Turnabout Twist

by Lois Lavrisa

She closed the curtain.

  Was our relationship over? What happened? Damned if I knew. But I planned on doing anything I could to get her back. On my way home the full moon shone, illuminating leaves on trees. There was so much folk lore about full moons. My favorite was how they turned men into werewolves.

  The movie.

  Vampires.

  Then it hit me, I needed to show Vicky how much I ‘got her.’ I’d dress up like Edward. She’d think that was so romantic and forgive me a million times over.

  Maybe as Edward I could make us right.

  Chapter Three

  “Mom, where can I find some sparkly white face paint stuff?” I grabbed a cupcake then pulled a chair next to the kitchen table and plunked in it.

  “What for?” My mom stood at the kitchen sink, up to her elbows in bubbles. She was the same height and build as Vicky. My mom’s dark hair was twisted in some sort of round shape at the top of her head held in place with a pencil. Women and their hair.

  “Vicky is pissed at me after we saw a movie.” The kitchen smelled like lemons and fresh baked cake.

  “Was it that bad of a movie?” she asked as she pushed a hair from her face, leaving behind bubbles.

  I got up and took a kitchen towel and patted the bubbles from her face. “No, mine was great. I am sure hers was too.”

  “You saw different movies?” Her voice rose.

  So I sat back down at the table and explained what happened.

  “Honey, you should never have left her, even if she told you to. That is rule number two for dealing with us. You have to learn to read the signs.”

  “You remember that I’m dyslexic right?” I bit into the cupcake.

  Mom laughed. At least one woman understood me. Then I asked her, “What is rule number one?”

  “We are always right.” She finished washing a dish, then wiped her hands on her apron and sat next to me. “So why do you need the makeup?”

  “I need to turn into that vampire guy she loves, Edward.” I told her about Vicky’s vampire obsession and my ploy to win her back by becoming her leading hero. “Even though I hate the whole idea of it, I need to do it for Vicky. To prove to her that I will do anything for her.”

  “I have a whole box of Halloween costumes and makeup. Maybe something in there will work. I think we can make you a pretty respectable Edward. Although, I’m sure you’ll be much cuter.” She stood and kissed the top of my head.

  ***

  It took about a half hour to get my face white and sparkly. When mom finished, I grabbed a flashlight, turned off the overhead light, and then shone the light under my chin to illuminate my face.

  “You absolutely twinkle!” My mom said as she turned on the overhead light.

  “Thanks. Wish me luck.” I clicked off the flashlight then shoved it in my back pocket and headed off to Vicky’s house.

  Vicky had said that she loved the scene where Edward had crept into his girlfriend Bella’s bedroom. Heck, why not? She has to forgive me after all the trouble I went through to reenact a part of her favorite movie, right?

  Approaching Vicky’s house, I noticed her window was still open. The drapes fluttered in the wind. Under her window near vines of jasmine, stood a wooden trellis. I could climb that. Mentally calculating the distance, I moved the trellis under the window, which would allow me enough height to climb up and maneuver myself into Vicky’s window.

  It looked doable. It would be just as sappy romantic as the movie. Vicky would rush into my arms and forgive me.

  Perfect.

  When I got to the top of the trellis and entered the open window, my foot gave way knocking the trellis to the ground. Thump. I hope no one heard that. I wouldn’t want my surprise ruined.

  A cool breeze blew the branches causing scraping sounds against the house.

  I walked over to Vicky’s bed. The moonlight shone on her face. The smell of jasmine wafted through the window.

  The noise coming from her bed sounded like a cat purring. But I knew she was allergic to cats. Upon closer inspection, I realized she was snoring. She even snored cute.

  Time to perform.

  I got the flashlight out of my back pocket and turned it on. With one hand I held it under my chin. With my other hand I gently shook her. “Vicky, it’s me vampire boy. Um Edward.”

  Vicky's eyelids slowly lifted. For a moment, her gaze was sleepy.

  Then her eyes widened. Her piercing scream caused me to topple backwards, falling over a pile of clothes. The flashlight flew out of my hand.

  Vicky shook and screamed at the top of her lungs, as she held her blanket up to her chin.

  “It’s me, Edward. I mean Ted.” My heart pounded out of my chest and my hands felt clammy. The makeup on my face started to itch like poison ivy.

  Vicky flicked on her nightstand lamp. After she looked me up and down, her fearful expression turned to a smile. She giggled as she grabbed her cell phone and held it up toward me.

  Did she just take a picture?

  Suddenly, the door slammed open. Her dad stormed in. “What the hell is going on in here?”

  I could see the veins popping out of his square forehead. “Um sir, Vicky and I had a fight. So I was being a vampire like the guy she likes. There is this scene in a movie where he goes into her bedroom, and—”

  “Ted. You need to leave.” Her dad, a burly ex military man, helped me off the floor and led me out the door.

  Once we were outside Vicky's bedroom, her dad pulled the door firmly shut.

  “I think I dropped my flashlight. Can I go back and get it?” I asked, wanting to see Vicky one more time.

  “Goodnight Ted. Next time, use the front door like a human being, not the window like a vampire”

  “Yes, sir.”

  His mouth tuned into a sort of half grin. “And the trellis is not a ladder.”

  “Trellis not ladder, got it sir.”

  “And you won’t be doing any more stunts like that, right son?” He guided me down the hallway.

  “No sir. Got it.” Loud and clear.

  Vicky's dad had firmly guided me outside and closed the front door in my face. I could have sworn I heard a chuckle behind the closed door but I wasn’t sure.

  He seemed mad, and I couldn’t blame him. I guess if I were him I wouldn’t want my daughter’s boyfriend climbing in her bedroom window either. Mostly dressed as a vampire.

  Well, that stunt went really well. Not. I wasn’t sure if Vicky and I were okay or if I had just made matters worse.

  Chapter Four

  When I got home later that night I called Vicky and only got her voice mail.

  In the morning, I called and texted her dozens of times. No response. Then I had to cut three lawns and pick up my tux. Heck, I’d already paid for it. I might as well wear it.

  So much for going out with a bang at senior prom. More like a fizzle.

  An hour before prom started, I got a text from Vicky: “C U at prom.”

  Did that mean she’d be there and I would just see her? Or did that mean that she wanted to see me there, like with her?

  I texted her back: “R we going together?”

  She texted back: “Not really. I’ll be there but U R going with someone else.”

  I texted: “Who?”

  She texted: “You’ll C.

  I texted: “What the heck?”

  She texted: “Bye.”

  Throughout the day I was flooded with texts and messages from friends teasing me about having dressed up like Edward. Friends called me “Sparkle boy,” “Fangs” and “Mr. Glitter.”

  Dozens more forwarded the picture that Vicky posted on Facebook. I felt violated that she did that. I thought that I had only been humiliated in front of Vicky and her dad. Now all of Savannah, heck the whole world, knew about my visit to her room.

  Part of me wanted to run away and not have to face anyone tonight. But it was senior prom, Vicky said that she’d be there and I’d already paid for us. I wanted to see her. Even t
hough I’m still confused about the whole part she said about me going with someone else. Were we over as a couple, and did she want to fix me up with another date? This has gotten really bizarre.

  After I showered and shaved, I put on my tux. My brother said he wasn’t going to prom because he was broke and had to work. Plus he had told me that Gabrielle had shut him down. I felt so bad for him.

  I wanted to be with Vicky and hang out with my brother at our last prom, and now everything went wrong. For all of us.

  These two days were turning out to be disaster.

  Just because I tried to be someone I wasn’t.

  A vampire.

  Vampires suck.

  The prom began at eight. Upon entering, people whispered and moved away from me. A group of my friends walked over and all smiled. They had plastic fangs on their teeth.

  Great, more public embarrassment. I felt my face flush.

  Then I made a decision to leave. This was a bad idea to come in the first place. Who cared about senior prom anyway?

  Just then, the band announced that they had a special request. They began to play “I’m a Believer.”

  The crowd parted and I saw her.

  My heart jumped in my chest.

  Vicky wore tall black leather stilettos heels, and a matching skintight outfit. She wore her hair in some sort of poufy type style. She looked exactly like the Black Widow.

  My feet stuck like glue to the dance floor. My mouth hung open and my heart raced as my body heated up. Vicky looked smoking hot. Even though I still felt a little pissed at her for posting the picture of me as Edward, I realized she dressed like Black Widow for me.

  A friend nudged me toward her.

  “What do you think?” Vicky said.

  “I…Um…I…” the words tumbled like marbles in my mouth and would not come out.

  “You don’t like?” She ran a finger along the collar of my tux and then gave me a soft kiss that sent shivers down my spine.

  “Yes. But that still doesn’t make up for posting that stupid picture of me.”

  “You looked so cute last night as Edward. I’m the envy of all my girlfriends.”

  “But still, you embarrassed me.” My body stiff with stubbornness.

  “I am so sorry.” Vicky hugged me then kissed my earlobe as she whispered, “Please forgive me? As Black Widow I have special super powers, maybe I can show you some later.”

  My earlobe equaled kryptonite for me as I felt all my tension leave as she held her body next to mine. “Forgiven, if you kiss me there again.”

  “What you did last night was so romantic.” She said batting her long dark eyelashes.

  “I thought it was a catastrophe.” I grinned.

  “A dreamy one.”

  We kissed passionately as the crowd cheered and the music played.

  “You do look amazing," I said eyeing her up and down. “Wow. Thanks for making my night.”

  “Thanks for making mine last night,” she replied as she squeezed my hand.

  Just then, my brother Timothy and his girlfriend Gabrielle walked over to us. I don’t know how, but they’d made it after all. They were dressed in prom attire and wore paper hats from Leonardo’s ice cream shop on their heads. Later on, I’d have to ask them why they wore the hats. Right now it didn’t matter.

  Now everything seemed complete.

  Maybe it was because of the full moon that this night had completely done some sort of turnaround twist. Who knew for sure? But it all had worked out some way somehow. Now this is what I’d call a perfect senior prom, whether human, a vampire or even a superhero.

  THE END

  Thank you so much for reading TURNABOUT TWIST, would you please stop over at Amazon and leave an honest review? I would very much appreciate it.

  If you enjoyed this short story, you can read another spinoff PICTURE NOT PERFECT, a Young Adult romantic mystery short story. In PICTURE NOT PERFECT, Timothy (Ted’s identical twin) runs into a problem when a painting disappears while on his work shift. And to make matters worse his girlfriend Gabrielle seems to be hiding something.

  Another short story spinoff TREAT OR TRICK, features Timothy and Ted’s five year old twin sisters Nina and Nancy on their first Halloween. Let’s just say things do not go smoothly for one camera happy person dressed as a mouse.

  These are all spin off short stories to the CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB (CCC). The Chubby Chicks Club are a rag tag group of friends (not all chubby nor all chicks) who have to find a friend’s killer before the killer finds them. Series one is DYING FOR DINNER ROLLS. Please join in the all CHUBBY CHICK CLUB adventures.

  One dead body, two girls with a secret. In the Kindle bestselling mystery thriller LIQUID LIES, find out what happens when one night of celebrating turns deadly for two childhood friends.

  And read the prequel CHRISTMAS CORPSE CAPER, where one Christmas Eve turns into too much mayhem for Mark, a mortician in training.

  Connect with Lois Lavrisa Online

  Facebook (Personal Page):

  http://www.facebook.com/LoisLavrisa

  Facebook (Author Page):

  http://www.facebook.com/authorloislavrisa

  Twitter (Lois Lavrisa):

  http://twitter.com/loislavrisa

  Main Lois Lavrisa Website:

  http://www.loislavrisa.com

  Liquid Lies Website:

  http://www.liquidlies.com

  Five Fun Facts about Lois Lavrisa

  1. She was a professional NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls (1985/1986 season)

  2. Being organized gives her the illusion of having control (yeah right, with four kids)

  3. Secretly, she wants to be a beach bum. Okay now it’s not a secret.

  4. If someone hired her to travel the world and write about it -she would pack in today.

  5. She gave birth to her first two children in Sweden with a midwife -sans epidurals. Birthed the last two in the USA -blissfully numb with pain meds.

  Lois Lavrisa is an Amazon Kindle bestselling author who writes mysteries with a twist. When not writing, she juggles her packed schedule, as well as that of her four children, while desperately trying to squeeze in a date night with her husband. Lois daydreams of peace and quiet by the beach armed only with a glass of Riesling and a great book.