by Kristie Cook
21 - ASH
I paced the length of my room in my sling-backs, trying to get a better handle on walking. My hair was perfectly styled, make-up done to my mother’s standards, dress altered to fit me like a glove, and my ride fashionably late. And to top everything off, all I wanted to do was vomit.
“They’re here!” Lucy called up the stairs in a breathless frenzy. “Hurry up, Ashlyn!”
I craned my neck to look out the window as the limo and three cars filled with parents pulled up into the driveway. At the sight, my pulse thumped wildly through my veins. Callahan got out first and took my breath away wearing a magnificent black suit.
His shoulders rose and fell. I wanted to call to him and wave, but stood faltering in my self-confidence as the rest filed out: two of Callahan’s friends: Dustin and Evan, and their dates: Shannon from the swim team and Kylie, who happened to be a close friend to Brooke.
What if I make a complete idiot of myself tonight?
I wasn’t as prepared as I’d hoped to be, especially with Kylie being in the limo with us. Visions of her prying the crown from my head on the ride home flashed through my mind. For my safety, I hoped the student body voted someone else Queen.
I smoothed my sweaty hands on the bedspread and proceeded toward the stairs. The parents’ chattering voices swooped up the stairwell. I hesitated, wishing for a place to hide.
Dad turned the corner and looked up at me, his comforting eyes sparkling with pride. “Ashlyn, you look breathtaking.”
I willed away the tears as I walked down the steps to take his outstretched hand. He kissed me on the cheek before escorting me into the living room. The occupants hushed.
Callahan’s dark chocolate colored eyes met mine and his smile wrapped me with warmth, melting away my nerves. I joined him by the fireplace and Mom handed me the green orchid boutonniere. The noise returned as parents voiced compliments and snapped photos, lessening the attention on my entrance
“Hi,” he said with a rickety voice. “You look really beautiful.”
“Thank you. You look great, too.”
My hands shook, trying to pin the darn flower onto his lapel and not stab him by accident. Mom noticed and took over. I gratefully moved out of her way.
He opened the plastic case containing a red rose corsage and took my hand. His touch sent electricity down my arm, energizing my skin as he slid the elastic over my wrist and slyly interlacing his fingers with mine. I squeezed his hand back and smiled.
The chaotic photo shoot slowly turned more organized as couples were paired up and commanded to smile, look over here, get closer together, move further apart. When I thought I couldn’t take another blinding flash, Georgia pulled me close for a best friends shot. Reluctantly, I let go of Callahan’s hand.
She giggled and pressed her cheek into mine. “Isn’t this awesome?” she asked through the teeth of her smile as her mom aimed the camera.
I grunted an acknowledgement and noticed my feet had already begun to hurt. Behind Georgia’s mom, Kylie stood with a straight-face, solitary hand on her hip. I questioned why she’d agreed to ride with us. Was she here to ruin my evening with Callahan on purpose?
After the last flash, I pulled away. “Shouldn’t we be leaving soon?”
Georgia looked at her cell phone and gasped, grabbing onto Jeremy’s arm. “Time to go.”
To my relief, Callahan’s hand found mine again and we locked eyes for a brief minute. Though we’d spent a lot of effort to make the evening so exquisite, all I wanted to do was go somewhere, just the two of us, and talk. In his eyes, I read he wanted the same thing. But the tide of dresses and suits swept us out the door toward the limo.
“Oh, wait,” Gran called behind me and I turned. She draped the white fur over my shoulders. “Have fun, Dear.” Her soft hand wrapped around mine briefly and I smiled as she kissed me on the cheek.
“Thank you, Gran.”
For a moment her eyes twinkled. She joined the line of parents on the porch as they called out well wishes. I waved and got into the luxurious limo, anxious to experience my first ride.
Georgia got in on the other side and snuggled in next to Jeremy. Then the iPhone party began: photos, texting, videos—you name it. Georgia’s gleeful banter kept the limo relatively warm in spite of Kylie’s insipid chill. Kylie ended up moving to the other end of the limo with Evan, engrossed with the screen of her cell phone. Shannon, on the other hand, cooed and posed under Dustin’s arm. I watched the comedic interaction, distracted by Callahan’s gentle fingers entwining and playing with mine, his breath tickling my ear. The driver watched through his rear view mirror with a shake of his head.
“Ready to go?” he asked gruffly.
Callahan nodded and we were off. I leaned deeper into his shoulder and Georgia eventually stopped talking and turned on the radio.
“You look awesome,” he whispered again, tucking me under his arm.
I looked down at my corsage. Delicate flowers made of gems lay hidden in the greenery. “Thank you.”
“Geez, Ash—you seriously need a Facebook account. I can’t tag you on anything,” Georgia whined, her fingers moving over the touch screen.
“Yeah, well …” I sighed. She already knew my parents were techno-tards.
“Do you want to drive around for a little bit?” the driver asked through the window between the front seat and us. “Or go straight to the country club?”
We glanced around at one another, no one voicing an opinion.
I shrugged and finally said, “Sure, why not?”
Kylie cleared her throat. “If we’re late, the line for pictures will be out the door. We should go now. I am on the committee after all.” She batted her eyelashes at Evan for support.
Georgia chimed in. “Do we really need to go to the country club now? Can’t we at least drive around for thirty minutes and get our money’s worth? We’ve only got the limo until eleven—pictures can wait.”
“That sounds good to me,” Shannon said.
Callahan and Dustin agreed. Evan remained silent, which angered Kylie further.
“Fine. Whatever.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, side swiping Evan in the face. “I was just thinking of everyone else since I do have privileges, so you’ll just have to enjoy the line.”
Privileges?
She began texting, I’m sure to tattle to someone that we were holding her hostage. When her phone buzzed with a return exchange, she cackled and looked straight at me. The others might have finally noticed her visual assault, but another limo zipped by, its occupants hanging out of the sunroof, causing a major ruckus.
Georgia laughed and began to open our own sunroof. I grabbed her knee. “You’ll mess up your hair.”
Kylie snorted and looked at her phone. We both glared at her. “I’m laughing at my text message.”
Sure you are. I was glad her acidity finally crossed into someone else’s territory.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, but my heart wouldn’t stop pounding for what lay ahead. Deep down, though incredibly sweet, I wished Callahan hadn’t nominated me, especially now with Kylie in our limo. Who in their right mind would agree to this arrangement? Evan was clearly not thinking. He should have never made his date share a limo with Callahan, her best friend’s ex, and me, her best friend’s competition for Senior Ball Queen. Ridiculous.
Instead, I ignored her and focused my gaze out the window at the lake, breathing in Callahan’s glorious scent. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of letting her know she bothered me. Callahan responded the way I needed, unaware of my internal battle, and wrapped his arms around me, causing my heart to beat faster for good reasons.
22 - ASH
ASH
When we arrived, Kylie jumped from the limo with Evan in tow, and proceeded past the swarm of people—never to return. I guessed that’s what “privileges” meant. More like a line-cutting pass.
Shifting my weight again to ease the ache in my arches, I looked dow
n the never-ending line of overly-dressed students that snaked around the building. In the short fifteen minutes, we’d only moved a couple of feet.
“Cassie just texted and said we are in the right spot for pictures and once we get through the doors, it’s only twenty minutes more,” Georgia said, craning her neck.
I looked for this mysterious door as well, hoping to get off my feet soon. “Are you sure you want to wait?”
Georgia hit me on the arm. “Of course, silly.”
I sighed as my tummy rumbled, noticing some of the girls’ dates had come back with hors d’oeuvres. With the swim meet and the nervous rush to get ready in time, I’d completely forgotten to have lunch. My mouth watered.
“You hungry?” Callahan asked, noticing my eyes glass over at the sight of crackers and cheese.
I nodded, feeling a little weak in the knees. I’d even eat a green olive if offered at this point.
“Come on,” he gestured toward Dustin and Jeremy. “Let’s go.”
The guys left in search of food, conveniently leaving us alone.
“So why do you think Kylie laughed when I called you Senior Ball Queen in the limo earlier?” Georgia asked softly, pulling Shannon and me into a tight circle.
“Who knows,” I mumbled, feeling the title a bit presumptuous and inappropriate. “Maybe she already knows I lost.”
“She can’t,” Shannon said with wide green eyes fringed with glitter eyeliner. “Only the teachers on the committee know. They count the votes, right?”
I shrugged. This was all new to me. “Who cares. I’m not going to win anyway.”
“Oh yes you are,” Georgia said with a stamp of her foot. “Everyone I know said they voted for you and I know everyone.”
But would they tell her the truth? “Still, Brooke is so popular—”
Georgia put her hands on her hips. “—and treats everyone like crap. I think the student body is sick of her superiority complex and wants someone who deserves to be Queen. Like you.” She straightened up and cupped her hands over her mouth. “How many of you think Ashlyn would make the best Senior Ball Queen ever?”
The line turned at her voice and, to my surprise, erupted in a cheer.
I ducked down and brought my hand to my forehead. “Shut-up, Georgia. Please.”
Callahan came up behind me and put his arm around my waist. “What’s going on?”
“Food!” I exclaimed quickly before anyone else could fill him in. “Thank you.” I force fed a mini croissant slathered in some white creamy sauce into Georgia’s mouth to silence her. She smirked knowingly as I winked.
After thirty minutes more, we finally made it to the red carpet for The Night at the Oscars, complete with a life-sized golden replica of Oscar himself. The paparazzi photographer and posing with the golden statue made for a fun photo shoot. And to no one’s dismay, Kylie missed out on the group shot.
Afterward, the six of us proceeded to the dining area and looked for our table number amidst the swarm of people. Callahan noticed his table number on his ticket said twenty-one and mine, twenty-three. Twenty-one happened to be Kylie’s table.
“Oh.” He licked his lips. “I had to buy an extra ticket for you and I must have gotten the table wrong. Kylie is on the committee. Let’s ask her to straighten this out,” he said, glancing in her direction.
“Oh, this is awkward,” Kylie said after looking at our differing tickets. “But there’s nothing I can do now. We’ve only got enough room for one at our table. Callahan, you could sit here next to Evan and rejoin Ashlyn once the dancing starts after dinner.”
A pit formed in my stomach at her suggestion. How could he not check the tickets? I noted the jackets resting on the backs of most of the chairs, unsure of the owners. Next to the empty seat was a silver beaded bag I could only assume belonged to Brooke.
“I’ll find Ashlyn a chair and squeeze her in,” Georgia exclaimed and began to scan nearby tables for one to steal.
“No!” Kylie called out with a panic stricken face. “We can only have eight people at a table. Country club rules.”
I looked around and noticed others had successfully added additional chairs, all the way up to ten in some cases.
“That’s okay,” Callahan said, gripping my hand tighter. “I’ll find a seat where I can be with Ashlyn.”
“Well, okay.” Kylie put on her fake smile. “Good luck.”
We turned away and looked for a number twenty-three in the centerpieces of popcorn boxes, fake movie reels, and glittery stars.
“Don’t worry. There’s always an overflow table,” Callahan said just to me.
I finally relaxed my shoulders. How convenient for the mix-up to put Callahan in with Brooke and her hornets’ nest of friends. My heart warmed that he’d rejected the idea and insisted we be together, even if he didn’t have a seat.
“Oh, cool!” Georgia exclaimed after looking at her phone. She waved at Cassie standing on the other side of the room. “Cassie just texted me. There is an extra seat at table twenty-three after all.”
Callahan and I exchanged relieved glances. “See? It all worked out,” he said.
The group assembled around the table.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” Cassie said, looking a bit distressed. “People were trying to steal our chairs.”
“Thanks,” I said as Callahan pulled out my chair for me to sit.
As we settled in, I noticed more students filtered into the room and floundered to find their seats like we did. Across one wall, a replica of the HOLLYWOOD sign stood and on the other were famous black and white pictures of actors and actresses. But my attention was at the center of the room where the buffet tables sat with covered chaffing dishes.
Shortly thereafter, but not soon enough, Mrs. Kiefer finally dismissed our table to the buffet. The choices were palatable: grilled chicken, tortellini salad, green salad, diced red potatoes and wheat rolls. With a snug dress that left little to no room for stomach expansion, I stuck with the tortellini.
When the music started, my heart sped up, but not for obvious reasons. The last dance I’d attended had been freshman year and ended horribly when Ricky Anderson, my date, tripped me on the dance floor and I ended up in the ER. I vowed then to never return to a dance floor from sheer embarrassment, until Callahan asked me to be his date.
Callahan turned to me with a knee-melting smile. “Would you like to dance?”
His gentle brown eyes made saying “no” impossible and I nodded, completely captured by his enticing lips. He pulled me to the middle of the floor for a slow dance, drawing me into his arms. I leaned into his chest as we swayed in a small circle. My heart fluttered when he pulled me closer, his hands holding the small of my back. Everything was finally perfect, the way I’d pictured this night since he’d asked me a week ago.
“This is magical,” I whispered in his ear.
He hummed back in agreement. My throat hitched remembering Georgia’s suggestion. This was the moment she talked about, but on the inside, I was a bundle of nerves, out of my element. Last thing I wanted to do was kiss Callahan right here in front of everyone. We circled around again and I felt him shift, as if to coax me to look up. I didn’t dare move, keeping my cheek glued to his shoulder.
“Are you having fun?” he asked, his warm breath tickling my ear.
“Yes.” No. Maybe. I felt too light-headed to be sure.
He brushed his hand over my hair and wrapped his fingers under my chin. My pulse hammered through my body as he guided my face upwards. Behind his blazing brown eyes, I saw his desire shimmer. He glanced at my lips and back again. With a smile, he leaned in toward me.
I trembled, closing my eyes as he tipped my chin upward. This is it.
Expecting warm lips to touch mine, a bright light flashed over my eyelids instead. I popped them open and turned, Callahan’s lips making contact with my cheek. With lipstick smeared faces, Jeremy and Georgia froze, wide-eyed and embarrassed, caught in the direct line of a chaperone
’s flashlight. Then, the unforgiving light illuminated yet another couple whose display apparently was objectionable. I put my head back on his shoulder to avoid the probing beacon, my mind racing, embarrassed I’d messed up the kiss.
The next song sped things up and resulted in people bumping into us, followed up with snide remarks to take our slow dance somewhere else. We broke apart and danced more appropriately for the music selection, but when Callahan moved behind me and took ahold of my hips, I wasn’t about to rub my butt up against him.
“I need a rest,” I said, pointing to my feet once the third song started.
Callahan nodded and we headed to sit at our table alone.
“Sorry about the ticket mix-up,” he said after a few minutes.
I bit my lip as he took my hand, and brushed his lips over my fingers. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
My breath increased anticipating what he was going to ask. “What?”
“I—” his eyes darted away for a moment as if he were gathering his courage. “Would you be my girlfriend?”
Callahan’s girlfriend? Me?
I smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
He leaned forward, about to kiss me again, when Georgia ran up to the table with Jeremy behind her, oblivious to the situation. My shoulders went slack. Would the moment ever be right?
“Come on,” she said breathlessly, grabbing both my hands. “I love this song!”
Knowing the moment with Callahan was over, I let her pull me to the dance floor, shooting him a sad look. He shrugged and motioned for me to go on ahead anyway. Once on the dance floor, I let loose a little and closed my eyes to avoid watching the couples booty grind next to us, but the DJ stopped the song early.
“What?” Georgia exclaimed, as the lights in the room grew brighter.
The tawdry couples moaned at the interruption and finally broke apart. I exhaled and rolled my eyes.
