Dog Tags

Chapter 51

Quinn's POV

I arrive back home and say goodbye to Nick telling him I will see him later tonight. When I walk into the house my dad is at the kitchen table paying bills and balancing the checkbook, Jared is sitting on the counter waiting for whatever is in the over to be done, and the sound of the TV from inside the living room makes me think that Grandma Etta is still watching Hallmark movies. "That wasn't much of a date if you are already home."Jared comments causing my dad to look in my direction, "It wasn't date Jared,it was just two friends hanging out, and the reason it didn't last that long was because he had to go home and help out." I am not sure how to bring up the subject of the Christmas party,

"Whatever you say little sister." Jared jokingly rolls his eyes before turning his attention back to his phone. "I thought you were sleeping the day away you night hawk." I place my purse onto the counter next to him while Jared answers me without even looking up from his phone, "Man has to eat at some point." I lightly shove him off the counter and he laughs landing on his feet, "Enough horse playing around you two." Jared and I right away stop what we are doing,"Dad, there is something I need to talk to you about." My dad stops what he is doing giving me his full attention,

"You're not in any legal trouble or having any woman issues are you?" My dad asks giving me look like because if you are please don't tell me, "It is nothing like that I promise." I take the seat next to him taking a deep breath, "My friend Nick invited to a Christmas party tonight at his house, it is a big soiree that his parents throw every year." My dad gives me the look that I knew was coming, "Who are his parents?" My dad asks crossing his arms over his chest, "Aria and Maxwell Romero." My dad looks at me with a surprise expression on his face, 

"You mean Maxwell Romero the lawyer?" I nod my head but then it comes to me that with my dad being a police officer that he might have run into Nick's dad from time to time, "Are adults going to be there?" I nod my head putting on my best daddy's little girl grin, "More than half of the people at the party are going to be adults. The only reason Nick invited me tonight is because his dad has requested he attend the party instead of ditching it like he normal does." The look on my dad's face tells me right away that he not that convinced of letting me go,

"I don't know Quinn, going to a party at a strangers house." I sigh at just another example of my dad not letting me be free and experience life outside what he thinks is safe. "Please dad, I don't ask for much from anyone, but I am asking you to please trust me and let me go to the party." My dad takes a deep breath and lets it out, "Against my better judgement and everything in me screaming that I am going to regret this, you can to the party." I smile a big smile wrapping my arms around my dad and give him a hug and a kiss on his cheek, "Thank you." I whisper in his ear as he hugs me back,

"But if you need anything you call me or your brother and I will be over there flashers and all." I pull out of the hug lightly nodding my head, "It is a deal, and this way you can meet Nick for the first time since he is picking me up tonight." My dad grins an evil grin on his face, and the same grin comes across the face of Jared, "Those grins are creeping me out, but I am going up to my room to get ready, and I texted Tiffany to come over to here to help me."I give my dad one last kiss before heading upstairs to my room to figure out what I am going to wear. 

After about an hour of going through dresses I pick out a handful of them and start trying them on. I stand in front of the mirror wearing the first dress which is a green dress with white legging underneath it, then suddenly, my bedroom door opens and Tiffany walks in with enough stuff that it looks like robbed a beauty parlor, "I am here and ready to make you the most beautiful girl in the whole place." Tiffany walks further into my room putting all her stuff on my bed,"You are not wearing that." Tiffany points to the current outfit I am wearing,"What is wrong with this? I think it is very festive and Christmas like."Tiffany rolls her eyes shaking her head, 

"Just because you are going to a Christmas party doesn't mean you need to look like a Christmas tree." If there is one thing people don't like about Tiffany it would be her blatant honesty. I strip off the green dress and put on a long white dress that almost looks like a wedding dress but it is a prom type of dress."What about this one?" I ask spinning around in it and Tiffany doesn't look impressed. "You wear that to the party and you might as well wear a sigh that says, 'Virgin Alert'." I glare at her taking the dress off and throwing it next to the green one.

The next dress is a nice Mrs. Claus dress, but before I can even put it on Tiffany snatches it away from em and throws it into the pile of rejected dresses, "That is such a cliche dress that I go into further detail." I let out a breath thinking to myself that maybe asking for Tiffany's help was a bad idea. I put on a very short white dress with a blue bottom and Tiffany looks from me then to the dress and back to me with a huge smile on her face, "That looks like something out of my closet. Can you say ho, ho, ho?" I growl at her taking the dress off and throwing it at her, "You are impossible." I snap at her and I freeze up seeing the next dress in the pile,

"This dress belonged to my mom, it was the dress she always wore in high school and college when her and my dad would have date night." I say holding up a long and elegant sleeveless red dress with sliver at top and sliver in the middle of it."Try it on Quinn." A part of me doesn't want to because it was my moms and I don't want to ruin it in any way. "I don't think I can T." Tiffany comes up behind me and gives me a hug, "Maybe this dress ending up in the pile was a sign from her for you to wear it tonight." I wipe tears from eyes and let out a laugh, "You think?" Tiffany nods her head hugging me tighter, "Alright, but no nasty comments if you don't like it." Tiffany lets me go nodding her head as I slowly and carefully put on the dress.

Once I am in the dress I must say that it fits me like a glove, I spin around in it and look at Tiffany who has slight tears in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face, "You look out of this world beautiful in that dress Quinn." I smile at her as I look at myself in the mirror and I smile thinking of how amazing I look if I do say so myself. "That is the prefect dress for tonight." Tiffany takes my head and stands next to me, "All eyes are going to be on you tonight, this I am going to make sure of." Tiffany helps me out of the dress before pulling me over to help me do my hair, my makeup, and help me pick out the right shoes to go with my dress.