487DISCLAIMER
This story contains an excessive usage of clichés and should not, in all honesty, be taken seriously. And when I say excessive, I really mean it.
I OWN NOTHING YOU RECOGNISE (AND SOME THINGS YOU DON'T.) If you steal my work, I will take legal action against you. I mean it. I worked really hard on this story and I don't want to read the exact same story on another site with the names changed. Not cool.
© hotcheri.
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. I feel truly blessed to have seen him lead America with such grace and class. And to Michelle, Malia and my favorite, Sasha Natasha, thank you for the Black girl magic that you brought to our lives. I'm still so sad, ya'll.
Chapter Thirty Part One- Kaylee at the Prom
Remember how excited and pushy my mom had been when we went shopping for my All-Star dinner dress? Remember when I wondered just how much worse she would get when it was time for me to prepare for prom? Well, obviously fate didn't want me to suffer a stress induced heart attack at the ripe old age of 17 and ten months, because, a few days before prom, my dad got a business opportunity to travel to Miami (something about a panel of seminars on turf, which sounds unbelievably boring) for a week, and he took mom and Arielle with him.
Hallelujah!
I moved into Shelley's room temporarily while my family was away, and, on prom day, her parents hosted a barbeque and invited Janessa, Vince, Tyler and Brandon's parents over to celebrate and take pictures of us before we left for the most important night in our high school years.
Shelley's words, not mine.
I admit, up until I started dating Tyler for real, I had been slightly obsessed with prom. My outfit had been picked months in advance, I had a vision board on Pintrest, and I had imagined a very (embarrassingly) romantic promposal, with Ryder as the hero.
Cringe.
Of course, my entire view of prom had changed once I realized that Tyler was the guy I wanted to be with, and knowing that he was so chill about things I tended to obsess over (matching ties with dresses, what corsage design to wear, heels or pumps) made me relax more.
Or, maybe it's because you're so happy that you're not obsessing over things that don't actually matter, Kaylee.
Anyway, it turned out that it didn't really matter that I had relaxed over prom, because Shelley was more than willing to step up to the plate. Me being my typical self (in other words, only hitting up the mall when it was absolutely necessary), I had waited until the last possible moment (11am on prom day) to buy my shoes. Bad idea, because that meant I had to be dragged to the mall by a determined (and pissed off, judging by the lectures and glares she kept giving me) Shelley, whining as she pulled me from store to store to find the perfect shoes to go with the dress I had chosen a month ago. It was a nightmare, in case you haven't already figured that out. After that, we went to Mrs. Montri's favorite salon, and Shelley got a blowout, while I got my hair trimmed and deep conditioned. Finally, we got back to Shelley's house, where we linked up with Janessa, ate (thank goodness because a girl was starving), and got dressed.
At any rate, Shelley and I got dressed.
After months of indecisiveness, Shelley had settled on a baby blue mermaid dress, and walked out of her conjoined bathroom looking like an ethereal princess. I wore a coral pink flowy dress, making sure to text Tyler, reminding him to wear the matching belt.
Janessa was still chilling on Shelley's bed, sweats on, playing Tetris on her phone as I put the finishing touches to my makeup.
I'm so hungry.
"Do you think I have time to eat some more ribs before your mom comes up and wants to take pictures?" I mused, staring at my reflection in the vanity mirror.
Behind me, Shelley snorted derisively. "If you have another rack of ribs, you'll bust out of your dress, Kaylee. Common sense."
How the hell does she know how much body my dress can hold?
Broodingly, I glowered at her. "You don't want to come between me and my dinner, Shelley," I muttered darkly.
Snickering, Janessa said, "You already had dinner, greedy."
Hater.
At the sound of Janessa's voice, Shelley slowly raised her eyes from her clutch bag, which was in her lap. I snorted with ill-disguised laughter, watching Shelley glower at an unbothered Janessa, who was so into her Tetris game she didn't seem to care that our limo would arrive in less than an hour.
"Why aren't you getting ready, Nessa? We don't have much time- you know how much my mom loves to take pictures- we'll be outside for ages!"
Spluttering with frustration, Shelley tossed her hands up to the ceiling as Janessa cocked a sarcastic eyebrow.
"I guess we know which one of us is gonna be the bridezilla," she deadpanned.
Shelley groaned, punching her Hello Kitty cushion as I asked, "Janessa, why aren't you getting ready?"
"I'm waiting for Brandon," Janessa said lazily, pushing her braids over her shoulder.
Rolling my eyes, I asked, "Oh, your dumb bet?"
"Yup." Janessa shrugged her slim shoulders. "He says he has the perfect outfit for me."
Shelley's mouth dropped open, and she shot Janessa an appalled look. "What if it doesn't fit?" Another casual shrug from Janessa. Gasping, Shelley asked, "Do you have a backup dress?"
"Nah."
Tossing a throw blanket at Janessa, who fielded it with her arm, Shelley exclaimed, "Janessa! Prom is like- the most important even of high school."
"She's right," I said, nodding in agreement. "You need to care more."
Yawning, Janessa said, "If Brandon's outfit doesn't fit, I won't go to prom," as Shelley and I stared at her with identical horrified looks on our faces. "No big deal."
"Stop talking like that!" Shelley squawked indignantly.
Cackling, Janessa asked me, "Is she giving me the disappointed parent look?"
"Oh, totally," I replied, stealing a glance at Shelley, who was clenching her fists.
Through gritted teeth, Shelley ground out, "You are coming to prom."
"Why, though?" Janessa sat up, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "I don't have a date, I don't even get to pick my outfit. I'd rather stay home, eat some barbeque chicken and annoy Cordell."
Goals, to be honest.
"Weren't you going to ask Leroy to be your date?" I asked. "I mean, you guys went to the baseball game together."
Sighing, Janessa hugged her knees as she said, "No, I said he might ask me after I invited him, but he changed his mind after the baseball game."
I narrowed my eyes. Something fishy was going on with Janessa, and I was nosy enough to try to get to the bottom of it. "Ever since you went to that MLB game, you've been acting weird."
"I have?" Janessa's eyes flicked from side to side, and I realized she was avoiding eye contact with us. Oh, you shady boots. "Probably due to what happened at the game."
This was enough to pique Shelley's interest, and she curiously asked, "Wait- what happened?"
"Apparently, I'm not a loyal person," Janessa mumbled, tugging on a braid. Feeling Shelley and my eyes on her, she continued, "Can this wait until Brandon gets here? I don't feel like telling this story twice."
"This sounds juicy," Shelley breathed, her eyes wide. "How have you been sitting on such a juicy story all week?"
Examining her nails, Janessa said, "You guys were buying your prom outfits, remember? It was actually pretty easy to keep this to myself."
True, but still!
Shelley's bedroom door blew open and Brandon strode in, his arms stretched wide in pure drama king fashion.
All he's missing is a cape.
"Fear not, I am here!" he announced, his hair flying around his face as he pirouetted.
"About damn time, Brandon," I snapped, sounding angrier than I intended, only due to my nosy nature.
Placing a hand over his heart, Brandon exclaimed, "Woah, why the salty welcome? Didn't we agree on 5.30?"
"Janessa has some tea to spill." Shelley wagged her finger threateningly in Brandon's face as he sank down onto Shelley's bed. "Next time, be early!"
Flicking his hair back, Brandon said, "Pour the tea in my mouth, Nessa."
"That sounds so wrong." Janessa sucked her teeth as we all looked at her with varying levels of captivation. "Anyway, it's not even that great of a story."
I raised an eyebrow. "Whenever you try to play something off like this, it's always a big deal."
"Yeah, like when you casually mentioned that you got hit by a car last year," Brandon agreed as Shelley nodded empathically.
Raising a finger in the air, Janessa shook her head. "That was a minor setback!"
A minor setback that had resulted in a sprained ankle, a broken toe and a concussion, but I digress.
"Can you stop stalling and tell us why you've been acting weird since the baseball game, what happened there, and why Leroy won't talk to you anymore?" Shelley interrupted impatiently.
His eyes popping, Brandon turned to face Janessa, who still wasn't looking anyone in the eye. "Leroy isn't talking to you?" he breathed incredulously. "But you took him to that stupid baseball game!"
"After I tell this story, can we never say the word 'baseball' ever again?" Janessa asked, resting the back of her head against the headboard.
I nodded eagerly, making the 'go on' motion with my hand. "Okay, spill."
Massaging the bridge of her nose, Janessa took a deep breath before she started talking. "We had great seats. I was hyped, and Leroy seemed to be enjoying himself. During a break, he went to get us hot dogs, and a guy asked to sit in Leroy's seat for a few minutes to talk to his friends who were sitting next to Leroy." Janessa paused and hid her face in her hands as Shelley, Brandon and I waited on tenterhooks. "I said sure." A long, drawn out sigh. "Next thing I know, the dumb ass kiss cam is on us."
"Oh, shit," Brandon interjected, staring at Janessa like Christmas had come early. "Let me guess, you kissed the guy and Leroy showed up at that opportune moment."
Side-eyeing Brandon, Janessa said, "You're right, but do you want to tell the story?"
"Sorry," Brandon said, sounding suitably abashed. "Continue."
"So he storms off, with my hot dog."
I couldn't stop myself from saying, "Rude."
That level of hot dog stealing disrespect will not be tolerated in Kaylee-ville.
"Did you go after him?" Shelley wanted to know.
Shoulders slumping, Janessa muttered, "I was about to, but then the guy I kissed- he took off his shades."
"Oh my God, you knew him." My mouth dropped open all confused fish-like as Janessa slowly nodded, confirming my theory.
"Remember Deshaun's best friend who used to live down the street from you, Shelley?" Janessa asked.
Of course, Shelley remembers ALL of Deshaun's friends.
Gasping, Shelley exclaimed, "Kameron? It was Kameron? You kissed Kameron?" Janessa nodded, but Shelley wasn't finished, her cheeks flushing as she continued. "Aka the first non-family member to hold you when you were a baby?"
"Aka your older brother's best friend, and one of my favorite clichés?" I added as Shelley broke off, breathless.
Nudging me in the ribs (ow!), Janessa hissed, "Can you keep your voices down, my family doesn't know this happened!"
"Did he know it was you?" Brandon wanted to know.
Shrugging, Janessa said, "I don't know, as soon as I recognized him I took off."
"You mean you didn't finish the game?" Shelley asked incredulously.
Scoffing, Janessa said, "I went to sit in an empty seat, of course I finished watching the game." She sighed. 'But now Leroy won't talk to me. He says if I had really been interested in him, I wouldn't have kissed the guy."
"His name is Kameron." Brandon shot Janessa a cheesy smile as she scowled at him. "Not 'the guy'."
Giggling, Janessa said, "Zip it."
"No wonder you've been acting weird, that's heavy," I mused out loud. "You made out with your overly protective older brothers best friend."
Flipping me the bird, Janessa said, "I didn't make out with him! And I don't even think they're friends anymore, not since Kameron's family moved to wherever the hell they moved to." Her chocolate brown eyes narrowed, and I quailed under her glare. "And if any of you guys tell Jermaine, Deshaun, Cordell or Lamar, I will troll you with subpar John Cena memes for the rest of your lives."
What kind of threat…?
Dismissively, Brandon waved a hand. "We won't tell, you dodo." He perked up. "Is there a video, though?"
"I haven't looked." Janessa shook herself from head to toe, stretching her long legs over the hem of my dress. "Ugh. I feel better now that I've talked about it." She smirked. "How can you guys deal with constant drama without feeling sick all the time? I prefer my life to be simple and pure."
Acting all holier than thou? I don't think so, Janessa.
Luckily, Brandon was on the same page as me. "You lost your purity when you smooched your brother's bestie," he said snidely.
"I regret telling you anything," Janessa said, no heat in her voice. She bounced off Shelley's bed, apparently re-energized now that she had spilled her secret. "Brandon, where's my outfit?"
A proud smile on his face, Brandon held up a suit bag which I hadn't noticed earlier. "You're gonna love this. You have never let me make you over, even though I'm your best friend and you have the perfect face for makeup and the perfect body for modelling."
Janessa was shaking her head even before Brandon had finished his sentence. "We said nothing about makeup."
"Okay, fine, go put this on." Another proud grin as he handed the bag to Janessa. "I think you'll love it."
Hoisting the bag over her shoulder, Janessa said, "Bet it won't fit."
"Oh, it will." Brandon bared his teeth in a predatory smile, and Shelley and I glanced at each other uneasily. "I measured you when you were sleeping."
Over her shoulder as she walked into Shelley's bathroom, Janessa quipped, "That's not creepy at all."
While Janessa got changed, Brandon fussed over Shelley and my makeup, before straightening his silver tux jacket. There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Montri and Mrs. Banks stepped into the room.
"Are you guys ready yet?" Mrs. Montri asked, clucking over Shelley's dress like a concerned mother hen, while I thanked my lucky stars that my mom wasn't here. It had been a struggle to convince her to go with dad and Arielle, because she didn't want to miss my prom. But Janessa and Shelley's parents had convinced her that they'd take so many pictures she would feel like she had been here, and she finally chose a vacation instead of stressing me out before prom.
I love you mom, but thank goodness.
"Janessa's getting changed," I said.
Her mom tsked. "Why is she always so last minute?" she sighed, going to knock on the bathroom door. "Janessa Naki Banks!"
"Mom, my middle name is a private matter!" Janessa exclaimed from the other side of the door as I hid my laugh behind my hand.
Mrs. Montri shook her head in disapproval. "Hurry up before it gets too dark to take good pictures!"
Grumbling, Janessa opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Our jaws dropped collectively at her outfit as she did a twirl for us.
"What are you wearing?" her mother asked, her eyes bugging out at Janessa's pure white tuxedo.
Shrugging, Janessa said, "I lost a bet and Brandon had to style me for prom." She stopped to stare at herself in Shelley's full length mirror. "I think I look pretty chic, actually."
She really did look chic, the outfit fitting her tall, slim frame perfectly, offsetting her chocolate skin, and flattering her box braids.
"I should have known you wouldn't wear a dress to prom." Mrs. Banks smiled fondly at her youngest child. "You've always been my wildcard."
Grudgingly, Mrs. Montri, ever the traditionalist, said, "You do look good," as Shelley and I nodded in agreement.
"Did you think I would set Janessa up by making her wear a trash outfit?" Brandon asked, staring at us with disbelief written on his face. "Come on, guys."
Snickering, I said, "I kinda did."
"Alright, lets go take those studio quality photos outside," Mrs. Banks said, clapping her hands as she herded us out of Shelley's room.
It might sound corny as hell, but Tyler's face was the only one I saw as I walked down the stairs, my face flushing with embarrassment as I took small steps towards him. What ifs swarmed my mind.
What if he hates my dress, what if I messed up my makeup, what if I have rib meat stuck in my teeth?
"Wow, you look amazing, Kay-Bear," he said appreciatively, his eyes roaming my entire body and making my cheeks heat up because he was looking at me like I was the only girl on his radar.
That's because you are, Kaylee, and you better get used to it.
I couldn't stop the corny smile spreading on my face, even as my mind screamed 'be cool!' at me. I couldn't be cool, I was going to prom with my cute boyfriend, and he was looking like a snack.
"That's a compliment, right?" Tyler chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that adorable way as I realized that I had said the snack part out loud.
Oh God.
In a tiny voice, I said, "Yes," wondering why I was so shy around him sometimes. Actually, scratch that, I knew why I was shy in this particular circumstance. Being surrounded by my friend's parents, as well as Tyler's parents was nerve-wracking. Luckily, nobody was paying too much attention to us, the parents fiddling with their respective cameras as Tyler leaned in for a sweet, soft kiss, completely eradicating any thoughts of shyness or discomfort I had.
We all trooped outside to take pictures, Janessa and Shelley's moms tearing up because it was their last prom. Jermaine was as stoic as ever, and Vince couldn't stop beaming as he held Shelley's hand. The only thing that Mrs. Pierce was worried about was Brandon's rather form fitting pants.
"Honey, your pants are so tight that my legs feel numb," she tutted, as Janessa hooted with laughter at the shade.
Our limo pulled up and we piled into it, chattering excitedly.
"I wonder who's gonna be crowned Prom King and Queen?" Shelley asked curiously, wrapping her arm around my shoulder to take a selfie.
Giggling, Janessa said, "As long as I'm named 'most likely to spike the punch', I'm cool."
Vince slapped palms with her as Jermaine rolled his eyes.
"I bet it's gonna be Celeste and Ryder," Brandon said introspectively. "Ever since Celeste went back to her black hair; her popularity is back up." He ran his fingers through his silky locks. "Maybe I should go back to black hair."
Tyler grinned. "I wish I had your problems, Brandon."
And, in the true spirit of friendship and togetherness, we headed to our magical and unforgettable prom night.
A/N: Yes, I know. I'm terrible. And this chapter is lame and boring. But I'm still invested in finishing this story. I just had a whole lot of personal issues to deal with and my creativity was stifled. Also, I know I said this would be the last chapter, but honestly, although I don't like odd numbers, I feel I have too much to say in the last chapter, so I've decided to split this chapter into two.
Also, if anybody spotted it, Janessa's story was referenced in this last chapter! It will feature a kiss cam, and depending on how busy I am, I will probably be writing it soon, along with the KBP sequel. If anyone cares to check out updated character pics, they're on my site- hotcheriwrites dot com. Last chapter coming really soon! I promise. Hugs to all!