Missed Me, Missed Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me

Prom Shopping

I found myself in a dress shop in Fayetteville on a Friday after school. Lulu, Maddison, Kass, and Adrianne all fawned over the dresses. Me? I was quit blinded by the neon colors. It seemed to me all the dresses were animal print, too princess-like, bedazzled to the max, or too small.

  Lulu made a grab for the clearance rack, randomly pulling dresses out that would never fit her. Her drama friends took her lead and grabbed random dresses.

  The shop was on the square and downstairs from a dance studio—I knew this because the ceiling was rattling with the many girls stomping their hearts out. It was small and stark white, other than the dresses. Jewelry and gloves were placed randomly around the shop. Outside on the window it read it exciting white letters ‘PROM 2011!’.

  “Piper,” Lulu said, staring at my empty hands disapprovingly. “C’mon. I told you this was gonna be fun. So start looking like you’re having fun!”

  I picked at the dresses suspended on the wall, a crinkle in my nose. “There’s nothing I’m looking for, Lulu.”

  “That’s why you just grab and worry about it later.”

  I sighed. This was not how I had wanted my first prom shopping to be like. I wanted to be as excited as Lulu and the girls were, but I just couldn’t muster it. I dunno, it felt kind of stupid getting all dolled up without having a date or any intention of gaining one. I wasn’t interested in the boys at school. I wasn’t interested in any boy….

  Lulu held a dusty pink dress up to herself, smiling brilliantly at her reflection in the triple mirrors on the small dais. “What d’you think? Will Cameron like this one?”

  “Love it,” I said with a sly smirk, sifting through the clearance rack. “Now you just gotta get him to ask you.”

  Lulu blushed. “What if I told you he asked me Wednesday?”

  The girls and I stared at her in astonishment. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” I asked excitedly, mock wringing her neck.

  She laughed, playfully shoving me off. “I was still reeling!”

  “Slacker!” Kass decided in a huff. “Prom is next week!”

  Lulu shrugged, nothing dampening her mood. “At least he asked me.” She dogged out on further questions by taking her armful of dresses into the single dressing room.

  “Who’re you going with, Kass?” I asked her, studying this simple black getup. Meh. I didn’t wanna wear black.

  Kass smiled dreamily at the ceiling, sighing blissfully. “Tucker Williams. He’s the Wizard.”

  I laughed. “Ironic. You’re guarding your wizard.”

  Maddie whispered for my ears only, “He’s a total geek, but Kass has it in her mind he’s a god.”
  “Ain’t that always the case?”

  “Me? I’m going with Josh Taylor; the quarterback,” Maddie said with a shrug. “He’s cute, but a total pea brain.”

  I laughed. “Who’re you going with, Adrianne?”

  Adrianne had a sleek red dress pressed against her. She grinned. “My boyfriend Gary. We’ve been going out for three years now.”

  “Awww!” we all cooed together.

  “Okay, guys, what about this?” Lulu asked, coming out of the dressing room.

  It was a long royal blue halter dress; the top was glittery and the skirt all bunched up. It looked cute on Lulu, but the back was just a tad too sleazy and made her look easy; something she would not wanna look like for Cameron.