Sweethearts, skirts, and small talk

[Arscapi†]

Bianca walked from the bedroom into the bathroom and began to remove the curlers from the bottom of the ponytail. She'd already pulled her hair into a side ponytail and was now adding the finishing touches to her look. Bianca smiled at her reflection as the curls cascaded down her left shoulder.

"Spraying hairspray," she called out, hoping to prevent Jacqui from walking into the fog that was inevitably created by hairspray. She picked up Jacqui's bottle and putting one hand up to protect her face began spraying. Spraying for a few seconds she stopped and fluffed her curls. She wanted the curls to stay, but didn't want helmet hair. That would not only look unattractive, but would make it exceptionally hard to slip a tiara on. Bianca applied a little more hairspray then returned the bottle to the counter.

"What do you think," she called to Jacqui.

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Jaquilyn smiled. While Bianca prepped in the bathroom, she did a final checkup on herself in her bedroom vanity. She'd made appointments for hair in the morning. She wanted it perfect, and she didn't want to be there when the panicky last-minute girls came in. She and Bianca had decided to get dressed and get ready together, which was good because Jaquilyn had no idea what she wanted to do with her nails.

She smiled at her permed hair. It was curly, but still cute. She had told the man "like Sandy from 'Grease.'" It was a little different for a prom, but he'd done a great job keeping it elegant.

Bianca's voice snapped her out of her vain streak for a moment. She backed away from the mirror, using the reflection to navigate as she walked backwards. Her little black dress was laid over the chair at the vanity. She grabbed her makeup box and went to join Bianca in the bathroom, where they could talk while they prepped.

She carries her box in one hand and her dress draped over her other arm, which was now reaching for the door. Bianca was basically a sister, not changing in the same room would be weird. The dress had a zipper anyway.

"Comin' in," Her knuckles briefly drummed on the door, "if your naked cover up or strike a pose."

[Arscapi†]

"I'm covered. Button up shirts come in handy for dances," Bianca said with a laugh wrinkling her nose as the smell of Jacqui's perm preceded her into the room. She got her hair permed the day of prom? Bianca couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Zubin, he'd either be overwhelmed by perm chemical fumes or by the amount of perfume Jacqui was going to put on to cover it. "What do you think," she asked again shrugging her shoulders to make the loose curls bounce.

"You look great," she said and scooted over to give her friend room in the bathroom. "Sorry I didn't mean to hog the bathroom. You ready for make-up?"

She reached over to dig through her assorted colors and finishes. She'd decided to go for something very simple. She selected a foundation that matched her skin tone perfectly and began to apply it with a sponge. Bianca had decided to go mostly natural with just a hint of make-up to accentuate her eyes and lips.

She relayed this information to Jacqui as she searched for her black eye shadow. "What are you thinking for your make up," she asked. "Your dress is all black, right? I think I'd go with...well it depends on what you're going for I guess. If you want more drama I'd go with a green, but if you want more natural you could do a smoky eye."

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(haha, I didn't know perms came with a smell. Whoops!)

"Haha, well it is prom, I'm goin' green."

She looked through her own box. It's contents had gotten a little disorganized during her trip to the sink, but she would fix it... Eventually.

Held the eye shadow up to her eyelid. It'd be bold, but who cared. Bold was good as long as it wasn't over the top. She'd use a more discrete lipstick to balance it out. She pulled out her eyeliner and set it with the rest of her beauty tools.

Without even hesitating, she dropped her shorts and stepped into the dress. She pulled it up to her hips and wiggled to get into the snug dress. She stopped when she felt her thonged bottom slide into place. Next, she shirt came over her head, and her arms went into the long, shoulderless sleeves.

"So are you and Josh an exclusive thing, or are you my winglady tonight?"

[Arscapi†]

Bianca finished applying her foundation and laughed at Jacqui's play on words. She reached for the eye shadow she'd selected before when she noticed Jacqui had put on her dress. Sighing, she pulled a towel from where it hung behind her on the towel rack. Moving forward she wrapped the towel around her best friend. "That Zubin must be something amazing, you can't even remember how to get ready," she teased gently. "You're going to get powder all over your dress, if you're not careful."

She turned back to her make up selections, frowned and dug three other colors out instead, deciding to add just a little more drama. She leaned forward over the counter and began to apply a light silvery gray to her lids. "And yes, Josh and I are pretty exclusive. We've been dating since right around Valentine's Day. He'll actually be picking me up pretty soon. I insisted that he make it up to me since he locked his keys in the car after asking me to prom. I hope he knows I'm just teasing him. Besides, what do you need a wingman for, are you and Zubin just going as friends? He's not bad looking, if you could get him to part with that mustache of his."

Biance turned her attention back to the mirror, this time choosing a dark blue. Keeping her eyes open, she applied this darker color just to the crease her eyelids formed when open.

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Jaq smiled. Zubin wasn't her big macho jock type, but he was fun. She didn't have any romantic feelings towards him, but he'd keep her in high spirits.

She tugged the sleeves back down and tugged her shirt down over her head, embarrassed for being so anxious to try it on.

She leaned into the mirror as she applied her eyeshadow, little by little. "We're just friends. He makes me smile and he makes me laugh, but he's not my type."

She was right about the 'stache, though. With a cleanly shaved face, he could be quite handsome. Not a meathead man's man, but a man.

"Maybe he'll shave, but I'm not getting my hopes up." she wiped some excess makeup off her eyelid. "He probably won't mind me dancing around."

She had though Bianca seemed awfully cutesy about Josh. Jaq originally assumed he'd be a short term boyfriend, but it was nice to see her best friend so happy.

"Ohh yeah, you mentioned the car thing before. He's hot, B. And I hope he doesn't mind me dirty dancing with you."

[Arscapi†]

Bianca raised an eyebrow at Jacqui's statement. "Easy girl, what has got you all riled up today? I mean apart from prom of course," she asked applying a light pink shadow just under her eyebrows. She pulled out three different shades of pink lip gloss, each one slightly darker than the other. "I'm torn as to which one to wear. I'm going to put my dress on and then you have to help me decide."

Bianca stepped past Jacqui and into the bedroom. She slid her shorts down her nylon clad legs, she stepped out of them and then into her dress. Bianca pulled the dress up and held it against her chest with one hand, while zipping it with the other. She unbuttoned the shirt she'd been warning to prevent her dress from getting make-up or hair products on it. She used the mirror in the bedroom to readjust her hair so that most of it dangled behind her left shoulder, she didn't want it to get caught in the beading and crystals that adorned the top of her dress.

"Actually I'm pretty sure Joshua wouldn't be too pleased about the dancing," she said bringing them back to Jacqui's earlier dirty dancing comment as she came back to stand in the bathroom doorway. She motioned to the dress which was black on the top and got progressively lighter as it traveled down her torso, until her knee-length skirt was a solid white.

"So, which lip gloss do you think works best," she said holding them up to her lips in turn.

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Jaq felt herself roll her eyes. If Joshua didn't approve of some best friend, girl-on-girl dancing, he must be prude. Whatever, it wasn't worth a debate. She was in fact riled up about one final bang to end her high school career with, but having a simple, classy night wouldn't kill her.

Now to the lip gloss situation. Jaq looked up at her choices, and immeadietly reached for the darkest. A quick up and down glance confirmed that it matched. She didn't know what Joshua preferred, but she liked this.

She was anxious to see the men all dresses up. Joshua probably cleaned up nicely, but she really didn't know what to expect from Zubin. He was spontaneous, but hopefully within reason.

She turned back to the mirror and picked out her own lip gloss. She'd decided to tone it down a little bit, having a sexy dress and green eyeshadow was bold enough.

She held the white-zinfandel colored gloss to her lips, and looked towards Bianca for approval.

"How's this?"

[Arscapi†]

Bianca stood back and eyed her friend critically. "Wouldn't have been my first choice, but you know with your coloring I think it works great," she said. She stepped into the room so that she could see herself in the mirror. She debated again about the three colors she'd chosen. Finally, settling on a color that was actually more peach than pink, she leaned forward and applied the lip gloss.

Once her lip gloss was applied she moved back into the bedroom. Slipping into her black flats, she stepped back to get a look at the complete outfit. Her smile widened and suddenly she couldn't wait for Joshua to see her. Bianca glanced over to the alarm clock and was happy to see that she was on time and the Joshua would be here to pick her up shortly.

"You ready for some pictures," she asked coming back into to stand next to the bathroom.

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Jaq nodded, "lemme grab my camera, too." She steppes into her dress and tugged it up.

She adjusted the bottom of her dress while rushing through the doorway.  A glance at her alarm clock informed her that Bianca would be leaving soon. She snatched the camera off her bed and power walked back to the bathroom.

She held it up and snapped one of Bianca without warning. She smiled at the candid and stepped onto the tile.

Shoes.

She turned on her heel and ran around her bed to where her shoes were waiting. She strapped up her high heels and made for the bathroom. Her heels announced her arrival in the bathroom with their clomp on the tile. She moved next to Bianca, turned towards the mirror, put a hand on her hip, and waited for the click.

[Arscapi†]

"That better not end up on your facebook page," Bianca warned Jacqui when she reentered the bathroom. Bianca then turned and smiled at the camera her friend held up. "You're the only girl I know who wants pictures from the bathroom," she teased.

Bianca left the bathroom to gather her small clutch and camera from the bedroom. "C'mon let's get downstairs and ask Mom to take some pictures of us. I only have a couple more minutes before Joshua's going to be here. I can't wait to see him all dressed up."

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Jaq laughed. Sure, bathroom pics were unorthodox for prom, but she'd look the happiest in this one. She knew once she went downstairs her mother would swoon for a moment, and then list all of the apparent flaws. It was much easier to flash a genuine smile in the crapper than fake one in the foyer.

She admired herself for another moment before following Bianca into the bedroom. She scooped up her clutch and tucked her phone into it. She went for the door and led the way down the stairs where her parents were in fact waiting. Ms. Locke held up a fancy camera and her husband stood nearby with his iPhone raised. There was an "ohh" and an "ahh." A flash made her blink, and she felt herself smile for real. Several more followed.

"I'm sending these to Don," her father explained. He stared down at his phone and used his finger to scroll, trying to pick his favorite. Jaq handed her father her camera, and he reached out for Bianca's as well.

Jaquilyn's mom had her lips in their perpetual half-pout, but she seemed proud reguardless. Maybe dad had talked to her beforehand about being critical on such a night. Ms. Locke raised her arm and gestured, "let's get one by the fireplace!"

[Dr. Nic†]

[Continued from Watch the Birdie.]

Joshua stood leaning against the door of the car, finishing off his third or fourth cigarette of the night; he was nervous, and it was starting to show. As he flicked the butt to the ground and snuffed it under his shoe, he wondered if he should fish out another one. He decided against it, and looked down at his watch. He dug out his cellphone, and sent Bianca a text. Something short, simple, and straight to the point. I'm outside. Simple enough, he thought, and smiled for a moment. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she came out. He really wanted to see how she was going to react to his surprise. He felt good about how he looked, dressed in a borrowed suit just a little too big for him. He was constantly adjusting the sleeves and the collar, mostly out of nervous habit than anything else. But he felt good, and he liked the way he looked, and he hoped that Bianca would too.

He was nervous though. After what happened the night he asked her out to prom, he wanted everything to be perfect. He had fussed over his clothing, and fussed over the transportation, and fussed over the flowers. Everything had to be perfect, or if it couldn't be perfect, it had to be fool proof. He didn't want to do something stupid and mess it all up again. As he stood outside waiting, thinking about having another cigarette, he realized that he had been smoking, and he didn't think Bianca would like the cigarette smell. On his clothes, in the car, or on his breath; the first two he didn't have to worry about, but the third... Shit.

He dug through his pockets, and eventually found what his uncle had given him. A little package of breath mints. As he stood and waited for Bianca to come out, hopefully without Jaquilyn, he switched his oral fixation from cigarettes to breath mints. He really didn't want to put her off on prom night, and he also really hoped that Jaquilyn wouldn't be coming with them. He only planned on picking Bianca up, and there really was only enough room in the back for Bianca and him. He wasn't quite sure why Bianca wanted him to pick her up at Jaquilyn's house, but he wasn't about to argue with it all. His job was to shut up, smile, and make prom night special for his girl. At least, that's what everyone had been telling him. So, as he stood and waited and popped breath mints like they were candy, he resolved to do his job. Shut up, smile, and make the night special.

The limo was just the start of it all.

[Arscapi†]

Bianca was still posing for photos when her phone chimed. She stepped away from Jacqui to dig it out of her clutch. Bianca smiled when she read the text.

"That's my guy. I gotta go," Bianca said. She reached out to give Jacqui's parents an awkward hug. She didn't want to risk messing up the work that she'd just spent all that time putting together. "I'll see you shortly," she told Jacqui as she headed for the door. She stopped just in front of the door and smoothed her skirt. Then she waved good-bye to the Locke family and stepped out the door.

She closed the door and turned looking for Joshua's car and stopped in her tracks. She'd caught a glimpse of the limo when she stepped out, but figured that it was Zubin picking up Jacqui. Now she saw that it was Joshua in front of the limo. She walked towards him a wide smile on her face.

"Wow, I didn't expect this," she said then stepped forward and hugged him. "Let's get out of here, before Jacqui decides we need to take any more candid shots in the bathroom. Seriously, the story I have to tell you," she said into his ear. She stepped back to finally take a good look at him and offered him another smile. "You look very handsome tonight."

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Jaquilyn walked Bianca to the door, dissapointed to have to hand her off, buut excited that things were moving along. It was only a matter of time before she herself left. Granted, she didn't have a cut and groomed jock picking her up, and she didn't expect a limo, but she was ready to dance.

Joshua looked fancy while still maintaining a strong masculine look. Bianca was probably swooning on the inside. Even if they were just a pre-summer fling before college, they seemed to get along very well. The happiness she felt for Bi came with the salt of apprehension of hoping she didn't base any future decisions around this boy.

Jaq waved at the vehicle from her porch. Paying a for a limo won the kid thoughfullness points, but she wasn't ready to grant her 100% seal of satisfaction. Maybe if he'd come to the door and properly introduced himself, it'd be different. Bi deserved only the best. Maybe she'd get to know Joshua better at prom, maybe he had cute friends. Whatever the night held, she was ready to find out.

She turned back and headed inside, taking out her phone to check for messages. Hearing her mother whisper to her father, she quietly climed up the stairs to avoid having to take lone photos.