I am going to a dance. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?
Chapter 15
Help! Having a fashion crisis! I send Mack an emergency selfie with the arm that isn’t currently stuck up in the air. Zipper bent. Send help.
LMAO.
Not funny!
C’mon, you know it is. Rip the seam and free yourself. I’ll take you shopping for a plan B dance dress tomorrow. Fi needs new stuff too.
*Crying* Thanks.
“You still don’t have a dress?” Naomi says in disbelief at lunch. “The dance is Saturday, Olivia. This Saturday.”
“I’m going shopping today after school. The dress I was going to wear doesn’t fit anymore.” I look at my tray of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. I put down my half-eaten slice of pepperoni pizza. Not like that’s going to help my ass miraculously shrink by Saturday, but whatever.
“Go to Macy’s. That’s where I got mine. They’re probably all picked over by now, but at least they’re on sale. I’m sure you can get a good one for one-fifty easily.”
One-fifty? My whole budget is $22.78, and that’s including the money from the tip jar Mack insisted I take.
“Good to know. I’ll check it out,” I say, though Mack has already promised to take me to her favorite Goodwill as soon as Mom comes in this afternoon.
My phone buzzes and my heart clenches. What if it’s Mack texting that she can’t go? What if I can’t get a dress by Saturday? What if this is a total disaster? My phone buzzes a second time. I steel myself and take a cautious peek. It’s not Mack. It’s Egg.
Change of plans. Coming in THIS weekend. Need you Friday pm thru Sun pm.
Sure. But not Sat.
I need you all day Sat for rehearsal. Sun we record.
Okay, but I need to leave at 4.
Please Livy. Can you cancel your plans?
No.
I’m begging you. I need this job. You are the only person I trust with this.
Now I feel like dirt. I’m sorry. I can’t.
Did I mention this is a PAYING gig? I’ll pay you $500 cash for the weekend.
??????
And another $100 if I get a callback.
I admit it. Dollar signs flashed in front of my eyes. Maybe.
I guess I could see if Britney Xiao is available this weekend instead.
Well, that’s a low blow. Oh hell no!
If my favorite partner isn’t available, then I have no choice but to find someone else. And the tea is that Britney is partnerless. Again.
Britney Freakin’ Xiao. Nope. Nope. Nopeity nope.
“Hey guys, bad news,” I say after texting my answer to Egg. “I’m going to have to bail on the dance.”
“What?” Naomi and Erika shriek in tandem.
“Why?” Brandon says.
“I have a skating thing this weekend.”
Erika genuinely looks annoyed at my announcement. “It can’t wait until next week? This is a once-a-year event, you know.”
Jonah and I share an are-they-for-real look.
“No. Egg and I have been partners since I was ten years old. I’m the only one who can help him with it.”
Naomi throws down her katsu sandwich. “Well, this totally wrecks all our plans.”
“Really. It’s fine.” As always, Jonah is the only one who gets it. “Nobody wants to see me dance anyway.”
The other three people at our table look at Jonah like he’s from another planet.
“I’m sorry,” I say more to Jonah than anybody else, and he shrugs.
“I’ll take a rain check.” Jonah puts his hand on my knee and squeezes it. “It’s one dance. Who cares?”
“Unbelievable.” Erika shakes her head. “You two are so weird.”
Naomi elbows her cousin. “Not weird. Dedicated. Very dedicated.”
“Well, I hope you two won’t look back on your high school life one day and regret it. You only get to do this once.”
“Thank God,” Jonah says. “I can’t wait to finish high school. I would skate full-time tomorrow if my parents would let me take the GED test and be done.”
The GED? Erika’s and Naomi’s heads look ready to explode.
“I guess we have different priorities.” Erika’s voice matches Jonah’s.
“Yeah, we do.”
“Save me,” Brandon mouths at me when everyone but Jonah pulls out homework and pretends to do it, so we don’t have to continue this conversation.
The bell rings, and the silent treatment continues.
Once Erika and Naomi are out of earshot, Brandon says, “How long do you think they would let me live if I suddenly announced that I wasn’t going to the dance either? That Choi and I decided to have an all-night Street Fight Race marathon instead?”
Jonah bangs the lid of his empty lunch container closed and throws it into his backpack. “How about you three go to this all-important, only-once-a-year dance, and Olivia and I skate. That way, everybody’ll be happy.”
But I’m not happy. I want it all. And as much as I hate to admit it, Erika does have a point. I don’t want to look back and regret anything.
I stop Jonah. “That’s it. I’m going to the dance. Pick me up at seven thirty. Egg can make it by himself for three hours. Warning: My hair and makeup aren’t going to be perfect, and I won’t have time to do my nails. I will take the time, however, to put on some extra deodorant and inhale a protein bar.”
“Deal.” Jonah looks me up and down. “And you look beautiful no matter what you’re wearing.”
“So extra.” I wrap my arms around Jonah’s bicep and look up at him. “And yet, so working.”
Jonah leans into my ear and whispers, “Can we sneak out of the dance a little early?”
My body buzzes. “Definitely.”
This is going to be the Best. Weekend. Ever.
Chapter 16
Rock. Paper. Scissors.
“Ugh,” I say when Mack’s paper covers my rock.
“I’ll do the toilets.” Mack squeezes my fist. “You get the gum.”
“So gross.” I slip on my latex gloves, grab the putty knife, and lie down on the linoleum underneath Table #1. This is wrong on so many levels. A curse on the jackass who’s been parking their gum underneath this table for what must have been months now. Stupid. I’m the rink owners’ daughter. I shouldn’t have to do this. I should be warming up. Going through Madame Pichon’s pre-workout barre routine. The sound of Jonah’s blades hitting the ice in even strides echoes around the rink. I want to be on the ice. With him.
I’m busy daydreaming under an ABC gum sky when a pair of giant hiking boots walks up next to the table. A duffle bag hits the floor next to the boots with an echoing thud. The body attached to the boots squats down and peers under the table at me.
“Hey, Short Stuff.”
“Egg!” I slide out from under the table and peel my latex gloves off. “I thought you weren’t coming in until tomorrow morning.”
“I was able to get an earlier flight.” Egg looks me up and down. “Well, look who finally finished going through puberty.”