The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 27 - A Beret And A Diamond Studded Collar

Kristy walked past me and stood in front of Darian. "Hi," she said.

"Hey," said Darian.

They stood there grinning at each other.

With another eye roll I got his attention from behind Kristy's back, pointed to her, and mouthed, "You look beautiful."

"Oh! Uh, you look really nice, Kristy. Very beautiful."

She giggled.

Kristy, my sister, actually giggled.

"You look nice, too," she said. "Very handsome."

More awkward silence followed.

"Okay, sweet talkers, mom and dad are waiting to get pictures in the backyard. I'm going to go get Kelly." Without looking at me, Kristy took Darian's hand and lead him into the house.

My Jeep was once again clean. I couldn't resist getting Kelly a bouquet of red roses for our first dance, so it sat beside me during my trip. When I saw Kelly, I was taken aback by her beauty. I thought I might get used to it, but I hadn't so far. Even at fifteen, I considered her at least the equal of any movie star or model I had ever admired the looks of, but she still had that girl-next-door quality. Maybe my perception was affected by my feelings, but then again, I had similar thoughts the first time I saw her.

She was wearing a strapless white dress decorated with tiny rhinestones in various shades of red, brown, and amber. They highlighted her hair and eyes in a brilliant way. The dress looked like freshly fallen snow dotted with autumn leaves, seen from a great height. Her hair was in a twist wrap on both sides, meeting in a sort of sloppy bun on the nape of her neck. Small sprigs of baby's breath were accenting her hairdo.

My dress was fairly plain compared to hers. It was a simple blue skater dress that was open in the back. My hair was in a french braid, courtesy of my mom. I thought I was looking good until I saw Kelly. I felt boring compared to her, and I suddenly wished I was prettier.

After her grandparents took a few pictures, I whisked Kelly to our house. The four of us were subjected to another round of posing for pictures. Finally, we were off to pick up Pixie and Rizzy, and meet the rest of the group at the Hunan Kitchen.

Over dinner, we got to know Josh and Michael better, and I got to see Darian and Kristy interacting. They had talked and socialized so much electronically, that they already acted like a couple in some ways. They had inside jokes, their own private slang, and they could communicate with looks.

It made me jealous that Kelly and I couldn't act that comfortable with each other in public. At one point Kelly had a little sauce on her lip. I was going to wipe it off for her, but then I thought I better not. I just pointed it out to her instead. It was a little thing, I know. Insignificant, really, but having to second guess myself all the time with my own girlfriend...sucked.

* * *

"Analee!" I heard someone scream my name as soon as I walked into the gym. I searched for the source of the familiar voice.

"Tara? What are you doing here?" I screamed back excitedly as she gave me a big hug.

"Well, a certain young lady was chaperoning the dance and I couldn't let her be the only one here without a date." Her hands went to her hips. She was dressed in a pink formal dress slit way up the thigh, and way down the chest.

"The high school boys aren't going to leave you alone," I said, giving her the once over.

"You should see what Kala's wearing! So who's this?" She looked to my side.