ADOPTING BEAUTY

Chapter 20 + The Beautiful People

Before sunset, the PV High prom-goers all met at the picturesque cliffs above Lunada Bay to take photos. It was the annual showcase of the beautiful teens on the hill dressed to the nines. Parents and siblings came along and snapped hundreds of photos that would be plastered all over social media. It was Camille's time to shine. She wore an elegant white dress that accentuated her golden brown tan. Her posse of friends, including Jessica and Peyton, wore similar slinky dresses and played to the cameras. Camille was in her element. I was proud to be her date.

I told myself to try to enjoy the evening. Prom was not my scene but it was fun to be with my friends and blow off some steam. I also told myself not to spend the night worrying about Larissa's sleepover. I still didn't think it was the best idea but my mother made the decision to let her go. When it came to my sister, my mother's word trumped all. I'd told Larissa that if the girls were being mean to her, my parents would come get her. Larissa was understandably nervous about the sleepover. She didn't really know the girls or what they had planned. I'm sure she just wanted them to like her and let her be part of their clique.

I had to let it go and focus on Camille. Let me be more specific, I had to focus on Camille's drinking. There was little doubt she planned to go all out that night. I elected not to act like her father by giving her a lecture on the dangers of alcohol. Instead, I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. The worst meant lots of throwing up and the eventual blackout. Before that, the worst also meant lots of loud talk, boisterous laughter and the possibility of clothes coming off while dancing on a table or a cannonball into the hotel pool. It was Camille, anything could happen. There was never a dull moment when it came to my girlfriend.

My parents drove me to the cliffs to meet Camille and our friends for pictures. Larissa joined us and planned to ride with Sofia and her parents back to her house for the sleepover. Her brother Max was in our large prom group, which had rented a party bus for the ride to the prom venue, a new high rise hotel in downtown Los Angeles. We all got rooms at the hotel for the night on the top floor. The party would go until dawn.

I gave Larissa a few parting words before the onslaught of cameras starting snapping away.

"Text me throughout the night and let me know how things are going at the sleepover," I said to Larissa.

"It's okay," she said. "I don't want to bother you tonight. It's your prom."

"I'm not gonna be able to enjoy prom unless I know you're alright. Please text me. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes."

"Just be yourself."

"I don't think they're gonna like me. I'm not a cheerleader."

"They're gonna love you. Just like I love you."

"You love me?"

I'd shocked even myself by saying it out loud but I figured she would take it as I meant brotherly love.

"Yes, I love you."

"I love you so much."

It felt as if both of us were talking about something more than sibling affection.

At that, Camille strolled up in her bombshell dress along with her mother and stepfather. All the girls wore bright white tennis shoes for comfort instead of high heels, which they could pull off and still look hot. We exchanged corsages and boutineers. Larissa had never seen anything like the Palos Verdes pre-prom festivities before. Everything was new to her. It was pretty ridiculous. While we kids all looked our best, there was so much bravado and attitude it was embarrassing. We were not that special or important. The poses for the cameras were playful but arrogant.

We took pictures as couples, with friends groups and one big all inclusive shot. The sun was setting into the placid bay below and the lighting was ideal. My mom took a number of photos of Larissa and me. She wore a short jean miniskirt that got her noticed by all the high school boys. I think there were a lot of who's that girl being whispered around. When Larissa was pulled into Sofia's clique of popular eighth grade girls, it made perfect sense to everyone. I'm sure most people thought Larissa was one of the it girls at Palos Verdes Intermediate School. It proved she could reinvent herself before high school. I think my parents thought her acceptance was a positive thing at the time.

Larissa did get a lot of attention from one high school boy in particular, my friend Caleb. I couldn't blame him but he was not being sensitive to his date, Peyton. Caleb took some photos with Larissa that almost made it seem like she was his date. While Caleb was clueless, a lot of our friends took notice. I didn't really care what people thought of Caleb flirting with a thirteen-year-old girl. What I cared about was what people may have perceived about Larissa. I did not want anyone thinking she was pursuing Caleb or promiscuous in anyway. I know she enjoyed the attention, but she was innocent in my mind. She most likely did not think anything of it. Attention from men seemed to be a normal occurrence for her.

Soon it was time to say our goodbyes to our families and get on the party bus. I gave Larissa a hug and a kiss on the head. I followed Camille, Jackson, Jessica, Caleb and Peyton onto the bus that would transport about thirty of us downtown. Inside it had funky neon lighting, plenty of alcohol and two stripper poles. The first thing I thought was that Camille would end up on one of those poles. It was going to be an interesting night.

As we drove away from Lunada Bay, I saw Larissa and three other girls getting into Sofia's parent's car to go to the sleepover. The girls were all smiles. An unsettling feeling suddenly washed over me like a rogue wave.