Gem City

Chapter 12

“Firework” – Katy Perry

Vanessa was acting unusually interested in Courtney"s appearance the next day. She insisted that they visit the salon and both get a blow-out.

“Come on! It"ll be fun. I love your curly hair, but it"s good to change it up. I don"t think you"ve straightened it once since you"ve been here. Ethan will love it,” she added for effect.

“I"ll go, I mean, whatever, I just think you"re being weird in caring about my hair.” Courtney did not relay the nagging voice of self-criticism about her somewhat-frizzy hair made worse by the constant humidity.

“You"ll thank me later,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Why, what"s going on later?” Courtney asked. She didn"t remember making any specific plans for that day.

“Nothing. Just remember to shave your legs, ok?” V advised.

“What the hell? What do you know?” she demanded.

“I know nothing.” Courtney attempted to bribe, guilt, and physically force Vanessa to tell her what was up while on their way to the salon, but she began to conclude that her friend should work for the CIA.

“I can"t even believe I call you my best friend!” Courtney exclaimed. “This is like torture! It"s like asking me to walk around all day calmly, knowing full well something is going to jump out at me!”

“Nothing will jump out at you. Enjoy your blow-out and calm down. Be happy.” That was the last Vanessa would say on the subject. It took a while for the stylist to tame her massive amount of hair, but she had to hand it to her when she was done. Her dark brown curls had been transformed- now smooth and shiny, not to mention nearly down to her waist when they were straight.

“All right. This wasn"t a terrible idea,” she admitted.

“You can say that again. You look freaking sexy,” Vanessa practically shouted. Courtney didn"t totally hate that description. They walked around some of the shops in the square for a while afterwards. Courtney kept getting caught up in her reflection; it was so strange how she looked like someone else. “Yes, Court, you"re very pretty, keep up, girl,” Vanessa teased her. “There"s this boutique-y store I wanna go in down here.” The store in reference was actually very cool- a lot of bohemian and hand-made clothing and accessories. Vanessa picked up a long flowing dress in varying shades of white and ivory and started holding it up to Courtney, excited. The top of the dress barely even looked like a triangle bikini top- not Courtney"s usual go-to style, but she had to admit there was something very goddess-like about the material and silver beading. “Please buy this. Like, I mean, try it on first, but I think that you need to have this dress. Today. It"ll be like your birthday present to yourself.” Vanessa clapped her hands together lightly.

Courtney was getting tired of all the emphasis on today when her friend wouldn"t tell her why, but V looked so excited that she agreed to at least try on the dress. To her surprise, it fit perfectly. She would have to wear heels. But what"s new about that? She had to give props to Vanessa. The dress was gorgeous. As she looked in the mirror, she realized how tan she"d gotten since her arrival. The white material stood out brilliantly against her skin and dark hair. She stood staring at her reflection in the little shop for a while, not wanting to take the dress off.

todayBut what"s new about that?“Oh my god, yes, perfect. We are taking it home,” Vanessa concluded. Courtney had to concur. It wasn"t even a bad price, and she had saved a fair bit of money from working all year. The sales clerk rang it up, and they finally headed back to Vanessa"s house.

They elected to do girly things all afternoon, and she enjoyed being alone in Vanessa"s company. She realized they hadn"t had much of that since she"d been there and felt a stab of guilt.

“Hey V, you know I love you, right?” Courtney asked seriously.

“Of course, don"t be silly. I love you too. I"ve had a blast with you here this summer. I wish you were moving back now.”

“Me too,” Courtney agreed quietly. They watched Clueless to round out their relaxing afternoon, but at about four p.m., Vanessa flipped her internal switch to “insanity mode.”

Clueless“Okay, so, I thought I could play it cool until the very end, but I just can"t. I"m not going to spoil anything, or Ethan may murder me, but you are going to want to get ready. Like, Cinderella going to the ball ready, except Gem City style. I already hung up your dress in the bathroom, and I have silver heels and a gray sweater you can borrow. If you want me to do your make-up, I will, or whatever. I"m just dying with anticipation for you. I"m sorry I can"t tell you more,” she blurted out, biting her lip.

“You know you"re making me nervous!” Courtney exclaimed, feeling her palms start to sweat.

“I know, I"m sorry. Don"t be nervous- be excited. Just do it while you get ready.”

“Just, wait.” Courtney stopped her, feeling like her stomach might make a break for it. “I get that I"m doing something with Ethan tonight. I won"t try and make you tell me what, because you"re, like, honoring the pirate code or whatever, but V, I"m starting to freak out.”

“What? Why? Don"t freak out!” Vanessa said, concerned. The look on her face let Courtney know she was feeling guilty. “I"m sorry, I didn"t mean to make you have an honest-to-god panic attack. It will be a good surprise, I promise.”

“No, I know, I"m excited, it"s just…”

“It"s just what?”

“I think tonight could be… sort of important?” Realization slowly crossed over Vanessa"s face.

important“Well… I think it could be. If you want it to be. Do you?”

“I do. Like I really do, but that makes me want to hyperventilate.” The more she allowed herself to think about the possibilities, the tighter her chest became. Courtney sat down, taking purposeful breaths.

Vanessa sat in front of her on the carpet. “Court. He loves you. He respects you. If you"re nervous, just tell him. It will be okay.”

Courtney willed herself to calm down, repeating those words like a mantra in her head. “Just okay, huh?” she attempted to joke, swallowing dryly.

Vanessa laughed, a look of relief in her eyes that her friend"s anxiety was dissipating. “Better than okay. From what I hear he"s got an impressive-”

“La la la la. Not helping!” Courtney interrupted her playfully.

Vanessa smirked. “Well, if it would be more helpful, I could go get a banana for you to visualize or something.”

“Shut up!” Courtney shoved her friend, trying not to laugh, and V dissolved into giggles on the floor. Courtney"s stony expression eventually cracked and she genuinely smiled, shaking her head.

Vanessa collected herself and ushered Courtney into a chair so she could do her make-up. She attempted to find her Zen place and allowed the excitement to overtake her worry.