Chapter 20

"Thanks for helping me out."

Allison looked back over her shoulder at Wendy, who was coming up the stairs behind her.

"We HAD to do this together," she said. "We shopped for dresses together, bought the boutonnières together, and are doubling to the prom. Obviously, we'd need to be together for the hair and makeover!"

"I only regret that your mom couldn't be here," Abigail said, as she followed the teens up.

"She'll be back this evening, in time to take a thousand pictures of me and Ryan."

"Ah, prom pictures," Abigail said, wistfully.

In preparation for her prom, Allison had heard the story of Abigail's. She had been between boyfriends at the time, having cut things off with the guy she'd been dating all year because he just couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself--with her OR other girls. Like Allison, she ended up going to the formal with a guy friend and had a wonderful time, so her memories were pleasant.

They reached the landing in front of Analise's apartment. Abigail knocked, then opened the door.

"Annie, we're here!"

"We're in the kitchen!" Analise called back.

The teens followed her into the apartment. Deb Smith, Tanner's mother, poked her head around the wall. She and Analise had met when Analise lived with her sisters and Jack, and they had hit it off pretty quickly. Now they were almost like sisters themselves. It was more common than not to find the two women hanging out together.

"Hey, Abigail. Hi, Allison."

"Hi, Deb," they said in unison.

Allison introduced Wendy as the trio stepped into the kitchen. Deb sat on a stool at the kitchen bar, obviously keeping Analise company while she went through all of her things. Boxes and bags of makeup and hair accoutrements were spilled around all the counters.

"Oh my God," Wendy gasped, "Is this all yours?"

Analise paused for a minute to look at the chaos around her. She smiled sheepishly.

"Um, I sort of wanted to be a beautician for a while."

Wendy grinned at her. "I'm in makeover heaven!"

"Makeover hell if more like it," a male voice said from behind them.

They turned just in time to see Tanner round the corner carrying another box.

"Tanner," Deb scolded, "Don't be rude."

He stopped when he saw the newcomers. His eyes went wide when they landed on Wendy. Tanner shuffled nervously from one foot to the other. Allison recognized the look, having seen it often during the early days of their friendship. He always became anxious and withdrawn whenever he met new people, but Allison thought she'd cured him of that.

"Umm, sorry," he muttered in response to his mother's rebuke. He ducked his head as he slipped past them and set the box in the sink, the only spot not already occupied with stuff. When he turned back around, Allison stepped up to him and gave him a big hug. He tensed and kept glancing back at Wendy.

"I agree with Tanner," Allison said, as she released the smaller boy and began looking through the box. "I hate makeovers."

"That's because you're so naturally pretty," Wendy said, as she slid into the stool next to Deb. "For you, it's like wasting time doing something that God already did."

Allison smiled back at her friend. "Thanks, Wendy, that's so sweet."

Wendy looked from Tanner to Allison, her eyes clearly questioning. Abigail must have seen the look.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked Allison's friends.

Wendy shrugged. "Not really," she said.

Tanner ducked his head again and looked away.

Allison hadn't introduced the two, even though in her mind they were her two best friends at school. She knew Tanner was kind of an outcast, and she always said that didn't bother her. So why hadn't she introduced them? Was this the last vestiges of the old Allison, the one that was cliquish and even a bit snobby? Allison felt a hint of shame. Well, there was no time like present to change that once and for all.

"Tanner, this is Wendy, my best friend," Allison said, as she started looking through the cupboards. "Wendy, this is Tanner, my other best friend. Anyone want a drink?"

Abigail had been watching the interplay closely and actually laughed at the reaction of the two new acquaintances. They both looked surprised, obviously at Allison's declaration of Tanner as a 'best friend.' Allison smiled to herself when Tanner stood up taller and his face relaxed.

Tanner shrugged. "She just calls me that in hopes that I'll let her borrow my heels," he deadpanned.

Allison snickered at the inside joke. All the adults just looked at him, not knowing what the kids at school said about him.

"I already loaned them out, though," he continued.

Allison guffawed, and the three adult women finally laughed, clearly still confused at the reference, but recognizing it as a joke. Wendy apparently wasn't quite sure he was joking, because she took longer to respond. She finally smiled.

"Good," she said, "I'd have been jealous that she got to wear them instead of me."

Tanner smiled back at her, and just like that, the awkwardness was gone. Analise clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"OK, first things first. We need to go SHOPPING, then manicures and pedicures."

"Ugh," Tanner groaned.

"What, you don't want to go?" Abigail asked.

Gosh, I'm tempted," Tanner said, as he rolled his eyes, "But I really must decline."

"Good, because he's not invited," Analise said, "He's Josh's babysitter."

"Hey, Josh and I get free reign of the apartment while you're gone. We plan to eat until we can't move and watch old martial arts movies all day.

Allison slipped her arm around his shoulder. "I bet you don't move away from the computer, except to go pee."

Tanner grinned. "There are lots of ugly monsters that need exterminating, and only our Paladin can do the job. Josh is my strategist."

"What are you talking about?" Wendy asked.

"It's just better if you don't ask," Deb said, shaking her head.

"Ah, now this is the life," Wendy sighed. Her eyes were closed as she was leaning back in her chair, with her feet soaking in the whirlpool. "The back of my chair is massaging me. So much less complicated than boys."

Allison laughed. "Boys have their uses, too." The pedicurist had just pulled Allison's feet from the foot bath and was patting them dry. "I mean, there are certain things you can't get from a chair."

"I'm pretty sure there are attachments for those kinds of things," Analise quipped.

Allison laughed. "Analise! Shame on you."

Analise was sitting on the opposite side of Allison from Wendy, and was also luxuriating in the massage chair and whirlpool foot bath.

"No, Allison, she's right," Wendy said, "I'm breaking up with Ryan and buying one of these chairs."

"I'm betting this chair costs a couple of thousand dollars," Allison said.

Abigail and Deb were sitting in chairs across the aisle from the other three. A pedicurist bent over the elevated feet of each woman. Deb was reading through a glossy brochure.

"Deb, is that a list of spa services?" Abigail asked.

She handed the brochure to Abigail, then leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "A girl could bankrupt herself in a place like this."

"Bankruptcy would be worth it," Abigail answered Deb. "Massages, saunas, facial scrubs, aromatherapy..."

Wendy sighed again as the mechanical fingers worked their magic. "But, Allison, you don't have to do ANYTHING to keep the chair happy. Boys are so ... demanding. Two grand seems like a bargain."

"The chair's a bargain assuming you actually HAVE two grand," Allison said to Wendy, as she watched the pedicurist settle in front of her. "Guys are pretty cheap to keep happy."

"True," Wendy replied. Her voice sounded sleepy. "But this is sooo relaxing..."

"Ooh, I should get a Brazilian wax," Abigail said.

Deb snickered. "Jack would love that."

Allison's heart thudded to a stop, and she shot a look towards Wendy, hoping beyond hope that her friend didn't hear Deb's comment. Wendy knew Allison's boyfriend was named Jack, but she had no idea that her boyfriend was also her brother-in-law. Her friend's eyes were still closed, but her brow was furrowed. Had she heard Deb? If so, did she connect the dots between Jack, Abigail, and Allison? After a moment, Wendy's face relaxed again. Allison exchanged concerned looks with Abigail, who quickly changed the subject.

"Analise, what do you have in mind for the girls' hair?"

"For Allison, piles of curls, with little ringlets down the sides and back. For Wendy, flowing waves pulled back at the temples with clips."

Wendy's eye popped open. "Like yours?"

Analise's hair was just as she described. "Except much nicer. It's a great look for us blondes, especially when there are subtle red highlights."

"I don't have subtle red highlights."

Analise smiled. "Not yet."

Wendy opened both eyes and lifted her head from the headrest. She looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she flashed Analise a big smile. "Cool." She closed her eyes and settled her head back in place.

Allison had been holding her breath, but she slowly let it out when it looked like Wendy was going to let the Jack comment go. She looked at Abigail again and received a look of relief in return. Then she looked at Analise, who winked at her and went back to her magazine. Deb seemed completely unaware of any tension. Whether or not she was aware of the romantic triad that lived above her apartment, Allison didn't know. She made a mental note to ask Analise if they'd ever talked about it.

Allison tried to refocus on the pedicure and relax, but that was now easier said than done.

Jack mashed a couple of buttons on his controller and then waited. Seth, on the other hand, kept mashing buttons while he rambled on about the Seattle Mariners' early season. Jack wasn't a baseball fan, and didn't keep up with it all, so he quickly tired of hearing about how much of an asset Ichiro was to the team.

"Just select a play, dammit," Jack grumbled at his friend.

Seth was reclining on the other end of the couch, his eyes locked on the flashy images on the TV screen, courtesy of Madden NFL.

"They're all so appealing. I don't know what to choose."

"Bullshit. You're just toying with me. Knock it off."

The teams suddenly broke from the huddle. "Oops, I'm out of time."

"For crying out loud, Davis. You didn't run out of time, just like you didn't the last 50 times you said it. That lame ploy is getting pretty annoying."

The play started and both guys frantically mashed buttons. Jack desperately tried to prevent Seth's digital quarterback from moving the digital ball forward. It was no use. Seth's QB faked a pass to the right and then went long, connecting with a digital receiver who was crossing the digital field without one damn digital defender in the general proximity.

"Boo-YAH!" Seth grinned.

"Shit," Jack muttered, as his players worthlessly gave chase.

"That ploy, as you call it, is only annoying because it keeps working. I'm kicking your ass."

"You're kicking my ass because I suck at video games, and you spend way too much time at them. How the hell are you even passing your classes?"

Seth chuckled. "Your ball again ... unless you fumble the kickoff."

Jack tossed his controller at Seth and got up to get a drink. "Screw it. I concede to your superior PlayStation prowess."

"Chin up, old man!" Seth called after him, "Maybe you'll pull out a win next time."

"Doubtful, since I'm not likely to play again until you bring this dumb box of circuits back over."

Jack grabbed two Mountain Dews from the fridge and came back into the room. He tossed one to Seth.

"Let's play some hoops," he said, as he popped the tab on his can and took a drink.

Seth grabbed a game cartridge and held it up. "Gotcha covered."

"Real basketball, Seth, on a real court with a real ball and real players..."

"What's wrong? Does your bruised ego need some soothing?"

Jack plopped back onto the couch. When they first started playing basketball together, Seth routinely outplayed Jack, and so he teased Jack relentlessly. Jack hadn't played in a while, and it took him some time to get his game legs back. Now that he was back in shape, Jack was the one who rarely lost, and so Seth quietly shifted his teasing to something else.

Jack smiled at Seth's barb. "I have a wife and a girlfriend. Do you really think my ego is bruised?"

Seth groaned. "Touché, Teach. I bow to your manly awesomeness." He held up the game controller. "One more?"

"You need to get a life, Davis."

"I have a life."

"Really? And if I asked Heidi, how often would she say you guys spent the evening away from your apartment?"

Seth fidgeted. "We go out."

Jack watched his friend. His jovial demeanor had suddenly changed as he quietly began disassembling his game console and putting it in his bag.

"OK, spill it, Seth. What's up with you and that girl?"

Seth kept shoving things into his bag. "Nothing, Man. I haven't tried anything with her."

"Well, why the hell not?"

Seth stopped and looked at Jack. "What?"

"Why not? Why haven't you tried anything? I mean, you want to, and I'm pretty sure she wants you to, so what's holding you back?"

"No, I don't want ... wait a minute, how do YOU know she wants me to try something?"

Jack took a big drink of his Dew and set his can on the sofa table. "She told me."

"When?"

"A couple of weeks ago, that Saturday when I was studying on campus. Didn't she tell you we talked?"

"Well, yeah, but she didn't say what about. I just figured she flirted with you."

"It's Heidi, of course she flirted."

Seth leaned back with a sigh. "I don't get her, Jack. Sometimes I think she wants to be more than just friends. I mean she flirts and teases and everything, but then the next thing I know she's flirting with other guys."

"Like I said, that's Heidi. Besides, you won't make a move, so what's she supposed to do?"

"Yeah, but she goes out of her way to do it when I'm around, like she's trying to make me jealous or something."

Jack thought back to his conversation with Heidi. "Well, maybe she is. She wants to be more than just friends with you, Seth."

"She doesn't know what she wants. That's why I can't do anything. She's messed up. You even said so yourself."

Jack thought about that for a second. "A part of me thinks she knows more about what she wants than most people."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Jack sighed. "Listen, you like her, right? And don't lie to me."

"Fine, I like her."

"What do you do when you like a girl?"

Seth grinned. "Me? I usually try to get her in the sack."

"Then stop trying to be so noble! Take her out--"

"We go out."

"On a REAL date."

"But what if she wants to have sex?"

Jack smirked. "Are you a virgin? Do I need to spell it out for you in detail?"

"But you said she was vulnerable! You said to protect her."

"Protect her from that dipshit of an ex-boyfriend and give her some time. Well, she's had some time. Trust me, if you don't make a move now, you may never get another chance."

Seth was quiet. He looked contemplative. Finally, he smiled.

"You just want me to get laid so I'll stop flirting with your wife."

Abigail watched Analise transform Allison. That Abigail's young lover was beautiful was never in question. Her natural beauty was one of the things that had captivated both Abigail and Jack. But the magic that Analise was weaving transformed their baby sister into a breathtaking vision. Allison looked at Abigail and blushed, obviously recognizing the look of absolute adoration on Abigail's face.

"All this effort for a guy," Deb said.

Abigail tore her eyes away from Allison and glanced sideways at the other woman.

"Absolutely," Wendy said. Her hair and makeup were already completed, and just like Allison, she was breathtaking. "They're worth it. I lied when I said a massage chair was better."

Deb harrumphed.

"Have you completely given up on men, Deb?" Abigail asked.

"Why not? A string of failed relationships, including a marriage. Either there is something wrong with men, or there's something wrong with me. I'm not ready to take the blame."

"You just have to be patient."

Abigail saw the pain in Deb's eyes.

"That's easy for you to say, Abbie," the older woman said, "You found the right guy pretty quickly. I mean, from what I can see, he's about as close as possible to being the perfect man, if there is such a thing. He can do no wrong."

Abigail wasn't sure if Deb was being sarcastic, or if she seriously felt that way about Jack. When they were just getting to know each other, Deb had been cold towards him, but her attitude seemed to have thawed somewhat.

"Oh, he can do wrong," Abigail responded, "He has several times, in fact, but that's hardly the point. The point is, good guys are out there."

"She's right, Deb," Analise said, as she twisted, piled, and pinned Allison's hair. "After Shane and I got divorced, I wondered if there really were good guys out there." She smiled at Abigail. "I mean other than Abigail's man. Then Marcus and I got together and I realized how much I'd been missing out on. Shane never treated me like Marcus does, unless he really wanted something in return, and I never felt for Shane what I feel for Marcus. Now, I'm not sure I could be happier."

Abigail could see the sparkle in Analise's eyes. She was a woman in love, and that made Abigail happy. For the first time in their lives, the two oldest Garner girls could truly say they were friends, and Abigail wanted the best for her sister.

"But how do you know if he's a good guy or not," Deb whined, "My experience is that men lie to get what they want."

"Remember, you deserve to be treated like a queen," Abigail said. "Chances are if he doesn't treat you that way when you are dating, he's not going to when you get married."

"But that's my point," Deb said, "Even if he treats you like a queen when you are dating, that's no guarantee that he'll continue."

"True," Abigail conceded.

Allison finally spoke. "Then just bring him over here or to our place, and we'll interrogate him. We'll tell you whether or not he's a good guy, and if we don't like him, we'll cut his balls off for you."

"Voila!" Analise exclaimed. She stepped back and held her arms out towards Allison. "All done."

Abigail was breathless as she looked at Analise's work. Allison was insanely beautiful. It took all of Abigail's self-control not to step over, take her lover in her arms and kiss her with all the passion she could muster.

"Gorgeous," Deb commented. She looked relieved for the distraction.

Wendy sighed. "I didn't think a mere human could enhance God-given perfection, but you did, Analise."

Allison blushed, a look so appealing that Abigail actually slid partway off her stool to move towards her lover before catching herself.

"Thanks, Girls," Analise said, as she brushed at something on Allison's shoulder. "OK. You need to be off to don your gowns. Remember, make him wait a bit, and be sure to touch up your lipstick before you make your appearance."

"Well, it's about time."

The women all turned to see Tanner leaning against the wall, just inside the doorway that led to the living room. He fidgeted as five pairs of feminine eyes rested on him. Then he shrugged.

"What? I can't help it if I'm hungry and tired."

Allison jutted her hip to the side and rested her hand on it. "That's it? We get all fancied up and all you can do is say that you're hungry."

Tanner grinned. "And tired."

Allison rolled her eyes. "Men."

"I'm kidding. You're beautiful, Allison."

Allison playfully batted her eyelashes. "Aw, thanks, Tanner."

"So are you, Wendy. I'm sure your boyfriend will be speechless."

Wendy gave a genuine smile. "And if he isn't, I'm hunting you down and YOU can take me to the dance."

Deb reached out and patted Tanner's arm. "I was planning on staying here a little longer, Honey."

Tanner frowned. "Aw, Mom."

"I'll feed you, Tanner," Analise said, trying to appease him.

"Thanks, Analise, but it's not that. I just had some things I wanted to do at home."

"We'll take you," Wendy said. Then she looked at Abigail, who was their driver. "Um, that's OK, right?"

Abigail smiled. "Sure, that won't be a problem."

Deb returned the smile. "Thanks, Abbie."

Allison stepped forward and hooked Tanner's arm. "And every few minutes you can remind us how beautiful we are."

Wendy hooked his other arm. "Perfect idea! You know, I heard that some celebrities actually hire people to walk around with them just to tell them how good they look. Consider this on-the-job training."

Seth shifted from one foot to the other while he waited for someone to answer his knock. He couldn't remember the last time he was so nervous in a situation like this. It was totally out of character for him. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Heidi appeared. Her face lit up when she saw him.

"Seth! What a surp--"

His mouth swallowed her words as he crushed his lips to hers. Her surprise quickly subsided and within moments, she was responding to him. Her lips softened, then parted, letting his tongue inside her mouth. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed her body against his. She whimpered in pleasure and Seth felt a surge of emotion pool up inside him. Then, just before he lost his control, Seth pulled back. Heidi opened her eyes, and her chest was heaving. Her face was flushed, her eyes danced, and her lips turned up at the corners.

"Heidi, you and me, tomorrow afternoon. Lunch and a lazy Sunday drive. Whaddaya say?"

Her smile broadened and she nodded.

"Great! I'll pick you up about 11:00."

She nodded again. He leaned in and kissed her hard again, breaking it after only a few seconds. He saw Heidi's roommate standing a few feet behind her, a half grin on her face.

"Hey, Rose," he said.

Rose shook her head. "Why don't these things ever happen to me?"

Seth winked at her, smiled again at a still-shocked Heidi, then bounded down the stairs.

As Abigail pulled into the parking lot, Allison leaned forward and patted her on the shoulder.

"Why, thank you, Jeeves," she said, in her most proper voice, "Splendid driving today."

Tanner was sitting beside Allison in the back seat. Wendy had been sitting beside Abigail on the drive home, and when they dropped her at her house, Allison had elected to remain where she was. She and Tanner had teased Abigail most of the way home about being their chauffeur.

Abigail rolled her eyes. "I'll remember this next time you want me to drive you somewhere."

"I'll just drive myself then," Allison countered.

"It's my car."

"I'll sweet talk Jack into letting me drive his."

"I'll strong-arm him into saying no. I have clout."

Allison grinned, but caught herself before making a comment that she didn't want Tanner to hear.

"So you're pulling rank?" she asked the older girl.

"It has its privileges." Abigail winked into the rearview mirror and turned off the car.

"You girls are so weird," Tanner said.

Allison smacked his arm playfully.

"We're weird, says the guy who could regale us with a two-hour discourse on the merits of the various iterations of the Star Trek franchise," Abigail responded.

Tanner was climbing out of the car, but leaned back in. "That reminds me. They're showing 'Wrath of Khan' on cable tomorrow. Either of you interested?"

"I'll pass," Abigail said, with a laugh.

"Gag," Allison replied.

She climbed out of the car, careful not to bump her hair on the ceiling. She wasn't used to it sitting piled on top of her head. A whistle caught her attention, and she turned to see Jack stepping into the parking lot.

"Hawt, DAMN!" he said, "You look amazing!"

Allison blushed as his eyes raked up and down her body. He gave her a sidearm hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"I'm in a t-shirt and an old pair of jeans," she replied.

Abigail stepped up beside them. "Just wait until you see her in her dress."

"What ... it gets better? How can that possibly be?" Jack winked at Allison, which made her heart flutter. He turned to Tanner, who was watching the whole exchange with a bit of humor. "Tanner, you're a lucky guy, getting to spend the day with such hot babes."

Tanner shrugged. "They ditched me and had a little tyrant babysit me. Totally not fair."

"Sucks, Man."

Tanner's expression changed as he looked at Allison. "Yeah, tell me about it."

Allison blushed again, but before she could say anything, Tanner turned and headed for the mailbox. When he got far enough away, Abigail leaned towards Allison.

"Methinks that boy is sweet on you," she said quietly, then she turned and headed towards the apartment.

Allison stood next to Jack, neither of them speaking, as they watched Tanner fetch his mail. Allison reveled in the feel of Jack's body against hers, even in such an innocent way. She didn't want to move, and part of her didn't want to leave him tonight. That part still felt guilty for going out with Chris, but Jack and Abigail were insistent that she experience her teenage years like any normal teenager, and that meant going to prom with some guy her age.

Jack stiffened and Allison glanced up at him. He was still looking in Tanner's direction, but his expression had hardened. She followed his eyes and saw that a car had stopped in front of the bank of mailboxes, and the driver was leaning out of his window to talk to Tanner. Allison recognized him as a guy in her school, but she didn't know who he was. At first, Allison wondered about Jack's reaction, as she didn't see anything that looked unusual. But then something about the driver's facial expressions and Tanner's slumping shoulders made her tense, as well. Tanner had his back to the guy as he dug in his mailbox, but the guy kept talking.

Jack started towards them, but the driver laughed and pulled away before he could take more than a few steps.

"See ya around, faggot!" the driver yelled, as he flipped Tanner the bird.

The rear door window was open, too, and another guy hung out. "Yeah, later, fudge packer!" he jeered. Allison recognized him as the same greasy-haired prick that was harassing Tanner at school. Joe something.

Jack had stopped, but he was still seething. He was red-faced and his hands were clinched into fists.

Allison stepped forward and gently put her hand on his arm, feeling the rippling of his muscles under the skin. "People are assholes," she said, through clenched teeth. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Tanner was done at the mailbox, but instead of coming back towards Jack and Allison, he crossed the parking lot to the sidewalk to bypass them. He walked quickly with his head down, a posture that Allison hadn't seen from him outside of school in a long time.

"Tanner!" she called to him.

He didn't even look up, but quickened his pace until he was at his apartment door. Within seconds, he had shut the door behind him.

"Does this happen often?" Jack asked, still looking after Tanner. Allison could make out the quiver of emotion in his voice.

"I don't think it has in a while, but early in the year it was pretty bad. I interrupted a couple of guys picking a fight with him back in the fall, and Tanner was pretty peeved at me for interfering. But not much has happened since. That guy in the back seat was one of them.

Jack sighed, and she could actually see his body relax. "I was involved in a little of that when I was in high school."

"People bullied you?" Given Jack's size and physical presence, she wasn't sure she could buy that.

"Other way around," he said sadly. Then he glanced at her. "I'm not proud of it, of course. After I met Abigail and got to know what a good person she was, I felt pretty unworthy to even be talking to her. So I actually looked up some old schoolmates and apologized for my behavior."

"And what was the reaction?"

He shrugged. "Some positive and some negative. I had a guy tell me that my friends and I ruined his high school years, and he laid into me about how a simple apology was too little, too late. It was a pretty humbling."

Allison slid her arm through his and hugged it. "Well, you aren't that way now, and you've made it a point to help others, so I think it's safe to say you've made restitution."

"Maybe." Jack was quiet for a minute, then gave her a sad smile. "Come on, let's get you all gussied up."

His fascination with baseball had waned. He tried to enjoy the game, but he just couldn't. There was a time he'd watch the game, regardless of who was playing. He just floated from watching football in the fall, to basketball in the winter, to baseball in spring and summer, then back to football. He was actually pleased that since Allison had stepped into their lives, he didn't have a whole lot of time for watching sports. Of course, he still loved sports, and got his fix in from time to time, but it wasn't with quite the same regularity.