Chapter 35

'Reasonably smart', Shawna frowned at the mirror, could mean pretty much anything from Marcus. Given that he was almost constantly in black denim and dark shirts which he could comfortably wear anywhere, she couldn't tell what from her wardrobe might suffice.

"Come in?" she called, turning to look over her shoulder as Hope poked her head around following her knock.

"Hey, how's things?"

"Fine?" Shawna replied, eyeing her cautiously. "What brings you here on a Saturday afternoon?"

"Well, partly I volunteered to be postman picking stuff up for Marcus, and partly I decieded seeing as Marcus had so much help today, I'd come and give you a hand if you needed it." She came in, closing the door behind her, and Shawna just stared at her for a moment.

"What are you talking about?"

"Marcus is getting dressed over at Bri and Elspeth's place. Sandy from down the hall is doing his hair —she used to be a hairdressing student — and they've picked out his clothes and everything."

"Oh." Shawna turned back to the mirror, a gentle smile on her face. "He's really pulling out the stops for this one, isn't he?"

"Yep." Hope flopped down on the bed to stare at her reflection.

"So they sent you round to make sure I live up to his expectations."

"I think we both know that you turning up at all exceeds his expectations," she laughed. "They want to make sure you live up to their expectations. I just want to make sure it's special for you both, it's romantic."

"I suppose it is... I'm stuck for something to wear." Hope eyed the open wardrobe doubtfully. "No, I'm sure I've got something. It's just... what's Marcus definition of 'reasonably smart'?"

"Did he tell you where you're going?" Shawna shook her head. "Or what he's wearing?" Another shake of the head.

"Right then... you go through, and I'll say yes or no, how's that. I don't want to spoil what's obviously a surprise, but I don't want either of you to feel any more of a fool than you have to."

"Why do we have to?"

"Marcus is really dressing up," Hope assured her. "Not evening dress, or anything, but it's not black, and it's not denim."

"Really!" Shawna spun to stare at her. "You're having me on?"

"I promise you — no denim, no black."

"Wow... I have to get to work!" Hope lay on the bed and alternately laughed, frowned and chided, gently, as Shawna ran through a sequence of dresses, skirts and the like, chatting away while she did, excited and nervous.

"What about that one?" Hope pointed, trying not to stare to openly as Shawna stood around in just her underwear. "The peach dress?"

"He's seen me in that before, I wore that for the New Year's Eve party we went to."

"Oh, OK. In that case, what about... the green one."

"It's a bit... formal." Shawna pointed out, dragging it out he cupboard.

"You mean it covers you up?" Hope laughed, seeing the high halter neck and long length.

"My mother bought it for me for the Prom."

"You guys had a prom?"

"Yeah... I only wore it because I was going with a complete gimp and I didn't want to give him any ideas."

"I wish we'd had a prom... we had a tea-dance in the assembly hall during the last week of term. There were about four boys there, generally girls' brothers. It was awful."

"No-one asked you to dance, huh?"

"Not one." She admitted, with a pout. "One of them even asked me if I was in the right year group."

"You really don't like being petite, do you?"

"Petite?" Hope rolled over, staring at the ceiling. "Just say short and be done with it."

"Some people like that."

"Perverts who want ten year olds without getting arrested."

"Is that what you thought I wanted?" Shawna turned to stare at her, with a slight smile, and she rolled over again, looking a little embarrassed.

"No, sorry..."

"Still on your own, huh?"

"I'm looking." She admitted. "Most guys want something bigger chested and longer legged, or they'll just take anything they can get and you can see why they're that desperate."

"Given up on girls?"

"No, I've just run out of girls that I know go with other girls..."

"We'll find you something." Shawna assured her, turning away to the cupboard and putting the hanger back as she struggled into the green dress. Hope just watched, trying to force down the feeling that she didn't want to be with anyone that wasn't already in the room.

"That, I think, will be pretty much perfect." She finally said, once the dress was settled into place.

"You think?" Shawna turned back and forth in front of the mirror, wondering where they might be going that needed to dress up that much.

I'd take you in that. Hope admitted, to herself, and forced the smile onto her face as she nodded.

"Perfect." Elspeth nodded, with a broad smirk for Marcus' obvious scowl. "Don't look like that, this was all your idea."

"I know." He acknowledged, with a nod, not dropping the frown. "I just need to get it all out of my system before we meet up. I don't want to spoil this."

"Marcus... what is this all about?" Brianna sat forward, quizzing him gently. "Why so much concern about this?"

"Last time we actually went out anywhere it didn't end well." He explained. "Somebody spiked her drink, she got... forward... ended up sleeping on my couch at home. Her mother didn't take that too well."

"That's it?" Elspeth took a step forward, turning him round to look in the mirror.

"Isn't that enough?" he asked, frown deepening as he looked at himself. "I want this to be special, I've not actually taken her out anywhere before — even that night, really, she took me."

"You want to give her a special night?" Brianna sat back. "That's a good enough reason, I reckon." Elspeth nodded her agreement with a broad smile, and leant forward to swat his hands away from his hair as a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" Bri called.

"It's me, Hope." Elspeth slipped the latch and Hope came in, with the socks she'd gone out for, and a tie. "Here." She passed the socks over, and Marcus took off the ones he'd managed to tear the heel out of earlier, and then she held up the tie. "And this, I can assure you, will match her dress perfectly."

"Where did you get this?" Brianna asked, looping it round his neck quickly.

"Where did you learn to tie a tie?" Elspeth wondered, watching her quickly form the knot.

"Tony's rubbish at it." She explained, looking at Hope. "Phil Mickelson down on the bottom floor owed me a favour — I don't know who he got it from, but apparently he needs it back by Wednesday." Marcus nodded that he understood, stretching his neck this way and that as he tried to loosen the tie with a finger in his collar.

"Leave it alone." Brianna swatted his hands away.

"I hate ties." He muttered, and waved his hands at them to cut them off. "I know, my idea, I know."

"Look at this way," Hope told him, "as much as you find that tie uncomfortable, so Shawna's going to hate her shoes, the pins in her hair and probably the frilly underwear she's almost bound to be almost wearing." Marcus flushed deeply, clearing his throat and fiddling in his pockets to avoid looking at her as the three girls all chuckled at him.

"But she'll think it's worth it at the end of the day, when she sees how she looks in the mirror." He explained.

"And you don't?" Elspeth asked, turning him back to the mirror.

"No."

"Well then," Hope turned him back, straightened his collar a little, and looked up at him, "you'll just have to content yourself with feeling good when you see the sparkle in her eye when she sees you like this. She'll appreciate it, even if you don't."

"You think?" The three of them nodded, and he took a deep breath.

"That was fun." Elspeth flopped on the bed. "It was like dressing up dolls again, only for grown ups." Brianna stared down at her for a moment, and Hope sighed.

"I'll clear out, shall I?" she asked, with a wry smile.

"What's up?" Elspeth asked.

"I recognise that look." She pointed at Brianna, who feigned innocence.

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Oh, come on." Hope managed a wan smile. "You're waiting to jump her as soon as we're out the door." Elspeth flushed even darker than Marcus, who was intently reading the fire notice beneath the light-switch.

"True." Brianna admitted, with gentle smile. "You're feeling it pretty hard, huh?"