"Alice, really!" Charlotte yelled. She was doing her make-up in the mirror next to me while I spiked my hair.

"What?" I asked, running my gelled hands through my hair. "It's gonna look good." Charlotte shook her head and went back to applying her eye make-up.

"It's not that I don't think it won't look good, I just think you should look more elegant than punk."

I smiled and worked my hands into the back. "You said I had to go to the dance. You didn't put restrictions on what I could or couldn't do with my hair.

Charlotte's mouth formed on O as she put on mascara. I watched her and held back a laugh at how ridiculous her face looked. Apparently, applying make-up was serious business.

"How much would you hate me if I bumped you right now?" I asked, pushing in my earrings.

"Don't even," she said in a tight voice. I smiled and looked at my hair.

"I think it looks good," I said.

"Yes," said Charlotte as she capped her mascara. "But will Zane think it looks good?"

I scoffed and left the bathroom to put on my shoes. "If he doesn't, I have no business being with him. This is me. If he doesn't like it, he can go find himself a Barbie doll. I bet Tammy will be happy to play dress-up for him."

Charlotte poked her head out of the bathroom and looked at me with one eye shadowed. "I think that's the most mature thing I've ever heard you say."

I smiled and started to lace up my Converse. "Well, don't spread it around. We don't want the whole school thinking I'm a decent person."

Charlotte's laugh echoed in the bathroom and I smiled. My mom and Charlotte's mom came through the door just then.

"Are you girls ready yet?" my mom asked. "The boys will be here soon, don't make them wait."

"Almost," Charlotte answered. "I just need to do Alice's make-up."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "You come near me with any of that crap and you'll be showing up to Homecoming with a black eye."

Charlotte laughed and held up an awkward looking fist. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise if you touch me with that make-up brush," I answered and turned back to my shoes. If Charlotte and I actually did fight, she could give me a run for my money. But she was as close to a pacifist as they come. I hadn't ever even seen her try very hard in gym at school.

"At least put lip gloss on," Charlotte complained. I took the pink tube she held out to me and started swiping it onto my lips. Then I heard the doorbell ring. My mom and Charlotte's mom stood up and smiled, then walked out of my room to answer the door.

"Alice, Charlotte, the boys are here," my mom called from across the house.

"Wonder if we knew that," I muttered as I screwed the cap back on the lip gloss. I heard Zane's voice, then a woman and a man's voice and my palms started to sweat. His parents. I looked at myself in the mirror and started judging myself from the point of view of his respectful parents. I grimaced and angry tears formed in my eyes.

"Are you ready yet?" Charlotte snapped as she entered the room, but when she saw my face, her expression softened. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"They're gonna hate me Char," I said pathetically. "Look at me!" A tear started to trickle down my cheek and Charlotte wiped it away.

"You look beautiful Alice," she said in a motherly tone. "I was totally kidding earlier. Zane cares about you and he will think you look beautiful too. Don't worry about his parents, they'll love you."

I nodded and took a deep breath, then smiled at Charlotte. She smiled back at me and took my hand and we walked out my bedroom and into the living room. Charlotte saw Brian and let go of my hand to walk over to him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. I smiled at them. Then I felt someone poke me in the sides. I whipped around and saw Zane standing there smiling at me. He was dressed in a green shirt with black tie, jacket, and pants. And his hair wasn't a mass of black curls, it was actually under control. The transformation from laid back baseball player to well dressed was incredible.

"Clean up pretty good, kiddo," I said smiling at him.

"You too," he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. "You look beautiful." I blushed a little and gave him a little shove. "Come on, come meet my parents," he said. My face fell a little but he smiled and took my hand in his. "Don't worry, they don't bite."

His parents were standing my my mom, talking to her. His dad was tall with gray hair and mustache. He had glasses and his hands were in his pockets. His mom was shorter with short curly reddish hair. She was smiling and her voice carried over the other voices in the room. Zane walked over with me and stood as his parents' attention turned from the conversation to him and I.

"Mom, dad, this is Alice," he said.

"Nice to meet you," his dad said with a nod. Up close, I could see Zane got his eye color from his dad.

I smiled. "You too."

Then Zane turned to his mom. Her earlier smile had faded and her lips formed a tight line. She looked at at my dress, my shoes, my jewelry, and my hair. Then she opened her tightly closed lips and said in a stiff voice, "Nice to meet you."

I felt Zane squeeze my hand and I tried to keep my smile. "You too," I answered cheerfully.

Oh, I knew tonight would suck!