Rock Bottom

Chapter Twenty-Six: Stone Cold to the Core

"Can I help you get ready?" Kate pokes her head into my room.

"Would you? I'm horrible at doing hair and makeup. I spent the vast majority of my life dressed like a boy," I sit at my vanity staring into my mirror. This is how I've been for the last twenty minutes. I just don't know where to begin.

Kate enters completely overjoyed to make me look like a princess. She begins running her fingers through my long blonde hair. It tickles my scalp, but the feeling is ever so pleasant.

"How about we do a twisted up-do? I could run a braid down the side and entwine it in the bun," she suggests.

"Whatever you think will look good."

She gets right down to work pulling strands of hair to the back of my head keeping it back with bobby pins.

"I remember getting ready for the dances with your mom. We used to go to all of them."

I'm shocked when she brings up mom. I've rarely heard Kate speak about her. I don't know anything about the kind of relationship they had as sisters.

"Are you serious? She actually liked them?" I laugh.

"Oh yes, Angela loved getting all dressed up. The girl couldn't dance if her life depended on it though," Kate chuckles as she begins to weave my hair down the side of my face to create the braid. "I remember she slow danced with this boy one time and whenever he went one way, she was going the other. It was pretty hard to watch."

"What happened with the guy? Did he laugh at her?" I question.

"No, he married her," I see her smile in the reflection of the mirror.

After Kate finishes doing my hair, she moves on to carefully painting my face with foundation and sweeping silver eyeshadow across my lid. We chat as she meticulously applies my makeup to perfection. Kate doesn't hesitate to slip me into the delicate mauve dress that has been tucked in my closet for over a week. Once I'm zipped up, she takes a step back to admire her work.

"Kayla, you look so beautiful," Kates eyes begin to water. "You look just like your mother."

A smile forms across my face. I barely recognize the girl looking back at me in the full length mirror. I've never felt so beautiful in my life.

If only dad could see me now.

~*~

"I love this song!" Olivia squeals as she swings her hips to the music.

Henry almost lost his jaw on the floor when he came to pick me up. He was completely speechless. Henry looked very handsome himself all dressed up, although I didn't quite lose all my brain cells like he did when the door opened. Kate snapped a few quick photos once Henry redeemed himself. Then we headed to the school where we met up with all of our friends.

"What is there to like about this song?" Lucas turns up nose.

"Everything!" Olivia shouts back over the booming base. I strain my neck over the crowd to spot Lydia. As per usual, all eyes were on her when she waltzed in with Cole wearing her spectacular pearl white dress. She then had disappeared into the crowd. I want to make sure I stay as far away from her as possible. I don't want any trouble tonight.

"Having fun?" Henry wraps his arms around my waist snapping me out of my life size game of 'Where's Waldo'.

"I am despite my disbeliefs," I admit. "I thought the dance was going to be pretty lame, but it has actually been a lot of fun."

The group of us squeeze in the crowd of sweaty teenagers in the middle of the dance floor joining in on their exhilarating energy. We dance to the beat and force our voices louder to sing over the music. We bounce around to the songs with our bodies squished against each other in the packed herd of students. The smile on my face never wavers as the night goes on. Eventually the music begins to soften as it transitions into a slow song.