Reason to Breathe

“Then what’s wrong with you?” Veronica accused. “He’s totally hot.”

“We’re just not interested in each other that way,” I defended.

“You know that Haley Spencer pretty much hates you, right?” Jill added.

“What?” I asked incredulously.

“She’s obsessed with Evan and thinks the only reason he won’t go out with her is because of you,” she explained. I laughed.

“Emma, are you serious?” Jaclyn accused. “You have to admit he’s gorgeous, and smart, and athletic – “

“Basically perfect,” Casey finished.

“No one’s perfect,” I rebutted.

“So, what’s his flaw?” Casey demanded. I looked at Sara hoping she’d change the subject.

“He can be really annoying,” I offered, knowing that wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy them.

“I think you should date him,” Jill said bluntly. “You two would be as perfect together as Sara and Jason.” I turned red.

“Speaking of Jason,” I finally saw a break, “Sara, what’s he doing tonight?”

Sara intercepted the girls’ attention and started talking about Jason’s perfections. As Sara fed the girls’ intrigue into what it’s like to be with Jason Stark, I thought I heard something off in her enthusiasm. I couldn’t figure it out, but there was something missing.

I let the buzz of voices continue without my participation. I settled back into the recliner, but I couldn’t help thinking, what was going on between Evan and me?

18. Another Dimension

“We’d better hurry,” Sara said as we entered the diminishing daylight through the doors of the movie theatre. “We only have two hours to get you ready.”

“How long could it possibly take me to get ready?”

“Well, you have to take a shower, and make sure you shave. Oh, and I bought you more of that lotion.”

“I still have lotion left from the first bottle. And why are you concerned if I shave?”

“Well, now you have more. I really like it on you. It’s subtle and pretty.”

“I like it too, thank you. But you didn’t answer the shaving question.” She was beginning to make me nervous.

“You’re wearing a skirt,” she revealed cautiously.

“Seriously?” I couldn’t remember the last time I wore a skirt. When was the last time I wore a skirt? Then I tried to remember what my legs looked like. Did I have any bruises or scrapes on my knees from the game? “A skirt?”

“Em, you’re going to look amazing.” Then Sara quickly added, “But not too amazing. The last thing we need is for him to want to kiss you.” She paused, looking me before sighing. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” I assured her.

When we arrived back at her house, the grand production began. While I showered and shaved, Sara went through her closet, rifling through what seemed like everything she owned. She wouldn’t let me see what she’d finally decided on until I was ready to get dressed.

Sara dried my hair and rolled it in hot curlers. I was panicked when I saw my head full of the white cylinders. Then my eyes popped at the sight of the ringlets dangling from my head after she unrolled them.

“Sara, you cannot let me go out like this,” I pleaded.

“Don’t worry, I’m not done,” she promised.

She gathered my hair into a high ponytail, allowing my bangs to sweep across my forehead. I decided it was best not to look until she was done, so I closed my eyes as she teased, pinned and sprayed. I opened them to find a large, smooth bun on the back of my head. It looked more sophisticated than anything I could’ve imagined.

Sara handed me the softest pink sweater I’d ever seen. Once I was dressed, I stood in front of the full length mirror, admiring the boat neckline of the fitted sweater that subtly revealed the tops of my shoulders and the dark skirt that swayed above my knees – it was a classy vintage look, and I loved it. She attached a thin silver chain with a single diamond around my neck – the diamond sparkled as it settled into the hollow of my throat. Finally, she handed me a pair of black heels that were at least three inches high.

“Heels?” I grimaced, with images of falling on my face playing in my head.

“Yup.”

“Sara, I’m going to kill myself,” I pleaded. I’d never worn heels and knew this was not the night to be experimenting with my grace or balance.

“You’ll be fine. Just take small steps.”

I slowly hobbled around the room, my ankles threatening to give way with each step. We wobbled into the entertainment room so I’d have a larger catwalk. I delicately strolled the length of it several times before the doorbell rang.

“He’s here?” I panicked. Sara laughed.

“It’s not a date, remember?”

“You’re right,” I breathed.

“It’s only dinner with his parents and a bunch of stuck-up old people.” She laughed again.

“Emma, Sara,” Anna yelled up the stairs, “Evan’s here.” My heart fluttered into my throat.

“Here.” Sara handed me a long white wool coat that hung to the middle of my calves, along with a tote bag so I could change before the party.

“Thanks.”

“Em, try to relax. You have nothing to worry about.”

I took a deep breath and walked carefully down the stairs, trying not to fall. I hated heels already. They were too much work. Walking shouldn’t be something I had to worry about. I had far too many other things to be concerned with, like how to not sound like an idiot in front of a room full of over-educated wealthy men.

Evan waited for me at the bottom of the stairs. I couldn’t look up as he came into view, afraid that not looking at my feet would cause me to crumble to the bottom step. When I was finally able to look up, I noticed that his cheeks were flushed and he had a grin on his face that made my breath stop for a second.

“Hi,” I greeted him.

“Hi,” he smiled.

“Hey Evan,” Sara said, leaping down the stairs. “How’d I do? Is she acceptable?” I widened my eyes, wanting to shoot her for asking him to comment on my appearance.

Evan laughed. “Yeah, she’s definitely acceptable.”

“You met my parents, Anna and Carl?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Have a great time tonight, Emma,” Anna said, giving me a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek. “You really do look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I replied, blushing.

“I’ll see you at Jake’s. Evan, I have your cell number in case we get there before you,” Sara stated.

“Ready?” Evan asked me.

“Sure.” We said good-bye one more time and headed out the door.

Evan waited until we were in the car before he said, “You really do look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“You’re not comfortable, are you?”

“Not at all,” I admitted with a small laugh. Evan laughed with me, releasing the tension.

“Well, I’ll try not to torture you too long. Let’s get this over with,” he said, pulling out of Sara’s driveway.

“I have to warn you, I suck in these shoes. I could fall and break something very expensive.”

He laughed. “I’ll be sure to keep you away from anything breakable.”

“If there is any way I can sit the entire time that would be great.”

“Let’s see what we can do. But I’m afraid we’ll be in a room without many options during the cocktail hour.”

“The what?” I asked, confused and embarrassed that I had to ask.

“Sorry, I forgot that this is your first time. We’re meeting my parents there. They’ll wait for us and we’ll all go in together.”

“Your parents know I’m coming, right?” I was suddenly nervous that they might not be expecting me.

“Yes, they know you’re coming. They may refer to you as my girlfriend when they introduce you to everyone. I keep trying to correct them, but…” He sighed. “Anyway, I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered, feeling the fire on my face once again.

“So, Mr. Jacobs and his wife are hosting the party and they’ll be greeting everyone at the door. I think it should only be about twenty people, so that shouldn’t be bad.” Only twenty people? That meant there were twenty names to forget and twenty hands to shake and exchange meaningless small talk with – not comforting.

Evan proceeded to give me a rundown of the flow of the evening and the expected etiquette.

“I’m hoping I’ll be able to excuse us after dinner. I’ll say that we have a show to go to or something. Just agree with whatever I say, okay?”

“Okay.” This sounded way more complicated than just eating food and making mindless conversation. I knew I was getting a glimpse of Evan’s world tonight, but I had no idea how much I didn’t fit in.

“Thank you so much for doing this,” he said glancing at me as he drove. “I’ll seriously owe you after tonight.”

“I think we’ll be even.”

“You may want to wait to say that until after we leave.”

A few minutes later, Evan pulled out his cell phone. “Hi mom. We’re just about there.” He listened for a moment and responded, “Okay, I think I see you now. Sure, I’ll follow you in.”

On the side of the road, a large black Mercedes was pulled over. As we neared, Evan slowed down to let it merge in front of him. I knew it must be his parents. We followed them into a driveway that was guarded by two large stone pillars with corresponding ornate wrought iron gates that were swung open in expectation. We followed the long winding driveway, lined with antique wrought iron lanterns, until it opened up to reveal a spectacular white stone mansion.

The front of the house was dramatically up-lit, illuminating its grandeur. It appeared to be two stories, encircled by large arched windows that let out a warm glow of light, giving hint to the heavy drapery on the inside. The front lawn displayed perfectly trimmed hedges outlining the house. The lawn itself was flat, but raised from the driveway, and encased by a stone wall.

I swallowed hard, realizing I was in over my head. I was not just in a different world, I was in another dimension. I eyed Evan nervously.

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it.”

We pulled up along the circular driveway where we were greeted by a man with a black jacket and a bow tie. He opened Evan’s door.

Evan leaned over before he got out and said, “Wait right there, I’ll get you out.” I didn’t move. I actually didn’t want to get out.

Evan walked around the back of the car and opened my door. He offered me his hand, to which I would have typically looked at him like he was insane, but with these shoes on, I gladly accepted the assistance. Waiting in front of the first set of stone steps were Evan’s parents.