Blue Kisses

Chapter 12

I can't help but think Alice likes me back, ever since our sleepover she keeps looking at me differently. I want her to like me back. It's been a month now and I keep thinking about the pool and when she called me pretty. When she first looked at me differently and it felt like she saw me finally.

"Can you two focus?" Mr. Fish asks me and Alice. I'm transferred back to class and away from the pool. You two? Is Alice not focusing either? "Before class ends your weekend assignment will be writing an essay about the school play. You must attend a showing either tonight or this weekend. You can write an essay on your own or you can make it a group project, just make sure to include everyone's name on the essay."

Group project? Me and Alice can go see the play together. And maybe after we can get some dinner and we'll talk. It'll be like a date! And she will find it so romantic and fall in love with me. "Do you want to go to the play together," I ask her.

"Huh?" She says still distracted. "Oh, yeah. That sounds fun." she says smiling.

"Great, do you want to go tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah, let's do it." she replies.

"Can I meet you at your place and then we can go together?"

"Okay, it's a date." she smiles.

A date with Alice Lane. Should I ask her to the prom? That's too forward. What do I wear? What would she think I would look pretty in? I'm always wearing skirts, and jeans are too casual. Should I wear a dress? I could ask Lucy if I could borrow that dress from new years, Alice would love that. But it's too much we're only going to the school play. Ugh.

I run inside as soon as I got home. I ignore my mom who's trying to talk to me but I need to pick an outfit out, so I run up to my room. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asks. I burst into my room and open my closet. I have nothing, she's seen me in everything, "What are you looking for?" mom asks.

"Something to wear," I reply, crashing onto my bed in despair.

"What's the occasion?"

I sit up and she sits next to me. "I'm going to the school play and I want to look nice."

"Are you going with a boy?" she asks.

"No, just a friend," I reply.

"Then why do you need to look so nice?"

"Because I want to, I want to look different."

"Okay you can wear one of my dresses, I'm sure they will fit you" she says. What does she mean by that? "Do you want me to help you get ready, I can do your hair and make up." she says condescending.

I want to say no because I don't want her to be criticizing me every second but I don't know how to do make up or my hair, I look at my mom and she looks perfect, perfect skin, perfect hair. "Okay," I reply.

Mom gave me a plum red long sleeve dress to wear, she curled my hair and pinned it out of my face. She didn't put too much make up on me, just a pink blush and a light pink lipstick. She gave me her black heeled boots to match with the dress and a long black wool coat to wear. Is this too much? I look like a grown woman. I hope Alice likes it.

I feel weird being all dressed up, especially weird walking over to Alices. When I arrive, Lori answers the door and lets me in "you look so beautiful Josephine," she says.

"Thank you," I reply.

"Alice, Josephine is here!" Lori shouts.

Alice comes running down, she's wearing sweats and a hoodie with her hair in a pony. "Oh my gosh, Josephine, you look so nice." she says shockingly.

What was I thinking? I want to hide, I'm so embarrassed.

"Hold tight, I'll be right back" she says going back up stairs.

I sit on the couch and wait for her, what is she doing? She comes back down about ten minutes later. She's wearing a black dress with black tights and her hair is down.

"Okay now we can go," she says smiling and putting on her puffy coat. "I didn't know we were dressing up for the play," she says while we're walking to the bus stop.

"Oh yeah, I thought it would be fun," I say. I totally definitely didn't see this as a date at all.

I can't pay attention to the play at all, Alice is sitting next to me and she looks so pretty. I want to hold her hand or touch her in any way. I move my foot closer to her so we can accidentally touch feet. What is this play even about? Maybe it's a thriller and she'll gasp and grab my arm for protection. Maybe I can stretch my arms and rest it around her shoulder? Ugh what am I thinking? This isn't a date, It's a school assignment and I need to pay attention so I can write the essay. But I totally missed the beginning.

"How did you like the play?" Alice asks me.

Is it already over? I look around and the audience is getting up off their seats. "It was good, what did you think of it?" I ask.

"I thought it was funny," she replies.

"The night is still young, do you want to get some coffee?" I ask.

"Yes!" she replies abruptly.

"Okay," I say, smiling at her.

Alice runs to the bus stop and when she arrives she stands there and looks up, she closes her eyes and lets the moon shine on her face. The bus arrives and I run to catch up. She waits for me to get on first and I take a seat next to the window and she sits down next to me. I take out my headphones and hand Alice one of the ear buds, I put on Heartbeats by the Knife. Me and Alice don't say a word but instead listen to the music. She keeps looking at me and when I look at her back, she's smiling. Alice leans over my body and starts doodling on the frosted glass window. It's a pretty snowflake.

"Pretty," I mouth to her and her smile gets bigger.

The bus stops at StoneHart's coffee and we get off, Alice starts spinning around "it's snowing!" she shouts.

"Do you have magical power? Are you a witch?" I ask.

"What why?" she says.

"Because you drew a snowflake and now it's snowing" I say.

"Huh, maybe I am," she says, spinning faster.

We're sitting sipping our coffee, enjoying each other's company. I think she's comfortable in the silence but I'm not. I'm going insane, trying to figure out what she's thinking about and what I should say. I can't ask her about the play because I can't recall any of it. I think she's enjoying this. Does it feel like a date to her? Should I ask her to the prom? Right now would be a good time. Maybe I can ask her in a friendly way. So it's not so obvious.

"Alice?" I say quietly

"Hmm," she says without looking at me. Good, I probably couldn't ask if she was making eye contact with me.

"Do you want to go to the prom together?" I ask.

She looks at me shocked. "What?"

"Like let's say we both don't have dates, do you want to go together then?" I ask.

"Yes, absolutely!" she says. "I'm sure you'll find a date though" she says to me and I don't reply. Who else would I go with? I can't imagine going to prom without Alice. "Lucy should come with us too! Although she's so pretty she'll probably have all the guys ask her."

"Yeah" I reply.

"What color are you going to wear, we can coordinate!" she says.

"I don't know yet" I say, "I was thinking blue maybe" I say knowing that's what she would want to hear.

"Yes, you look so good in blue," she says. Do I really?