The Look Of Love

Chapter 26: Tricks or Treats

It was Friday, the day of the Halloween Dance. Stretching her tired arms, Mary hopped out of the cozy depths of her warm bed. She rolled her neck from side to side to get the kinks out. 

The Rose Tea had been a smashing success. Everyone complimented Mary and her team, for the exquisite decorations. She took the compliments in stride, but could be seen gleaming from ear to ear. 

The Freshman Civinette's looked darling, dressed in their white dresses. When it came time to make them full fledged members, Mary recalled her own experience. There's always something heartwarming about the presentation of the red roses. 

The Big Sister's all stand up, when called. Each Big Sister makes a short speech about their Little Sister. Then each Little receives three red roses. They symbolize the past (before Civinette's), present, and future (your acts of service as a club member). She became a little misty eyed, as she thought how this would be her final Rose Tea. 

The unfortunate part of the evening came after the Tea was finished. The thing about decorations is it's always more fun putting them up, than taking them down. The cleanup went faster than Mary had anticipated, given Gemma requested all Big Sisters stay to help. Despite that they still didn't finish until almost midnight.

Now it's a new day and she is as tired as ever. Taking in her appearance in the mirror, Mary noticed her eyes looked puffy. This would never do! Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to put cucumbers on them. So, instead Mary rummaged around her bathroom trying to find some witch hazel to apply (a home remedy for puffy eyes).

Witch hazel found and applied, she set out to get dressed. Being completely knackered, jeans and a plain white T-shirt day is in order. Along with that her long, glossy hair is going up in a top knot. No full face of makeup either, a simple coat of mascara and peach lipgloss. Thank you Maybelline Kissing Koolers! 

 Once finished, she made her way to her closet. Comfy sandals were also on the day's order, since her feet still ached from wearing heels all night long. Done and done, Mary trekked downstairs to meet Lori. 

She is so thankful to have a thoughtful sister. Lori had offered to drive her to school. She knew Mary would be dead on her feet after the Rose Tea. Lori was waiting by the door to  the garage. "I thought I was going to have to leave you. See, you can get ready in time."

Making a face at her sister, the girls got into the blue Mercedes. They talked all the way to school. As Mary made a beeline to Bobby, Jimmy had to rub his eyes from shock. "I think I need to call The Ghostbusters, cause this cannot be Mary at school... before the last minute." She gave him the side eye.

She's also thankful to have a thoughtful boyfriend. Bobby gave her a peck, a cup of peppermint tea, and a blueberry muffin. "Hi Sunshine. I brought treats for you, because Sam told me you stayed late to clean up. I thought you might need a pick me up. How did it go?"

After a quick yawn, Mary began to tell Bobby about the whole evening. He listened to every word she  said. Bobby, too, is thankful. He's thankful this silly ceremony is now over. He's relieved to have his girl back.

Saying goodbye to their friends, the pair walked hand-in-hand to his locker.  Along the way they came across a group of Junior girls. They were gathered in the middle of the walkway, and could not be avoided. One of the girls, who Mary knew as Tracey, caught sight of Bobby. She purposely bent over, at just the right time, so he could "notice her assets". She then batted her lashes and acted like a simpering fool.