Page 32 of Ask No Questions

“I think we could be good friends. I just barely got here, and even though last night helped, I’m still not ready after everything that happened.”

“You know we don’t really know what happened to you in Chicago. Do you want to tell us?” she asked. “If you’re not ready, you don’t have to. I just think it would help if you talked about it.”

“Maybe later, I don’t want to ruin this shopping trip. Which reminds me, none of us have dates yet, so why are we shopping for dresses already?”

There was a collective gasp from the three of them. Mckayla looked at me as if she was looking at a child that wasn’t able to understand anything.

“First, we need to get our dresses before the good ones are gone and we don’t want other girls getting ours. If we go first and spread the word of what we got, no one will copy us. It’s an unwritten rule at our school. Second, we don’t need dates. We have each other, but if we decide to ask guys, we should be prepared to tell them our color so they can coordinate.”

“That makes sense, I guess. Hypothetically then, who’s going to ask whom to the formal?” There was silence in the car for a few seconds. “None of you have any idea who you want to go with?”

“Not exactly, we just aren’t committed to our choices.” Nice try, Alexis.

“This isn’t a marriage proposal, guys! Who does everyone want to go with?”

Talia was the first to speak. “I’ll probably go with one of the guys from the boys’ volleyball team. There aren’t many guys tall enough for me to wear heels around.” She laughed, but I knew that was a real concern for her.

“That’s a good idea, maybe I’ll ask one of them too.” Alexis was taking the easy way out too. I looked at Mckayla to see if she was going to confess who she wanted to go with. She looked at me and hesitantly spoke up.

“I think I want to ask Sean Elliot.” I could barely hear her over the wind, and I was right next to her, so I knew the other two had no chance. I nudged her to speak up. She repeated herself louder and sat back waiting for their reaction.

“You should! You have loved him for over a year, and he’s smitten by you!” Mckayla’s jaw dropped at Talia’s words.

“You guys knew? I thought I hid it!”

They laughed, and Alexis turned around. “Yeah right, honey. No one in their right mind spends that much time working on a stupid biology project unless you love your partner or are actually interested in aquatic ecosystems, which you are not. Not to mention that dreamy look you get whenever you see him. I think it’s precious, and you should definitely ask him! We will help you come up with an idea!”

Talia pulled into the parking lot of the mall as we were discussing cute ideas for asking the guys to the dance. We got out and were walking in as Talia stopped mid-step.

“Hey! Aubrey never said who she wanted to ask!”

“Yeah you can’t make all of us tell and expect us to let you stay quiet. I confessed my secret crush, now it’s your turn.”

“It wasn’t secret, evidently.” She didn’t think that was as funny as I did. “I want to ask Luke, but he probably has a date already. Plus, I’m the new girl so who would want to go with me?”

Alexis put her hands on her hips exuding attitude. “Every guy wants to go with you. They wanted to be picked by the pretty new girl. Also, I asked Luke at practice this morning, and he doesn’t have a date. So you are asking him, end of story.”

“Okay, Ms. Sassy Pants! Let’s find dresses, and we will worry about that later.” Luckily, she let it go for now, and we headed to the formal dress section of Bloomingdale’s.

Talia led the way—this was her world—and began handing each of us dresses to try on.

“We don’t have to find the dress here or even today, so no pressure.” The rest of us looked at each other and sighed. This wasn’t a wedding dress. I was sure we could all find great dresses with one stop. A girl could dream.

With our arms heavy with dozens of options, we took over the back half of the fitting rooms. Talia told us to show every single one we tried on, but after much negotiation, settled for only ones we really liked. I set up my dresses in a large fitting room, trying to decide where to start. I picked a silver baby doll dress that did nothing to flatter me, but I heard the girls gasping, so I opened my door.

Talia stepped out wearing a cream floor-length dress with a high, lace neckline overlaying the fitted bodice and had another see-through lace panel at mid-thigh and again at the hemline. It had a bohemian, hippy vibe that was perfect for her and it fit her like a glove, showing off her curves.

“I love that!”

“It’s so perfect!”

“You look like a 60's goddess! With beach waves and a headband, you would be done!”

We all agreed, even Talia, that she had found her dress. We each went back into our rooms to try another round of dresses. This time, I picked a back column gown and again was unimpressed.

When we came back out, Talia was back in her clothes and sitting on a couch ready to critique. Only she would be able to spot the perfect dress on the first try. Mckayla was beaming in a strapless gown the color of sunshine. The sweetheart neckline flattered her small chest, and the beaded waistband emphasized her tiny waist. The color popped on her and looked great with her tan and blond hair.

“Mckayla, you look amazing! I mean it!”