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.
The pair remained silent for a few moments, save for Elle's quiet humming to herself as she worked to fix the last few stray hairs that had escaped her. It was a moment before she broke the silence, returning to their earlier conversation. "Well, at least it's common knowledge that Roland will be drooling over you all night," she quipped.
The words left her mouth so casually, yet they had Aspen straightening her back, confusion sweeping over her features. "What does that mean?" she asked curiously. Her cheeks had reddened from the mere thought of such a thing.
Elle rolled her eyes, not bothering to look up from her work. "Oh, come on, Asp. Don't tell me you're actually that clueless."
Aspen's brows cinched as she stared at her friend in bewilderment. "Elle, what are you talking about?" she asked again, an anxious pit opening in her stomach.
"It's moments like this that 'kitten' really suits you, you know," Elle huffed. There was a fond smile on her lips as she shook her head at her best friend's innocence. "Rollie, well, he's made it fairly clear that-"
Before she got a chance to finish, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Aspen, too caught up in her confused stupor to think right, didn't say anything at all, leaving Elle to be the one to mutter a small "come in." The door opened and Caine stepped in, maneuvering around both girls to get to the medicine cabinet. He was dressed similarly to how he had been during the team's formal dinner, though this time his shirt fit him a bit more snugly. He had also opted to style his hair in a way that was sure to keep it pushed back from his eyes. He looked rather handsome, and Elle definitely noticed.
He hardly spared the two girls a glance as he dabbed on cologne. It wasn't until he put the bottle back and shut the cabinet that he allowed his gaze to meet Aspen's in the mirror. He smiled, "Wow. If only you did that to your hair all the time, maybe then you'd look a little less homeless."
Aspen gave him a sarcastic smile before sticking her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. He allowed his gaze to study both hers and Elle's faces for a moment before his sincerity leaked through. "You look nice. Both of you," he complimented genuinely. Elle gave him an awkward smile, only to grow even more sheepish when he brushed against her back as he headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Aspen asked, causing him to pause in the doorway.
He adjusted the tie around his neck as he answered. "Zander's. Nigel and Jett are off with their dates, so the rest of us are meeting there. It's a convenient way to get out before mom asks me to drive you and your friends to school," he explained with a teasing grin.
Aspen rolled her eyes at his motives, but didn't bother with an answer. She instead just waved at him as a queue to leave. He gave her a playful salute in response. Before disappearing into the hallway, his eyes returned to Elle, who was doing her best not to stare. He offered her a kind smile as he ducked from the room. As soon as he was gone, Aspen turned her exasperated gaze onto Elle. "It's been six years!"
"And he's only gotten hotter!" she hissed back. Aspen let out a disgusted grunt as the taller girl set the straightener aside. Her cheeks were rosy as she reached for the bottle of hairspray. "Look, all I'm saying is that your brother has a tendency to be a dick, but he also is very fine. Too bad he's all hung up on Mei."
Aspen grimaced. "Please never talk about my brother like that ever again," she gagged.
Elle stuck her tongue out at her before shielding the brunette's face with one hand and applying hairspray with the other. When she was done, she brushed her fingers through Aspen's newly straightened hair, looking quite please with herself at the outcome. She grinned, "Would you look at that. You are pretty."
"I call you a princess, you insult me," Aspen snarked as she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. She gave her friend a dark look through the mirror. "Quite the dynamic we have going here."
With a grin, Elle wrapped her arms around her friend, hugging her from behind. She carefully rested her chin onto the smaller girl's shoulder in attempts to keep her makeup from smudging. "You love me and you know it," she murmured.
Aspen smiled as she patted one of her friend's thin forearms. "Yeah, kinda," she responded coolly. Her response earned her an airy chuckle as Elle released her grip. Aspen took one last glance at the mirror before a genuine smile fell onto her painted lips. She spun on her heel, bumping Elle with her hip as she passed. "Come on. We need to change."
--
Elle and Aspen were sitting, completely dressed and freshened up, on the kitchen counter when Aspen's mother walked in. The woman gave the two girls an appalled look before sighing. "You two really do spend too much time around boys," she muttered before shooing them onto the ground. "Off, or you'll wrinkle your dresses."
The two girls exchanged a look before lowering themselves to the ground. Cassandra eyed her own daughter for a moment. "There's really nothing I can do to convince you to wear anything other than Converse?" she asked pleadingly.
Aspen shook her head. "Nope. Just be glad I busted out the nice Converse," she responded with a cheeky grin.
Her mother rolled her eyes, but was unable to hide the smile that quirked her lips upwards. She pinched the girl's cheek. "You look gorgeous no matter what you wear," she complimented fondly. She lifted her gaze to Elle, who was trying her hardest not to appear out of place. She smiled, "You too, Elle. Red is definitely your color."
"Thank you," Elle murmured softly. Speaking to adults always made her a bit sheepish, even if Cassandra had basically served as a second mom to her over the years.
Mrs. Folsom smiled at both of the girls in front of her. "I remember when you two couldn't wait to be high schoolers, and now look at you," she doted nostalgically. Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes. "You're both so grown."
Aspen's eyes widened. She didn't know if she could handle a gooey nostalgia trip. Thankfully, she didn't have to, as her father appeared in the door frame before his wife's tears had a chance to fall. "Sorry to interrupt, but the rest of your party is here. And you know what that means!" he cheered with an excited smile.
Elle and Aspen exchanged a bland look, and in synchronized sarcastic tones, muttered, "Picture time!"
The two girls followed Aspen's father out into the living room, leaving her mother behind the dab her eyes with a tissue. Their friends were all standing around quite awkwardly, clearly unsure if it would be proper to take a seat or not. They all turned, more out of relief than anything, as Aspen and Elle entered the room. Elle scowled at them. "You three look like the cast of a really cheesy teen movie," she teased, her face scrunched up in annoyance.
Jay chuckled, "If that's the case, I should be swooning over you, right? Do you want to walk down the stairs like a princess so you can get the full experience?"
Elle rolled her eyes, but didn't fight the smile that fell onto her lips. Rather than crossing the room to her date's side, she stayed put beside Aspen, her arms crossed over her chest. Aspen lifted her gaze to Roland, who was already looking directly at her. His eyes seemed to take in her entire appearance for a moment, not in a crude way, but more so in an affectionate fashion. His lips parted in an effort to say something, but his throat was far too dry to produce words. He settled for a charming smile.
Aspen didn't need to analyze his appearance, but she felt herself doing so anyway. Somehow he looked even better than he had at the mall, perhaps from the way he had styled his hair. The only thing that was different about his attire was the neckline. He had taken their advice and chosen to purchase the bow tie, and Elle and Jay had been right: it was sexy.
Peter spoke before Aspen could even consider saying anything, coming to stand directly in front of his two female friends. With a beaming smile, he motioned to his side. "Elle, Aspen, this is Zara. You know, the one who does exist," he introduced, and for the first time, Aspen realized that there was another girl in the room.
The Latina was short, but not as short as Aspen. She had caramel skin that was perfectly accented by her lilac apron dress. She was undeniably pretty, and only became prettier when her lips parted into a kind smile. "It's nice to finally meet you! Peter doesn't really shut up about you guys."
Aspen immediately returned her smile. "We've been itching to meet you too. I don't think we've stopped teasing him since you agreed to be his date," she joked warmly, making sure to send a playful wink Peter's way.
"Why did you say yes, anyway?" Elle chirped. She wasn't wearing a smile like the other two were, and her voice wasn't half as warm, but she wasn't being aggressive either. She just looked a bit... unimpressed. When Zara looked confused, she added, "I mean, it is Peter we're talking about."
Zara laughed at that, glancing up at her pouting date to make sure he wasn't genuinely offended. "We've become friends," she answered smoothly. After a moment of consideration, she bashfully added, "and I didn't have very many other offers."
Aspen gave her a comforting smile. "Trust me, I get that," she reassured. Her eyes met Roland's over the top of Peter's head, and the pair shared a warm smile.
Mrs. Folsom entered the room, and her husband clapped his hands together. "Alright kiddos. Outside. It's picture time!" he chanted happily. Aspen wanted to roll her eyes, but she just couldn't bring herself to do anything other than smile. It was nice to see her parents so chipper.
Elle seemed like she couldn't escape fast enough, grasping Jay's arm and tugging him towards the door. Zara and Peter exchanged a confused look before shrugging and following the pair out. Roland lagged behind just enough to fall into step beside Aspen. He had his hands tucked into his pants pockets and his head was bowed sheepishly. Aspen couldn't help but poke at his side. "What's up? You're never this shy."
A smile prodded his lips upwards, and he timidly met her eyes. His toes curled in his shoes as he responded, "Well, in my defense, I'm not usually talking to someone who looks this beautiful, either."
Aspen felt her cheeks immediately flush. She was expecting the compliment, but she wasn't expecting the sincerity that lied beneath his expression. She bit her lip to keep from grinning too wide. "You're telling me," she began with a soft smile, "you look like a model."
Roland let out a husky chuckle before shaking his head. "I don't know about that. I think models are supposed to have more confidence."
"Since when is Roland Riley anything but confident?"
Roland's smile grew just a little bit sadder. "Pretty much as long as Roland Riley has been Roland Riley," he responded quietly. His embarrassment was evident, and Aspen suddenly felt awful.
In hopes to comfort him, she tucked her arm through his, squeezing his bicep reassuringly. "I think that's something that should change. Even if just for tonight," she suggested with a gentle smile.
As Roland held her gaze, he felt his own smile widen. In a bold yet tender move, he dipped his head and pressed a gentle kiss against the top of her hair. "It just might," he murmured when he pulled back. They exchanged one last lingering smile before joining their friends in the front yard.
—
The picture taking segment of their pre-dance preparation was arguably the most exhausting. Aspen's parents were ruthless with their expectations, and when Jay's parents crossed the street to join in on the fun, things only got worse. At some point Joey had popped into the doorway, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wooden frame. There was a smug smile on his face as he watched Elle and Aspen exchange exasperated glances. It wasn't until his mother called him over that his smug expression was wiped away.
Cassandra groaned when her eldest son stepped into the light. "Joseph! You couldn't be bothered to get dressed?" she chastised. He was wearing plaid pajama pants and a grey Eden Hall shirt, a pair of fuzzy socks adorning his feet. When he just shrugged, his mother waved him over. "Come on. Take a photo with your sister."
He did as told, though that picture was arguably the most frustrating one to take. No matter how hard the adults tried, the pair siblings wouldn't stop with their banter. At first it was Joey tickling his sister's side, but that soon became Aspen poking his cheek and tugging on his hair. When they finally got a nice, domestic photo, Joey looked as though he had just rolled out of bed, and Aspen's face was red from laughter.
Their mother sent them an unimpressed look as she handed the camera to her husband. "Just for that, you get to drive your sister and her friends to the dance. And you get to pick her up later."
Joey rolled his eyes. "Mom, the whole point was for me to not go to school tonight. If I wanted to drive to Eden Hall, I would've bought a ticket to the dance," he argued, but his mother wasn't hearing any of it.
"I don't care. Go put shoes on," she insisted. With an annoyed groan, Joey retreated into the house, only to return moments later wearing sneakers and a hoodie.
The teenagers all said their goodbyes to the adults before piling into Joey's beat up honda. Aspen sat in the front beside her brother, much to Elle's chagrin, as that meant that she was stuck in the way back beside Zara. The shorter girl tried to make Elle's acquaintance, but she was being impressively stubborn. The pair ended up riding in awkward silence.
When they got to Eden Hall, everyone jumped out of the car as quickly as possible. Jay was desperate for a chance to stretch his legs, and Peter was itching to just not have to sit still any longer. Aspen opened her door, but paused when she heard Joey coo her name.
Her older brother set her a smile. "Have fun, Squirt," he murmured smoothly. "You deserve it."
With a grin, Aspen leaned over the center console to give her older brother a hug. She bid him farewell and got out of the car, allowing the door to slam behind her. She stepped between Roland and Jay, an excited grin on her lips. She was going to lead the march onto campus, but Peter was faster.
"Party time!"