Inevitable and Only(41)

DJ Derry was actually Becca Derry, and she was another teacher who’d told us to use her first name—but ever since someone found out she moonlighted as a folk radio deejay, we hadn’t called her anything except DJ Derry. She was also going to deejay the Fall Ball, and students had been putting in requests for weeks.

“Guys, enough already,” she sighed, holding up a list three pages long. “Who added Metallica? Seriously? Plus, we’re going to be there till Sunday morning if I play all these songs.”

“Exactly!” someone yelled. “Dance all night!”

“Dance till dawn!”

“Daaaaance!”



On Saturday, it was hard to enjoy the Open House or the picnic, my stomach was such a tight-wound ball of yarn. Or maybe a ball of frayed cables, shooting out little sparks of excitement every time I thought about the dance that night. Raven promised she’d bring the dresses over to my house after the picnic with plenty of time to get ready before dinner.

We were supposed to meet Max, Farhan, and Sam at Tamber’s at six o’clock—Dad was going to drop us off. Mom had stayed at school, so she could help set up for the dance. Elizabeth vanished into the bathroom for one of her endless showers at quarter of five, and fifteen minutes later, Raven texted me Running late! Leaving now!

I hadn’t even seen my dress since Ruby had worked her magic on it. What if I’d gained weight and it didn’t fit anymore? What if she hadn’t had time to sew on all the lace and beads, and I showed up to the Fall Ball in a plain cream-colored dress like a nervous bride? Oh god, what if Farhan thought I was trying to prepare for our wedding day?

The doorbell rang at 5:09 and I flew down the stairs.

“Raven Woodbury,” I said, opening the door.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” She pushed past me with a garment bag draped over each arm. “Ruby was putting the finishing touches on yours. Wait till you see it.”

She laid the bags out side by side on my bed, and I unzipped mine.

Ruby had transformed the dress completely. Black lace all down the sides framed an hourglass-shaped cream silhouette. The lace was edged with tiny midnight-blue beads that shone iridescent when the fabric moved. And the central panel was crisscrossed by swirls of cream-colored beads that blended in against the fabric but added texture. The dress was a work of art.

Raven had already stripped down to her underwear and her perfect little red satin B-cup bra, and was standing in front of the mirror with an enormous tote bag full of makeup, combing some sort of product into her curls.

“Oh, hi.” Elizabeth shut the door quickly behind her, averting her eyes and pulling her baby-blue terry-cloth robe around herself more tightly.

“Hey!” Raven looked over at her. “Got any hair shimmer?”

“Any … what?” Elizabeth looked mystified.

“Never mind, found it,” Raven said, pulling a hot-pink bottle out of her bag.

“Should I go get dressed in the bathroom?” said Elizabeth.

“No, no, there’s plenty of room in here for all of us. If that’s okay with you,” I added quickly.

“Sure.” But I noticed that Elizabeth kept her gaze away from Raven and stepped into her dress with her back to us, practically standing in the closet. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I left all my makeup in the bathroom.”

“Makeup before clothes,” Raven lectured me as Elizabeth closed the door behind her. “So you don’t accidentally stain anything.”

I threw her a T-shirt. “Then put this on, you’re offending Mother Teresa.”

She looked amused. “Am I?” But she pulled on the shirt.

I handed Raven my sparkly blue eyeliner and she did cat-eyes for me, her specialty. Then she handed me the black and gray eye shadow and I did smoky eyes for her, my specialty. I sifted through my rainbow lipsticks and found a purple one for me and a classic red one for her.

Elizabeth came back then, her hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a little lip gloss. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“You’re done?” Raven said. “Just like that?”

Elizabeth nodded. Raven eyed her.

The blue dress brought out the color of her eyes, and although the cut was modest, it showed off her slim figure. Even pulled back in a simple ponytail, her strawberry-blond hair was gorgeous. She looked like she’d stepped out of the pages of a catalogue. I knew what Raven was thinking, though. She never went out on a date without at least half an hour of prep time (or primp time, as I called it).

“At least let us do something with your hair,” Raven said finally.

So Elizabeth sat in front of the vanity while I twisted strands into tiny braids and gathered them back into a half-bun, and then Raven curled the rest into long soft waves while I got dressed. My stomach fluttered a little as Elizabeth zipped up the back of my dress and I stared at myself in the mirror. No B-cups for me. I’d invested in a strapless bra that looked like it could hold a pair of grapefruits just for this occasion. I pressed my hands to my chest and tried to squeeze it into submission.

“That dress looks incredible, Cadie,” said Raven, from behind me, and Elizabeth murmured her agreement.

It did. Ruby had outdone herself. The beads glittered when I moved and the pale color set off the brown tone of my skin perfectly. The pink, purple, and blue tips of my hair brushed the top of the dress. “It’s just so low-cut.”