Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

t h i r t y

Aspen watched through the reflection of her bathroom mirror as Elle danced cautiously around her, a straight iron grasped professionally in her right hand. Homecoming week had been a whirlwind of spirit days, class rallies, and lunchtime events, all gone by in what felt like the blink of an eye. She wasn't expecting Saturday to come so soon, but it was here, and she wasn't sure if she was ready or not.

Elle had insisted on doing her hair, as she didn't trust Aspen to take care of her unruly mop any more than she would've trusted Peter to do it for her. Aspen negotiated enough to at least get her to settle on straightening it. She didn't think she had the patience that sitting through a curling session would require. Putting on a full face of makeup was bad enough.

"When did you get so good at this?" Aspen asked. She turned to try and get a glimpse of the strands that had already been done, but Elle steered her head back into place with a scowl.

The taller girl's tongue was poking out from the corner of her mouth as her focus intensified. She had met one particularly stubborn wave, and she was doing her damnedest to get it into place without burning it. "Lots of practice," she finally responded with a grunt. "It takes a lot to tame my mane."

While Aspen didn't doubt that, you never would have assumed it from looking at her. Say what you will about Elle and her tomboyish nature, but the girl's hair never had a strand out of place. Even after a game, her ponytail of curls would be tight and secure. She had chosen a fancier updo for the dance, and even as she rotated around her friend, not a single ringlet of dark hair slipped from its place. Aspen was often in awe of her best friend's beauty.

Elle was all business as she set in on the last section of Aspen's hair, her calloused hands moving surprisingly nimbly through the ragged auburn waves. When the silence became a bit too odd for Aspen's liking, she asked, "What time did you tell Jay to get here?"

"Six," Elle responded without even batting an eye. "I figured if they all got here then, we could give your parents a half an hour to get through all the photos they're going to force us to take, and then we'd still have 30 minutes to get to Eden Hall on time."

Aspen was a bit surprised to hear how well thought-out Elle's timetable was. Wasn't she the one who just a month ago didn't even want to go to the dance? Maybe being around Jay so much had an impact on her. "It's almost kind of weird. I mean, we both know exactly what they're going to look like when they get here, but they have no idea what to expect from us." She smirked at Elle through their reflection. "I daresay you're going to stop Peter in his tracks."

Elle's cheeks changed colors, but she let out an indignant huff. She didn't meet Aspen's gaze as she muttered, "Don't care what he thinks. Don't care what any of them think."

Aspen sighed, a slightly humored smile overtaking her countenance. "You do realize that you look gorgeous, right? And when you change into your dress you'll look like a princess. Even Jay isn't going to be able to deny that."

Elle chuckled a bit at the last part. "We both know Jay prefers suits to dresses," she chirped with a fond smile. Of course, they both did know that. Peter and Roland knew it too. But that was the beginning and the end of the people who Jay had come out to.

"That wasn't my point," Aspen shot back with an amused roll of her eyes. She jumped a bit as the heat from the straightener flashed across her neck, not enough to burn, but certainly enough to surprise her.

Elle grimaced, taking a step back. "Did I burn you?" she asked hurriedly, concern flooding into her dark eyes. They seemed ten times bigger behind her newly darkened lashes. When Aspen shook her head, Elle nodded to herself and resumed her task.