“Apologies are usually best done in person, Chrissy,” Diane said with annoyance.
“I couldn’t wait! I couldn’t concentrate on anything this morning. I had to say it now. My head felt like it was going to explode if I didn’t get this out. I was a real bitch this weekend while you were helping me and the squad. I just wanted to let you know that I am so, so very sorry.” Tears welled up with the emotional release. I wiped my finger under my eye to get the tear and saw the black streak on my finger. Oh crap, don’t start crying I told myself.
Hearing the sincere emotion in my voice, Diane said, “Thanks, Chris. I…” Her voice trailed away.
“I… I have to go now. I only have a couple of minutes to get to my locker.” Not to mention getting to the nearest girl’s rest room to fix my make-up.
“Okay, sis. We’ll talk later about this.”
I clicked on the button to break the connection and headed back into the school with a huge weight gone from my shoulders.
* * *
“Joey!” I called out as I exited the school building. “Wait up!” I ran towards him. It was that moment, that very instant, that it fully hit me that Joey was my boyfriend and that all I wanted in this world was to be his girlfriend. All our years of friendship suddenly coalesced into unbounded love, so profound was the emotion that washed through my soul.
Joey turned to face me. He smiled, “Hey Chrissy! You seem to be in a much better mood than this morning!”
A second later when I caught up to him, before answering him, I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. Catching my breath, I said, “I’m feeling much better now. And not just because school is out.” We started to walk towards his car. He took my hand and a pang of guilt jarred me to the core. I would never tell Joey about my weekend with Phil. I squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.
Joey studied me for a second and said, “I’m glad. I was worried about you.”
“I had some things on my mind earlier, but I think I’ve taken care of them.”
“I’m glad of that!” Joey laughed. “Would you like a ride home?”
“Thanks! I’d love to!” I gave him another kiss and as I turned to walk around his car, he patted my butt.
The ride to my house would take only minutes as I live just a few blocks away from school. But a couple of those minutes were squandered as we both just rode in silence. Finally Joey said, “So, do you think you’ll get the cheerleader scholarship? I mean, you’ve done so much for the squad.”
Looking at the floorboards, I shook my head. “I told Ms. Renwick that I didn’t want it. I told her I thought Mandy deserved it more.” I looked up and shrugged.
“No, no! I mean, I’m not saying this because you’re my girl. I really do think you’re the best cheerleader!” Joey exclaimed.
I smiled at him as he pulled his car up to the curb in front of my house. “Thanks. But before I joined them, Mandy was already shaping the squad to be the best.”
Pointing needlessly at my house, Joey said, “Well, there’s your house. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, huh.”
I nodded and he leaned in for a kiss. I kissed him softly at first, then with a sudden burst of passion. The kiss was long and filled me with raw emotion.
Pulling away from him, I said softly, “I love you, Joey…” and before he could answer, I ran from his car into my house.
* * *
There was electricity in the air as all us girls sat at the banquet table, some still finishing the great dinner we had, and all were talking. In a few minutes, Coach would be announcing the awards.
I looked around the room. We were all wearing our uniforms — some for the last time as cheerleaders. I looked at the three new girls, chatting and giggling. They were all pretty and so excited to have won the try-outs to replace Mandy, Brandi, and me. Stephanie, who would be a senior next year, had already been selected to be the squad leader. I hoped she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it.
Coach Renwick stepped up to the podium and rapped her knuckles on the top surface a couple of times. “Girls! Girls! I need your attention.” There was a table set up next to the podium and Ms. Thornapple walked up and with a thunk, placed a box on the table. She then pulled a chair up behind the table and sat down.
Smiling, Coach said, “Now is the time to present this evening’s awards!” Reaching into the box she continued, “First, I’d like to start with the award for the most improved. Brittney, would you come up here?” Brittney, a tenth grader had been the only girl besides me that hadn’t been a cheerleader in middle school. Everyone clapped as she accepted her award.
I sat next to Mandy at the banquet and as the awards dwindled down to the main one, she took my hand and we smiled at each other. There was no doubt that the scholarship award would go to one of us. Even after talking to Coach, I wasn’t sure who would get it and the suspense was killing both of us.
Coach pulled out a large plaque along with a piece of paper and just stared at it for a moment before speaking. Everyone got quiet. She looked at Mandy and me, and then glanced over to the other girls before looking back down at the podium. Finally, she said, “Every once in a while, a truly exceptional girl will join the squad. The kind of girl every coach dreams to have. A girl with true leadership and unflagging spirit, a girl who embodies all the qualities that one expects from a great athlete, but also a role model for all the young women in this community.” She looked solemnly around the room before continuing.
“This year, we have two such girls on our squad. Two girls who I know will grow to be exceptional young women.” Coach Renwick cast her eyes directly at Mandy and me as she said, “Believe me, this was no easy decision. Without either of you, we never would have been able to go to the contest. Without either of you, we never would have brought home this trophy.” She pointed to the trophy sitting in the middle of the banquet table. “All you girls won this trophy to be sure. But Mandy and Chrissy brought an energy to the squad and kept the squad focused and spirits high.”
Coach held up the plaque along with the scholarship certificate and said, “It is with great pleasure that I present this year’s scholarship award to…” Coach paused several moments for effect. Mandy and I both were about to come out of our skins. “… Mandy. Come get your award, sweetie.”
Mandy almost broke my fingers she squeezed my hand so hard. She jumped up and hurried to the podium and took the plaque from Coach Renwick’s hands. Everyone was screaming and cheering as she turned to face us. The grin on her face faded as she suddenly looked nervous, her eyes glancing to the floor.
“I… I need to say something guys.” Everyone got suddenly quiet. Mandy said, “I… I can’t believe I finally got this. It’s been my dream all year. For a while I was afraid Chrissy would get it instead of me.” There were some giggles around the room.
“This has been the best year. I love all of you. We couldn’t have won the contest without each and every one of you.” She studied the plaque for a moment before saying, “But I feel there’s someone who deserves this award more than me. Someone who has overcome a handicap most girls never have to deal with to become not only the best cheerleader at JWB High, but also my best friend.” She walked up to the table and laid the plaque in front of me. “Chrissy, you deserve this more than me.”
Tears flowing freely, I picked up the plaque and tried to shove it back at Mandy. “Oh no, Mandy! You need to keep this. You deserve it!”
Mandy backed away and said, “The award should go to the best girl. And Chrissy, that girl is you.”
I stared blankly at her, shook my head and just quietly said, “No. No Mandy…”
Mandy smiled at me and said, “You deserve it, girl.”
* * *
“What am I going to do, Diane?” I whined to my sister. “I can’t use this scholarship! It means going to college as a girl! And I have to be a cheerleader to boot!”
Diane just stared at me for a few moments with a “gimme a break” look on her face. Shaking her head slightly she said,
“Give me a break.” She sat down next to me on the end of my bed and took my hand. “Chris… Chrissy… do you honestly think you’re going to return to being a boy after you graduate?”
Staring at my feet, I said, “That was the plan…”
“Look around this room. Do you see any evidence that a boy lives here? Look inside yourself. Is there any sign of a boy in there? Be honest, you love being a girl. You love being a cheerleader.” Diane paused to let out a single breath laugh. “You even love being someone’s girlfriend. Face it sis. You are totally a girl.”
I looked at Diane and shrugged. “You’re right…”
* * *
“Where’s my lipstick!?” I said frantically, scattering most of my beauty products across the surface of the vanity. “Joey will be here any minute!” I looked over at my blue prom dress, smoothed out on the bed. I’d been home from the beauty shop for only half an hour and I really felt I was cutting things too close.
“Which one?” Diane asked in an annoyed voice. “You had it narrowed down to five last night.”
“This one!” I shouted as I grabbed the lipstick that had rolled behind a tissue box.
Calmly, Diane said, “Okay. Put it on and then let me put it in your purse. We don’t want to lose it again.” She looked at my vanity and shook her head. “Maybelline would go out of business if you went back to being a boy.”
I studied myself a few moments after I’d applied the lipstick. I was totally struck by what I saw staring back at me. Even after all this time, it was still a shock to see a pretty girl in the mirror. I’d never worn my hair up before, and it felt weird.
The doorbell rang. I suddenly felt as if all the blood had drained from my body. “He’s here!” I shouted. “Oh my God, Joey’s here! I’m not ready!” I almost tripped and fell as I got up too quickly.
Diane laughed and said, “Calm down, sis! You don’t want to rush. Guys expect to have to wait. You don’t want to look too eager either.”
My bedroom door opened and I jumped. Mom poked her head in, “Joey’s here. Are you ready hon?” I started shaking.
Diane shook her head, “Tell him she’ll be ready in ten or fifteen minutes. Even if she had her dress on, she’s not going out there while all worked up like this.”
Mom nodded and closed the door. I heard her walking down the hall to relay the news to Joey.
“Diane, look at me!” I cried. “You’d think I’d never been out with a guy before.”
Diane smiled as she said, “Well, this is a special night. You’ll remember it for the rest of your life. You want your make-up to be perfect, your hair to be perfect, your dress to be perfect. I understand. I went to a prom too, you know. Just relax. You’ve scored on all three of those points. Trust me, every guy at the prom will be wishing they were Joey. nr Come on. I’ll help you with your dress.”
* * *
I never before felt so on display as I walked down the hall to the living room where Joey was waiting. I was super aware of everything, from the dangly diamond (ok, cubic zirconium) earrings brushing against the side of my face, the feel of my hair, the cold of my necklace, the taste of my lipstick, feeling my eyelashes when I blinked, the swish of the satin of my dress.
As I entered the living room, I felt every eye bore into me. Diane was standing behind everyone, her hands clasped in front of her face as she grinned broadly. Mom put her hands over her mouth as she let out a little cry and gasp. Dad stood up from the kitchen counter where he had been cleaning one of his rifles, with the oddest expression on his face. Joey stood up, his eyes shining with a big grin.
Mom cried, “Oh my little girl! She’s all grown up. She’s gorgeous!”
Joey clumsily held out my corsage and stared at me intently before saying. “You are absolutely beautiful, Chrissy.”
Joey was all dressed up. I smiled at him and gushed, “And you Joey. You are just so handsome!”
We just stared at each other as the magic of the moment swirled around us. It was shattered when I heard my Dad’s voice say, “You two get over by the fire place so I can take a couple of pictures…”
* * *
“Thank you for the corsage, Joey. It’s beautiful!” Joey had just backed out of our driveway and we were heading for Hotel Grand where our prom was being held in the ballroom.
Joey glanced over at me and smiled. “It’s not as beautiful as the girl that’s wearing it.” I smiled back at Joey and turned to look out the windshield, but not really seeing anything. I was a mix bag of emotions. I felt so feminine, so pretty, so excited and so, well, natural.
We drove to the hotel in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I looked at Joey and wondered what he was thinking. I’m sure he never dreamed of taking his life-long buddy to the prom. I wondered briefly what Jeff was doing. I’d heard that a couple of popular girls had turned him down. I shook out the memories of my old daydreams of going to the prom in this dress with Jeff.
Finally, Joey was turning his car into the parking lot of the Hotel Grand. He rolled into a parking spot and killed the engine. He let out a sigh, “Well, we’re here!” He just sat there, his hands staying on the steering wheel. He looked at me, smiled, took a deep breath and let go of the wheel. He looked back and me, “Let’s go.”
He started to get out the car, but I just sat there. He looked back at me questioningly and asked, “Something wrong?” I tilted my head toward the door. Joey had a sudden embarrassed look, pointed at me and said, “Gotcha.” He exited the car and came around to my door, opened it and helped me get out of his car. Between the dress and the heels, I actually did need help.
It was a gorgeous night, with a gentle warm breeze, as we walked hand in hand to the entrance of the hotel. The lobby was decorated with ribbons and balloons and signs pointed the way to the ballroom. Some of the kids were hanging out in the lobby and we waved to the ones we knew as we made our way to the ballroom.
We entered the ballroom, which was basically an enlarged dining room and they had attempted to cheer it up with more ribbons and balloons. At one end of the room was the obnoxious DJ from one of the local radio stations. There was a dance floor directly in front of the DJ. The rest of the floor area was taken up with tables draped with ugly red tablecloths. Near the door was what during adult parties would be a bar, but tonight they were serving soft drinks and punch. Near it was a table loaded with finger food. From the middle of the ceiling hung a disco ball which sent its shiny reflections all over the room.
Letting go of my hand, Joey said, “Let me get you a soda. Can you find us a table?” I nodded and he hurried off to get in the line to the drinks. I looked around and saw Mandy waving at me. I walked over to her.
Over the DJ and general noise I heard Mandy say, “Hey girlfriend! I saved you and Joey a spot here with us.” I looked around the table, but Mandy was the only one there, but evidence that others had been sitting there. We hugged and then sat down in a rustle of satin.
While we both waited for our dates to return, Mandy and I engaged in mostly small talk. Suddenly, Mandy pointed to a couple just entering the ballroom. “Oh no. There’s Jeff. I hope he doesn’t come over here! Hmmm. That girl he’s with. I don’t recognize her.”
I turned around and peered through the lightly darkened room. My eyes widened as I recognized who the girl was that he was with. I couldn’t believe it. He was with Danny, or I guess I should say, Dani. I had to admit that Dani looked very girly and very pretty tonight, draped on Jeff’s arm. I shook my head with disbelief and wondered if Jeff knew that his girlfriend was a boy.
Mandy looked at me and asked, “Well? You seem to know her. Who is she?”
“She’s just a girl from school. You know, one of the quiet ones that no one ever seems to notice.” If it was only Jeff that would have been affected, I would have told Mandy the truth. But I really didn’t want to risk hurting Dani. Dani was playing with fire, and the last thing she needed was me throwing gasoline on it. I just wish she’d stop taking so many risks. I m
ean, Jeff knew what he was getting into with me.
Before Mandy could ask another question, someone shouted, “Look! It’s Nikki! She’s back!” I quickly looked back at the entrance and sure enough, there was Nikki, in a wheelchair, in a prom dress with one arm and one leg in casts and one of the football jocks pushing her. I had no idea she was finally back from that Navy ice station in the Antarctic when the cargo plane she was being transported in was forced to divert there. Several people got up and gathered around her to welcome her back home.
Joey finally came to the table and handed me cup of soda. As he sat down, he asked, “Hey, did you see that Nikki made it here? That’s cool. She’s been through a lot. To be honest, I didn’t think they were going to be able to get her back from that Saudi prince without paying for her.” He took a drink of his soda.
After a few minutes of chit-chatting with Mandy, Joey set his cup of soda down and took my hand and said, “Let’s go dancing!” I gave Mandy a smile and a wave and got quickly to my feet.
Fortunately, the DJ was playing a string of slow songs so Joey and I could hold each other and feel romantic. For a few moments, neither of us said anything. We just looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.
“You look… happy tonight, Chrissy.” Joey said breaking the silence. “I mean happier than I’ve seen you in a while.”
“I am happy. Finally, I know who I am and glad. I’m here dancing with a wonderful guy. I’m so happy I could explode!”
Joey laughed, “I hope you don’t explode…this tux is rented!”
Before I could say anything, a voice behind me said, “There! That’s her!”
I turned and there was Nikki in her wheelchair being pushed towards me. With a finger that was hanging out of the cast she pointed at me. I then noticed her other arm was in a sling. She said, “That’s her! You’re the one that took my place on the squad.” Some of the people dancing were starting to look at us.
I said, “Well, yes. They asked me to fill in. I was very sorry to hear about all the accidents. I’m glad you made it safely back.”
The Reluctant Prom Date (The Reluctant Series Book 4) Page 17
