The Forgotten One

Chapter Twelve

              Saturday afternoon Mrs. Reynolds surprised me with a trip into town to the salon for a hair appointment. I got a flattering cut, bringing my hair up to my shoulders, with little wisps framing my face. The stylist added multi level highlights and did a deep conditioning treatment. When she was done, she styled it up into a complicated twist on the back of my head, weaving in small silver roping with rhinestone gems. A few of them hung down on my face. In my jeans and tee shirt I felt ridiculous walking through the mall, but nobody seemed to pay any attention.

              I spent several hours perfecting my makeup, lining my eyes perfectly with black liner and adding a thin silvery line to the top lid. I left the rest of my face basically nude except for a sheer coat of lip gloss. Waiting until the last minute, I finally put on my dress and shoes. When I looked in the mirror I didn’t even recognize myself. It was disturbing and exhilerating at the same time.

              When Chase pulled into the driveway, Mrs. Reynolds dragged Mr. Reynolds out the door with her camera in hand. She posed us for shot after shot, taking multiples of each pose. We were all laughing by the time she was finally done and Chase was able to help me into the car.

              “Wow, Madi.” Chase looked at me, starting the car. “I don’t even know what to say.”

              “Thank you.” I blushed and looked down at the small spray of white flowers in the corsage around my wrist.

              “I’m speechless.”

              “You look great too.” I looked up at my date.

              Chase was dressed in a black jacket and slacks. His shirt underneath was a barely blue color and the tie he had picked matched my dress perfectly. Mrs. Reynolds had produced a white rose, which I had ineptly pinned to his lapel. His hair was unusually in control and he smelled like a pleasant, but obviously cheap cologne.

              It took no time at all to get to the school. There were students parking and making thier way to the doors of the gymnasium in various states of dress. Some of the football players were still in their uniforms and the cheerleaders hadn’t changed yet either. Most of the students were dressed formally. It was a drastic difference from the way we were used to seeing each other.

              “Look, there’s Amanda.” I pointed across the parking area to Jimmy and Amanda. They were standing close together, talking. She looked beautiful in her sea green dress. She had casually draped Jimmy’s jacket around her upper half, cleverly disguising her tiny bump.

              “Let’s not get pulled into their drama tonight, okay?” Chase asked as he opened my door for me.

              “We’ll be there to support our friends.” I said. “But we won’t get involved if they start fighting. Okay?”

              “Okay.” He nodded, happy with the compromise.