Skin Deep

Chapter 23

Luke

            I had thought I would maintain a cool head today. I was doing fine, too, until my mom couldn’t find the corsage I had stowed neatly in the fridge. Then I entered panic- mode as well.

            “What?” I nearly shout when I hear of the lost flower. “I need that! What kind of nub doesn’t bring his date a corsage?” I scour the fridge frantically until my dad comes upstairs carrying a tidy plastic box.

            “Hey, looking for this?” he asks, holding the blue corsage out towards me. I snatch it and hold it close to my chest, giving my dad an accusatory look.

            “What?” he asks innocently. “I thought it was cake.”

            I sigh loudly as my parents burst out laughing. I place the flower back in the fridge and leave the kitchen, giving both of my parents an I’m- watching- you look on my way out.

▬▬▬▬▬

Amanda

            I was right about last night. There was indeed lots of pre- prom panic. We practiced our hair and make- up and did our nails until about midnight, squealing about boys and prom queen and limos and pretty much everything. Thankfully, one girl decided midnight was a good bed time. We didn’t want to be red and puffy- eyed for prom, did we? Of course not. So we tucked ourselves in and I fell asleep to excited whispers.

            This morning is utter chaos. Girls are running around the house on their heels while their toenail polish dries; curling irons and blow dryers are nearly short circuiting the house; showers are running constantly, using up the hot water; every room smells like a different girly perfume; and most of all, it’s loud. There are six girls here, all of them talking a mile a minute, and there are so many different beauty noises filling the house that my ears are ringing.

            I had already decided I wanted to get ready at home, that I would just come here for some girl time, so I escape the craziness by getting breakfast in the kitchen downstairs. I suppose a few of the girls won’t eat today, but I, for one, could use some food. I find a box of sugary cereal in the pantry and pour myself a huge bowl. As I sit down to eat, alone with my thoughts, I can’t help but feel nervous. I wouldn’t say I necessarily ‘want this night to go perfect’ like all other senior girls do, but I certainly don’t want it to be bad. I really do like Luke, and a bad prom experience could totally mess that up.

            It takes me a good twenty minutes to finish my cereal, and by then the other girls have found me and I’m whisked back into the land of beauty.

▬▬▬▬▬

Luke

            Okay, now I’m really nervous. From what Amanda has told me, all the girls who were at Emily’s house retreated back to their own houses to finish getting ready and to wait for their dates to pick them up there. I’m about to head to Dianne’s house and my hands are actually shaking. My entire family is coming to Dianne’s house, where they are going to stay until I bring Amanda home later. Dianne invited them for movie night or something.

            I’m just standing by the door, waiting for my family to hurry up and get over here, when my mom comes over carrying a camera in one hand and a corsage box in the other.

            “You might want to bring this,” she says gently, giving me the box and smiling. She looks me up and down, fiddles with my Bahama blue tie, and smiles even wider. “You certainly are a handsome young thing,” she says proudly.