Preston Greens

26. The Dance and the Dinner

Instead of my alarm clock, mom woke me up. 

"Good morning Carly!" She sang. 

I woke up slowly and got out of bed. She gave me a huge hug and lead me over to the restroom. 

"Today is the big day!" She said cheerfully. 

I have never seen mom this excited. The last time she was like this, it was the last day of 5th grade.

 I took a nice, hot shower and wrapped myself up in a nice soft towel. I made sure not to dilly dally so I wouldn't be late to school. The dance was after school at around 6 o'clock, so mom and dad were going to skip karate for today so they can dress me up. Lisa and her mom were coming over to get ready too, so we could go to the dance together. Shannon was going to take us to the dance while mom and dad take their showers. I wasn't sure if Bobby was still Lisa's partner, but if so, we were going to pick him up. Bobby and his family were a little suspicious with us, the Preston Greens folks, but it was understandable. If Bobby's mom wasn't going to let Shannon take him, then Bobby will just meet us at the school.

 I decided I wasn't going to wear any make-up, just lip gloss and mascara. I knew we weren't going to have much time after school, so I got my dress and my shoes out and set my straightener on my vanity, along with some other things. I got out one of the fashionable outfits Kim got me for my birthday and put it on. I ran over to my sink and brushed my teeth and hair, then dashed over to the kitchen with my backpack in my hand. I quickly ate some toast with strawberry jelly and butter and got into dad's Hyundai. When we got to school I went over to my locker where Lisa, Charlie, and Belinda were waiting.

 "I've been here for a while." Charlie said, pulling at his sleeves. I gave him a small kiss on the cheek, which made him blush. Belinda winked at me.

"Why is that?" I asked him.

 "Mom had to go to work early today." He replied. 

"Just make sure you're in shape for the dance tonight." I told him. 

I knew Charlie wanted to get ready with Bobby, but they're kind of in a rough patch right now. I'm expecting there will be a lot of tension between everybody at the dance, and this was the time to prepare for it. Our first period started in ten minutes, and all of our classrooms were close by, so we didn't have to worry. 

"Okay, I know what you guys are thinking. The first thing we need to know is what you've worked out with Bobby, Lisa." I said.

 "Well, he didn't really want to talk to me, so maybe he won't show up to the dance." She said. 

She sounded really sad, but I don't blame her. The last thing I wanted was for Bobby to drop her. 

"I tried talking to him about it, but he says I'm no good." Charlie said. 

Bobby was really creating problems we shouldn't have. 

"How about you Belinda, do you have anybody?" I asked her. 

This was a sensitive subject, but I had to ask her. 

"He's no Ethan, but I've got somebody." She said, sounding a little satisfied after hearing Lisa's story. I dismissed her comment about Ethan and moved on to the next question.

 "What about you, Charlie, are you satisfied with your dancing and dance partner?" I asked, my lips curling up into a smile. 

"I'm very confident we will do well." He replied with the upmost confidence. I asked the crew a few more questions before the bell rang, and we headed to class.