Real Men Don't Need to Open Doors ...

[decoy73]

((Jason Clarke continued from Let's Do the Time Warp Again))

Six twenty-five ...

Five minutes to pick-up and and Jason was suddenly feeling nervous again as he took his eyes off his watch. Come on, you've got it good right now, don't start messing it up! He looked at the box in the passenger's seat while rubbing his chin and neck, now freshly shaven. He opened it momentarily. The corsage he had picked out was still in good condition. He knew Alex had a duct tape motif with her dress, so he had wrapped the wristband in duct tape. Adding it anywhere else would have been a death trap, so he kept the duct tape to the wristband.

Six twenty-seven ...

Three minutes left. He looked himself in the mirror for the tenth time. Hair was good, tie was straight, whites were white, blacks were black, shoes were shined, dinner jacket, shirt and pants were clean. Perfect. He started up his car and started driving from where he had pulled over.

Six twenty-nine ...

He arrived at Alex's home. From a navigational standpoint, it wasn't too hard. He had driven there twice since he had asked Alex, just to get the directions into his head. He had finished the latest modification to his car - a 2008 Scion tC, sleek, black, and shiny as the day it was bought from the dealer. He'd given it better headlights, more horsepower, and now, a remote controlled door opener. Just love what the spec package can do. He got out of the car and locked the door behind him, corsage in hand, and walked to the front door, breathing deeply.

Six thirty ...

Jason smiled and squared his shoulders as he rang the doorbell ...

[Arscapi†]

((Alex Jackson continued from Book pick up))

Alex opened the door almost immediatly, though she was looking back into the house and not at him. Her homemade dress was floorlength, with a black skirt and red bodice. Her hair was pulled back into a simple bun and highlighted with a red and black ribbons that trailed down her back. "Bite me, Roman," she called spoiling the feminine image she'd created. Laughter followed her as she stepped out of the house shutting the door behind her. She blew out a frustrated breath and mumbled under her breath, at the door.

Turning she flashed Jason a smile. "Brothers," she said exasperated. She stepped next up next to him and the light caught the small silver and black lines that she'd spent hours laying into the bodice. "Hello, Jason. You find the house okay?"

[decoy73]

Jason's eyebrows rose quickly, partially at Alex's ... unladylike language, but mostly because of how good Alex had made her dress using only roll upon roll of duct tape. He then caught her asking him how the ride was.

"Oh, yeah. Found the house no problem." Jason replied offhandedly. "Oh, I got you something." He opened the box to reveal the wrist corsage. The flowers were red on white, and Jason had supplemented it with a thin stripe of red duct tape on the wristband. He took it out and gently slid onto Alex's left wrist, looking her over.

"There. Now, you look gorgeous."

[Arscapi†]

Alex smiled as Jason slipped the corsage on her wrist. The duct tape was a thoughtful touch. "They're beautiful," she said ignoring the comment about her appearance. She decided she was going to take the comment in the spirit he meant it.

"Thank you," she continued and took the few steps down off the porch. Catching sight of his car, she stopped to admire it. "You've made some improvements since I saw it last. What all'd you do," she asked then walked towards it again.

[decoy73]

Jason chuckled as Alex thanked him for the corsage, in sort of an "aw, shucks" manner. She then caught sight of his car and started to admire it.

"You've made some improvements since I saw it last. What all'd you do?"

"Oh. Well, I changed the headlights. They're ... oh, what's the name? Oh, yeah. They're LED Halo Projector lights. I also added some stuff to the engine. Got a turbocharger for the car. Wasn't easy, I'll tell you that." Jason almost went into a lengthy discussion about the difference between turbochargers and superchargers and the inner workings of a variable-nozzle turbocharger, but he was able to catch himself and surreptitiously took out the remote control for his car, holding it behind his back in his right hand. "Way I see it, cars have feelings. It doesn't react to just anybody." They had just about reached the car when Jason reached out for the handle with his left hand to show off his most recent modification - one that was not visible without the remote in his right hand. With the touch of a certain button, the remote sent a signal to a receiver in the car, which caused the passenger side door to open. Jason smiled as his eyebrows rose in mock surprise.

"Huh. I think it likes you." He motioned towards the now open passenger door. "After you."

[Arscapi†]

"Huh. I think it likes you." He motioned towards the now open passenger door. "After you."

Alex laughed. "Apparently it too has good taste." She accepted Jason's hand as he helped her to slid into the passenger's seat. It took her a moment to get comfortable. She was extrememly proud of her dress, but she had to admit, it wasn't the easiest to move around in.

She waited until Jason joined her to continue their conversation. "I agree that each car has a personality. With mine I wanted to make sure I captured it, but still maintained its roots. I wanted to be true to the design," she said pride creeping into her voice. "Although an updated turbo-charger might be nice. I love to go fast, think we'll be able to test yours out on the way?"

[decoy73]

"Apparently it too has good taste." Alex laughed, taking Jason's hand as she got in. He closed the door after she made herself comfortable and walked to the driver's side, smiling. Slowly, Jason's worry of messing up in front of Alex was fading. As he got into the driver's seat and closed the door, Alex continued her chain of thought.

"I agree that each car has a personality. With mine I wanted to make sure I captured it, but still maintained its roots. I wanted to be true to the design." Jason nodded. Alex's car was a Ford Mustang - a classic. Jason's updates reflected his sense of style and the car itself. Trying to transfer them to Alex's car would have been like spitting in the face of tradition. "Although an updated turbo-charger might be nice. I love to go fast, think we'll be able to test yours out on the way?" Jason laughed.

"Of course we can. Once we hit the fast lane, we can put this car through her paces." He replied, a confident smile forming on his face as he put the key in the ignition, causing the engine to purr to life.

This is going to get good. Jason shifted the car out of neutral gear (His parents insisted he learn to drive stick shift - the fuel economy was much better, plus even Jason had to admit that it looked more ... refined) and started the drive to prom.

[Arscapi†]

Alex settled back into her seat with her eyes closed as Jason changed lanes smoothly. She felt the rush of acceleration as he put his foot down. She sat like that for a few minutes feeling the speed, then made a guess and leaned over to see how fast they were going. "How fast have you gotten it up too," she asked leaning back into her seat again.

"I've had my mustang up close to 100," she said in a low voice. "Just don't tell my parents. If my dad ever found out I'd get a lecture from him and then probably my uncle on my recklessness. Then they'd take the car until I was mature enough to drive it, or worse they'd give it to Roman."

She was almost sorry when Jason had to declerate to get off the freeway, but that meant they were almost at prom.

[decoy73]

As they got onto the freeway, Jason shifted into the left lane and stepped on the gas. He didn't do that very often, go for speed. He'd preferred to take it slow most of the time. But, then again, when he put in that turbocharger, it wasn't just for show. He just leaned back as the speedometer passed 70, 80, 90, finally hitting 95 miles per hour. After a few minutes, he heard Alex ask:

"How fast have you gotten it up to?"

"Oh, about 95. Pretty nice to feel the breeze once in a while. It would be awesome if I could put the top down."

"I've had my Mustang up close to 100. Just don't tell my parents. If my dad ever found out I'd get a lecture from him and then probably my uncle on my recklessness. Then they'd take the car until I was mature enough to drive it, or worse they'd give it to Roman."

Jason chuckled as they got off the highway. He'd only met Roman a couple times, both while Alex was with him. Roman didn't seem like the guy to discuss cars in any way except for going from point A to point B. He looked ahead, seeing the Crowne ahead of them.

"Well, we're here," he said as he parked the car, letting it run for a couple more seconds (oil coking was such a nuisance) before turning it off and opening the doors. "You ready?" He knew that he was ready as he'd ever be.

((Jason Clarke continued inside the Prom))

[Arscapi†]

"I don't know, we'll see if I can make it out of the car in one piece," Alex said with a laugh. She opened the door and sat for a moment trying to figure out the best way to get out. Finally, she stepped out tentatively. The dress' shape held and she took a moment to smooth it down and check for any gaps that had been created. Closing the car door, she came to stand next to Jason who was waiting patiently for her, offering him a smile she turned to head into prom.



((Alex Jackson continued inside prom))