On the day of the homecoming dance, Linda took her daughter back to Mia Bella to have her hair done. Javier worked his magic. He twisted and pinned her long honey brown hair into an elegant updo. "It is perfection," he said spinning the chair around to the mirror.
At the first look, Ava's mouth hung open. "I agree! It's so lovely." Why hasn't she taken her mother up, on her offers of bringing her here, before? Javier is a master stylist! The things he can do with hair are incredible.
After the salon, both Linda and Ava had their nails done. Mother-daughter days are always fun. While Linda's nails are a more traditional plum color, her daughter's are not. Ava opted for a mint shade to offset her teal dress. She went with the teal dress because of Johnny's opinion. If he thinks she looks "hot" in teal, then who is she to disagree? Once their nails had dried, they headed to the Encino Hills Mall.
Her mom had said "It's your senior year. Let's do things right." This is why Ava is sitting at the Estée Lauder makeup counter, getting her makeup done. She's never felt so pampered in all her life. If this is how her mother treats her for homecoming, what will prom be like?
When the sales lady finished, Ava saw her mother nod her approval. Looking into a mirror, she viewed herself and loved the look. It's soft but not too overdone, like some of the girls she knows. Instead of a true pink lipstick, the lady used pink lipgloss. It's super pretty. She had to have it and used some of her babysitting money, to purchase it.
Next mother and daughter proceeded to the Lord & Taylor shoe section. Ava still hasn't found any shoes for the dress. Every pair she's tried on just isn't what she's looking for. This is her last hope. How hard can it be to find a pair of sparkly silver heels?
Apparently very difficult. The store's silver shoe quotient is pitiful at best. However, she found a sparkly champagne pair. The shoe itself is metallic glitter for the eyes. They're fully embellished with crystals, all over, and have a medium block heel. They have a sparkly strap across the toes as well as one that fastens at the ankles. The shoes might not be silver, but they're what she's looking for. Her mother bought them and by then it was time to head home.
At home everything was hectic. In less than an hour, Johnny would be picking her up. Linda came into her daughter's room, bringing some bracelets for her to choose from. She wants something simple and dainty, to match her necklace. It's the one from the Halloween treat bag, which her parents gave her. And the earrings are the ones from the silent auction. Holding her mom's diamond gold bangle trio up, she knew they would do nicely.
Ava didn't have to worry about eating since Johnny would be taking her out to eat. They were going alone. She thought it would be awkward with Rachel and Joy and their dates (who aren't friends with the Cobras). Plus she's kind of leery seeing her friends. One of them betrayed her and she isn't sure who it is. Johnny thinks it's Rachel, but she doesn't want to cast blame without any proof. So for now she'll be sure not to share any information she doesn't want to be spread around.
With twenty minutes to go, the nerves started kicking in. She put on her flirty cute dress. When the girls went shopping together she didn't find anything she liked. Tons of dresses with ruffles (barf her out) or big puffy sleeves (gag) or butt bows (absolutely not). But there was nothing to suit her fancy. So, she went alone one afternoon.
Her dress hunt started, at the mall, with Lord & Taylor first. It had nothing of interest except a red mini dress with floral appliques and a beaded attached belt. It's a possibility if other stores don't have anything teal. Then she went to her favorite store Nordstrom and found it right away. A strapless, a-line mini dress with a sweetheart neckline. She's been told that's the best for her body type. Plus the dress has all-over sequins and all in teal. It is perfect! When she tried it on it fit beautifully. And it still does. Admiring herself in the mirror, she twirled around. Now for the shoes.
Once the shoes were on her feet, and the jewelry on her arm, then... oooh la la! The only thing left to do is to decide if she wants one of those magical movie moments. The one where the girl walks down the staircase slowly to her handsome boyfriend. "Mother!" she yelled.
Her mom came into her bedroom again and stopped in her tracks. "Oh, Ava! You look so pretty!" Her eyes teared up, and she began dabbing them with her sleeve.
Ava smiled a big, full, beautiful smile. "Thanks, Mom. It couldn't have happened without you." She went over and hugged her mother. "Mom, help me decide something, please. Should I stay up here and walk down the stairs when Johnny arrives, or do I go ahead and walk down now?"
That is a no-brainer. "You definitely want to walk down when he arrives. Now stay here. I'm going to get my camera." She scurried out of the room.
Chuckling, Ava appreciates her mother. She can always turn to her for advice and encouragement. She's really blessed that way. It hasn't always been like this. The two of them went through a rough patch in middle school and also during the whole anorexia ordeal. But everything is good now.
True to her word, Linda came back with the camera. "Smile my Darling Daughter." Ava smiled for her mother in a cute pose with her hands raised above her head. She also took a normal one too. "Just remember. Don't sit down or the dress may wrinkle. You have a few minutes to go and I bet you anything, Johnny will be on time." She gave her daughter another hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Now the only thing to do is wait. It's so hard to wait and she's so ready to see her Hot Shot. She began pacing and clock watching. Super fun. At mid-pace, she heard a car door shut. The window was left cracked open just for that purpose. Rushing to the mirror, in her bathroom, she doubled checked her hair and makeup. Reapplying some lipgloss, and bolting to the full-length mirror in her room again, the nerves kicked up another notch. She fiddled with her bracelets.
Standing in front of the mirror, she smoothed out the skirt of her dress and took her clutch from the bed. Linda came to get her. "He's here Ava and he looks very smooth if I do say so myself."
Wait. If her mom's up here, then her dad... "Mom where's Dad? Please don't say he's downstairs. He's probably threatening Johnny with his neurologist scalpel talk." Oy vey! She held her clutch and began stepping to the door.
Before she opened it, her mother told her "Be graceful and walk like a lady." She just knows Ava will have fun with Johnny tonight. They make a striking couple and he treats her daughter right. That's all she could ask for.
Grasping the doorknob, Ava's nerves grew by the minute. Oh gosh. What if he doesn't like her dress? What if he doesn't like her hair and makeup? What if... "Ava stop overthinking and go on," her mother commented.
With her hand on the knob, she opened it and stepped out. On the landing, her soft hand held on to the railing and began the descent down the stairs. She kept her head down and her eyes on her feet. Being nervous she's just unable to look at him. But then a whistle rang out and it broke through all of the anxious energy.
Her head raised and their eyes caught. His dazzling smile calmed her down. She's certain her face flushed and began to glow. Her eyes flashed with brightness. Then like a baby taking its first steps, the heel of her shoe caught the stair runner and she lunged forward. Johnny's reflexes kicked in. He surged toward his girl and caught her, from what could have been a quick end to their evening.
With her arms around his neck, she spoke a quiet "Thanks." Their eyes bore into each other, not in a nervous way, but one full of tension and passion. The moment was ruined by Chase.
His laughter snapped them out of it. "Brilliant Sis." He clapped. "I give your almost fall a five out of ten. If only Rat Face hadn't caught you, then it would've been a ten for sure." He took his soda up to his room, after burping out loud.
Ava glared after him. He always sours the mood. "Don't mind him," her Dad stated looking up the stairs. "He's just upset you get to do something fun, while he's still grounded." He turned to both of them. "Now the two of you be careful. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." He gave them a wink, as his wife instructed the pair to stand close together. She wants to take pictures.
Finally, after the last picture was taken, Johnny picked up the forgotten corsage from the floor. "Here, this is for you." He took the corsage out and put it on her slender wrist and began rubbing her hand. She angled her body to him. Before their feelings got out of control and they started making out in front of her parents, she kissed his cheek. He helped put her green pea coat on and the two of them left for dinner.
In his car, he reached behind the seat and grabbed something. She had no idea what it was, but he handed it to her. "I got this for you too."
With one look at it, her eyes flashed with happiness. "Oh my gosh! I love it!" She hugged her sweet little unicorn to her chest. It wore a shirt that says I love you, Ava. It's the sweetest thing.
"Buttercup, I don't think you've looked at it close enough," he commented.
What in the world is he talking about? Taking in the stuffed animal more closely, she noticed something attached to its horn. Around the unicorn's horn is a... she gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "Johnny is that a bracelet?" Her fingers took it off. "Oh my gosh!" It's a diamond bangle with an emerald-cut halo diamond in the middle. "It's SO pretty. Almost too pretty to wear." She took it off her unicorn and put it on her arm, along with her mother's. "What a sweet thing to do, Johnny!"
Taking her hand in his, he disclosed something to her. "One day I hope I can give you the mate to the bracelet." Her eyes drew up from the bracelet to meet his.
He couldn't possibly mean what she thinks he does, does he? Wait if he said mate to the bracelet, then that means... "Is this your grandmother's bracelet?" He nodded his head. Oh wow! This is a huge stinking deal.
It makes her heart melt like butter sliding down on hot toast. He fills it with love, so much love. She leaned over and caressed his jaw. "I promise to take good care of it. I love you, John." Their lips met in a tender embrace. Heat rose from their stomachs to their chests, warming them from the inside despite the cold air out.
They both pulled back at the same time. There's still dinner and a dance for them to get to. When they arrived at the restaurant, Ava could not believe where they are. He took her to Bennigan's. "I know you love their fries and burgers, so I thought you might actually like it here. I could've taken you to some stuffy place, butâ-"
She cut him off with another kiss. "It's great. You know me so well." They got out and went inside to eat, where she ordered smothered chicken and he ordered steak. They laughed and talked over their meal, then shared a piece of chocolate lava cake. It's one of the best dinners they've had together yet.
Then it was straight to the dance. The school parking lot is full and the dance is in full swing. He parked his car and helped Ava out. She forgoed her coat, in favor of letting her dress show. Tons of other couples arrived at the same time they did, so they weren't the only ones walking into the gym.
The lobby was decorated to go along with the theme "Winter's Dream". Â Lots of soft twinkle lights wrapped around "snowy" trees, with white tulle draped on the floor around them, are lining the entrance into the gym. It's all enchanting and charming.
Johnny took her hand and led her through the "snowy" path. She hesitated and pulled him into a quiet corner. His eyebrow raised and teased her. "If you wanted to get me into some darkened corner, we could've stayed in the car."
Rolling her eyes, she remarked "Ha, ha, ha. You're so funny." Playing with his fingers she spoke. "I'm nervous. What if everyone laughs at me and well..." Hazel green eyes looked down at her shoes.
His unattended hand lifted her chin up. "Babe, who cares what those losers think. Like I told them yesterday, I'm dating you cause I love you. I love you. If anyone gives you a hard time they'll have to deal with me. And as for your friends, be cautious but don't give anything away. I'm your support. I've got your back and your front." He eyed her with mischief. "I've got all of you."
She continued playing with his fingers. "You do." He kissed her forehead and they left their quiet corner, for the busy gym. Once inside, they looked around for their friends. "There's Dutch." Ava pointed to the blonde hair guy chatting up a group of girls. Of course he'd be doing that. She also saw Jimmy dancing with Charley and Tommy with Kara. That only left Bobby unaccounted for.
"Johnny, who's Bobby's date for the evening," she really wanted to know. He's still the only Cobra she has no clue about.
Smiling, he pointed to his right. "Bobby's over there with a Junior girl. I'm not sure of her name. I think it'sâ"
Ava answered for him, "Anna Beth Smith. She's not a nice girl." Her eyes narrowed. She's mean and uppity, far too callous for Bobby Brown.
"I didn't know. I don't think he's all that into her though. I think he just asked so he'd have a date," Johnny admitted.
While they stood there, it seems their friends noticed them and headed their way. Dutch was first. "All of our friends dancing with dates. Everyone's getting into relationships and I can't even find my other sock." He held up his pants leg. "See. Losers. You're all losers." Ava laughed at him. It was funny.
Jimmy and Charley, and Tommy and Kara came over too. Bobby and his date rounded out the group. Not in the mood to talk to anyone, Ava scanned the room again. Her eyes caught Joy with Will, from the baseball team. She also spied Rachel with Joe. Upon hearing her name she turned her head back to the group. "Hmm?"
"We said we love your dress," Kara told her.
Putting on a sweet smile, Ava replied "Thanks. I like yours too. You all look good." They did. It wasn't a lie, but it's really sad when you can't trust your friends. She wants the truth. She wants to know which one of them told her secret, but the dance isn't the place for a conversation like that.
So when the song I Only Have Eyes For You started playing, she seized Johnny's hand and dragged him to the dance floor. Before they lost themselves to the dance, he addressed her manners. "I won't say you were quiet and unsociable, so this is me not saying that." She hit his arm playfully and laid her head on his chest. He's right though.
They swayed to the music. He held her close to him and set the rhythm. She followed him sway for sway, and step for step. The dance lit sparks in their souls. There were no missteps because they were both in sync with each other. It's like their relationship. Their souls dance together every day, in all the ways that matter. Nothing but pure love is between them.
"I love this song," she confessed. "I like the sha bop bops. But I like the words too." Her head rose from his chest and looked him in the eyes.
Their eyes fixed on each other and he sang to her, for her ears only. Along with the end of the song, his soft voice reached her. "Maybe millions of people go by. But they all disappear from view. And I only have eyes for you."
Then Faithfully by Journey played and they stayed dancing. All the dancing did was make him want to lay on the sofa with her in his arms. Because everything is better when they're together and she's in his arms. This is what real love feels like. Being held by the right person is the best cure for any sickness or hurt.
They danced and danced until they were tired of it. They spoke with their friends, or rather he spoke and she listened. When Dutch and Bobby left, which is rather peculiar because Bobby left his date here (although Ava is truly thankful for that), Johnny mentioned he was ready to leave too. It's been over two hours anyway.
"It's fine with me. I just need to use the restroom," Ava told him. He nodded and stayed talking with Jimmy and Tommy.
In the bathroom, she started to touch up the lipgloss. The toilet flushed and Ali stepped out, wearing a dress with a black top and hot pink ruffled skirt. Old girlfriend, meet new girlfriend who was once an old girlfriend too. How very awkward.
The two sized each other up. "Ava," Ali said with a bubbly voice. Ava responded in the same with an "Ali".
After she washed her hands, Ali spoke to Ava. "I like your dress."
Feeling as though she should return her compliment, Ava exchanged pleasantries too. "Thank you. Yours is nice also." She resumed fixing her lipgloss and then exited. As she left the restroom, Ali's voice floated behind her.
"You know he'll hurt you, right?" Turning her eyes upon Johnny's ex, Ava hoped she wasn't talking about him. "Johnny, he'll hurt you. Maybe not physically, but he'll break you with his fighting, constant arguments, and closed-off heart." It appears she is talking about Johnny.
Letting out a breath she was holding, Ava explained something. "Thank you for your concern. But I promise you he won't hurt me that way. He's not perfect and he makes mistakes. We all do. He's different with me though. There's peace in him now and he acts differently too. As for fighting, he doesn't do that either unless he's provoked. I don't care to get into that with you."
Little did she know Johnny was actually listening to their conversation. He had grown worried when time passed and she hadn't come back. So he went to find her. Ali's words bitterly cut, but Ava's calmed him down.
Ava continued. "I dated him once before and broke up with him. Not because he was terrible or awful. I broke up with him only to break my own heart. I refuse to let him go again. Johnny wasn't right for you, Ali, but he's right for me. We're compatible in all the right ways. We don't have to convince ourselves we're happy, because we're actually happy. Dating Johnny is easy, simple, and comforting. I feel beautiful, interesting, funny, and hot as hell with him. And I believe he feels the same with me. We love each other and that's it."
She thanked Ali again for her concern and left. She doesn't feel angry towards her, she actually feels relieved. It's a conversation that needed to be had. Those were words that needed to be said. And it's even more obvious the two girls are totally different.
Johnny met her and put his tux jacket around her arms. They walked hand in hand to the car and drove to the Malibu house. The ride was silent, but not an uncomfortable silence. Chemistry doesn't happen by accident and neither do two souls finding each other again.
At the Malibu house before they changed, Johnny held his girlfriend close. Locking eyes he articulated his inner thoughts. "Dating you easy, but loving you is easier. We're compatible in all the right ways. I'm happy with you, truly happy. I feel handsome, interesting, funny, smart, and badass with you. I feel alive and I feel myself. My love for you must be a kind of blind love. I can't see anyone but you. Because I only have eyes for you."
Not being able to help it she sang "Sha bop sha bop". He laughed. "You overheard our conversation didn't you?"
"I did. And thank you. Thank you for having my back," he told her. No one besides the guys, has ever stood up for him. No one but her.
She mimicked his words from earlier. "I also have your front."
"You do. You have all me." He took her wrist and played with his grandmother's bangle that he gave her. "Like I told you before, I plan to you give the mate one day. You bring out all the best things in me. How could I want that with someone else?"
Then his lips edged closer to hers and her heart skipped a beat. The smell of him mesmerizing beyond reason. Her lips parted and his washed over her like the warmth of the brightest rays of sun. It curled her toes and laid bare her senses. The taste of him silenced all her thoughts but one.
Her one thought is a simple yes. Yes, she wants him. Yes, she loves him. Yes, her heart is at home with him. And yes, she wants the mate to her bangle. One day.