I was really pressed for time when I got home, but fortunately I didn't have much to do since I'd showered and all before going to the salon, just makeup and a trace of perfume. I'd already packed my handbag. And fortunately, I wasn't planning on wearing a lot of makeup because it makes me break out if I use a lot of foundation. I did take the time to put my new styling products in the half bath where I quickly took care of my face, then back to my bedroom where, a little self-consciously, I changed to an upscale pair of panties just to feel completely special, then buckled the straps of my shoes around my ankles. I took the dress out of the bag and slid it on, zipping it up and buttoning the collar. I put the ring on my middle finger, and spent some time kind of swishing the skirt and wishing for the full length mirror I used to have. I heard voices and figured that Grandpa was here, so I dabbed the perfume carefully, made sure the skirt wasn't accidentally stuck in my panties, put the lip gloss back into the clutch, and picked up the shawl. It was warm now but the evening was supposed to be cool and rather moist as another change in weather rolled in. So yeah, I don't know how much good a lace shawl would actually do, but no way was I going to wear a jacket.
"Oh, honey," my mom said. Her hand was pressed to her lips as she looked at me. "You look so beautiful, especially your hair."
"You're not so little anymore," my dad said regretfully. Oh, so many comebacks to that. But this was going to be a fun night for me, so I just settled for thanks.
"Your friend is going to be the envy of your classmates," Grandpa said. "Pictures!" I didn't say a word about being positioned for pictures because it was the first time in a long time that anybody'd been interested enough to make the effort. Then there was a knock on the door, and John was there in a nice black suit with a beautiful violet silk tie.
"Wow, Leia," he said, a little breathlessly, and my ego burst out into song and dance. I smiled.
"I like your tie," I said, and invited him in. My family greeted him and I pinned his boutonniere to his lapel. He smiled as he looked at it.
"This is for you," he said, handing me a clear plastic box. Inside was a wrist corsage with two delicate orchids, dainty baby's breath here and there, and elegant greens, held on the wrist with two stretch pearl bead bracelets.
"So pretty! Thank you, John."
"You said your dress was blue, but then I realized that that covers a lot of ground and I wasn't sure. So I figured that white flowers would go with anything." I smiled. Then there were more pictures, some with the cameras on our phones too, and my brother came in. Dang. So close. He grunted when he saw us.
"Hey, Starry," John said pleasantly. My brother nodded and went down the hall. I took that as our getaway sign and eased toward the door.
"Have fun," my mother said, and John held the door for me. We went out to his car; Ford had given him an EcoBoost Mustang in a gorgeous dark red.
"Wish they'd given me one of the hybids," he said as he held the door for me. "But you can't deny the coolness factor of a Mustang."
"It is gorgeous," I said. "Powerful, like your skating, so it fits."
"I try to be cool about it," he said, settling into the drivers seat, "but it is so much fun to drive. It's a manual. Dad told me that paying any speeding tickets are my responsibility, and that if I get too many, they'll take it away, sponsorship gift or no." He sighed. "Maybe I'll get just one this summer. Take it out on the highway."
"Speeding tickets are like potato chips, you can't stop at one," I said, kidding around.
"How many have you gotten?" he asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.
"Well, none," I admitted, and he laughed. "But then I don't have a pony car, either."
We chatted as he drove us to a restaurant; it was an unpretentious place featuring American cuisine with a French influence. I'd heard good things about it but hadn't been.
OMG. Duck fat fried potatoes.
I managed to make it through dinner without spilling on myself, and we headed to the dance. Dances at Central, even the proms, were held at the school, both as a way to control things like illicit liquor and conduct and costs, so that most students could afford the tickets. The dance committee had done a really nice job, borrowing birch trees from a garden center and stringing them with fairy lights in an 'enchanted forest' theme. A little arbor was set up for the photographer, which was our first stop. The photographer surveyed us and had me stand with my back to the camera, John's arm around my waist, and my hand on his chest, looking around at the camera. "Be a shame to waste that beautiful hair," she said, and clicked the shutter.
The bleachers were all pushed back, tables and chairs ringed the gym, and dancing was in the center. We greeted people we knew, conversed a little, and danced. Contrary to our fears, we weren't the worst out there by a long shot, and once I realized that I wasn't going to embarrass myself or endanger the welfare of others, I relaxed and really started to enjoy it. We took breaks to talk, with each other and others, and to have some punch, which was pretty good. The prom king and queen were announced--I knew who they were although not personally--and overall I had a great time.
It was chilly and damp when we left as the dance started to wind down, and I'd been right, my lace shawl did very little beyond look delicate and pretty. John shrugged out of his fine wool (and toasty!) suitcoat and draped it over my shoulders. "Your scarf thing is pretty, but it can't be very warm," he said.
"Well, insulation is not known to be one of the properties of lace," I said philosophically. "Thanks, but aren't you cold?"
"I'm wearing more than you are, even if it isn't as elegant," he said, escorting me to the Mustang. He settled me inside and shut the door. He started the powerful engine and encouraged me to play around with the climate control on my side of the car, including heated seats. It was really cozy. It wasn't far to the condo, and he escorted me to the door.
"Thanks for inviting me, John," I said. "I had a great time."
"Me too, Leia." He leaned over and kissed my cheek as I took off his coat. I was smiling when I went inside.
Inside, Mom and Dad were waiting up. (eyeroll) But all they asked was where we went to dinner and if I had fun.
"Much more fun than last year," I said cheerfully, and went to my room to reluctantly take off my dress. My feet didn't even really hurt.
I was still in a really good mood the next day, partly because even though I had to undo the fancy braid, the new cut looked spectacular (I say modestly) and the deep conditioning treatment made my hair silky, smooth, and pretty. I went to Grandpa's for lunch and to give him a concise account of the dance, then it was over to the library to work. I stopped by the park to show my friends the pictures, and they cooed over them.
"You two look so cute together," Zayna said, studying the pictures.
"I'm going to start going to that salon," Cass said, touching my hair. Zayna smirked.
"I told you they were good."
"That dress, though," Carol said. "You look gorgeous in it, great color. But not like you're trying to be really sexy or a princess or whatever." I went to work feeling really good about my choices.
On Wednesday, we were at lunch when the ACT scores were released. I pushed my lunch away, and John looked grim. But we had to find out sooner or later, and I gingerly touched the link for the scores and signed in. While the internet did its thing, I looked around the cafeteria, looking for the exit closest to a bathroom in case I needed to go cry or something. "Remember, we can always retake them," I said to John as my phone screen flashed and I steeled myself to look. Then I looked again. "That's not half bad," I said to myself, and when I looked up, John had a relieved look on his face.
"Composite 34 out of 36 and 10 out of 12 average on the writing test," he said, slumping and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll take that."
"Composite 34, writing 11," I said, reaching for my water bottle. We contemplated our good fortune and I started to smile as the good news really started to sink in. "I suppose the takeaway here is that neither of us is any good at judging test performance." John laughed and started to text his parents the good news, so I did the same, including Grandpa in mine, and also the rest of my friends.
Keshondra had done slightly better on hers, with a 35, but the other girls were lower, although nobody below a 30. We were all relieved. Now I just had to focus on classes and my GPA. And, of course, the application essays. But that was a task for another day.
The seniors had their prom that weekend, then the next week was finals and graduation for the seniors that weekend. I'd thought long and hard about a graduation gift for my brother, and since I couldn't buy him a clue, I got him a phrase book in Chinese, since the Olympics were to be held there. And miraculously, he actually seemed to like it. Grandpa had a cookout in his yard for my brother and his friends, and the family. I stayed long enough to have a burger, potato salad, and be polite, then I evacuated for the fun of the park. With the start of summer, I felt more relaxed.
"To be fair, this last year was so much better than I'd expected," I confessed to John as we sat on some grass watching the boarders, including his brother. We both winced as Paul met the pavement, but he bounced right up. John grinned at me.
"Good to hear. What were you expecting?"
"Well, misery," I said. "I didn't want to leave Michigan, and in some ways my school was better than Central. But I've got some really good friends, a job I like and that I'm good at, and I'm doing really well at school." I was, too, in the top ten students for my class, right above John in GPA. I smiled at the thought. "My self-esteem is recovering, so there's that, too. Finding things that I'm good at, trying new things."
"Yeah, I really don't understand how a girl like you could possibly blend in, but you manage it," he said, frowning slightly.
"You should know the value of practice," I said, laying back on the grass and closing my eyes to the mild sun.
"Speaking of practice, when do you start drill team?"
"We get a week off after school, we start next Monday morning. I'm planning to sleep in extensively." I opened my eyes, shading them with my forearm, and looked at him. "Got some additional shifts at work too to keep busy. How's skating going?"
John actually cackled. I sat up straight and looked at him hard. Then he just started to laugh. "I cannot wait to debut these programs," he said eventually. Then he looked smug. "The run-through performance for friends and family has been moved up two weeks, just two weeks away. I think, but nobody's confirmed it to me, that they're doing it so Starry has a little extra time to change his up."
That wasn't good for my brother. It meant that his programs weren't as good as John's, and he was going to have a fit when he found that out. I felt a little sorry for him, but on the other hand, he'd been doing this for a long time now and should have a better idea of what he needed to do. Of course, John's programs could be really just that good, and that made me really curious. "I don't suppose you'll tell me--confidentially--what you're skating to."
He knew I'd never tell anybody, especially since apparently we'd find out in a couple of weeks. "My short program is to Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman. Most of the solos in the middle were cut out to get to time." My eyebrows shot up. That would be difficult. "Long program... you'll just have to be patient."
I groaned. "This is probably the first time I've been really eager to go to the rink," I said, grinning.
"Good thing that you have something to occupy yourself with til then," he said airily.