Protecting Sunshine

12. Reunion

The rest of the school year went painfully slowly for Lucy. Her mother insisted she return to D.C. to support her fundraising efforts for a library that she intended to erect once her presidency ended.

Since the President demanded so rudely for Lucy to return, she stayed in California for the summer with Wes and Angela.

"I can't believe I'm going back to D.C.," Lucy groaned.

"You don't have to go to that stupid celebration," Angela pointed out.

"But, it's the Independence Day Ball! It's one of the only days of the year that I actually enjoy Washington! I get to wear a pretty dress, and we get to dance the night away. But the second the weekend is over, we're coming right back here for the rest of the summer," Lucy promised.

"Your mom must hate that," Wes snickered.

"What my mom needs is to sell the strength of the Chen family to get donations for her stupid library. Every President does something for their community once their presidency ends, but all my mom wants to do is build a dumb library in her honor like the narcissist she is! The best thing I can do is stay away to ruin her perfect family image."

"Well, you could also do something even worse," Angela quirked her eyebrow.

"I don't want to talk about my mom anymore," she waved a hand to dismiss anymore thoughts of her mother and changed the subject, "what matters is I don't have anything to wear for the ball."

"Let's find you something drop dead gorgeous and a little scandalous. Ooh something with a slit! Your mom HATES dresses with slits, and it'll drive her nuts!" Angela chuckled at the idea.

"Absolutely!" Lucy agreed with a mischievous grin.

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Flying on Air Force 1 was lonely even with Wes and Angela on board with her. She passed the small sleeping cabin she had once dragged Tim into and stared at the door wistfully. Lucy promised herself she would bring Tim back with her to California, and they could revisit the sleeping cabin during that return flight.

Without his company, she simply sat in a chair next to the window and pulled out her wallet to examine the photo booth strip from their carnival date to admire the memory captured. Countless times when she missed him, she would look at Tim's face in the first picture where he looked at her a little annoyed but still madly in love with her. When she was still mad at him, looking at the pictures from the photo booth still managed to make her smile. So now that her heart only ached for him, Lucy held the photos gingerly and hoped to recreate them again once he was hers once more. If only she could find him and apologize profusely. If only she could make him understand that she no longer cares that he lied.

Within an hour of touching down in D.C., the President gave Lucy grief about not staying in the White House for the summer and hissing about the precious "Chen family image". Lucy barely listened to her mother's words and was grateful for the reprieve when Nyla gently coaxed Vanessa away to allow both women to dress for the ball. Lucy applied her makeup and slipped on the new dress she purchased with Angela's assistance- a long purple gown with a dangerously plunging neckline and a high slit that was sure to make Vanessa Chen faint at the sight. Linking arms with Angela, she walked into the ballroom of the White House where the Independence Day Ball was well underway.

"Wes is gonna take a picture of your mom's reaction when she sees you in this dress. I can't wait to frame it," Angela snickered. She expected Lucy to laugh, too, but she felt her friend still beside her. Following Lucy's line of sight, Angela found what gave Lucy pause. WHO gave Lucy pause. Tucked in the opposite doorway amongst the other Secret Service Agents was Tim. Angela saw the precise moment that Tim's eyes snapped over to find Lucy's and held her gaze from across the room. It was as if no one or nothing else existed apart from them.