's wearing me down." Simone wiped down the tables, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.
I cleaned off the last of the espresso cups and looked over at Simone. It had been days since I'd seen Ace and my heart ached. I missed him, but yet I couldn't let go of wanting all the things I never had: friends and a chance at popularity.
"Sorry, just boy troubles."
She shook her head and walked up to the counter. "Brody hasn't declared his undying love for you yet?"
"What?" I stepped back. "I'm talking about Ace, my boyfriend. Brody is just a friend."
Simone rolled her eyes and climbed over the counter until she was right in front of me. She always smelled like coffee beans and Christmas trees. I wanted to just bottle her scent and savor it.
"Yeah, he may be just a friend to you, but the way he is always showing up here like a little lost puppy says differently."
"Whatever." I put the espresso cups back in their cupboard and looked over at the closing sheet to see what I had to do next.
"Oh, come on, like you haven't thought about him taking you in those big farmer tanned arms and tickling your thighs with that soul patch thing of his." She leaned over the sink, putting her face right in front of mine and tickling my chin with her long, nimble fingers.
I could feel every bit of blood run through my body and rush to my face. Truth was, I had been having dreams about Brody, maybe not graphic ones, but just little things. I dreamt of us walking arm in arm as Fall Ball King and Queen and Gemma gawking as he held my hand in the hallway.
It all didn't make sense. I'd never had those kinds of feelings for Brody before, and he never so much as looked at me outside of school until this year. Maybe having a boyfriend just automatically made a girl more attractive?
"Well, if you are still going to keep leading this boy on, we should go shopping for your Fall Ball dress, so he at least has something good to look at while you are with your Arizona man candy." She removed her hand from my face and leaned her back against the counter.
"You know, you can still go with us. Brad said he would be more than happy to take you." I scurried to the backroom, grabbing the broom, and started sweeping, desperate to ke
ep my mind and the conversation on something other than Brody.
"Ugh, the little one with the man boobs? No, thanks. I'd rather be working than have to deal with that one."
I giggled. "Fine, fine."
"So back to the topic at hand, shopping." She grabbed the dustpan and gathered the crumbs and coffee grounds I had swept into a pile.
"Well I kind of promised my mom I would go with her on Saturday since it is my first time going to a dance."
"Oh." Her voice fell flat. The same way it did when she called that day I last saw Ace.
"But I'm sure you could come with!"
Where the hell did that come from?
"Seriously?" Her eyes lit up as she jumped up in front of me, her shoes barely making a sound as they hit the tile underneath.
It was as if my head couldn't control what I was saying, and my mouth just wanted to say whatever would make Simone happy.
"Sure." I shrugged. "I'm sure the more girls I have around me to help, the better."
"Oh, awesome! I don't remember the last time I went dress shopping!" She jumped, clicking the soles of her black combat boots together. "This is going to be epic!"
I smiled. Somehow when Simone was happy it just washed away all the sadness that I had bottled up from missing Ace. Maybe a little girl time would do me some good.
Chapter 15
"Thanks for letting me come with, Mrs. Bianchi," Simone practically purred from the backseat. My mom loved her. It seemed like Simone could say or do no wrong, even when she called her by the wrong name.
"Oh, Simone, it is no problem." Mom looked back at Simone in her rearview mirror. "And please call me Wendy. Bianchi is my ex-husband's name."
"Alright, Wendy."
The mall was packed, as usual, when there was only one mall within a thirty-mile radius. My mom found a spot way in the back by one of the major department stores and we were off.
"So, Alex what did you have in mind for a dress? Long? Short? Color? Heels?" Mom started jabbering as soon as we walked into the department store.
"Whoa now, let's back this up a bit. I haven't thought about the details. Just going for whatever looks good in my size."
Simone looped her arm through mine as we headed up the escalator. "Then let's find what looks good."
As soon as we set foot on the second floor we were overwhelmed by sparkles and tulle. Rack after rack of dresses were packed into a corner; moms and their daughters herded like cattle, roaming through each rack.
"Do any of these catch your eye?" Mom raised her eyebrows.
I scanned over the assortment: dresses that weren't much bigger than the t-shirt I was wearing and most of them probably in a size that wouldn't even fit one of my thighs. Ugh, clothes shopping was never fun if you were above a size two, let alone teetering on a size ten.
"Oh, look at this one!" Mom ran over to a mannequin wearing a cheetah print tube dress with a long red train. "This sort of looks different. Kind of your style."
Simone and I looked at each other, and I could see by the way she smiled that she was trying just as hard as I was not to burst out laughing.
"I guess I can try it on." I grabbed my size from the back of the rack. "Just make sure to get a picture of me in all of the dresses I try on so I can send them to Jen."
"Who is Jen?" Simone's high voice dropped as she followed me to another rack.
"Jen is one of my friends that I met at my internship last summer."
"Oh." Simone's voice dropped and she turned her eyes toward the floor.
"But not that good a friend. You know, more of a co-worker," I blurted. I didn't know where that came from. Jen was one of my best friends, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to let Simone know I had someone that was a better friend to me than her.
"Does she know this Ace guy, then?" Simone skimmed one of the racks, not really looking at any of the dresses.
"Yeah, she wasn't exactly for us dating at first, but now she is probably one of our biggest fans." I picked up a long pink dress with a sweetheart neckline and tossed it over the other dress on my arm.
"Why would she not be a fan of his?"
I had to choose my words carefully. I didn't want to lie to Simone, but I couldn't just blurt out that Ace was an alien, and human and alien relationships were usually forbidden. My relationship with Ace was frowned upon, an intergalactic war almost broke out, and we had to sign a peace treaty between Calta and Earth with the conditions being that I would someday marry Ace.
I shrugged. "The whole age thing, I guess."
Simone nodded. Good, I didn't want to have to explain any more.
"Alright, are you ready to try some of these on?" Mom came around the corner with another mound of multi-colored taffeta in her arms.
"I guess it's now or never." I took the mound of dresses and headed to the dressing room with Simone and mom following close behind.
Luckily I was able to find an open dressing room. There were about eight other girls filling the narrow space, stepping out of each room and staring and taking turns walking down to the three-way mirror. I opened the last door on the left and hung my dresses up on a rack that was already filled with someone else's castoffs that they didn't put back.
"Come out when you get the first one on!" mom yelled.
I peeled off my shirt and jeans and slid the first cheetah print dress off the hanger. I picked a horrible day to wear a hot pink bra and boy short panties. As I slid the dress down over my waist, the panties bunched up, creating a giant tubular set of wrinkles right along my middle. The pink bra didn't help my cause with two shiny straps poking out of the top of the dress. I couldn't get it zippered on my own and I was not sure that it would have zippered anyway, so I just settled for leaving it open.
I stepped out of the room, careful not to step on the giant red train. "How do I look?"
Simone covered up her mouth. "I think if we just added in those boat shoes you always wear, you could probably be hot mess Barbie."
I tried to bend and shimmy, but I was afraid to rip the thing, so I just kind of bent and swayed. "So, this one is a no?"
"A definite no," mom said and handed me another taffeta mess from the rack behind her.
After going through at least a dozen other choices, I was ready to give up and just go in a pair of jeans.
"Can you try one more on? My choice?" Simone asked, holding up a white dress.
"White? Really? Isn't that reserved for brides and first communions?"
Simone rolled her eyes and hung the dress on the back of the dressing room door. "Just try it."
Reluctantly I closed the door and tried on the dress. When I stepped back out both my mom and Simone just stared at me?
"That bad?"
I looked down at the dress. It reminded me of Marilyn Monroe's signature dress with its sleeveless v top that fitted my curves and the circle skirt that flowed out my knees. It made me want to recreate the scene from Seven Year Itch where Marilyn stood above a manhole and steam sprayed her dress up.
"It's beautiful, honey. You look amazing!" mom gushed.
"It really does look good on you." Simone stared down at the dress, running her hands along the fabric of the skirt.
"Do you think it is too old fashion?" I stared in the three-way mirror. The dress hugged me in all the right places and the white against my olive complexion actually made the dress look more cocktail party than wedding party.
"I'd say vintage. I'm sure your boyfriend will appreciate vintage." Simone looked at my reflection in the mirror, but it was almost as if she wasn't really looking at me, but through me.
I nodded. "You're right. I'll take it."
Chapter 16
I couldn't even remember the last time I had someone spend the night at my mom's house. Well, I guess someone that they knew about spending the night. Ace didn't count. By the way my mom and stepdad Brian gushed over the whole situation; one would think I never had a friend over.
"Look at that. On the job l
ess than a month and you already have a new friend!" As Brian spoke bits of pizza sprayed out of his gigantic mouth.
I had no idea what my mom saw in Brian. Not only was he unattractive with his shaved head and furry everything else, but he had the personality of a squirrel. Chatting, chatting, chat, chat, chatting about nothing.
"Yep." I tried to ignore him and wished that I would have warned Simone about my family before we got back to the house.
It seemed only natural to invite her over after shopping and since Ace hadn't been around n awhile, I assumed I wouldn't have to worry about him beaming in.
"Simone found a great dress for Alex to wear to the dance next weekend." Mom joined in the conversation.
"Oh, yeah, we finally get to meet that boyfriend you've been talking about." Brian smiled, holding a piece of pizza in one hand and a greasy napkin in the other.
"I've already met him." Elijah piped up from the end of the table.
I turned my head toward him so fast I almost got whiplash. What was my little brother talking about?
"And how did you meet Alex's boyfriend?" Mom smiled sweetly at Elijah.
Elijah rolled his eyes and went back to stabbing his piece of pizza with a plastic fork. "Duh, he comes into Alex's room every night and they spoon."
A piece of pepperoni slid down my throat, causing me to cough as the whole piece stuck like a plug.
"Wow, that's pretty cool, Elijah." Simone looked at him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah." Elijah looked up at Simone, still stabbing his pizza. "I don't actually see him, since sissy locks her door, but I hear them talking all the time."
Mom laughed. "Oh, honey, that doesn't mean he is in the room with her! That is the video chat Alex uses to talk to him. He lives in Arizona so there is no way he would be in her room every night."
I let out the deep breath I didn't know I was holding. Good thing my mom just assumed that it was the video chat Ace I was talking to and not the alien that beamed into my room at night.