"But it doesn't matter - just as long as it's with Alexander."
"Really," he said. "Is that what you feel down in your soul? You said you were born this way. That was a long time before you met Alexander. Don't you wonder about what you are missing?"
I knew what I was missing. But I had to be patient.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked.
Just then Alexander appeared. There was a truce between the two, but he glared at his former nemesis. Alexander wasn't too possessive of me - and he didn't need to be. I wasn't the kind who flirted with just anyone. But I could tell there was an underlying mistrust of the Maxwells that went as deep as blood.
Chapter 9 Night Fever
I wanted Billy to have a positive experience for his first dance, and I wanted to make sure he'd treat Stormy to the gentlemanly behavior that Alexander always showed me. I didn't want my brother to act like the Nerd Boy that he was, so I brought in reinforcements - my mother.
She dragged us both to Jack's Department Store, and while she was outfitting Billy with a new suit, I browsed through the junior dresses. I had already decided on a dress at home, but I saw one on the clearance rack that caught my eye. It was a stunning strapless indigo-blue corset dress with hints of black feathers. Wow - I never found things like this in Dullsville, only during Halloween or at a thrift store.
I took it off the rack and quickly read the size - which happened to be mine. I held it up to me and felt exhilarated. I checked out the price. It had been marked down several times. Who wouldn't want this? I thought. But then I saw a few girls examining the dresses that weren't marked down. And then I knew. It wasn't their style, and it wasn't full price. I took the dress back to the guys' department to show my mo ^aid sre was am.
I didn't recognize my brother at first. There was a young man in a suit in front of the mirrors outside the changing room. My mom was fussing over him and trying to make sure the length of his pants was just right. I couldn't believe that the handsome young man was the boy who had bugged me all my life.
I was surprised at how grown up my brother looked wearing dress pants and a sport coat. I gave him a thumbs-up, and he appeared pleased by my fashion affirmation.
I showed my mom the dress I'd picked out. "It's on sale," I said. "Can I get it?"
"It's beautiful," she said. "Where did you find it?"
"In the juniors. It's my size, too." I showed her the price.
"We'll take both," my mom said cheerfully to the salesman.
"It's that time of year," he said. "Fall dances."
My mom was overjoyed as the salesman rang up our purchases. "I never thought I'd see this day," she said joyfully. "Both of you going to a dance, and it being the same one."
"Neither did I," my brother and I said in unison.
The three of us went to our local florist to pick out a small wrist corsage for Stormy. Dullsville's florist shop was a family-owned one-room store with a huge display of flowers, vases, and knickknacks. A friendly woman wearing a pink-and-green-striped apron was finishing up with another customer.
"I'll be right with you," she said.
Billy looked lost in the jungle of flowers without his cell, computer, or video games, clearly bored.
"I don't even know what she is wearing," he said when I showed him a few flowers.
Good point, I thought.
"May I help you?" the florist asked, coming over to us.
"We'll need a small wrist corsage," my mom said. "For a school dance."
"What color would you like?" she asked.
Billy shrugged his shoulders. "Do you have something black?" Billy asked.
The florist looked at Billy like he was deranged.
"You are going cou panto a dance, not a funeral," my mom teased. "How about pink?" Billy shook his head. "I'm not sure she'd like that." Billy looked to me for help.
"I know she likes purple," I told him.
"Yes, that's what I want," he said emphatically. "Purple."
The florist showed us several purple flowers. Billy was overwhelmed with which one to pick and turned to my mom and me for guidance. We narrowed them down, and Billy was still uncertain which one to choose. Floral arranging was out of my twelve-year-old brother's skill set.
"It's okay," I said. "They are all beautiful."
That gave Billy the confidence he needed, and he pointed to one to make the final decision.
The florist placed some baby's breath around it and began to prepare it for a corsage.
"How much longer?" Billy asked. I could tell he'd rather have been home playing Warcraft.
"This will all be worth it," I said, "when you see the look on her face."
That night Billy descended the staircase in his suit. I was already waiting in my new corset dress, so excited to have something new to wear in front of Alexander.
I hated to admit that my pesky brother did look handsome when he came down the stairs in his navy suit.
"Whose brother are you?" I teased.
"Not yours," he quipped.
"You look terrific," my dad said proudly.
"You look gorgeous," my mom gushed. Billy tensed up as my mom straightened his collar.
"Get off," he snarled.
"I just need to adjust this," she said. Then she took his chin and squeezed it. "You look so grown up."
"Mom - " he said.
"We have to go," I said, helping him out of the parental trap.
"Wait - let me get a picture of you both," she said.
"No, Mom," he whined. "We have to go."
"I need memories!" she exclaimed. "For my scrapbook."
My mom grabbed her camera. "Get together," she said, gesturing for us to stand next to each other. We both moved like slugs.
"C'mon. It won't kill you to take one picture," my dad commanded.
Reluctantly, we stood side by side. I hadn't noticed that Billy was nearly as tall as I was. In no time he'd be towering over me.
"Smile," she said.
Billy and I grimaced.
"Smile, already!" she repeated.
"Okay," we both said through grinning, gritted teeth.
"Okay," we both said through grinning, gritted teeth.
The flash burst, and we were both momentarily blinded.
"One more," she directed.
"You said only one." Billy was itching to go.
"But what if that doesn't turn out?" she asked.
"Then you'll know that one of us is a vampire," I said.