Face the Music (6 page)

Today has been nothing but pure fun from the very get-go, and it’s not even time for the prom yet. First Allie and Laura and I met Beanie at the Paradiso (the local coffeehouse). And it’s always pretty cool to be back in the very first place I ever performed. But to our pleased surprise, Caitlin was there too. (Not even Josh knew that she was coming home this weekend.)

Anyway, it was so amazing to just sit there with Beanie and Caitlin and to consider what a profound influence these two college girls have had on our lives. I took a moment to just study them, and I thought to myself, man, these girls are as different as night and day. Okay, that might be too extreme since they both totally love God. But where Caitlin is this very thoughtful and sometimes reserved blue-eyed blonde, Beanie is a dark-eyed brunette who has this huge snorting laugh that makes everyone turn and look. But they’re both beautiful women, and I am truly glad they’re our friends.

So there we all sat just laughing and talking and enjoying this incredible reunion while
consuming way too much caffeine until it was nearly noon. After that, we headed over to my house to try out our prom outfits with Beanie’s supervision and final tweaking. Well, that girl really outdid herself this time.

I must confess I was concerned about this whole fifties thing, imagining us wearing puffy pastel dresses that looked like they’d survived a bad wedding party, but I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong.

“It’s because of Chloe that I chose the fifties,” announced Beanie as she laid out the garment bags containing our outfits.

“What do you mean?” I asked, instantly on the defense.

“I wanted to see you wearing something a little more feminine for a change,” said Beanie. “Your Doc Martens are fine and everything, but I thought it’d be fun to see you really looking like a girly girl.”

Naturally, Laura and Allie got a good laugh over this since they both think I’m not terribly in touch with my feminine side. Which I happen to think is a bunch of bunk. I mean, just because you don’t wear lace and frills doesn’t mean you’re not feminine. Right?

But what can you do when you’re outnumbered—four to one in this case since Caitlin had come
along to see our little dress rehearsal? And God bless Caitlin because she said, “Chloe is very feminine. Who else can dress like she does and still look that pretty?” Okay, “pretty” probably isn’t the look I’m usually going for, but it was better than nothing.

Now let me describe our outfits in the order that Beanie presented them to us. First was Allie’s, a pretty little chiffon number in a soft shade of aqua blue that really brought out her blue eyes. But instead of being all fluffy and poofy, it was more sleek and sophisticated.

“I feel like a real movie star.” Allie twirled around in it, pointing the toe of a satin dyed-to-match strappy shoe. “Very sexy.”

“Yeah,” said Laura. “Reminds me of Marilyn Monroe.”

“Wait ’til you see the rhinestones I have to go with it.” Beanie dug through a bag to produce a necklace, earrings, and bracelet that looked surprisingly like the real thing—diamonds.

“You should let me help you with your hair,” offered Caitlin. “You’ll want to wear it up.”

“Cool.” Allie grinned as she scooped her blood waves into a makeshift do and strutted around my bedroom. But then she started singing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” until we finally had to shut her up.

Next came Laura. It figured that Beanie was making me (queen of the heel draggers) wait until last. Laura’s outfit, in my opinion, was even more stunning than Allie’s. It was this amazing shade of orangeish coral, but in an iridescent satin that just seemed to shimmer with all kinds of hidden colors, and believe me, it looked totally amazing against Laura’s beautiful bronze-colored skin. The dress wasn’t as soft looking as Allie’s. In fact, as I search for the right word to describe it, I think I would call it
smoldering
. I could imagine Laura in a smoky nightclub crooning out the blues. Okay, I realize Laura would never do that—I’m simply being dramatic. And the satin shoes to go with it were absolutely gorgeous, sleek and simple, yet very elegant.

“Ooh,” Laura said as she checked herself out in the mirror. “This is nice. Very nice.”

“Poor Ryan,” said Allie. “He’s going to fall over dead when he sees you looking so hot.”

Laura laughed. “Good. Then at least he’ll have something to remember me by.”

Naturally, we were all curious as to what this meant, but Laura quickly set us straight.

“I’ve decided that going to the prom with Ryan is going to be just a one-date thing,” she explained as Beanie helped her with the necklace clasp (a beautiful string of oversize faux black pearls and earrings to match).

Laura turned to me. “Can we tell them about our pact?”

“Fine with me,” I said and Allie nodded. And then the three of us attempted to explain our commitment. It came out in something of a jumble, but Caitlin and Beanie seemed to get it.

And Caitlin—no surprise here—thought it was a very wise plan. “Take it from me, you’ll all save yourself a whole lot of trouble,” she said. “And I know that God will honor you for it. Just wait and see.”

Beanie nodded, mumbling with pins in her mouth as she took in the back of Laura’s dress. “She’s right, you know. I should’ve listened to Caitlin when I was your age.”

Finally, it was my turn. And Beanie’s psychology was working on me. I couldn’t wait. By now I figured that even if she pulled out a powder pink dress that looked like something from “Beauty and the Beast,” I’d still be happy. After all, she’s Beanie and she just has ways of making things look good. But I was totally delighted when she unzipped the garment bag to reveal a burgundy-colored dress in a silky fabric that felt as soft as butter. “It’s beautiful,” I told her as she helped me slip into it.

“Don’t you feel like royalty?”

I nodded. “I love the way the skirt feels around my legs.”

“That little slit makes it great for dancing too,” she said as she zipped up the little zipper beneath my arm.

The fitted bodice had lots of tucks that gave it its shape, and I’m guessing it would probably have worked perfectly fine as a strapless dress, but just the same, I felt thankful for the sleek spaghetti straps.

“You look stunning,” said Caitlin. “I mean it, Chloe, you are hot!”

Everyone seemed to agree, and I wasn’t sure if it was all just part of an elaborate plan to get me to comply with this whole dressing up thing, but hey, I was already on board. This was turning out to be a lot more fun than I’d expected.

“These shoes are actually from the fifties.” Beanie produced a gorgeous pair of black velvet high heels with dainty little ankle straps. “They’re just like new. Not cheap either, but I think they’re worth it, don’t you?”

“I love them,” I said as I slipped them on.

Then she brought out another set of jewelry. “Okay. I have to warn you that, like the shoes, these are the real thing too. They’re actually from the forties. They’re gold plated and the stones are garnets, and considering their value, I got a real deal on them. Still, they were kind of spendy compared to the other pieces, and if you think they’re too much, the lady at the secondhand
shop promised I can return them.”

But as soon as I had them on, everyone insisted that I had to keep them. And I had no problem with that. I liked the idea of wearing something from another era. It’s like those sparkling red stones could have a story to tell. That’s pretty cool.

“Beanie,” said Caitlin. “Doesn’t this remind you of the time that you, Jenny, and I went to the prom? Only minus the guys.”

“Except no way were our threads as cool as these.”

“Yeah,” said Caitlin. “We couldn’t have afforded it.”

Allie sighed. “It wasn’t that long ago that I never would’ve been able to afford it either. Sometimes I think I’m just having a really good dream.”

So I pinched her, gently. “It’s for real.”

Then we wrote out the check that Willy had given us to pay Beanie for the clothes and her valuable time.

“Willy made us promise that we’d wear these outfits during a concert sometime,” I explained. “That way they’re deductible.”

“Sounds good to me,” Laura said as she admired herself in the mirror one last time before Beanie made her take off the dress.

“I’ll do the final alterations and have them
back to you girls by six. Is that early enough?”

“Perfect,” I told her. “We’ll be here.”

Then I went for a bike ride, read my Bible, took a short nap, and still had time to write all this down in my diary. But now it’s almost six, and I’m guessing everyone will be here soon. My first prom and I feel like just a regular high school girl again (or maybe for the first time). Basically, I can’t wait!

Last night (prom night) was full of surprises. Where to start? Why not just begin at the beginning.

Beanie and Caitlin helped us to get ready (hair and makeup and the works). Man, from all the excitement going on around here you’d have thought we were doing a major concert or maybe attending the music awards to pick up our Grammy. But it was fun having both Caitlin and Beanie helping us. Afterward, Allie jokingly suggested that we bring them both on tour with us sometime, and I have to say that Caitlin and Beanie both acted pretty interested.

Anyway, the plan was for the guys to come over here early so that Beanie could get some photos of the six of us (her final project) with her teacher’s fancy digital camera. Isaiah and Brett were staying at a hotel downtown, and Ryan, of course, was at his parents’. We expected them to get here around seven, then following our photo session, we would all climb into my VW van and ride to the big event together. My dad had even washed and cleaned it out inside—very sweet of him.

To say my parents (mostly my mom) were totally excited is an understatement. My mom seemed almost like she was a teenager herself as we got ready, she was so into it. And I didn’t even mind having her hang with us. It was really fun having her involved and seeing her so happy. Okay, it was more than fun, it was unforgettably cool.

So we were all dolled up and Ryan was already here, and I must say he looked fantastic in his fifties-style suit, black with pinstripes, but he looked pretty nervous too. Laura said it was only because he was excited about meeting “two of the guys from Iron Cross.” Well, whatever. Like our agreement, we three girls aren’t letting any guys mess us up.

But then I almost lost it when I saw the other guys coming up the walk to my house. I’ll admit that Isaiah and Brett looked amazing in their suits, but what just about undid me was the fact that Jeremy was WITH them. Now, I didn’t get that. What was he doing here?

Turned out he’d come along just to hang with them in our little town for a couple of days and, as he said, “to absorb some of the local flavor.” Well. And he’d driven the guys over in their rental car so he could use it while we we’re out “promming.” Well again.

Now you’d think he’d have left after dropping the young men off, but no, he decided to stick
around and watch the photo session. Did he hang around just to impress Beanie and Caitlin, who acted like a couple of overgrown groupies, getting everyone’s autographs as they took photos of all three guys? Or was it something else? Okay, before it sounds as though I’m getting carried away here (and I have NOT forgotten our pact), I have to say that he was paying me some very specific attention.

“You look different, Chloe. It’s like you’re all grown up now.”

I frowned at him. “It’s just an outfit, Jeremy.”

“I know, but it really makes you seem older.”

Then Isaiah came up and hooked my arm in his. “Keep your hands off my woman, bro.”

We all laughed, but the look in Jeremy’s eyes (I don’t think I imagined this) seemed almost hurt. Now, I know this makes absolutely no sense. I’m only writing it down because it was so weird—and surprising—and slightly confusing.

Caitlin even pulled me aside before we left. “Chloe, does Jeremy like you?”

I shrugged. “We’re all friends. We hang out together a lot, you know?”

“I know. But Chloe, does he
like
you?”

Now, if there was ever a chick I felt I could be totally honest with (the girl reads me like a book) it is Caitlin. And so I told her, “He has a girlfriend, Caitlin, but I am just getting over a
very serious crush on him. We’re like brother and sister, you know? Does that answer your question?”

She nodded. “Sort of. But listen, Chloe, that look on his face looked like something more than just brother and sister.”

Well, I could feel my cheeks starting to flush then, and I just wished that Caitlin hadn’t said a thing. And yet, at the same time, I was thrilled that she did. Why is that? But as a result I did something that was probably very stupid and immature (but hey, I’m only seventeen). I started cozying up to Isaiah and acting all silly, like I honestly thought he’d hung the moon or something. I can’t even explain it without making myself sound totally moronic.

It wasn’t long after my little stunt that Jeremy left, and then I really felt bad. But I reminded myself that: 1) Jeremy has a girlfriend, 2) he’s too old for me, and 3) Isaiah and I were just out to have a good time and a few laughs tonight. Basically, I told myself to just chill and have fun. And fortunately we did.

I was really glad that we didn’t hire a limo like Allie had suggested. We already felt like we had celebrity status anyway once we stepped into the ballroom-we were running late since we took our time over the swankiest dinner our town has to offer.

But thanks to Tiffany Knight, the word had gotten around that two guys from “another rock band” were escorting Allie and me. And even though not all the kids at school listen to, or even know of, Iron Cross, they all acted pretty interested in getting a glimpse of Isaiah and Brett. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for everyone to get their looks and then get back to the normal business of visiting and dancing, and before long we were all just part of the big noisy crowd.