If These Wings Could Fly [Sky High]

10 Homecoming Dates

When she got home, Angel smelled something spicy wafting from the kitchen. It smelled good, really good. With curiosity, she walked to the kitchen and saw her sister standing over the stove. Her mood soured and she turned around.

"Angel!" Cambrie said excitedly. She hurried over and grabbed her sister's shoulders, turning her around. She frowned once she saw the mean look on her little sister's face. "Look, I wanna apologize."

"Here we go." Angel rolled her eyes.

"No, no, please listen," her sister begged. "I'm sorry, really, super sorry. I shouldn't have run your friend off and I shouldn't have gotten so mad."

"That's probably the understatement of the year."

"I know, it's just... it's been really hard since mom left, I know you two were close," Cambrie said, rubbing her sister's shoulder. "And I know that whatever I do, it's not gonna be like she's here either. I keep trying to do things the way she would, but the truth is that I'm not her. I was trying so hard to be your mom, I forgot to be your sister."

Angel didn't look at her, crossing her arms in discomfort. "You made your point," she said, looking at anything but her older sister.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, okay? I know that what happened last night got out of hand," Cambrie continued. "I just want to keep you safe. I don't want you to get hurt or make mistakes."

Angel bit her cheek then sighed. She looked up at Cambrie and patted her arm. "I know. But I'm in high school now. I don't need you to watch over me like a hawk."

Cambrie grabbed her face and kissed her forehead. "I know. Sometimes it just feels like I'm the only one watching out for you.

"And I suppose if you want to date that guy, you can. I won't stop you, but no funny business."

"Right," Angel said, nodding to reinforce that she heard her loud and clear.

She gave Angel a hug, which the younger sister didn't reciprocate. Then she turned to the stovetop and smiled. "I made your favorite chicken tonight. Dad is in France tonight, so it's just gonna be you and me."

Angel held the strap of her bag, watching her sister as she continued talking about France and dinner. When she was dismissed to go put her stuff away, she went up the stairs and threw her bag in her room, scoffing once she was alone. She pulled her boots off and tossed them to the floor, laying back in her bed.

"She thinks she can just say sorry and make everything great," she huffed. She glared up at the ceiling, angry that Cambrie had brought their mother up in the conversation. She hated that she only did that when it seemed to please her. "They're gonna pay," she reminded herself lowly, smirking.

She stood up when Cambrie called for her. She was about to walk out the door when she saw her mother's bracelet. She grabbed it and slipped it on, then bounded down the stairs for chicken.

~

"Does he look totally lost to you?" Angel asked, sitting on the grass as she watched Gwen pull Will away from his sidekick friends. She sat crisscrossed while Lash leaned back on his hands beside her. She had her wings spread out behind them, letting them get some fresh air and sun while she could.

He laughed as he looked up at what she was talking about. "Totally."

She snickered, but giddily gasped when she saw Layla hurry over to Warren Peace. She pointed at them. "Oh, this is good. She's totally in love with Stronghold, but he has no clue."

He followed her gaze, watching the disappointment paint over Layla's face as Will failed to notice her holding Warren's hand. He laughed when the latter lit her hand on fire and stormed off. "So what? They're trying to make him jealous?"

"Oh yeah."

"What a lost cause."

She nodded, then turned to look at him. She leaned over and cupped his face in her hand. He grinned before she kissed him. He turned to sit on his side, using one hand to hold himself up while his other hand went to her waist.

He pulled away with a little smile. "I actually wanted to ask you something."

"Oh really?" she asked, smirking at him. "I wonder what this could be about."

"It's about homecoming," he told her.

She faked a gasp. "Is it really?"

He grinned and sat up, wrapping his arms around her. "You wanna be my date?"

"Happily," she told him monotonously, then kissed him again.

~

"You're going to homecoming?" Cambrie asked her little sister, a little shocked. They were on their way to the mall to look at dresses, but the oldest Hartley had thought they would be getting one.

Angel rolled her eyes. "Don't act so shocked. I like parties... sometimes."

Cambrie smiled and grabbed her sister's arm, shaking her. "This is great! You're going to look so good! You're gonna have so much fun!"

Angel smirked to herself and just nodded. "Yeah, yeah."

"I mean it! Homecoming is so much fun, Angel. When you have a date and you're dancing, it's magical." Cambrie gasped with realization. "Did someone ask you?"

"Yeah, Lash did," Angel told her. She was shaken by her sister again before she started dragging her along.

"Oh, how cute! We have to find you the perfect dress!"

"Slow down, Cammie, it isn't as if the mall is gonna run away!"

When they entered the mall, Cambrie took them to the first dress store she saw. They started in the long dresses for her, looking for something elegant and classy. Angel wasn't surprised at the particulars that her sister wanted, but rather than stand to the side she actually helped look through the racks of dresses. Everything was either too long or not the right color, causing the girls to try a different store.

It wasn't until the third store that Cambrie found something acceptable. She handed a long, beautiful white dress over to the cashier. It had a sequined top and a layered skirt, which she thought was perfect for the occasion.

Once her own dress was found, Cambrie became obsessed with finding her sister's, looking at any and all the options she could. She gave Angel a number of dresses to try on, shoving her in a dressing room before she could object.

She fingered through a rack of dresses while Angel was away when a particular dress caught her eye. She grabbed it and ran to the dressing room with it, throwing it over the door at her sister.

"Where did you find this?" Angel asked on the other side.

"Don't question miracles," Cambrie told her, giggling. "Isn't it perfect?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." Angel threw a few of the other dresses over the door. They were clear no's. "If this doesn't fit..."

"It will, just try it on," her sister said, taking the rejects to the return bar. She sat down, so excited as she heard the rustling on the other side. When the door opened, she covered her smile with both hands, then squealed. "You look amazing!"