Landon had never been to a prom before. The year before, when he had still been with Belinda, he had flat out refused to take her. She and Tracie had ended up going together while Landon, Dean and Eric sat out in the parking lot, drinking beer and yelling abuse at everyone going inside. Finally several of the chaperones came out and asked them to leave.
This year was different, but then everything was. He hardly remembered that boy he used to be. Examining himself in his new suit in his mother's full-length mirror, Landon decided that the shell was still the same, it was the inside that had changed.
His mother watched him silently from the doorway. He turned to her and smiled uncertainly. "How do I look, Mama?"
She came forward and held him at arm length then moved to straighten his already straight tie and dust imaginary lint from his shoulder. Biting her lip she nodded, her eyes misty. "You look wonderful, Landon, absolutely wonderful." She pulled him into her arms then. "And in case I haven't told you enough, I love you and I'm proud of you." She kissed him gently on his forehead.
"Now, you get on over to the Sullivan's. The Reverend has promised to take plenty of pictures and save all the doubles for me." She led him towards the front door and handed him the corsage he had for Jamie in the refrigerator. "Have fun." She shouted as he pulled out of the driveway.
The Reverend Sullivan answered the door at his knock. He shook Landon's hand wordlessly before he turned to the stairway and called to Jamie.
They waited for a moment with no response before they heard a door above them open and footsteps. He felt his hands go damp and his heart quicken. Shifting his weight nervously his eyes never left the empty staircase.
And then, like a vision, she appeared. His breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful. No, not beautiful, because he thought she was beautiful the way she was. She was incredible.
Her hair was all piled up onto the top of her head, trailing down her back in glossy spirals. There was not a hint of fatigue in her glowing face and she wearing a strapless ice blue dress that reached the floor that seemed to display every curve she possessed.
And then she broke the spell. "You might want to close your mouth, Carter, you're letting all the flies out!" She laughed before hurtling down the steps and right into his arms.
He caught her and held her tight. "You are so beautiful." He whispered into her ear.
She pulled back grinning up at him. "I was thinking the same thing about you."
It was then that he noticed the two figures at the top of the stairs. Jamie motioned for them to join them and they slowly ascended the stairs, as they were dressed for the prom as well.
"Belinda and Tracie have been helping me get ready all week. I didn't have the first clue about make up or dresses or hair, but they helped me." She either didn't realize how awkward this was for Landon or did, and that was the reason she was doing it. Knowing Jamie he assumed it was the latter.
"Belinda, Tracie." He said. "You both look really nice." He cleared his throat nervously, staring down at his shoes then peaking up at Jamie.
She smiled at him but didn't say a word. It was Belinda who broke the ice. "Look, Landon, we aren't here to make you miserable. We," She paused and looked at Tracie "well, we did enough of that. We thought Jamie could use our help, and as it turned out, we could use hers."
She didn't expand on the last remark and Landon didn't ask. Jamie worked a kind of magic on people, showed them who they really were, or who they could be. He was living proof of that. He knew she must have gotten through to Belinda somehow.
The doorbell rang again. The Reverend, who had been standing, observing opened it. Landon could have been knocked over with a feather when Clay Gepbheart stepped inside followed by Dean. They were both dressed formally and holding corsage boxes just as Landon realized he still was.
There was silence for almost a full minute before Dean slapped Landon on the shoulder. "Good to see you man."
Landon nodded, "yeah, you too." He turned to Clay then. "Hi Clay."
He grinned and nodded "hey." He hobbled over to Belinda then, with the aid of a cane and a walking cast and handed her the corsage he was holding. Dean was doing the same with Tracie so Landon opened Jamie's and slipped it over her wrist.
"Anymore surprises?" he asked quietly so only she would hear.
She grinned at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about Landon." Then raising her voice, "Do you have the camera ready Daddy?"
It was a night to remember. There was no animosity, no bad behaviour, no awkwardness, just a group of friends celebrating one of their last big school events together.
Eric met them at the door with his date, a junior named Michelle that none of them knew very well but who seemed to adore Eric.
The night progressed and they all danced and laughed and talked. Toward the end Eric asked Jamie to dance and Landon found himself alone at their table with Belinda.
She smiled at him and moved from the end of the table to beside him. Folding her hands together on the tabletop she tipped her head to the side and looked at Landon.
He didn't know what to say to her. She didn't seem angry with him, the way she had in the months since they broke up, or hurt even. She seemed different, stronger.
"I'm sorry, Landon." He looked up, surprised. That was not what he was expecting to hear. He didn't know what he had expected but 'sorry' was not it.
He shook his head to clear it but she barreled on as if she were afraid she might not have the nerve to continue if he stopped her. "I'm sorry for everything I did, that stupid flyer, not letting go when you so obviously needed me to, not understanding and not being your friend."
She let out a breath "Woah, that feels good to let that out. I have been dreading this ever since I told Jamie I wanted to tell you all that. I was scared that you would be too mad at me to even listen."
Landon finally spoke. "You talked to Jamie about this."
Belinda became uncertain then, had she done something wrong after all? "I mean, I saw what a difference Jamie seemed to make with you, and at first I was jealous because I wanted to know why it couldn't have been me that made the difference. But I know now. Some people just belong together. And Jamie's special, I want some of that to rub off on me."
Landon leaned in and gave her a hug. "You are special, Belinda. Just you and I..." He looked at her and was able to laugh about it for the first time "Well we drove each other insane."
"Yeah" she laughed we did. "And why would I waste my time pining away for a guy who so obviously belongs to someone else? I'm just sorry that you two didn't find each other sooner."
He followed her gaze out to the dance floor where Jamie and Eric were doing something that Landon assumed was supposed to be the tango, Eric with his tie between his teeth, Jamie's head thrown back in laughter. But it wasn't Jamie Belinda was looking at, it was Clay who was awkwardly hopping along to the music on his one foot between Michelle and Tracie.
He grinned realizing that she wasn't just talking about him and Jamie. He would love to know the story about how those two ended up going to prom together but decided it could wait for another time now that he and Belinda were on friendly terms.
He looked over at her and held out his hand. "You wanna dance?"
Her mouth dropped open. "Landon Carter, dancing?" she asked incredulously. "Jamie Sullivan must be some kind of witch doctor!"
Leading her out onto the floor her had to agree. "You have no idea." He looked at he very seriously for a moment realizing that she might be able to help him. "Belinda, can you keep a secret?"