Ten
"So, are you going to wear the dress you bought on Saturday?" Claire asked Kate while they walked towards the cafeteria.
Both Kate and Claire were in a dreamy state, both getting dates for the dance, and their dates being their "eye candy". But that didn't stop them from gossiping and chatting about the next night.
The past Sunday, the day after Jack came over and helped Kate with redoing her room, Claire, Shannon, and Kate went dress shopping, while the guys, Charlie, Sayid, Jack, and a couple of their friends went suit shopping. Claire and Shannon showed Kate the nicest dress shops in town, and they stopped in every single one. Kate didn't like dresses. In fact, she hated them. The only dress she would ever wear would be her wedding dress, if she even got married. To Kate, dress shopping was finding a dress that she could fit in, was comfortable, and covered enough of her body to be presentable in. To Shannon and Claire, it was way more than that.
They walked from shop to shop, looking for dresses, and while Kate had found a few dresses she liked, Shannon and Claire would not let her buy them. According to them, the dress had to be the right color to match your eyes, hair, and skin tone, and it had to be the right material. It had to be a certain length and the neckline had to be long enough to be what they called 'flattering'. They made their final stop at Claire and Shannon's favorite shop, Stella's. They walked in to be greeted by a lovely sale's associate and hundreds of drop dead gorgeous dresses.
Kate was about to pass out. Dress shopping was turning out to be more tiring than playing sports. Shannon, Claire, and the sale's lady, who's name was Barbara, made Kate try on over ten dresses. Kate walked out of the changing room in a royal blue dress to show the three girls.
"I think I actually like this one, what do you guys think?" Kate asked.
The girls were silent. Kate didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
The three girls looked at each other, and then back at Kate.
"No. No. No!!! No no no no….." Barbara said and walked over to a rack of dresses.
Kate looked at Barbara confused. She actually liked the dress and she thought they would like it too. 'I guess I have absolutely no taste in dresses.' Kate thought.
Barbara had disappeared into the backroom for five minutes before she came back out. She held a large, white box in her arms, and made her way back over to Kate. She had a smile on her face, which Kate took as a good thing.
Barbara looked down at the box and then up a Kate with a large smile on her face.
"This dress we have had for a long time. It is always the last resort because nobody ever either fits into it, or they just don't look good in it." Barbara continued. Claire and Shannon were excited to see the dress, but disappointed they couldn't try it on because they had already picked out their dresses.
Barbara spoke again. "It is a rare color. Probably my favorite color. But the style is different, and it has to be my favorite dress on the earth."
Kate smiled. She was touched that Barbara brought it out for her to try on.
"The minute you walked into the store, and I saw you, I had a feeling I was going to need to pull this dress out." Barbara smiled, and then handed Kate the box, still closed.
"Now, I want you to go try it on, and I don't want you to look in the mirror when you put it on. I want you to walk out of the dressing room and let us judge it first. I've made the mistake in the past of letting the women try it on, and the minute they look in the mirror, they either don't take it off because they don't want to, or they can't cause it's too tight."
All of the girls giggled, and Barbara grabbed Kate's shoulders and pushed her into the changing room.
"Remember Kate, no peeking!" Barbara called after her when she closed the door to the dressing room.
Claire, Shannon, and Barbara sat there for about a minute before Kate walked out. She had her eyes closed to ensure she wouldn't look in the mirror. All three girls gasped.
"Oh."
"My."
"God."
The three women stood up and circled around Kate, who's eyes were still closed shut. Kate was getting nervous. She didn't know if the silence she was hearing now was the same silence she heard with the last dress.
"Uh, can I open my eyes now?" Kate asked.
All she heard was silence, so she opened them, only to be greeted by the three girls standing in front of her, awestruck.
"Kate." Shannon gasped.
"Oh my God." Barbara was about to faint.
"Katherine Austen." Claire whispered.
"What, is there something wrong with it?" Kate asked nervously. That when the three girls broke out into laughter.
"Kate!" Shannon yelled. "There is no way that this dress could ever look bad on you."
"Never in my 21 years of working here have I ever sold this dress. Neither have I ever seen it look so flawless on a human being." Barbara whispered.
Kate blushed. She didn't even know what she looked like in it, since she didn't look in the mirror yet.
Claire noticed Kate's expression and laughed. "Kate, not even Miss America can top what you look like right now."
Kate laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."
Barbara looked at Kate. "Then why don't you turn around and look at yourself in the mirror right now?"
Barbara took Kate by the shoulders and turned her around towards a mirror and pushed her closer. Kate didn't know why, but she had closed her eyes again.
"Now, open your eyes." Barbara said and let go of Kate.
Have you ever been in a situation, where you were speechless? Where you didn't know what to say. No words. Just, silence. You couldn't think, you couldn't speak. All you could do, was breathe. And stare. You brain shuts down. And you go into a trance. You have tunnel vision. All you can see, is what is ahead of you. Nothing else. All you can hear, is your heart. Beating. A mile a minute. And all you can feel, are small chills. They creep up your arms, up your spine, and around your neck. They take you hostage. And you go numb. But it beats every other feeling. It's an unbearable sensation. But it's so addicting. But it doesn't happen all of the time. And it is only in times like these, that we are left completely, truly, unforgettably, breathless.
Kate's mouth was slightly open. She didn't have any words. Nothing could describe what she was feeling. She starred into the mirror, at the dress that fit her body so perfectly. The color, so perfect. The material, the length, all perfect. Kate didn't know much about dresses, but she knew that this dress was one in a million. She knew that never in her life would she ever find one like it again. So she just starred into the mirror. Speechless.
"Kate. You look like a fricken goddess." Shannon said loudly.
They all laughed, except for Kate, who was still awestruck by the dress. She just stood in front of the mirror, Claire, Shannon, and Barbara surrounding her. That's when she spoke.
"It….It…..It's….perfect." She whispered.
Barbara smiled. "I knew it. I knew it!!"
The dress was made of silk, and went just past Kate's knees, stopping in the middle of her shins. It was a tank top dress, but the straps weren't too think to look tacky, and they weren't to thin to look skimpy. The neckline went down to the middle of her chest, where there was a small knot. The color was the best part. It was green. But not an ordinary green. It was a mix of a mint green and an emerald green. It wasn't olive, but it wasn't an apple green either. Barbara was right. It was rare. It was perfect.
Claire and Shannon chimed in at the same time. "You're so buying it!!!"
That's when Kate's smiled turned into a frown.
"Kate, what's wrong sweetie?" Barbara asked, concerned.
Kate looked down and then up at Barbara. "This dress, it's so perfect. It's so amazing, I want to cry just looking at it. And I never want to cry. But, it must cost a fortune. And I don't have the money right now. Not yet."
Barbara put a hand on Kate's arm and smiled. "Well, you may be surprised, but this dress is only selling for $50."
"What?!" Kate, Claire, and Shannon all said at once.
"Well, since nobody has ever bought it, it wouldn't be fair for the one person that actually looks good in it to have to pay a load of money to buy it. Jeez, they should be rewarded for even fitting into this thing." Barbara stated matter-of-factly.
Kate smiled broad in excitement. "Okay. Okay. I'll buy it."
All of the girls jumped up and squealed. They were more excited about the dress then Kate was. Well, at least they were showing it more.
"All right, let's ring all of these dresses up!" Barbara said enthusiastically, and all of the girls walked over to the counter except for Kate. She stood in front of the mirror, admiring the dress. It was gorgeous. Flawless. And she could wait to wear it. It didn't matter if she didn't have a date. She would go to the dance, wear the dress, and feel confident and proud in it.
And nobody was going to change that.
---------------------------
"So, are you going to wear the dress you bought on Saturday?"
"Of course I am. I wouldn't trade that dress for anything in the world." Kate said proudly.
They both smiled and walked through the cafeteria doors. They spotted Charlie and Jack sitting at their lunch table. They both looked at each other and squealed. They started giggling and made their way towards the table.
"Hey guys!" Charlie waved at them, and stood up to hug Claire.
"Hey Charlie." Claire said sweetly, and hugged him back strongly.
They pulled apart and smiled at each other. Charlie then stepped aside so Claire could take her seat. They both sat down and started talking about their days.
Jack stood up and looked at Kate. Kate smiled back at him. Then, he wrapped her in a big hug. She smiled over his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. He was so genuine. They pulled apart and smiled warmly at each other.
"Hey." Jack said warmly.
"Hey yourself." Kate said giggling. "How's your day going?"
They both sat down and started eating their lunch. But what they didn't know is that from the other side of the cafeteria, Sarah and the other cheerleaders were watching them.
"Wait." Sarah laughed. "Don't tell me that Jack Shepherd is going to the dance with….HER. Ugh, that little rat? Why would anyone even give her the time of day?"
They all laughed and giggled. Sarah then held up her hand and they all stopped.
"Well, only one thing is for sure." Sarah said. "I don't like her. And I will make sure as long as she is friends with Jack Shepherd, her days at BLHS are going to be miserable."
All of the cheerleaders started giggling again and gossiping about Kate.
"Jeez, I heard she's from Iowa." "A farm girl?" "I bet her best friend was a cow." "She has no friends. She's a total nerd." "Miss Harvard? What a loser!" "Total geek."
Sarah looked on at Jack and Kate as they talked and ate. Then, he put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Kate rested her head on his shoulder. Sarah thought she was going to explode. She felt a boil in her stomach.
"There's no way that Jack Shepherd and 'Kate' are going to the dance together." Sarah said out loud. "Not if I can help it."
Jack turned to Kate. "Hey, where's Sayid? Doesn't he usually walk with you here after Math?"
"Yeah, but today he said he had to go talk to someone." Kate answered Jack.
They both then looked across the table, and noticed that Shannon was gone too. Jack and Kate smiled and looked at each other.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kate asked Jack.
Jack nodded his head yes. "I think someone is getting a date for the dance."
They both laughed and continued to eat their lunch.
-----------------------
Sayid walked down the hallway towards Shannon's locker. His heart was pounding and he was sweating. His breathing was shallow and he was getting dizzy.
'This is it. The dance is tomorrow night. I'll be lucky if she doesn't even have a date yet.' Sayid thought to himself.
As he approached her locker, he saw her standing there, placing her books in and taking more out. She looked I her mirror to fix her hair, grabbed her lunch, and closed her locker, to be greeted by Sayid standing in front of her.
"Oh! Hey Sayid!" Shannon said, a little taken aback that he was standing right in front of her.
Sayid gulped. 'Do it! Just ask her!'
"Hello Shannon." Sayid started and took a deep breath. "May I ask you a question?"
Shannon shook her head 'yes'. "Sure, what is it?"
"Uhh, would you…..umm, would you…" Sayid stuttered.
"Sayid, are you alright?" Shannon asked worried.
"Yes, um, I'm alright." Sayid answered and then calmed down. "I was wondering if you…."
"Sayid?" Shannon cut him off. "Are you asking me to the dance?"
Sayid let out a long breath. "Yes." He said exasperated.
Shannon squealed. "Ahhhhhhhh! Yay!!!! I was hoping you would ask…I mean, like, you….and I wanted….and….AHHHHHH!" Shannon jumped on Sayid and gave him a huge hug. Sayid smiled over her shoulder.
'I was hoping you would ask…' He liked the sound of that.
"I was hoping you would say yes." Sayid whispered to himself.
Shannon pulled away and smiled broadly at Sayid.
"I can't wait!" Shannon squealed.
Sayid laughed. "Me either."
"I think we should get to lunch. They are going to be worrying where we went." Shannon giggled.
"Okay, may I take your hand as we make our way to the lunch room?" Sayid asked like a prince.
"Yes you may." Shannon said like a princess as she placed her hand delicately into Sayid's palm.
They smiled at each other and made their way to the cafeteria.
--------------------------
"He asked you!?!?" Claire and Kate screamed at the same time.
"Yup!" Shannon said proudly.
"Oh my gosh Shannon! I'm so happy for you!" Kate said and pulled her into a hug.
Shannon laughed. "Thanks Kate."
"Come here!" Claire yelled, and then wrapped Shannon in a hug.
They pulled apart and they all laughed.
"Wow, we all have dates this year!" Shannon said.
"And they are all guys we like!" Claire said proudly.
Shannon looked at Kate and then gasped.
"You like Jack?!"
Kate blushed and looked down, smiling at herself.
Shannon laughed. "I knew it!!! I knew it! Wow! Congrats Kate!"
"Thanks." Kate said shyly.
It was after school, and Claire, Kate, and Shannon were all in the art room. Kate and Claire were working on an extra credit project for art, while Shannon was just watching them and gossiping about other people.
"So, you guys excited for tomorrow?" Shannon asked.
"More than ever!" Claire squealed.
"Ditto." Kate answered, and they all laughed.
"So, who's house are we meeting at?" Kate asked.
Claire stood up and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. "Jack said we could all meet at his house. Well, that's what he told me this morning."
"Sweet." Shannon said. "So, do you know what time?"
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Claire answered, picking the paint out from under her nails.
"I, for one, am really, really excited!" Shannon said.
Kate got up to get more paint. "Me too. I get to wear my new dress. And I hate dresses." She laughed at herself. She was happy that she could wear a dress and actually feel good in it.
Shannon smiled. "Well, I am very happy for you! Jeez, I wish I could fit into that thing."
All three girls giggled. Kate loved this. She loved being able to hang out with people that she had common interests with, and have them be amazing friends. Her best friends. She loved the fact that her other best friend was taking her to the Homecoming Dance. Just a week ago, Kate thought she was going dateless, if she was even going. She was truly thankful.
"All right, I think I'm done for now." Claire concluded as she placed her project on the drying rack.
"Sweet. Kate, are you ready to go?" Shannon asked, standing up and grabbing her pocketbook and books.
"Not yet. But you guys go ahead, I might be here for another hour or so." Kate smiled at her friends.
"Alright. Are you sure? We can wait up." Claire said.
"No. I'll be fine. Thanks guys." Kate answered back.
"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow." Shannon said and walked out the door.
"Bye sweetie!" Claire called as she followed Shannon out the door.
"By guys!" Kate called back, and turned her attention back to her project.
She was working on her extra credit assignment. Her teacher, Miss Swan, offered an extra credit project to all of her students. You had to either draw or paint a picture of your favorite place to hang out. Claire was painting a picture of the mall. 'Typical Claire.' Kate thought to herself and smiled. Kate, on the other hand, was painting a picture of 'The Field.'
She knew she had only been there once since she moved 2 weeks ago, but she immediately fell in love with it. It reminded her so much of Iowa. Of home. Just the mountains, the river, the large open field. All of it. It was home.
Kate was also a talented artist, which helped her a lot with the project. Kate's favorite hobby besides playing sports was drawing. It was her way of relaxing. Of letting go. And her painting was stunning so far. She still had a lot to finish, but it was amazing. Every detail Kate remembered from the field was in the painting. She was as if she had a photographic memory.
It was awkwardly quiet in the room, so Kate went over to the stereo on top of the paint counter and turned on the radio. They were playing 'Home' by Chris Daughtry. It was one of Kate's favorite songs. She smiled to herself, and walked back to her table and continued painting.
I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.
Kate smiled at the lyrics. 'How ironic.' Kate thought. 'I'm sitting here, drawing a picture of something that reminds me of home, and the song is about remembering your home.' A soft smile appeared on her face as she continued on her project.
I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.
She started to sing along with the lyrics. She didn't like singing in front of people. Not even humming. But nobody was there, so she started softly singing along with the lyrics.
The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love, remains true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.
Now she was singing louder. She wasn't even working on her project anymore. She just sat on the stool, singing freely, slightly rocking back and forth.
So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.
Oh, well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old.
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.
Kate smiled to herself. She loved that song. It was a perfect description of her life. She knew that one day, she would return home. To visit her relatives, her old friends. Her mom.
All of the sudden, she heard clapping. Slow, steady clapping. She turned her head to see Jack. He was leaning against the doorframe, with a soft, warm smile plastered on his face. He was staring into her eyes with an adoring look. And he was clapping. He had heard her. And he had seen her. Singing.
"Well. This is embarrassing." Kate said to Jack, and blushed a deep shade of red, looking down.
He looked down laughing, blushing a little bit himself, and walked into the art room. Kate raised her head up to look at him, a small grin still on her face.
"So….you're a straight A student, a math genius, a fantastic artist, and now, you're an amazing singer? What's next? Swallowing fire?" Jack teased Kate, making her laugh.
Kate blushed even darker and looked down at the floor while speaking. "So, what are you doing Jack, lingering the halls at 5:15 on a Thursday evening?"
Jack laughed looking down at the floor and then back up at Kate. "Football just ended and I had to run to the band room to get some papers for my coach."
"Your coach is the band teacher?" Kate asked, surprised.
"No, but he said he was down there earlier and accidentally left some papers on the band director's desk." Jack said.
Kate looked at Jack, and then at his hands. He didn't have any papers in his hands, or in his pockets. She eyed his suspiciously.
Jack noticed this and answered her immediately. "I was on my way there now, that's why I don't have them yet."
Kate smiled and giggled. "Oh, well I'm sorry if my horrid singing distracted you from performing your duties."
"Your singing isn't horrid, Kate." Jack said honestly. "It's beautiful."
Kate blushed and looked down. 'He knows how to make a girl feel good about herself, that's for sure.' She thought to herself.
"Sooo…whatcha workin' on?" Jack asked, peeking over at Kate's art project.
Kate sighed, speaking nonchalantly. "Oh, it's nothin, just an art project for extra credit."
"Mind if I see it?" Jack asked politely.
"Of course." Kate smiled, and Jack walked closer to the table to look at the picture.
Jack looked at the painting and his jaw hit the ground. It was stunning.
"Kate….Oh my…..Wow." Jack said speechless.
Kate looked at her painting with a wrinkled face. "You think?"
"I know!" Jack stated confidently, and then looked Kate in the eyes. "This is amazing, Kate."
"Well, thank you." Kate smiled to herself and then looked up at Jack.
He was standing right above her, as she sat on the tall stool. Her head reached up to around his nose, as he stood directly next to her. He looked into her eyes. Deeply. She looked back, with a mutual look. They were so close. Kate could feel his warm breath upon her face. It gave her those chills, again.
"So, do you want me to go help you with those papers?" Kate whispered.
Jack looked back at her. "No, I think I can get it. You continue with your project."
Kate smiled at him warmly and he smiled back.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow." Kate said, still speaking softly.
Jack smiled. Tomorrow was the dance.
"Yeah. I can't wait." Jack smiled at Kate.
"Yeah, me either." Kate answered back softly.
They just smiled at each other, starring at each other for a couple of seconds, before Jack started walking towards the door.
"Bye Kate."
Kate smiled and waved to Jack.
"Bye Jack."
He took one last glance at her and exited the room. When he was out, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The truth? There were no papers. He saw Claire and Shannon walking out of the school and asked them where Kate was. He went directly to the art room and watched her sing along with the radio. She was absolutely…..beautiful. Everything about her was perfect.
Tomorrow was going to be a day to remember. Because Kate was his date for the dance.
And nobody was going to change that.