On My Way To Mr. Right

Chapter 43

Today was the day of the dance. Mom and dad had left to go to work at eight. I didn’t have school today. We were asked to come around six pm. It is ten am right now. Beatrice will be coming over anytime now. We were going to help with each other’s makeup and get ready. Ross had called earlier to wish us luck at our first school event. It was thrilling.

James drove by earlier to check up on me, and on seeing I was home alone, left abruptly. I’m not going to pretend to be innocent and ignore what we both thought of. But I was grateful he did leave. Alex hasn’t been home since last night. Mom said he must’ve been to one of his high school friend’s parties, and was supposed to be home in the morning. He still wasn’t, but that gave me time to prep for tonight without him hovering over me like a damn eagle.

I was anxious for B to arrive. James was acting a bit weird earlier and I need B to help me interpret his actions.

A few minutes passed by and I heard a knock on the door. I rushed to get it, expecting it to be Beatrice, but felt a splash of disappointment when I saw it was only Adrian Harper.

“Adie.”

“Well, you look more disappointed than I had anticipated. I’m sorry,” he says with a chuckle.

I shook my head, not willing to participate in any of his playful banter.

“I’m not. I just expected someone else.”

“Who are you expecting? That new boyfriend of yours? James Tucker, was it?” He smirks and places an elbow on the doorway, as I awkwardly stood before him with the door half-open. “I can’t believe you’d stoop so low as to date within your circle of friends, Lottie. Was Damien not low enough of a standard?”

I ignore his jabs at me and James and smile to try to keep my civility towards him even as my blood boils.

“No, I’m expecting Beatrice,” I told him, thinking of the best possible ways to shoo him off in an instant. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“First your disappointed appearance, now you’re looking for ways to get rid of me so fast, Lottie? I’m starting to think you don’t like me.”

“I don’t,” I said with a straight face. He was starting to get on my nerves.

“That’s very direct of you to say. But, what else would I expect from someone like you, right? You get what you want to be done and over with. Anyways, I was hoping to catch your brother around. Alex had some things to pass on to me from the previous football coach in Maybeck. Is he around?”

Alex used to play football in high school. Just like Adrian, he was a star in the making. But life had its way with him and flung him over the corner of drunkards and addicts. He lost all opportunities for a college scholarship and the potential to be any kind of player in college. Went to rehab for some months, came back right before a new school year started, and took on a college course. Computer Engineering, it was, I think.

That’s Alex’s life summarized, by the neighbors, at least. Although it’s not an accurate, fair, or complete view of his life. It was how most people gossiped about him.

“He went to a party last night and hasn’t come home yet. But you’re welcome-“

“Well, thank you.”

He tries to slide past me and inside the house but I stop him firmly from getting in. He was, however, traveling fast on my nerves.

“You’re welcome to stay in your car and wait for him to come home,” I said sternly, my eyes kidding him not.

“You’re not gonna let me in?” He looked confused.

“No, I’m sure your sedan is more than spacious enough for you to wait for Alex to arrive. Besides, the outdoors offers a much more scenic view,” I smile, ear to ear, looking at his piqued expression. “And bonus for you, Adie, Alex will walk right in front of you. So, you’ll definitely be the one to know when and if he does arrive.”

“You’re mean, Lottie,” he spits like a toddler that’s about to cry.

“Well, you’re a little prick,” I retorted.

He sneers at me but I laugh it off and slam the door on his face. I transferred over by the window to sneak a peek at whether he’d really wait in the car or not.

Alex must’ve held some important kinds of stuff because Adrian patiently waited outside. It’s been more than fifteen minutes. Although the weather was pretty gloomy and it looked like it was about to rain, he remained seated in his car, scrolling through his phone.

After about fifteen minutes of spying on him, I see Beatrice being dropped off by her dad, and cautiously walk over, looking at Adrian’s car and presence like an alien on Earth.

“Why is Adrian Harper parked in front of your house?”

“Hey,” I greeted her with a quick hug, and helped her with her things, hanging the prominent dress in my closet. “Uh, he’s waiting for Alex, who has some things to give him, or so he said.”

“Well, that’s an evil presence all over our preparations. The ritual cannot be broken. Hence, the evil spirit who is sitting on the sidewalk there should not be there,” B jokes.

“No, he’ll be gone soon. Alex should be on his way home,” I explained, laughing.

“So, what time do you want to start prepping?” She asks, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the remote control.

Beatrice was an extension of this family household. Although Ross held a dearer and more affectionate position with my parents, she was too private of a person for my parents to cling to. Beatrice, on the other hand, was like another me. Only sweeter and kinder. You can even say she’s a family favorite over me.

I treat her like a sister, and my parents treat her like a daughter. She’s been around for about five or six years, but with my family, our memories feel like a lifetime.

There was always something going on on the weekends. Not counting the typical Sunday barbecue brunch to which my friends are always invited to, and of which James participates in attendance almost every other week, we also had a sort of community day in the park at least once a month. This was hosted by a different family every month. It was complete with games, food, booze, and the entire neighborhood. B’s parents, however, the busy bees that they were, rarely found the time to attend. Beatrice would come with our family most months, especially since Alex left for college and I was the only offspring that remained.

Needless to say, Beatrice was a very special person. Not only to me, but to my parents, as well.

“I was thinking maybe at two we’d each start to freshen up and stuff? So we’d have like an hour to do our makeup? Although I’m really hoping you’d do mine because I do not know a highlighter brush from a blush brush,” I said, pleading with my eyes.

Although I was usually the preppy and outgoing one compared to Beatrice, who had very strict parents, I failed to develop a love and skill for makeup. Adrian and my parents always used to tell me that I looked good without it, but, man, does B look wildly amazing with it.

I just want to look pretty without having to peel back my eyes to properly apply some eyeliner. Was that too hard to wish for?

“Great,” She replies, switching channels on the TV, trying to find a good movie. “So, can we get to the juicy part now or should we wait for Stalker Stevens to leave outside? I feel like he can hear our faintest whispers.”

She has a knack for being overdramatic. That is a well-known trait.

“No, I think we’re safe. He’s far too engaged in his own life to notice anybody else’s anyway.”

“What time are our dates picking us up?”

“Not sure. Are we driving over together?”

“I-I don’t know,” She stutters. “I didn’t tell Daniel to pick me up. I assumed he’d get in touch with James.”

“Is the emo girl that Charles is taking coming over here?” I started to raise my voice in a panic.

So, yeah. We did not plan our night very well. We assumed the other would take care of the stuff. Apparently, we all assumed the same thing.

“Let me get a group call,” she exclaims, dialing up her phone.

“Hey, guys,” Ross greeted, but we had no time for that right now.

“Are we driving over together?” I asked.

“Um, what do you have planned?” James answers, confused.

“What do you mean? I told Butch to leave without me because James is picking me up,” Charles interjects.

“What about your date?” I reminded him of the other person he should be thinking of.

“I don’t know. I thought we’d go over and pick her up.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

“No,” Charles muttered in a faint voice. A gasp of realization hit him hard. He didn’t know where his own date lived but promised to pick her up. “She didn’t mention her address.”

“Well, did you ask her?”

“No, why would I?”

“Because you’re picking her up!?” I widened my eyes, a little vexed at the predicament we found ourselves in.

Apparently, we all assumed someone would pick us up. But no one thought of either informing our designated driver or asking for the pickup time. Or even the damned addresses.

“Beatrice’s date also didn’t get a memo regarding the picking up thing,” I told them.

“I did tell him to come over around 6. I gave him the address and everything. But I forgot to mention I’d be over at your place,” She bites her nails with a stressed expression.

“Oh, so you told your date to come over to your house while you’re at my house. Is that right?”

“Oh, this is just hilarious,” Ross interjects with a burst of boisterous laughter, earning glares from us.

“Shut up, I didn’t know what to tell him. I wasn’t sure if anybody had anything planned for tonight.”

“If anybody had anything planned for tonight, Beatrice, don’t you think you would have gotten in on it? Don’t you think anyone might have mentioned it to you? For God’s sake, there’s only four of us in this friend group-“

“How about me?” Ross stopped James mid-speech with a playful look which he took with raised eyebrows.

“Shut up, Rossalyn. For those of us actually attending the winter formal for tonight, is anybody, anybody sure and certain that they are going to be picked up or they’ll be picking someone up?” He continues, raising his voice above the snickers Ross was giving.

Then the call was on mute. No one was getting picked up, but everybody assumed so.

“Ain’t that great,” Charles muttered under his breath.