Chapter 73
Unlike the previous night, the business district was abuzz with crowds and automotive vehicles. The teenagers of Peach Creek were on their way to the Winter Ball, set to take place at a large, popular catering hall on the Main Street. A seemingly never-ending stream cars pulled up to the front of the venue, double and triple parking on the street to unload their passengers, consisting of countless young women wearing evening gowns of varying colors, as well as young men dressed in tuxedos.
Inside the building, Double Dee and his oafish friend Ed had made their way up the ornate stairs to the second floor. Located at the top of the stairs was a small antechamber, the walls of which were lined with places for guests to hang their coats, as well as the ladies to place their handbags. Branching off from this room was a long hallway, leading to a water fountain, as well as the men's and women's bathrooms. The walls of the area were colored in a hue of Prussian blue, the bases being lined with decorative wood paneling. On the far side of the room was a set of large, double doors, made of cherry, and decorated with golden handles. Above the doors was a sign reading "Waterfall Room", identifying the name of the venue. Directly next to the doors was a large sign, reading "Welcome Peach Creek High School Winter Ball" with an arrow pointing towards the doors.
"Well Ed," said Double Dee as he pulled the door to the open position, "After you my dear friend."
Double Dee held the door in the open position while simultaneously stepping out of the way, allowing Ed to enter the hall proper. The large Ed boy passed through the threshold, dragging his feet on the floor due to not being used to walking in dress shoes, after which Double Dee promptly followed suit.
Upon entering the chamber, the boys paused, gawking at the sight of the cavernous room. The vaulted ceiling was around twenty feet high at it's maximum, tapering down to around fifteen feet high near the ends of the room. Two large crystal chandeliers hung from the cross beams. The lights had been turned down, bathing the room in a dim light; the boys eyes required momentary adjustment to the sudden reduction of intensity upon entering.
On the far side of the room, a stage had been set up, upon which the DJ had taken his place, using his mixture to play a popular modern dance hit as he cued the next song up through his headphones. He had strategical placed his table in the corner of the structure, allowing plenty of room for the ceremony that would crown the queen of the winter ball, set to occur in around thirty minutes.
In front of the stage was a large open area, designed to serve as a dance floor. Around fifty students had already arrived, and had immediately opted to take advantage of the area to mingle while moving their bodies to the music. Closer to the door, a series of round tables have been set up, where the students would take their seats for dinner, and observe the ceremony. Along the wall behind the dinner area was a long table on which sat a few coolers containing drinks, a punch bowl, and a buffet line. The caterers were making final preparations to the spread of roast beef, baked ziti, and meatballs, a common selection in catering halls around the area of Peach Creek.
Gathered around the hall, away from the crowd on the dance floor were several smaller crowds consisting of various school cliques who had gathered together to mingle. It did not take long for the two Ed boys to spot one such group, consisting of their girlfriends and Nazz ( wearing a bright yellow ball gown). The boys smiled as they slowly began making their way towards their acquaintances, excited to begin their fun filled night.
As the boys walked towards their girlfriends, Nazz and Marie were engaged in a conversation; they were positioned such that Nazz's back was to the boys, leaving Marie's face in full view. Nazz was in fact providing rational behind the charade she had displayed yesterday, and was in the process of apologizing to Marie for causing more trouble than was already present. As Nazz told the story, Marie flashed several facial expressions of surprise, ultimately sharing a giggle with the blonde girl at the conclusion.
As May passively observed the conversation, the sight of the two Ed boys approaching from across the room caught her eye. The sight of Ed in a tuxedo drew a smile from her, as she gracefully tapped Marie on the shoulder, breaking her from her conversation with Nazz. Marie turned towards May, as if to ask "what's up" at which point the brace faced girl pointed in the direction of the Ed boys.
At that point, Nazz excused herself from Marie to find Kevin, promising to join her at the dinner table with a hug. Just as Nazz departed, the Ed boys reached the Kanker's position, planting their feet on the floor as they stared at their girlfriends with dreamy smiles.
"Good evening ladies!" said Double Dee in an exuberant manner as he placed his walking stick on the floor, "Marie, you are looking absolutely lovely this evening."
Marie smiled as she approached her boyfriend, moving her face closer to his.
"My oh my look at my Little Dreamboat," said Marie, she checked out Double Dee's outfit, "So formal and gentlemanly, I like it!"
"I was quite fearful that it was a tad too formal," said Double Dee, "But it appears that I am receiving quite the positive response from all parties, so I'd say it was an excellent choice."
Double Dee and Marie shared a smile as the latter grabbed his hands in hers. As the two continued their greeting, Ed had approached May to begin a greeting of their own. Despite dating for several months, the couple had quite a bit of shyness when it came to romantic interactions. This shyness was exacerbated by the fact that both were in formal wear; aside from the party where they shared their first kiss as a couple, neither boy nor girl had seen each other in anything more than their ordinary clothes. Wearing an elaborate dress was something rarely seen from May; her ordinary summer sundress was pushing it for the shorts and t-shirt loving tomboy. The same was true for Ed, who absolutely despised giving up his cherished striped shirt and green coat. However, both parties could not deny that other other looked spectacular on this particular night.
Due to these circumstances, both boy and girl began to blush both as they stared towards the floor, wondering just what to say. Eventually Ed decided to be the first to break the silence.
"Umm...hi May!" said Ed.
"Hi Ed!" said May, "What's up?"
"Nothing much," said Ed, "Your dress looks like the blood spilled from the Dragon of Gorthogen on last nights episode of Trails of the Lost Dominion."
To any other girl, Ed's tirade would potentially be considered an insult. However, May being just as eccentric as Ed, took it as a highly romantic compliment.
"You like it?" asked May, "I was afraid it was showing too much of me up here."
May pointed both of her hands inward towards her shoulders.
"Nope, it's perfect," said Ed, "You look...hot..."
Ed blushed at the completion of his sentence, placing his hand behind his head and rubbing his scalp.
"Oh Ed," said May, "You sure know how to treat a girl. I think you look handsome, hot and anything else you want to use to describe it."
At that point May leaned up and kissed Ed on the cheek, causing him to giggle. The display of affection attracted Marie's attention, who promptly decided to play a joke.
"Alright Goofballs," said Marie, "Save all the touchy feely stuff for after the dance!"
"Up yours Marie!" yelled May playfully as she discreetly stuck her middle finger up towards Marie behind Ed's back.
"Look at you," said Marie with a smile, "Putting that guy in his place while we were bringing Lee home last night really loosened you up didn't it?"
At the sound of Lee's name, an expression of curiosity overcame Double Dee. He then decided to pose an important question.
"Speaking of Lee," said Double Dee, "I can't help but notice her absence. Has she ultimately decided not to attend?"
May and Marie shared a expression of sadness, after which Marie decided to reply
"Unfortunately, it looks that way," said Marie, "When we left, she was still hulled up in her room all depressed. It's so sad seeing her that way."
Marie paused briefly before interjecting with a question of her own.
"Have you heard from Eddy?" asked Marie.
"I'm afraid not," said Double Dee, "The only one of us who has heard anything was Rolf. Much to my surprise and excitement, Eddy apparently paid a visit to Rolf to apologize for his misdeeds, and stated that he had several errands to run this afternoon prior to the dance. What those may be, I haven't the faintest."
"Well it's not looking good for a triple date tonight," said Marie, "And it's looking even worse for Lee's chances at winning the crown. She can't win if she ain't even here!"
"Yeah," said May, "And look who just walked in!"
May pointed towards the door, causing everyone to divert that attention in that direction. As Marie glanced around Double Dee, her expression transformed into that of disgust as a familiar, tall and lanky girl came into view.
Lindsay had arrived, dressed just as she was when she requested a ride to the dance from Chuck. She was making her way through the crowds, her back arched in a somewhat concave fashion as typical of the divas stride. She carried a dress purse in her right hand as she remained laser focused on one of the dining tables, donning her typical scowl as she did so.
"Wow," said Marie, "No remorse whatsoever. I betcha all's that's on her mind is that crown. And take a look at that dress, that type hasn't been made since the late nineties. Typical of her to try to make some kind of retro fashion statement."
Double Dee decided not to replay to Marie's statement, and continued to observe Lindsay as she made her grand entrance. She had only taken a few steps when she was suddenly rushed by a trio of three girls, each wearing dresses of different colors. The girls were high ranking members of the cheer squad and, as such, felt that it was their job to flatter Lindsay with compliments.
Unfortunately, these actions, based off of fear of the aggressive giantess, as well as the fact that they could eventually lead to their own expensive handbags, did not seem to be as welcome from the diva on this particular night. As the girls continued to follow her, Lindsay's mouth began to form into a grimace, as her face began to turn a shade of red. Without hesitation, the blonde girl suddenly whipped around to face them.
"All of you, just shut up!" yelled Lindsay, "I want to be left alone, and I expect not to see or hear from any of you for the remainder of the night. By the way, you girls better grow some spines if you want to be anything but little peons in life. Want some advice on how to carry yourself as a lady? Well here it is...BE A LEADER NOT A FOLLOWER!"
Lindsay turned and continued on her way, leaving all of the girls completely stunned. As Lindsay reached her destination, the girls slowly but surely dispersed, each going their separate way. Lindsay proceeded to pull one of the wooden chairs out, and take a seat as she folded her arms, staring across the room with a scowl.
"See that," said Marie, "That's exactly why I don't think she and Lee will ever be friends ever again. Just look how she treats her friends, those girls do nothing but bend over backward for her, and she just threw them out like trash."
At that moment, Marie grabbed Double Dee's hand and began pulling him in the opposite direction.
"C'mon," said Marie, "We promised we'd worry about that after tonight. We came here to have some fun and that's what we are going to do."
As the Ed's and the Kankers set off to begin their night of fun, Lindsay continued staring towards the wall with her arms folded tightly. A few seconds passed, at which point she uttered a few words to herself.
"Best piece of advice I can give to you girls," said Lindsay, as she was reminded of the ultimatum Eddy had delivered to her the previous night, "Now will I be a hypocrite, or will I heed my own words."
Lindsay glanced upwards towards the ceiling.
"It's time for me to make the call."
