A/N: Happy birthday, Tess and Kate (who are 21 today! What!?) Here is another snapshot of their birthdays over the years. This one is a follow-up to chapter 14, but don't worry: our baby Tess bear will be featured more soon. Enjoy!
"Call her," Ana says to the mound under the blankets next to her.
"No," Kate pouts.
"Call her," Gregory insists, poking said mound, watching it wriggle deeper into the covers.
The two friends lock eyes before rolling them at their friend. "Call her!" they shout.
"Noo!" Kate whines. If Ana and Gregory could see her face, they would laugh at how red it was. She was so anxious over making that phone call. Over calling the girl she'd had a crush on for almost two years. And to make matters even worse, said girl was Ana's cousin. "If she says no, then it will be so awkward to see her there!" Kate explains.
"Only if you make it awkward," Gregory says.
"It's me, we're talking about. I'm the queen of making things awkward," Kate says, finally appearing outside of her covers.
"Okay, fair," Gregory nods, resulting in a stuffed animal being thrown at his face. "Let's just see what happens, okay? And if things get awkward, I'll be there and I'll fix it, okay?"
"Call her, or I will," Ana interjects with an ultimatum, fed up with her best friend and her damn anxiety.
"Okay, okay," Kate says, grabbing her phone. She types in the girl's number and is poised to hit the call button when she drops her phone and throws the blanket back over her face. "I can't do it!"
"Oh my god!" Ana cries, grabbing her own phone and pulling up her cousin's contact info. A second later, the phone is ringing and a few moments later, Ana is talking to her cousin.
"Elena? Hey! Yeah, everything is great! School is school," their pleasantries continue for a few more minutes before Ana redirects the conversation. "Hey, listen. You remember telling me you wanted to find a date for my Quince? Well, I think I found you one!"
Kate doesn't hear Elena's reply, but she does come out from under the cover again, despite her red face. She pushes her hair out of her face, throwing it all to one side, listening to Ana hype up this 'mystery' girl to her cousin.
"Her name?" Ana repeats, with a slight stutter. "Kate. Kate Ross. You remember her? Yes, that Kate." Whatever Elena had said, made Ana laugh and Kate turn even redder. "Listen, she's super funny and fun and you're gonna love her. Trust me." Ana pauses to hear her cousin's reply. "You will? Yes! Thank you! I promise: you're gonna have a great time." The call ends and Ana turns to Kate with the smuggest smile on her face. "See: was that so hard?"
"What did she say when you told her my name?" Kate asks.
"She didn't remember you at first but then she remembered that time you went camping with us and how you dropped your marshmallow in the fire. She said she remembers you as being awkward and cute, which is true, and that she'd love to go with you."
"Seriously?" Kate asks, sitting up, surprised. "It was that fast?"
"That fast," Ana confirms. "You seriously need to get over this whole 'Chaotic!Gay, can't talk to girls' nonsense because you're not always gonna have me around to hype you up and make those calls."
"It's a work in progress," Kate says, knowing how right her friend was.
"I know," Ana smiles softly, patting her friend's head twice.
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Two weeks later, a week after Kate and Tess' own fifteenth birthday, Ana Junia Michela Perez celebrated her Quinceanera.
The event began the night before with a rehearsal of their dances as well as to go over the schedule for the next day to make sure they were all on the same page, and concluding in a sleepover at the hotel the party would be held between Ana, Kate, and the other five girls on Ana's Quince Court. They stayed up way too late talking and giggling and when they were awoken the next morning, they were none too pleased.
Ana's dress was a halter neck, pale green covered in rhinestones and glitter with layers and layers of ruffles and tulle, monstrosity that nearly made it impossible for the teen to get through doorways. But despite that small hitch, Ana completely loved it and felt like the most beautiful princess.
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"Kate?" At the sound of her name, Kate looks up and is struck frozen at the beautiful girl in front of her. Elena still looked the same as Kate remembers from that camping trip a few years ago. Her round face, holding the last of her baby fat still clinging on for dear life, and the quick, easy smile that made her eyes crinkle at the corners. She'd grown her hair out, too; Kate remembers it being a lot shorter the last time she saw her.
Seconds tick on, and still Kate doesn't reply. All she can do is smile stupidly at Elena. "Oh! Hi!" Kate finally says, a bit too loudly.
"Hey!" Elena laughs, bright and loud, sliding into the pew next to Kate, smoothing out her dress as she sits. "I'm Elena," She holds out a hand.
"Oh, I remember," Kate spits out quickly, instantly turning red and hot and regretting her words. Why was she so awkward?
"I'm glad I can still make a mark on someone," Elena says with a confident head tilt.
"Yeah," Kate sighs, unsure of where to take their conversation.
"Love the look," Elena says with a wave as she takes in Kate's outfit.
The color matched the other Court girls' dresses (light blue), but seeing as Kate was not a dress person, she'd been allowed to turn it into a jumpsuit with a low cut back to show off Kate's toned muscles (thank you years of volleyball training and conditioning). Somehow her wild curls were tamed and twisted back, and the winged eyeliner and copper eyeshadow the makeup artist used, made Kate look ethereal.
"Really? You do? Because this is way out of my comfort zone. But, I mean, it's not my day. It's Ana's and she loves it. So I guess I'm okay with it. I did take pictures, though, so I guess if I post them we'll see what people think," Kate says, letting a stream of word vomit out on her best friend's cousin.
"No, seriously: it's a great outfit! You should post them; you look great!" Elena encourages, smiling at Kate. "In fact: I want one now." She holds up her phone and positions the camera so both of them are in the shot. "Smile!" The shutter clicks, preserving the moment forever, just as piano music starts and the priest appears on the altar.
The church service makes everyone cry at its sheer beauty and tradition. The priest gives a speech to Ana about growing up and remembering to keep her friends and family in her heart and in her life, because they would help to guide her through adolescence and into adulthood. Ana's court says a few words, and there are other traditions involved, including a very long blessing the priest gives over Ana and her parents that Kate doesn't quite understand (despite her best friend explaining it to her at least seven times), but soon the service ends and they all head back to the hotel.
"You looked kinda bored in there," Elena whispers to Kate as they hang out in the hotel lobby, waiting to be told what to do next. "I don't blame you. These things can go one forever, and they're pretty boring," she says while rolling her eyes.
"I kinda was, yeah," Kate confesses, making Elena nod in agreement. "But I know how important this is to Ana's parents, so," Kate shrugs.
"Yeah, Ana's parents. And our grandparents. They are very traditional," Elena says, dragging out the words as she takes in the scene before them.
"Traditional? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Elena laughs at that; bright and loud, making everyone turn and look at them. "Stop! You're gonna get us in trouble!"
"I'm sorry! But that was funny!" Elena says, still laughing. "You're cute."
Kate flushes hot at that. Cute. Elena called her cute. And not even in a babyish way. Wow.
"Kate! Come on! We can't start until everyone is there!" Gregory says, storming across the room, grabbing her hand.
"I must leave you. Until we meet again, I bid thee farewell," Kate says to Elena with a dramatic flourish as she's pulled away. The last thing she hears before rounding a corner, is Elena's laugh again.
Once the other guests are sitting in the ballroom, the DJ starts the music for their grand entrance. Every girl on the court is paired up with a guy and as they enter the room, they do a little dance. Luckily for Kate, she and Gregory are paired up, so their eight count is simple enough for someone who is not a dancer at all like Kate, and exciting enough for a wanna-be music video dancer like Gregory to have fun. Kate catches Elena's eye and she smiles at her, getting a cheeky grin and a wink back. Kate tries to hide her blush when she goes to sit with the other court members, but Elena figures her out and tries to get her to blush even more from across the room.
Ana comes in last with her older brother (on special leave from his Army unit in Afghanistan) and their dance makes the entire crowd cheer and clap along to the music. And once they sit down, food is served.
All through the meal, Kate and Elena sneak glances at each other, giggling when one spots the other.
"I see you've been released from your captors clutches," Elena says into her ear as they wait in line for cake.
Kate jumps and turns to face Elena. "Yeah. For now at least."
"Oh. Yeah. Your dance is coming up. You ready?"
"Not in the least," Kate says shaking her head, moving forward in line. Elena laughs at that, and Kate doesn't know if she should be offended or not. "I'm what my sister and her theater friends would call a 'mover'. Apparently, I'm the kind of person who can follow a beat, but can't dance for the life of her.
"I feel that," Elena agrees, taking a piece of cake off the table. "I'm not a dancer either, so my dance for my Quince was super simple. It was more my court dancing than me."
"Well, at least you understand how I feel. It's kinda cringey, me dancing, and I know people are gonna laugh."
"Maybe at the dance as a whole. But never at you," Enela says, her voice soft. "They know that not everyone is a Broadway dancer. It's gonna be cringey! That's the fun of it!"
"Yeah, I guess," Kate says, eating cake to cover her feelings.
"Listen, if you get scared, just look for me. I'll be cheering for you."
"Thanks," Kate says, getting frosting on her nose, making Elena laugh again.
Kate's surprised at herself. How normal it feels to talk to Elena; how easy it is. She feels so comfortable around her. She hopes they can stay friends after all of this.
Their big group dance is the very last thing to happen; after all of the traditions, like Ana being presented her first pair of high heeled shoes by her dad, and the father-daughter dance. It starts off slow, a waltz between Ana and one of her friends, Thomas, but after a minute the music changes and the fast, up-beat dance music begins. The expertly choreographed routine, full of turns and tricks and even a costume change, goes off without a hitch. Kate lets herself have fun, and only looks out into the crowd to find Elena and smile wide at her. They strike their final pose, breathing hard and smiling at the cheering crowd.
"See: I told you you were gonna be great!" Elena shouts to her over the loud music as the party really gets going. Everyone flooded the dance floor after the Court's dance had ended and the DJ blasts his playlist full of songs people of all ages could have fun to.
"I know," Kate replies. "You were right."
"Damn right, I was!" Elena laughs, grabbing Kate's hand and spinning her around.
It doesn't feel like it to Kate, but hours pass, and before they know it the hotel is kicking them out of the ballroom. Elena stays to help clean up, and follows her cousin, aunt. and uncle outside into the cold night.
"I had a lot of fun today," Elena tells Kate as they load bags and boxes into the trunk of Mr. Perez's car.
"Me too," Kate says.
"I've been going through some shit in my life lately, so it was night to just not think about that and have fun for once. And I'm glad Ana set us up. You're a really great person."
"Thanks."
"No, I mean it," Elena smiles. "It was a really good day." The two exchange phone numbers, and Elena jogs off to find her parent's car somewhere in the large parking lot.
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Kate waves to Mrs. Perez, letting her know she'd made it inside alright, and locks the front door behind her. She drops her purse and key onto the entry table and flings off her shoes, tossing them haphazardly in the direction of the stairs.
"How was your date?" Carol asks her daughter as she comes into the living room.
"You didn't have to stay up for me. And it went well," Kate smiles. "It was a lot of fun. Elena was nice. Different than what I remember, but in a good way."
"Well, a lot of things change between Seventh Grade and High School," Carol comments. "Did you at least get her number?"
"What? Why would you ask me that!?" Kate asks, slightly taken aback
"Because, baby Bean, that's one of the first rules of dating. If, after a blind date, you get their number, you know it went well," Carol says, imparting new social rules upon her daughter.
"I did get her number, but it doesn't mean anything!"
"Okay, if you say so," Carol shrugs. "Rule number two of dating: if they call to tell you goodnight, it was a very good date and you have a high chance of getting a second."
"Whatever," Kate says, rolling her eyes. She wasn't so sure about her mom's rules of dating. They were probably totally outdated anyway. "I'm going to bed. Love you." She heads up the stairs and passes the closed doors of both her sisters' bedrooms and into her own. She strips out of her party clothes, tossing them into the hamper, and puts on pajamas.
"How was your date?" Tess asks her twin from the door that connects her bedroom to their shared bathroom.
"It wasn't a date! Why does everyone think it was a date? We went to Ana's Quince together. We danced right along with everyone else."
"Beanie! Come on. It was a date. A blind date. You were set up to meet someone somewhere and enjoy dinner and a fun activity together. That's literally the definition of a date."
"Yeah? So. Elena goes to a different school than me! Even if this was a date-"
"It was!"
"-it's not gonna go anywhere."
"But did you have fun?"
"Yeah, it was a lot of fun." Kate smiles, committing that night to memory.
"And did you do that awkward thing you do?"
"Maybe," Kate says, lying to her sister.
"You did, I know."
"But it wasn't so bad this time! And Elena said I was cute, so that's good."
"Awww! That's sweet! Wow, Kate! How do you feel?"
"I don't know. Good I guess."
"You guess? Come on, give me the dirty details."
"She was really nice and made me smile and gave me all these butterflies and she held my hand a few times and I felt so happy and light and like I was gonna pass out, but in a good way."
"It's like it was written out of some YA romance novel," Tess comments. "That is so cute."
"Shut up," Kate says, done with Tess and her comments about how cliché she and Elena were that night.
"But I'm right, though! You two are adorable!"
Kate loudly closes the bathroom door on her twin, ending their conversation. She brushes her teeth and scrapes off the layers of makeup from her face. She goes back into her bedroom and turns out the light before sliding under the covers and fishing around in the dark for her phone charger.
While she's catching up on social media from the day, including a collection of Snapchat stories from the party, she gets a text from Elena.
Good night.