Sweet 16

by Kate Brian

  Teagan took a deep breath. "I -- his

  "I know," the ghost said with a serene smile. "After all, I'm you, aren't I?"

  Teagan grinned. The ghost lifted her hand in a wave. At that moment the door to the basement opened, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder. When Teagan's eyes readjusted to the darkness, the ghost was gone. Just like that.

  "Teagan! Are you down there!?" her father shouted.

  "Right here, Dad!" Teagan shouted back, her voice cracking.

  Teagan let one single tear slip down her cheek as her father barreled down the stairs. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. In her entire life, she had never felt so light.

  "Teagan! Oh my God! Are you all right?" her father asked.

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  Teagan turned around and threw herself into her father's arms. She was alive! She could actually hug her father! This was something she would never take for granted again. Her father hugged her back tentatively, clearly surprised by the force of his daughter's sudden embrace.

  "What happened to you?" her father asked.

  "I'm so sorry, Dad," Teagan said. "I'm so sorry for everything. I don't want you to be disappointed in me anymore. You didn't fail me or Mom or anyone."

  "What?" her father asked, baffled.

  Teagan pulled back and touched the crystal on her chest. Her father saw the necklace and smiled.

  "When you walked in tonight, I ... I was wondering why you weren't wearing that," he said.

  That was why he looked so disappointed when he saw me, Teagan thought. I was wearing Max's piece of crap instead of Mom's magic necklace.

  "Well, I'm never taking it off now," Teagan told him. "And from now on I'm going to make you and Mom proud. And Karen! Karen too!" she said with a smile. "No more tantrums, no more unauthorized shopping sprees, no more skipping class for three-hour facials."

  Her father's brow creased. "You've skipped class for--was

  Teagan colored. "Never mind! It's in the past!" she shouted, taking his hand and pulling him toward the stairs. "Come on! We're missing the party!"

  She ran upstairs, skipping the knotted step entirely, and emerged into the brightly lit hallway, feeling like she was actually coming back from the dead. Everything looked prettier to her now--brighter --less confined. She took a deep breath

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  and twirled around in her bare feet, almost knocking right into Mrs. Natsui. The maid was out of breath and her arms were full of slippery dry-cleaning bags.

  "I'm so sorry, Miss Teagan! There was a huge accident on Slippery Rock Road and it took forever to get here," Mrs. Natsui said.

  "An accident?" Teagan asked. "Was anyone hurt?"

  Mrs. Natsui blinked and looked past Teagan at her father. Teagan saw her dad shrug in confusion.

  "I ... I don't think so, Miss Teagan," Mrs. Natsui said. "Thanks to the rain, no one was traveling too fast."

  "Oh, good," Teagan said. "I'm glad you're okay."

  Now Mrs. Natsui looked like she was about to call in a team of neurologists. "Are you okay, Miss Teagan?"

  "I'm fine," Teagan said with a smile. "Great, actually!"

  "Okay," the maid said, clearly unconvinced. "I brought the dresses."

  "Don't need 'em! I am not going to be one more second late for this party," Teagan said, grabbing the shorter woman's shoulders and spinning her around. She hustled her down the hall toward the bridal suite. "Dump 'em in there."

  Mrs. Natsui eyed the horrible stain on Teagan's dress. "Are you sure you don't--was

  "Please. I have to wear this dress. Do you have any idea how much this thing cost?" Teagan said. "Just drop 'em."

  Mrs. Natsui did as she was told, dropping her load on the divan near the door. All the dresses slid off the velvet cushions onto the floor, a pile of sequins, chiffon, and silk.

  "Good. Now, have you eaten tonight?" Teagan asked Mrs. Natsui, throwing her arm over the maid's shoulders. "Let's go get you some filet mignon. Unless you don't eat meat. Do you?"

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  "Oh . . . um . . . yes, Miss Teagan," Mrs. Natsui said.

  "Call me Teagan," she said. "I've had enough of this miss crap. I mean, you've seen me in my underwear, right?"

  'Yes, miss. I mean, Teagan," Mrs. Natsui said, finally smiling.

  "There ya go!"

  Teagan started off down the hall toward the ballroom, the maid scurrying to keep up with her long strides. She glanced over her shoulder at her father, who was frozen in place.

  "Come on, Dad!" she shouted. "It's time to dance!"

  Teagan burst through the double doors into the ballroom and a couple of guys from her class covered their mouths as they cackled at her, but all she could do was smile. It was nice to be seen again, no matter how frightening or hilarious she might look.

  "Dad, wait for me here," Teagan said at the edge of the dance floor.

  "Oookay," her father replied, slipping his hands into his pockets.

  Teagan stopped one of the passing waitresses. "Would you mind getting a filet mignon for my friend over there?" she asked, pointing at Mrs. Natsui, who was standing, looking uncertain in her maid's uniform, next to a table full of Oscar de la Renta devotees.

  The waitress smiled and nodded. "Sure."

  "Thanks!" Teagan called after her.

  Teagan noticed Maya and Ashley sitting at an otherwise empty table, three seats away from each other, both still in black. Maya tapped a fork on the table monotonously while Ashley twirled a strand of hair around her finger and stared into space. Teagan rolled her eyes and walked over to them.

  "Come on, you guys! It's a party!" Teagan called out.

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  Ashley's jaw dropped when she saw Teagan. Maya sat up straight. "Teagan! What happened to your dress?"

  "Don't worry about it," Teagan said. "Listen, back in the bridal suite are a bunch of my favorite dresses and none of them look anything alike. Why don't the two of you go back there, get changed, and then get your butts back out here? I'm about to get this party started."

  Maya almost fell off her chair. "Really? You're lending us your clothes?"

  "They're just clothes!" Teagan said.

  Ashley looked at Maya, considering. "Well, we did get our colors done."

  "Apparently I'm a spring and Ashley's a fall," Maya informed Teagan.

  "Great! See? I knew I hired those overpriced fashion experts for a reason," Teagan said. "I'm sure there's something you'll like back there. Now go."

  Evidently her friends were smart enough not to second- guess her too much. They both got up, squealing with glee, and took off.

  "Oh, and hey! You guys!" Teagan called after them.

  Maya and Ashley stopped and turned around. Their eyes nearly bugged out of her heads as Teagan enveloped them both in a group hug.

  "Thanks so much for my present. It was awesome," Teagan said. "You guys are good friends."

  "You're welcome," Maya said, surprised.

  "Yeah. Anytime," Ashley added with a smile.

  They turned and headed for the bridal suite and Teagan took a deep breath and looked up at Shay, who held one ear

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  phone to his ear as he hit a button on his laptop. This was going to be interesting.

  Teagan ducked around the dance floor, feeling dozens of eyes trained on her--and not in the good way to which she was so accustomed. She knew they were all taking in her destroyed dress, her frizzy hair, the blackened soles of her bare feet. But none of it bothered her. Looking so disheveled in public was rather freeing. What did it matter, as long as she was here?

  "Hey! Beckford!" Teagan shouted, walking up behind him.

  Shay turned around, startled, and guffawed. "What happened to you?"

  "A lot, actually," Teagan said, putting a hand on her hip. "Listen, do you have this old song called You Are the Sunshine of My Life'?"

  "Stevie? You want to hear Stevie Wonder?"

  "Do I really need to go over which one of us is the boss?" Te
agan said lightly.

  Shay rolled his eyes but smiled. "All right, all right. Yeah, I got some vintage Stevie here somewhere."

  "Good. I want to dedicate it to my father, okay?" she said. "Oh, and could I borrow your microphone? I'd like to make an announcement."

  "It's all yours," Shay said, handing over the mike. He turned down the volume on the speakers and started typing into his laptop. The activity on the dance floor slowed as everyone turned toward the DJ with interest.

  "Hi, everyone!" Teagan called out. "Can I have your attention, please?"

  The room grew hushed as the people at the tables and

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  milling around the room turned their attention to the birthday girl.

  "I would just like to thank all of you for coming to my sweet sixteen," Teagan said. "I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am."

  There was a round of cheers and hollers. Melissa Bradshaw snapped a few pictures, as did Roly-Poly Man.

  "I would also like to thank George Lowell and the staff for all the hard work they put into making this evening a success," Teagan continued. "I really appreciate everything you've done and all the sacrifices you've made," she added, thinking of George's outfit and the firings. "So thank you."

  She saw a couple of the waitresses exchange an impressed glance.

  "Oh, and waitstaff, you can take off those ridiculous sunglasses now," Teagan added. A few of them cheered as they tossed the $250-a-pair specs aside. Teagan tried not to cringe. They were just things, right? Not important.

  "Of course, there is one person who made this whole night possible," Teagan said, looking for her father on the dance floor. "The man who makes everything in my life possible -- my dad."

  "Aw!" the crowd cooed on cue. The people on the dance floor turned and parted around her dad. He stood alone in the back corner of the dance floor, looking sheepish and pleased.

  "Dad, thank you for everything you've given me," Teagan said. "I know we both wish that Mom were here with us tonight, but thanks to this beautiful gift, I feel like she is here," Teagan said, touching her new crystal. Her father's eyes swam with tears. "So now, if you don't mind . . .was

  "We're all set," Shay whispered, flashing Teagan a thumbs-up.

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  "Dad," Teagan said, her heart thumping, "this song's for you."

  Stevie Wonder's voice filled the room and Teagan's father grinned hugely.

  "You are the sunshine of my life! That's why I'll always stay around. . . .was

  Teagan walked back down the steps, cocktail sauce stain and all, and met her father in the center of the dance floor. She stood on her tiptoes and opened her arms. Somewhere inside her there was the old fear of rejection, the tiny voice of doubt that sounded a lot like her twelve-year-old self. She took a breath and squelched it.

  "May I have this dance?" she asked her father.

  "Thought you'd never ask," he replied.

  Teagan smiled as her dad led her around the floor, spinning her out, then back in. She felt like she was being warmed from her head to her toes and knew that her mother was smiling down on them. She knew it as surely as she knew that this was a birthday moment she would remember for the rest of her life.

  "What happened to you down there?" Teagan's father asked, curious.

  "I think I got knocked out, and I had this insane dream," Teagan replied, knowing that the truth would freak him out. "It was the future and my life pretty much sucked. So when I woke up, I decided to change it."

  "Interesting dream," her father said. "I never thought I would say something like this, but I'm kind of glad my daughter clunked her head."

  Teagan laughed. "Me too."

  "Of course, it might be a good idea to take you to the hospital," he said. "Get you checked out."

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  "Yeah, that would be a great idea. But later," Teagan said. "For now I just kind of feel like dancing."

  "Your wish is my command," her father said with a smile.

  As her dad twirled her around the dance floor, Teagan caught a glimpse of Karen standing on the periphery, smiling as she looked on. She adjusted the strap on her designer dress and grasped at the sides, wiggling to pull the skirt down. The woman was obviously uncomfortable in the skintight frock-- a dress that was so un-Karen and that Teagan now understood had only been worn for her benefit. Teagan's heart skipped a beat when she thought of how horribly she had been treating Karen. Karen, who clearly loved her dad. Who would one day make an incredible mom.

  "You know, Karen is really an amazing person," Teagan told her father.

  He smiled. "Yeah. She is."

  "She's always nice to me, even though I'm so mean to her. I'm so sorry."

  Her father sighed. "She understands, honey. It's hard for a girl to see a new woman in her father's life."

  "Dad, I'm not a baby anymore," Teagan said. "I'll stop acting like one, but you've gotta agree to stop thinking of me as one."

  Her father regarded her with a flicker of respect in his eyes. "Agreed."

  "I'm happy that you found her," Teagan said, a small lump forming in her throat. It was true, but it was still difficult to swallow her pride and say it. She would have to get used to the sensation. "And I know Mom is happy for you too."

  The last strains of the song started to fade away and Teagan's father gathered her up in his arms and hugged her

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  tightly, lifting her off the ground. Teagan hugged him back, squeezing her eyes closed.

  "Let's have a hand for the birthday girl and her father!" Shay called out, even though most of the guests were already applauding.

  "Thank you, Teagan," her father said in her ear.

  "Thank you," she replied. "I love you, Dad."

  "I love you too, sweetie," he replied.

  Her father returned her to the ground and held her hands as she pulled back. Teagan couldn't stop grinning for all the world. Things were going to be different now. She could feel it in her bones.

  "I have to go," Teagan told him, releasing his hands. "There's something I have to do."

  "But you really just got here," her father said, shouting over the now-raucous music.

  All around them, Teagan's friends from school poured back out onto the dance floor. From the corner of her eye, Teagan saw Maya now sporting the blue Vivienne Tam and Ashley shimmying along in the flowered Gaultier. For the first time all night, they both looked like they were having fun.

  "I know, but I have to leave," Teagan said.

  "Teagan, I know we just agreed that I should stop thinking of you as a baby, but should I be concerned?" he asked.

  Teagan laughed. "Mom would want me to do what I'm going to do. Trust me."

  Her father smiled. "All right, then. I'll see you at home later."

  Teagan honestly couldn't remember the last time she had

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  heard her father utter that phrase. It made her heart hurt with longing and relief all at once.

  "See you there," she said.

  On her way off the dance floor, Teagan grabbed Karen and hugged her tightly. Karen was so stunned she tripped backward and nearly knocked them both off their feet.

  "Whoa! What's that for?" Karen asked, laughing.

  "It's for making my dad happy and for coming here tonight and for breakfast this morning," Teagan said. "Thank you. Really. For everything."

  Karen shrugged and smiled, looking as confused as everyone else had since Teagan had returned from her psychedelic journey. "You're welcome," she said.

  "So . . . what's up with the dress?" Teagan asked, looking Karen over.

  "Oh, you don't like it?" Karen said, placing her hand over her stomach.

  "No! It's totally cool. I love it," Teagan said. "It's just not you. At all."

  Karen laughed. "That's about right. I just thought it would be appropriate, you know. High-fashion party and all that. I didn't want to embarrass you."

  Teagan flushed and looked at the floor. "You don't have to do that," sh
e said. "You don't have to dress to impress me. My dad likes you the way you are. Loves you, actually."

  Karen beamed. "That's sweet of you to say."

  "You're pretty cool when it comes down to it," Teagan said with a nod. "I mean, the earth mother thing never goes out of style--as long as the person wearing it isn't a poseur, which you are definitely not."

  "Okay," Karen said, blinking.

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  "But Karen, 'Tree'? Really?" she said, leaning in. "Why don't you go with Lily or Rose or something? Something that won't get her butt kicked on the playground. Think about it."

  She clapped Karen twice on the shoulder, then walked off, leaving her father's fiancee looking even more baffled than ever.

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  Upcoming Sweet Sixteen Party Transcript 4, cont'd.

  Reporter: Melissa Bradshaw, Senior Editor, Rosewood Prep Sentinel

  MB: Okay, how about this. If you couldn't have a sweet sixteen party--

  TP: Missy! Bite your tongue!

  MB: No, I'm serious. If the lavish bash and the perfect dress and the munchable DJ and all that stuff were not an option--

  TP: Can I just go on record as pointing out that I never said Shay Beckford was munchable?

  MB: Fine. Noted. Anyway, if all that were not an option, what would you be doing on your sweet sixteen?

  TP: Killing myself?

  MB: Come on.

  TP: All right, fine. I'll play your little game, (sighs) I guess if I had to come up with another scenario, I'd just want Lindsee and Max to be there. Whatever we were doing. They are, after all, the most special people in my life.

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  MB: Really?

  TP: Why is that so hard to believe?

  MB: Oh, it's not, I guess. It must be nice to have people you love so totally.

  TP: (pause) Oh, well, I do. I love them both.

  We're like this.

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  Teagan was on her way back to the DJ booth when a familiar giggle stopped her in her tracks. Her breath caught as Max and Lindsee staggered out from behind one of the raised stages set up for the models, looking flushed and happy. They sprang apart the second they saw her.