The Last Blue Rose// Reggie Mantle (1)

Chapter Three

At eight the next night, Caia stood in front of the mirror, clipping a silver necklace around her kneck. She smiled at her purple a-line dress. It was one of a kind, or at least that's what the sales lady had said. Caia doubted that, but she loved it regardless.

Her eyes traveled to the picture on her dresser. She picked up the fragile frame and stared at it longily. "Hey mom," she whispered. "I hope you can see me right now. I know you'd this dress. It is your favorite color."

Caia set the picture back on the dresser as soon as the doorbell rang. It filled her with excitement. As she walked through the living room, she saw her father passed out on the couch, beer bottle sitting on the coffee table next to him. Her heart dropped. Apparently, he didn't want any pictures.

She took a deep breath once she reached the door. She reached for the door knob and swung open the heavy wooden door. There stood Reggie, a corsage box in his hands. "I didn't know you lived on the Southside." Reggie observed.

"Oh yeah."

"Uh, I didn't know what color your dress was so I just brought white." He motioned to the box. "I hope that's okay."

Caia nodded. "It's perfect, Reggie." Reggie scrambled to open the box and slipped the corsage on Caia's wrist. He wore a similar one pinned to his suit jacket.

"Before we leave, do your parents want pictures or something?" Reggie asked, trying to get a look around Caia into the open door of her house.

Caia blocked his view and shut the door. "Uh, no. They were really tired tonight." Reggie looked at her with a confused expression, but didn't ask any further questions.

He smiled. "Okay then. Ready to go my lady?" He asked, holding out his arm for Caia to take. Caia smiled, nodded, and linked their arms.

Once at the dance, they walked to the doors of the gym, their arms still linked. "Wow. This is a bit strange for a memorial," Caia mused.

Reggie chuckled. "Yeah, no shit. Wanna go get some punch?" He nodded his head in the direction of the punch table where Moose was standing.

Caia shrugged. "Sure."

At the table, Reggie and Moose did the bro nod thing. Then Moose pulled out a flask and poured some into the punch bowl before taking a swig himself. He offered it to Reggie who looked at Caia before accepting it.

"Go ahead," she stated, allowing Reggie to drink.

A few moments later, Cheryl Blossom appeared on the stage. "Good evening friends. Are you all having a good time?" She asked. Reggie let out a whoop. "As honorary chair person and De Facto queen of tonight's semi formal, it is my great pleasure to introduce this evening's main entertainment. To know them is to be obsessed with them. Though they usually perform their own material, tonight they're making an exception and debuting a cover of the song my parents claim they were listening to the night Jason and I were conceived. This one's for you, JJ. I give you, Josie and the Pussycats!"

The song started and Reggie turned to Caia. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Caia took his hand and smiled. "I would be honored." Reggie returned the smile and placed his hands on her waist. Caia wrapped her arms around his kneck. They stood a comfortable distance apart. Not too close, but not awkwardly apart either.

"Hey, what happened with you and Cheryl? You didn't seem very excited that you made it onto the River Vixens." Reggie asked.

Caia sighed. "It's compliacted," she started. "We used to be like best friends. But then one day, someone told her I said something that I did not, one thing led to another, and we were in all out girl war. Girl war is visicious and I didn't really want to be a part of it, so I cut all ties with Cheryl. Of course she bashed me, but I didn't want anything to do with her ever again."