Promenade: Part Duex
"I can't believe your doing this man…" Winston was staring at his reflection above one sink, coming his hair, getting ready to go out on the town with Schmidt with a mock smile under his voice.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Echoed Nic staring blankly at herself in the neighboring mirror. "I mean, Nicole Miller going back to high school. Voluntarily." Nic stopped fixing her hair for the millionth time and straightened her tie. "Ech… " Nic shrugged and made the face that Jess always thought resembled someone's grandfather spiting out cold eggs from a blue plate special at a small town diner, "guess it's as good as it's gonna get. Man, is it hot in here?" Nic started fixing with her tie again literally one second after declaring herself 'as good as it's gonna get".
Winston eyed Nic through her mirror, "Relax Nic, maybe going back to this high school prom won't be as bad as ours was. This is like your chance to do it over."
At that Schmidt entered the bathroom and started rifling through the hair chutney containers, "I would love a do over of my high school prom, as the new and improved Schmidt 2.0 that is." Schmidt lifted up his shirt and motioned towards his sculpted abs.
"Schmidt put it away." Nic rolled her eyes in disgust, but then got an idea. "Hey maybe you should go with Jess tonight. I mean… we all know how awesome you look in a suit… You could be such a role model to those sad chubby wall flowers, and let's not even mention your mad dancing skills." When it came to Schmidt, flattery could get you anywhere.
Schmidt tilted his head and looked upward, obviously considering this notion, when Winston cut him off, "Not fair Nic.." he turned to Schmidt and grabbed his shoulders and shook him till his gaze was locked on Winston, "Schmidt listen to me, Nic got herself in to this mess and she shouldn't con you into getting her out of it. You are coming out with me tonight because I need some meaningless sex since breaking up with Shelby so desperately that I am willing to go to a lame-ass club and take the friend you don't want. You will never have this offer from me again. I am more important here. Stay focused."
"Sorry Nic. I can't take your place at some small time high school prom when I have a friend in need of help having meaningless rebound sex." Schmidt resumed his coiffing rituals, "anyway, that's the code after all… Bros before Ho…"
"Don't even finish that sentence or I will break the douche bag jar over your head. I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be your Ho".
"Fair point" said Schmidt, "Winston let me know when you will be ready, another 30 minutes I am assuming from the sight of things here…"
"I'm ready now Schmidt I was just finishing up when you came in." Winston's offense was not subtle.
"Are you really?"
"Yes"
"But, are you really?"
"Yes Schmidt, I am ready, I just need to brush my teeth and then we can go."
"But, are you REALLY?"
"Schmidt, get out!" Both Winston and Nic yelled at the same time.
"Geez, fine… I'll be in the living room." Schmidt put back the small jar onto the spinning rack of other hair styling products and walked out of the bathroom with is hands up in a mock surrender.
"Nice try there with trying to get Schmidt to go to the dance. If you really didn't want to go, why did you tell Jess you would. Cuz, to be honest, I was kinda shocked you did in the first place." Winston put the toothpaste on the toothbrush, not really looking in Nic's direction.
"Well, this is pretty much my idea of a nightmare situation the more I think of it. Jess just looked so sad after she broke up with Sam during Halloween. And then she got this gig from an old teacher friend to help chaperone the dance and it seemed to make her so happy. I just couldn't say no. I think she just wanted to be around kids again. And hey this is better then her bringing them here with bells, right?!"
Winston spit out his toothpaste and turned to look at Nic with a resolute seriousness, "You realize that since she broke up with Sam, you have become her boyfriend stand-in right. You are back to doing all those things that a boyfriend would do. It's the Fluffer situation all over again."
"Enough with that Winston. It's not like that. I don't want to BE with Jess, she is just my friend… and again, need I remind you she is straight. So it's never gonna happen."
"Whatever you need to tell your self man." Winston started backing out of the bathroom mouthing the letters F-L-U-F-F-E-R.
Now alone in the bathroom, Nic returned her focus to the bathroom mirror, "This doesn't mean anything. It's not like it's your prom anyway."
"Nic are you all set to go?" Jess walked into the bathroom her eyes focused on taking inventory of her small clutch purse. Once she had fully walked into the space she finally lifted her eyes to Nic's reflection in the mirror. Her voice caught in her throat. Nic was so handsome, and beautiful at the same time. Her hair was in a spiky faux-hawk shape, which Jess found very flattering to Nic's face and hard jaw line. This was a far cry from being plastered on Nic's head under a ball cap, like it normally was. She was wearing the suit she had worn to the wedding almost a year and a half ago when Jess brought those awful fake teeth and pretended to be her "date". It seemed like it fit her better now than before, like she filled it out more, maybe it's because Jess knew more about Nic now then she had then. She now knew those parts of Nic's body she liked to show off, and those she downplayed to be more androgynous. Either way, looking at Nic now made Jess's heart flutter a little. It's probably just because we are going to a dance and it is bringing up sense memories from my own prom, Jess found a clever, and almost believable this time, way of explaining away her feelings for Nic.
"Yeah I'm all set." Nic breathed deep. She was used to seeing Jess dressed up, in fact she had seen her in this exact dress on several occasions, but knowing that she was going to be with her all night, rather than seeing her only briefly as she left the apartment for a date with Russell or Sam, made her beauty and her glow more undeniable. Her dress was a deep blue and cinched tight around her waist, then billowed out into a full skirt the fell just to her knees. Though the neckline was high, and there was no décolletage to draw one's eye, her bra must have been one of those miracle ones Nic had heard of because her chest seemed larger and perkier than usual so Nic still found her eyes drawn to that familiar area of a woman's body. I need to get laid, that's way I am thinking about her like this, I just need to get myself back out there, staying in and playing video games or working at the bar is all I do, no wonder Jess is making me feel this way, Nic had also gotten good at dancing herself around the attraction.
"Let's go then." They both went to say bye to Schmidt and Winston and head off for a very interesting night.
As they headed out the door and towards the elevator, their familiar bickering could be heard by Schmidt and Winston as they closed the door.
"You know this is just a fall formal, not a prom right?"
"Jess what the hell? Why did you tell me it was a prom? Now I feel over dressed!"
"No you look fine. And I told you it was a fall formal. You must have just assumed it was a prom because you don't know what a fall formal is…"
"Don't assume what I am thinking, or how I thought to end up where I got. You can be so infuriating…"
As the door shut behind them signaling the beginning of their evening Winston noted, "Those poor unsuspecting children, they just don't know what they are getting into"
The End