Balloons and streamers and the bass of the music that vibrates from the soles of the shoes through the core of the body. The darkness, the low lighting, murmurs of 100 conversations, laughter and girls squealing. Flash from cell cameras. In an instant 100 uploads to all forms of social media. Text messages sent to and from the people in Shades' Ballroom to people at home, at work. Funny faces, smiles, faces caught in a moment of laughter, eyes gazing and caught in stares that last a lifetime in pixels. Pretty dresses in all shades and lengths. The hint of breasts peeking over top of satin and sequin and lace bodices. Suits, ties, and cumberbuns. Sneakers, heels, flats, dressing shoes. Wrist corsages and pinned corsages, wafting floral scents mixing with perfumes and cologne. An archway at the entrance to the room, well lit, pretty girls with their handsome boys lined up for pictures taken with a camera by a hired photographer.
Outside the Shades' ballroom in the parking lot, Julia Fry and Jayson Keller were flanked by SUV limos, inside none of which they'd arrived. Julia's red dress hiked above her waist, Jayson's hands exploring her bottom half. The dampness between her legs coated her thighs, his hands.
"Jules, they're coming soon." Jay whispered as she finagled his belt undone. She yanked down his zipper.
"Well, hurry it up before they do."
He managed a condom quickly. After the pictures, the hugs and kisses, his grandmother dropped it in Jay's pocket and whispered, "No babies." Jay wasn't sure if she thought Julia was the slut or he was, but as the condom went on maybe they both were. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her short legs around his waist.
Julia straightened her red dress, then checked her cell. The stupid phone had buzzed what seemed like 100 times. All from Hayley and Chess. "They're looking for us," Julia said as she tucked the phone back in her wristlet purse.
Jay took a drink from the bottle that they brought. "You feel like going in?" He seemed hesitant.
"I know we didn't waste good money on these stupid tickets and these fancy outfits, Jay."
He handed her the bottle. Julia took a swallow, the sweet and sour liquid tasted good going down. "First we drink, Jules." He smiled.
Jayson Keller was Julia's closest and dearest friend. Their friendship was born in childhood. They'd drifted apart on and off through childhood, but when Jay moved in down the block they became more than friends. He'd pursued her, being nice as only Jayson could be. He met her at her door in the mornings, holding onto a Styrofoam cup of steaming hot Colombian black coffee from Mr G's shop. In their beginning he'd cross Maverick to serve up the cup of coffee, out early for his morning run. Once he moved in with his grandmother, the coffee became a morning staple and he brought it to her every day.
They'd spent the spring, summer and fall to this point making memories, happy ones, unlike Julia had ever dreamed. The sweetest boy in the world. She daydreamed of marrying him and having babies with him and living a long happy life together. A fairy tale type of love. Before they officially hooked up, she was kind of a loner. She had a few close friends, but she called herself a nut in a shell. Her mom countered that, callling her a rose in a bud. "Julia Jillian Fry, you haven't bloomed yet. You have a lot of living to do. A life ahead of you, you'll see."
Jayson had been a blessing to her while her mom was dying. He stepped in at her side, held her hand through out the illness. They grew closer and closer as her mom lay in a bed getting weaker and weaker. Jayson cracked her shell. With Jayson, her bud bloomed into a rose. He made sure that as her mom slowly passed away, Julia didn't feel like she had no one left to understand her, make her smile, be her friend.
They were finishing the bottle off when Hayley came to the parking lot looking for them. The iPhone snapping a pic of them leaning against the limo all dressed up. Julia held up the bottle as if toasting the night they were about to share. Hayley took their bottle and drank for herself. She showed them the pic on the phone. Julia, all 4 foot 10, 98 pounds in a little red dress with spaghetti straps. White converse hightops, a white wristlet of baby roses. Her long red hair had been flat ironed straight and her kinky curls were gone for the night. No make up and pale, freckled skin. Jay had on a plain black suit with a red shirt and red Nike's. His long hair pulled back and braided. His bright smile, big brown eyes that complimented his smile. She loved his smile, soft and warm, and when he smiled his whole face smiled.
"What are you guys doing out here for crying out loud?! We've been waiting for like a half hour." Hayley chided them. She spun around in her sapphire color dress, waves of aqua through the skirt. As she spun it fanned out and lifted. Her blond hair in a tight bun on her head, shoes that looked like ballet slippers, and her mouth full of metal. She prided herself on her future model's smile.
"You look pretty, Hay." Jay told her, watching her spin, watching as her dress rose over milky white thighs.
"Thanks. You guys are so cute in your red." She grinned. She wedged between them and took a selfie. "Can we please stop screwing around in this parking lot and go inside?"
Julia and Jay finished off the last drops in the bottle and feeling buzzed, they followed her through the limos and parked cars to the entrance. In the archway beneath fake greens and fake flowers they stood for their pictures. The boys first:Jay and the twins, Chess and Ray. Then the girls: Hayley, Cass and Julia joined them for a pic before the girls stood alone for their own. Inside they danced, ate and pushed the tables together in front of the window that overlooked Shade's lake. By the time the danced neared its end, half the crowd was at the tables by the window. The staff had started to break down the party. Music had ceased playing. Lights had come up bright. Ties loosened, shoes had come off, hair had been let down, a fuzzy image of the appearance from when they'd arrived .
"Jay, what time are you getting us in the morning?"Chess asked. "Still the ass crack of dawn?"
"Yep, like 730 or 8. Wanna stay at grandmom's? I'll get you up." Jayson asked his cousin. They could have hung out for awhile even though Uncle John, Chess's dad, was driving them on their fall excursion.
"Oh, you're gonna get off your girl for me, Bro? Thanks." Chess poked fun at him. He hadn't seen much of Jay since he left the house and moved in with their grandmother. The more time he spent with Julia, the less time he made for his friends, but he and Julia had other things going on. Occasionally they would get out with them. Occasionally he'd leave the proper and annoying Julia Fry at home and come to the Mauz to drink with him and their friends. He'd honestly only seen Jay a couple times out of school and without Julia since Julia's mom died in August.
"I'm up with the sun, morning run, come with me."
"Fuck that, no way." Chess shook his head.
"It's good for the soul, the fresh air. A good run clears your head."
"My head is always clear, thanks." Chess answered. Chess stayed high on weed. He wasn't running his skinny ass anywhere. "Does red riding hood go with you?"
"That's his thing not mine, Chess. Only time I run at that hour of the morning is if there's a fire." Julia answered, agreeing with Chess on the run. Jay had asked several times, but she always declined that invitation. Jay used that time to clear his head, as he called it. Julia's head didn't need clearing. He ran too early and when he did run, he liked silence or he'd stick his ear buds in and forget the world that revolved around him.
"Mom's outside, "Hayley said looking at her phone. "Julia, Jay, let's go."
"We'll walk, Hay. It's cool."
Jay nudged her, not really wanting to take the walk home in the cold.
Hayley lifted off Chess' lap. "Um, get in the Tahoe. It's late and we got an early morning."
Jay pulled Julia through the door to the chilly night air. Everyone hugged and said their goodbyes. Julia regretted not wanting to hitch the ride. The crisp night air gave her goosebumps. Like walking from an oven into a freezer. Jay moved her to the Tahoe and less than ten minutes they were home. They finalized their times for the morning, Hayley texting everyone who was going along with them. The SUV stopped infront of Julia's house on Green Street. "Julia, honey, are you moving?" Hay's mom asked, eyeing the for sale sign in the front yard. The overgrown grass, the broken window on the front porch, the front gate that didn't latch shut. Julia felt a twinge of embarrassment that not only was her home a shack compared to Hayley's house, but that she was under the impression she and her dad were one pay check away from losing that house.
"That's what my dad says. Thanks for the ride, Mrs V."
"730, Hayley." Jay announced.
"I know. Can't wait. We're gonna have a blast." Hayley replied, getting out and hugging them both goodbye. "Love you guys. See you in the morning."
Jay put arms around Julia to keep her warm. He kissed her forehead. They stood still a moment. Reality overwhelming them. Jay gazed two doors down at his grandmom's house. "Julia, it's ok." He reassured her as he watched the tv light flicker in the living room. The house was dark otherwise. In fact the whole block was dark, like a heart that lacked a beat. Several houses were worse off, however, a couple boarded up and empty altogether.
"You coming in? We got a couple hours before the bar closes. Dad's closing." Julia said, tugging his tie.
"I'm gonna go check on them, get out of this Walmart special."
Julia laughed, eyes tearing up. "Me too. I'll leave the back open."
Julia watched Jay walk away, then went inside. She took a couple sodas from the fridge. She hit the bathroom, putting her hair up. In her room she turned on the radio. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the backside of the door. She spun around a few times, looking at herself, her dress. She heard Jay come in through the kitchen door. He took his soda off the dresser, told her she looked pretty. He had changed into shorts and a white tee. He'd let his hair down, brown, wavy from the braid half way down his back. A hair tie around his left wrist. He looked up at her from the bed. He pulled a condom from his pocket.
"No babies." He grinned, setting it on the table next to his soda.
Julia pulled the spaghetti straps off her shoulders and let the dress fall to the floor. Her pale skin reflected in the mirror, "No babies."
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