A/N: One of the things I always wanted to see in the show was Rusty getting ready to go to prom. Where I am from, we didn't have proms when I was high school (now we do, but I graduated a long time ago), and luckily, my family moved to Canada when I was sixteen so I had the opportunity to attend prom in my second year of high school (after not being able to attend in my first year of high school... it's a long story, but anyone who wants to hear it - feel free to message me and ask). So I always thought it was a shame not seeing Rusty even considering to attend his prom night on the show, and that's how this chapter was born. I hope you enjoy reading it!
Also, I want to thank the marvelous blossom-of-snow for beta reading and editing this story. She's the best!
Sharon shut down her laptop and drained her last drops of tea before getting up from her desk. She was too tired to deal with this case any longer, and it has been a long day. She was more than ready to change into her nightgown and slip into bed.
As she walked to the kitchen to wash her cup, she heard Rainie's sock-padded steps behind her. When she turned around to face the girl, she was shocked to see that Rainie looked pale and shaky.
"Honey, is everything okay?" she asked.
"Umm… I don't know," Rainie said, her voice unsure. "I just got a call, from Janice Mathews."
"That girl who goes to school with you?" Sharon asked. As far as she knew, Rainie didn't have any friends at school. After Kris told Rios about the threatening letters, Rainie refused to talk to her. Although Sharon thought Kris did the right thing, the betrayal Rainie felt was too strong, and she ignored Sharon's attempts to reconcile their friendship and stayed away from Kris. Rainie's prolonged absence from school during the first part of that year didn't help her become any more popular either. Somehow rumors about her being a former teenage prostitute started spreading in Saint Joseph's, and most of the kids shunned her. Sharon considered transferring Rainie to another school, but it appeared that despite the social isolation, Rainie's was doing well academically. Since she didn't express any desire to transfer, Sharon decided to let her be, not before she made sure Rainie knew she could come to her with any situation.
"Yeah, she was saying weird stuff," Rainie said.
"Like what?"
"She told me that she wasn't sure how to tell me that she's had a crush on me for a year and that she wants me to be her date to prom," Rainie replied. "When I said that I didn't want to go to prom, she literally begged. She said that she was ashamed to admit that she was into girls, but she feels that with me by her side she'll be fine."
"That sounds really sweet, Rainie. I didn't know you were out at school," Sharon said. She thought Rainie preferred to remain in the closet at Saint Joseph's because she was scared other kids would pick on her.
"I'm not," Rainie said. "Maybe Kris said something about that kiss. What an idiot."
"Or maybe Janice really does like you and decided to try her luck with you?" Sharon offered. "What did you tell her?"
"I said that I'll think about it. But I don't think I wanna go to prom anyway," Rainie admitted.
"Sweetheart, prom is so much fun, believe me. If you like Janice, maybe you should accept her invitation. You don't have to kiss or do anything you don't want to, but maybe just spending time with someone who likes you would be a fun way to end your school year."
"My school year is far from over," Rainie sighed.
Sharon nodded in agreement. Rainie was not going to graduate with the rest of her class. She was going to attend summer school again, to catch up on everything she missed during the school year. Unlike her other classmates, Rainie would have to wait another year before attending college. Sharon knew that she had hoped to be accepted to USC's Art School, even though they both knew that the acceptance rates were not in her favor. Community college was definitely a possibility as far as Sharon was concerned, but she would prefer to see Rainie rewarded for her hard work by getting accepted into one of her first choice schools.
"You can still go to prom and celebrate with your classmates. Isn't Janice really popular? Maybe you'll get to meet people from school you didn't know before, and become friends with them," Sharon encouraged her. She wanted Rainie to have as many normal high school experiences as possible.
"I don't see why it matter. It's the end of the year, and they're all going away for college," Rainie said.
"Some of them will be staying in town, and friends don't have to go to the same school with you to keep in touch," Sharon tried to coax her. She knew Rainie was right and that the end of the year was probably not the best time to make friends, but would it be so bad if one or two of them became good friends with her even after graduation?
"Like I said, I'll think about it," Rainie replied.
"When is your prom?" Sharon wondered.
"Two weeks from now," Rainie answered.
"Well, if I were you, I would make my decision fast, because we would need to buy you a dress and book you into a salon if you decided to go," Sharon informed Rainie.
"I know," the girl replied.
Sharon was not surprised when a couple of days later, Rainie asked her if they could go to buy a prom dress together. She was sure that at such a short notice, Rainie would have a hard time finding a dress, but to her surprise, Rainie knew what she wanted and found it very quickly. Sharon couldn't deny that Rainie's taste was excellent. The dress fit her perfectly, the color of the dress – powder pink – complemented her complexion and hair color, and Rainie also said that it was very comfortable to wear. The price wasn't too bad either, although Sharon was willing to spend any reasonable amount for Rainie's dress. She would do anything to give Rainie the prom experience she wanted.
The excitement only grew as prom day approached, and Sharon could tell that getting to know Janice better at school truly made Rainie happier. She was glad that Rainie had agreed to open herself up to the option of taking Janice to the prom. She wasn't sure if anything romantic would ever come out of the two girls' friendship, but not being lonely certainly made Rainie seem like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
On prom night, Sharon zipped Rainie's dress and watched as the girl examined herself in the mirror. She looked radiant and carefree. Sharon has never seen her this way, and it made her heart flutter happily in her chest.
"You look beautiful," she said to Rainie.
"You think so?" The girl turned around to look at her.
Sharon nodded and smiled at her beautiful daughter.
"Do you think anybody at St. Joseph's will say anything about me taking a girl to prom?" Rainie wondered.
"I think that if the two of you respect school rules, they'll be okay with it," Sharon replied. St. Joseph's had a strict 'no PDA' policy that applied to all students, boys and girls alike.
"Do you think Janice will like the corsage I got her?" she wondered.
"I think she would. White flowers are always the safest bet," Sharon assured her. "Oh, before I forget, I wanted to give you something." She left Rainie's bedroom and came back moments later with a small jewelry box. "This is mine, but I think it would fit your dress perfectly." She handed Rainie the box.
Rainie opened the box, and her jaw dropped when she saw the jewel inside. It was a gold necklace with several pearls in different sizes.
"My mother gave it to me when I got married, and I never really wore it. It always felt like I couldn't do any justice to it. But I think you can, so I want you to have it." She lifted the necklace from the box and put it around Rainie's neck. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful, Sharon. I almost feel uncomfortable wearing them," Rainie replied, and her fingers fluttered over the pearls.
"Nonsense. It looks better on you than it ever did on me," Sharon insisted. "If you like the necklace, you can have it."
Rainie thanked Sharon and wrapped her arms around her neck. Her eyes shone as Sharon adjusted the size of the chain around the girl's neck. With a soft smile tugging at her lips, Rainie grabbed her phone and threw a glance at the screen to check the time. Sharon also checked her watch. It was 7:25 p.m. and Janice was supposed to come pick Rainie up in just a few minutes.
Ten minutes later, there was still no sign of Janice. Sharon watched Rainie as she began pacing around the room. When five minutes later she tried to call Janice, she reached her voicemail.
"Why is she not picking up?" she groaned.
"Maybe she's driving," Sharon suggested.
Rainie began typing a text message, and sent it, then resumed her pacing. When another ten minutes passed, Sharon could see Rainie's shoulders began to slump. She tried reaching Janice again, but there was no answer.
"I don't understand," Rainie said, her voice laced with anger. "She was so excited about tonight, and now she's almost half an hour late, and isn't not answering calls or texts."
"Sweetheart, there must be a reasonable explanation for this. Just be patient. She could be driving and stuck in traffic," Sharon attempted to calm Rainie down.
Half an hour later, Janice has still not arrived and was still unreachable on her phone. Sharon decided to give the girl's mother a call and check if everything was okay. Mrs. Mathews answered the phone and was surprised to hear that Janice never made it to the condo. She wasn't sure when her daughter left or who she was with, but she did say that she was quite sure that Janice and her friends went to prom in a limo.
Rainie was now more than a little upset. Sharon could tell that she needed an explanation for the situation, but unfortunately, Sharon didn't have anything for her. She watched her beautiful, smart and talented foster daughter slowly sinking into the mattress of her bed, as the minutes passed, one by one.
It was another half an hour before Rainie's phone dinged and she picked it up. The tears that filled her eyes when she saw Janice's message instantly made Sharon go into protective mode. She didn't even know yet what the message said, but she could tell its content upset Rainie.
"Did you actually think I'd date someone like you? Dream on, loser!" Rainie read the message aloud. Sharon's blood whooshed through her veins, and she felt her cheeks flush. How could anyone play such a cruel prank on another kid? On her daughter?
Rainie curled into a ball on her bed and began sobbing, and Sharon couldn't even find the right words to console her. How could anyone convince a girl who's been stood up most cruelly that things will be okay? The fact that Rainie never meant to go to prom, to begin with, didn't even matter now. Janice has managed to get her excited, and she has spent hours in the salon to get her hair, makeup and nails done. It was unfair for her to be treated this way. Sharon intended to have a conversation with Janice's mother about her behavior, but she knew it wouldn't change what Rainie felt at that moment.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she said as she caressed Rainie's shoulder.
"I hate school; I hate Janice. I hope she dies!" the girl chocked out.
Sharon could understand the rage. She felt it too. Playing with another's person emotions like this was childish and insensitive.
That night, Rainie cried herself to sleep, and all Sharon could do for her was sit with her and offer silent support and a few words of encouragement, none of which seemed to have any effect. She felt exhausted as well. Watching her daughter plummeting from such exhilaration into the dark pit of dejection has made her tired, and at the same time, she didn't want to leave Rainie alone, in case she woke up and resumed her crying. She laid down next to her, careful not to wake the sleeping girl and closed her eyes. She knew that the events of tonight would lighten her sleep, but she couldn't stay awake anymore. With a heavy heart and a tear stuck in the corner of her eye, she fell asleep.
-TBC-
As always, I'd love to know what you think about this chapter, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.
