Twleve Steps

by Veronica Bartles

  Jarod doesn’t even care about my sloppy old sweats. “Hi, yourself.” I smile and resist the urge to look over my shoulder to make sure Dave is watching.

  “Nathaniel and I were gonna go get some lunch from the deli across the street,” Jarod says. He glances at Cinderella. “Cara thinks she’s too good for us, but you’ll join us, won’t you?” He pauses and looks over my shoulder. “Or do you already have plans with your little friend?”

  “Nope. I’m totally free.” I frown. “But I’m skipping lunch today. I’m not that hungry.”

  Jarod laughs. “You’re never ‘not that hungry.’ You’re the only girl I’ve ever met who knows she’s sexy, even when eating like a real person. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  “Well, I accidentally left my purse at home this morning, so I don’t have any money.”

  Jarod’s eyes light up. “Maybe Laina could bring it to you. She might even want to come out with us.”

  “She’s busy,” I say, not even bothering to fake a smile.

  “No problem,” Nathaniel says. “I’ll take care of you. You can pay me back later.”

  “Nah, I’ve got her,” Jarod says, grabbing my hand and pulling me away. As we walk past Dave, I catch a hint of a smug smirk on Jarod’s lips.

  Because boys will turn anything into a competition. Even dating.

  I weave a spray of miniature pink silk roses into Laina’s hair and step back to admire my handiwork. A dab of glittery lip gloss and a hint of mascara, and she’s ready for the prom.

  Almost.

  I confiscate her bulky purse and dump it out onto the bed. From the pile of miscellaneous junk, I select two sticks of gum, a twenty dollar bill, a pen, and a small notepad, and I slip them into my tiny, black, beaded clutch. Then, I toss in my lip gloss, just in case.

  “What’s wrong with the purse I have?”

  “Well, for starters, it’s huge and clunky and that paisley print totally clashes with your dress.”

  “How does anything clash with black?”

  I laugh and hand her the clutch. “Trust me. That monstrosity clashes with everything. Besides, you don’t want to carry something that huge all night.”

  “But this little thing doesn’t even fit my diary.” She reaches for the pile of stuff on the bed, but I step in front of her to block the grab.

  “If you have time to write in your diary while you’re at the prom, you’re doing it wrong.”

  “I couldn’t even get a date. I’m obviously doing it wrong.” Laina glances at her reflection and wraps her arms around her waist. “What if I’m stuck sitting by myself all night?” Her usually confident smile droops and her shoulders slump. “No one’s going to want to dance with me. I should have listened to Kendra. This dress makes me look fat, doesn’t it? Maybe I should wear the one I got for Uncle Herbert’s funeral?”

  She yanks open her closet door and starts digging through the hangers in the back. I sigh and pull the shapeless funeral dress out of her hands. “You look gorgeous. Now stop worrying. Shane’s gonna kick himself for passing up a chance with you.”

  I grab her gauzy, black wrap and toss it around her shoulders. “Come on. Mom and Dad want to take some pictures of you all dressed up before you go, and you’re kind of running late. The Witch won’t like it if you keep her waiting.”

  Laina throws one last, longing look at the pile of crap on her bed and then looks at the beaded clutch in her hand. I laugh and push her down the hall to the living room, where Mom and Dad are waiting with the camera.

  “Oh,” Mom gasps. “You’re so beautiful.” She grabs Laina’s hand and twirls her around to inspect the dress from all angles.

  “You look like Cinderella, on her way to the ball,” Dad says.

  Yeah, except Laina’s not-so-charming prince decided to choose someone else, and she’s stuck with the Wicked Witch for a date.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go bowling with Nick and me?” I ask.

  Laina shakes her head. “I’m not exactly dressed for bowling, and I’m not going to get the last three hours of my life back. I’m already all fancy, so I might as well go. Besides, Kendra is counting on me.” She shrugs.

  “I still don’t understand why you’re going with her instead of Rob,” I say. “You could’ve had the whole cliché prom experience.”

  Laina cringes. “Rob wasn’t really interested in me.” She studies her perfectly-manicured nails and swallows hard. She looks up at me and smiles, but her eyes flash with that terrified child look again before she slips back into her plastic Barbie façade. “Besides, I couldn’t let Kendra go alone.” She fidgets and glances at her reflection in the large mirror above the fireplace. Her fingers flutter to the lace trim at her neckline, and she straightens her skirt.

  I should have known she’d think Rob asked her to make me jealous when I said no, even though it was totally the other way around. Maybe I should have pointed out the way he kept ogling the whole time he was talking to me.

  “Well, you look beautiful, dear,” Mom says. “And I’m proud of you for standing by your friend.” She holds up the camera and smiles. “Are you ready?”

  Laina poses stiffly while Mom snaps a zillion pictures. Even though Mom keeps telling her to smile, she looks like she did when I asked her about Anthony after reading her diary. With each snap of the camera, Laina’s mask of perfection cracks and crumbles away. Something’s wrong with my sister, but I can’t exactly ask her about it with Mom acting like the paparazzi. And I haven’t exactly been successful in getting Laina to open up lately.

  Dad catches my eye and nods subtly toward Laina, silently begging me to fix my sister’s waning self-esteem.

  “Let’s get some pictures of the two of us together.” I say. I jump across the room and grab Laina’s hand, catching her off-guard and spinning her around. I strike a nineteen-seventies disco pose and plaster my goofiest grin across my face. Laina laughs, like I knew she would, and her worried look wavers.

  Mom, still totally oblivious, frowns and lowers the camera. “Andi, this is a big night for your sister. Can’t you let her have this moment without jumping in?”

  Laina clutches her wrap, pulling it around her body, as if she’s trying to hide inside it. Dad nods at me again and raises his eyebrows.

  He sees it too.

  “Sorry, Mom,” I say. “You have enough serious pictures. It’s time for the outtakes.”

  I spin Laina around, pulling her wrap from her shoulders and contort my face into the craziest grimace I can manage.

  Mom sighs and glances helplessly from me to the camera to Dad.

  I waltz Laina around the room and then dip her deeply, holding the pose until Mom finally relents and starts snapping pictures again. Laina giggles hesitantly.

  Dad slips out of the room and returns a moment later, dragging Nick behind him. He shoots me a questioning glance and then whispers something to Nick before turning to Mom and Laina with a smile.

  “Look what I found on the doorstep. It’s a little lost puppy. What do you think, girls? Should we keep him or send him away?”

  I giggle and nod, but Laina stops mid-twirl and gulps. The blood drains from her face, leaving her white as a ghost. Her eyes widen, and she takes a step backward, grabbing her wrap from the floor and pulling it tight around her shoulders. I’m not sure what Dad has in mind, but I’m not sure if it will work. Laina doesn’t let most people see her silly side. Especially not people as gorgeous as Nick.

  Dad claps Nick on the back and nods. “Looks like you have my daughter’s approval,” he says. “I guess we’ll keep you.”

  Nick inhales sharply and puts his hand over his heart. “Wow. You’re beautiful. I think you literally took my breath away.”

  Dad grins and crosses the room to slip an arm around Mom. “Yessiree,” he says. “Our little Andi is quite the looker, isn’t she?” He winks at me and shakes his head, reminding me to play along with whatever plan he has up his sleeve.

  Laina glances at her reflection
again. She frowns and takes another step back, as if she’s trying to hide behind me.

  Nick smiles and takes a step forward. “Andi is very pretty. No doubt about it.”

  He crosses the room in three giant steps. “But I was actually talking about your other daughter, sir.” He winks at me, and I catch a brief look between Nick and my dad.

  Nick takes Laina’s hand, kisses it, and bows slightly. Then, he looks at her with a flirtatious twinkle in his eyes. “I think I asked the wrong sister to go out with me tonight,” he says. “You’re a goddess.”

  I have to bite my lip hard to suppress the giggles that threaten to escape. I’ve heard Nick use some really cheesy lines, but this one is the worst.

  Laina blushes and pulls her hand away. “I’m a regular, ol’ mortal girl,” she says. “There’s nothing special about me.” She steals another quick glance at her reflection. This time, though, her chin lifts slightly and her spine straightens.

  I guess it’s true what they say. Flattery totally works. And Nick is a master. He’s managed to turn a super-cheesy, borderline-creepy compliment into what appears to be sincere admiration. Instead of leering at Laina’s Barbie doll figure, he stares dreamily into her eyes, as if he can see straight into her soul. And Laina’s totally eating it up.

  Nick’s like a super-hot fairy godfather, changing Cinderella’s ragged self-esteem into a beautiful ego made of awesome.

  He leans in and whispers loud enough for everyone to hear, “Will you marry me?”

  Laina giggles. “Stop it, Nick. Andi’s going to think you’re serious.”

  He grins and slips an arm around her waist. “What if I am? Come on. I’ve got a limo parked right outside. If we leave now, we can make it to Vegas by morning.”

  She blushes, shaking her head slowly, unable to speak.

  Dad grabs the camera from Mom, who is staring open-mouthed at the scene, and he starts snapping pictures of the two of them. Laina cringes and ducks her head, but Nick struts and hams it up, pulling her into pose after silly pose until she’s laughing and clowning right along with him.

  I’ve got to admit, they do make a really cute couple.

  Normally, this is the type of thing that makes my blood boil. The constant reminders that I will never be enough to measure up against the impossible standard Laina sets are usually enough to make me want to cry secret tears. But Nick is so perfectly repairing the damage I caused with my stupid question that I can’t actually hold it against him.

  Laina grabs my arm and pulls me over to pose with her and Nick, and we spend the next few minutes trying to come up with the silliest prom pictures in history.

  Finally, Dad lowers the camera and looks at Nick. “Well, son,” he says, “I’d say you have a choice to make. Are you going to do the honorable thing and keep your date with my beautiful Andrea, as you promised? Or are you going to prove yourself a rogue and attempt to steal away her sister?”

  Nick grins and slips his arms around Laina’s waist. “What do you say, baby? Want to run away with me? I’m sure little sis will get over the heartbreak eventually.”

  Laina laughs and spins out of Nick’s arms. “Sorry,” she says, “but I already have a date tonight.” She glances at her watch. “And I’m seriously late.” She crosses the room and kisses Dad on the cheek, and then she hugs Mom, who is still gaping at Nick.

  “I’ll see you all later,” she says. “Oh, and Andi? You might want to reconsider your plans tonight. I think your date is kind of a player.” She grabs her keys and the little, beaded clutch I gave her, and then she skips out the door.

  “Well played, son,” Dad says. “You should consider a career in acting.” He kisses Mom on the cheek and laughs. “Although I think this one was nearly ready to skin you alive. She’s like a mama bear when it comes to protecting her daughters. Generally, I’d advise you not to mess with her cubs.”

  Mom elbows Dad in the ribs, and glares between him and Nick. “And what, exactly, was this little performance supposed to accomplish?” she demands. “Did either of you ever stop to consider Andi’s feelings? How she would feel when her date started openly flirting with her sister? And what if Alaina had called your bluff? Were you prepared for the consequences?”

  Dad stumbles backward and collapses on the couch, clutching his side as if Mom seriously wounded him. When Mom doesn’t crack a smile, he jumps back up and wraps his arms around her. “Don’t worry, sugarplum. We’ve got a couple of smart girls. If Laina thought for one minute that Nick was truly serious, she never would have skipped out of here like she did.” He nods at me. “And our little actress knows a con job when she sees one.”

  Mom frowns. “I still say it wasn’t right. How will Laina be able to trust any of you after this?” She glares at Nick. “And you. How dare you?”

  I laugh and shake my head, adopting Mom’s frown and crossing my arms. “Shame on you, Nick. Playing with my heart and toying with Laina’s emotions.”

  Nick grins. “Who says I was playing? You’ve seen your sister, right? She’s totally hot.” His gaze travels slowly up and down my body, appraisingly, lingering long enough to make me blush. “But I guess you’ll do.”

  I laugh. “See, the problem is that you’re comparing Laina’s formal wear with my casual look. Just you wait until I finish getting ready. Then, you’ll see who’s the hot one.”

  I dash out of the room and run down the hall to my parents’ bedroom, where I grab Dad’s old bowling shirt out of his closet and throw it on over my tank top. I pull my hair up into a sloppy side ponytail, and then I rummage through Mom’s makeup drawer to find a bright blue eye shadow that went out of style in the late eighties. I slather it on my eyelids and paint my lips with a bright red lipstick that Mom bought by mistake and forgot to take back to the store.

  I stroll back to the living room and twirl slowly in my custom prom night outfit. “Well, Nick? Who’s the sexy sister now?”

  He grins and clasps both hands over his heart. “Clearly, I made the right choice. You are simply breathtaking.”

  “Technically, Laina made the choice for you,” I say, “but I’ll accept that answer. Come on, Casanova. Let’s go.”

  “So … Vegas, right?”

  I grab my jacket and my purse. “Sure. As long as you can get me home by curfew.”

  Dad laughs, and Mom finally smiles. “I suppose, if you’re going all the way to Vegas, you can stay out an extra half hour. Be home by midnight.”

  “Seriously? You told Laina to be home by two. And I have to be home at midnight?”

  “Well, she’s going all the way to prom at the Candlelight Inn across town,” Dad says, chuckling, “and you’re only going to Vegas. It seems fair to me.”

  “We already discussed this, sweetie,” Mom says. “The bowling alley closes at eleven. There’s really no reason for you to stay out past midnight. Whereas the prom isn’t over until twelve, and Laina wanted to go to that little get together afterward.”

  I grab my jacket and shove my arms into the sleeves. “Whatever.” I take Nick’s hand and stomp out into the cool evening air.

  After scrubbing the flashback-from-the-eighties makeup off of my face, I step out of the shower and slip into my fuzzy, flannel pajamas. I brush the tangles out of my wet hair and weave it into a tight braid.

  Even with the unfair curfew, this was the best prom night ever. I threw about a zillion gutter balls, but I actually got a strike after Nick convinced the bowling alley manager to put up the kiddie bumpers for me. It was so much better than performing for a bunch of prom zombies.

  And Nick was a perfect break from all the boy drama and relationship pressure.

  I toss Dad’s bowling shirt into the hamper on my way out of the bathroom, and then I grin at my reflection in my dresser mirror and slip my feet into my furry slippers. I totally deserve a midnight snack.

  Mom and Dad went to bed right after Nick dropped me off and I gave them a condensed report of my night, but I can hear the muffled sounds of the TV from
their bedroom. They’re waiting up for Laina to check in when she gets home. Mom swears that neither of them can rest until both of their children are home and accounted for, but I suspect Dad would totally go to sleep if she let him.

  I slip down the quiet hallway to the kitchen, where I pour a giant glass of milk and toss a stack of Oreo cookies onto a plate. The perfect snack to end the perfect day.

  But as I twist open the first cookie, a sharp knock on the door shatters the stillness.

  Jarod stands on the porch, his bowtie hanging limply around his neck. His tuxedo jacket has some kind of strange smudge on the left shoulder, and his hair sticks out at odd angles, the way it does when he’s been nervously raking his fingers through it.

  “Can we talk?”

  “Sure. Come on in.” I step back and open the door wide to let him through.

  Jarod glances over his shoulder at the empty street, and then at my pajamas. He blushes slightly, and then he clears his throat. “I know you’re ready for bed, but I was hoping that maybe we could talk privately.” He glances over his shoulder again, as if he’s expecting someone to magically materialize on the porch steps behind him.

  “Laina and the Witch were going to go to Pete’s after party, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I say. “She probably won’t be home for a while.”

  He nods and slips inside. “I guess she’ll probably still do that. I think they’re fighting, but Laina wouldn’t cancel plans.”

  I shake my head and walk back to the kitchen. I pour another glass of milk, push my plate of cookies to the middle of the table, and sit beside Jarod. “What’s up? No offense, but you look kind of terrible.”

  “I feel kind of terrible.” He picks up a cookie and twists it open, but instead of eating it, he stares at the crème filling as if it holds all the answers to life, the universe, and everything else.

  “So?” I dunk a cookie and take a bite. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

  “She chose Shane. I lost.” He looks up, and when his eyes meet mine, he blushes. “I guess you’re probably the last person on earth who wants to hear me complaining about this.”