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I hopped in the shower and had rollers heating before Mom got up.

When she was up, she went into full fluster mode. She was crabby, because she needed to drink some water and likelyanother beer, but she smiled when she saw I had every make-up palette she owned open.

“Want help?”

God help me, but, “Yes. Please,” I said, and she smiled.

She scooted me over with her hips, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then had me sit on the toilet seat, just like I had as a child.

“Red’s a hard color to pull off sweetie.” Why was she telling me this now??? “But luckily, you’ve got the skin-tone for it.”

Which for some reason she then entirely covered with foundation, but hey.

By the time she was done, I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. My skin was even, then blushed, bronzed, and highlighted—my eyes had lashes for miles, and my lips were a perfectly shaped dress-matching red bow. She’d rolled my hair and started pulling it up but I fought with her to keep it down—I was afraid the dress would gap and show her the lightning marks hidden inside. She complained, but then she sleeked my hair down in beautiful rippling waves.

I felt gorgeous in a way I never had before. Was it because I was doing all this for a boy? Did that make me the same as every other girl? I leaned forward into the mirror, not sure that the girl in it was me. I’d have never let my mother do all this without prom, but God help me, for the first time in my entire life I wanted to be looked at.

“Since the dress is old-fashioned—I went old-fashioned all over,” my mother said, surveying her handiwork.

“Thanks Mom, a lot. I mean it.”

She reached in to rearrange one lock of hair delicately. “You’re very welcome.”

After that, I sat on our couch feeling completely out of place. Allie kept looking at me like I was a different person—maybe because I was. Maybe this dress wasElectro-Jessie’soutfit. All I was missing were some spandex tights. I’d have to consult with Darius on the name.

Then tires crunched outside and I stood up—as did my mother, and Allie. Oh God?—

Darius walked up to the door and rang the doorbell just as I was opening it, and at seeing me, he blinked in surprise.

“Hey, Jessie—Liam’s waiting. Ready to go?”

I gave him a relived smile for remembering our cover story. “Yeah.”

“Just a minute young man,” my mother said, coming forward. She’d already gotten herself ready for work—tonight would be a busy night for her, the drama of prom driving many of Redson’s parents to drink—and she leaned forward just as I was walking out onto the porch.

I braced, waiting for the inevitable barrage of interrogation, but instead all she did was reach out and adjust Darius’s tie.

“So your girlfriend is already there with Liam?”

“He just picked her up. She’s on her way.”

“And what’s her name again?” my mother asked, seemingly harmlessly.

But I knew better. If Darius stumbled in the least….

“Hannah,” he said, and got a beatific look on his face, as though he dreamt of her every night.

“Hmph,” my mother said.

The Darius turned toward me, full of vim and vigor, like he couldn’t wait to see Hannah again. “Ready?”

“Yep!” I chimed, and stepped out. The night was amazingly cool for Kansas, I could feel it against my arms and my legs. Then Darius gallantly took my elbow, and we walked across the lawn together. We slid into his car and I couldn’t believe we’ddone it until we were out of the park, grinning at each other in the rearview mirror. “Hannah’s gonna be pretty disappointed.”

“I’m just glad your mom didn’t ask me her last name, because I would’ve said Montana.”

I laughed and he laughed and then we were driving in the evening light to prom.

I got out of the car when we reached Redson High’s parking lot, before he could run around and open my door. I forgot that was a thing. I never even knew that was a thing that happened, expect for in really old movies.