Who Says Girls and Baseball Don't Mix?

Chapter Seven: Step Up To The Plate... And Not Be Recognized?

River's POV

I tug at my mask nervously. I have never been this dolled up before. In fact, this is the first school dance I have ever gone to. Tony had been busy on homecoming last year and our school didn't have any other dances besides homecoming and prom, and you can't go to prom until you're a junior, so I have never had the need to be dolled up and look pretty before. Bay pulls at his tie as our mother ties his mask on. Cascade hangs out around the kitchen counter, looking over at us wistfully. He wants to go, but he's only in the seventh grade. Rayne is sitting on my dad's lap, looking over at us with a droolly grin on his face. I gag and say, "Uh, Dad?"

Glade and Bay start to get into an argument once again about baseball and football as my mother comes over to help me tie my mask on without getting any hairs caught in it. My brunette hair is curled in loose curls and pulled up into a half up, which my mother expertly braids the long ponytail of half my hair with the ribbon of the mask, keeping it neatly but tightly in place. Katie, Angel, and Tara all came over as well, at around five or six o'clock so we could get dressed together. All of us are going together. Apparently, all three of them have dates as well. Katie is going with Kam, Tara is going with B.B., and Angel is going with Bay, actually. He asked her when she came over with Katie to drop off my dress.

As soon as my mother finished with him, he walked over immediately to sit by her. Angel smiles as he puts an arm around her shoulders. She doesn't have Cinnamon with her tonight because, well, she wouldn't be able to dance while holding onto a leash. Bay promised earlier to help her around.

"Okay, the boys around going to be here in a few minutes," Katie says. She smiles at me and for a moment, I feel like she actually is a friend of mine from back home.

"Does my makeup still look okay?" I ask nervously. She laughs and nods. She was the one who did my makeup. She made it to match everything else that I had going on. She blended a bunch of colors together to create a cat eye look, royal blue being the most dominant color, and then created a silver eyeliner by putting on black liquid liner first, then adding silver sparkles.

She herself doesn't look to bad either. She's wearing a blood red strapless dress with a slit up one of the legs. It hugs her curves nicely. And for her makeup, she kept it fairly simple with neutral eye shadows and mascara. Her mask is a dark red and black with feathers sticking out by her temples. She doesn't have any lipstick on, whereas I have a slightly dark red. Tara is wearing a single sleeved gold, glittery dress that goes only to her knees. Angel suggested that she go with a silver and gold theme, so she has silver eye shadow and a plain silver mask. Angel is wearing a bright green, short sleeved dress that is floor length and has a gorgeous mask to go with it. She doesn't have on her sunglasses, but her eyes somehow make her a lot more interesting.

The doorbell rings and I freeze, so nervous that my legs begin to shake. Katie smiles at me and nudges me forward. "Go answer the door silly."

I nod and start forward on shaky feet. I am extremely nervous. This is, technically I guess, my first date after my breakup with Tony only yesterday. I didn't want the guys to make fun of me or to say anything mean. I clear my throat once before gripping the door handle and opening it up. The first face I see is masked in a darker silver mask with a nice suit on with a silver tie. I grin and say, "Hi, B.B."

He frowns at me and asks in shock, "River?!" I grin and nod. "Um, wow. You actually look hot." Kam peers out around him and looks at me. He doesn't say anything, but by the widening of his eyes under the dark red and black mask he's wearing tells me that he's shocked as well.

"Uh, thanks?" I say quietly, tuck a small strand of curled hair behind my ear.

"Did I just hear someone call my date hot?" The duo of boys part and I see Jaxon standing at the very back of the line, a smile on his face. He's wearing a nice black suit with a royal blue vest, a nice white undershirt, and a royal blue tie to go with his vest. He's wearing a silver half mask that goes almost down to his chin but stops horizontally at his nose. There's an outlining of blue around the edges, but it is very faint. He smiles at me as he walks up to the step. He becomes even with me and I realize that he's only an inch or two taller than I am. He bends to kiss my cheek and I blush furiously. "You look beautiful."