"I think we should curl it at the ends!" Julius insisted, inspecting Angela's hair.
"No, no, straighten it inwards so the hair doesn't stick out! And get rid of the cowlick!" Phoebe had joined them at Angela's house, though she wasn't exactly fashion-savvy. The farmer covered her cowlick possessively, guarding it from the wandering scissors.
"Don't take it away, it's my personality! I'm not 'Angela' without it. I mean, you could gel it down so it doesn't pop up, but don't cut it out…" She gave them the puppy-dog eyes a child would use to plead for a toy. The group of fashion experts, as they had started to call themselves, sighed collectively.
"Fine, fine. But you might wake up one day with it gone, Angie. Just a fair warning." Julius teased, flicking the stray piece of air threateningly. Candace sat on Angela's bed, waiting until the trimming was done so she could dress her. After a bit of air ruffling and brushing, Angela was pushed into her bathroom to change. This was her initiative to stand up, stretch, and await the princess of the day's grand reveal. She smiled approvingly at the outfit that had taken two hours to put together. Phoebe guided Angela back in front of the mirror so it could be properly styled. A cloud of hairspray crowded the room, stealing a few coughs from Angela and the rest. "Candace, would you bring me the makeup bag over here?' She walked in her usual way; small, quiet footsteps. "Thanks, you're a doll," Julius praised her, ruffling her hair. Candace blushed and nodded shyly.
"I…don't look weird, do I?" Angela asked worriedly. They hadn't allowed her to look in the mirror while they applied the makeup (or war paint, as Angela liked to call it). A chorus of shaking heads and of course not's and you look great's surrounded her. They spun her around, a bit too quickly, to face the mirror. She raised a hand to touch her face, which looked completely different. Phoebe shooed her hand away, telling her not to smudge the blush. Angela's upper lip twitched in irritation. "You guys…I can't believe you were able to do all of this…" Her eyes started to water, but she managed to keep the tears under control, knowing that the mascara wasn't waterproof. Before she knew it, she was walking out of her district, into the town, with her "groupies" behind her, offering support. Almost all of her was trembling. She had never felt so nervous, or at least not since she stepped off the boat to Waffle Island. Still, that was nothing compared to a first date.
"Knock 'em dead, Angie!" Phoebe called as Angela rounded the corner, heart pounding. She felt a warm smile spread across her face when she saw Gill waiting for her. He wasn't exactly dressed differently; just his normal Fall attire. Creative. Angela cleared her throat quietly, catching his attention. Gill's breath caught in his throat when he saw her. He knew that she would be dressed up at least a little bit nicer than she usually did, but he wasn't expecting an entirely new her. Words failed to crawl out of his lips, giving him the appearance of a mute person moving their mouth in an attempt to speak. Yes, it was a bit of an overreaction. Others would have just said "Oh, you look nice," or other pleasantries. But this was Gill, and that was Angela. He wasn't sure how to describe her at that moment; there were a million wonderful things he could call her and it wouldn't be enough.
"Gill, are you in there? Earth to Gill, earth to Gill!" Said Angela, grasping his forearm lightly. He jumped and stuttered out an answer.
"Oh, uh yeah, I'm here. Of c-course, I'm never late. Um…You look reallynicetoday." His last words slurred together. He wasn't exactly used to giving compliments, let alone personal ones. Angela smiled sweetly, making his heart pound louder than a drum. She grabbed his hand led him over to Alan's tree, where a cliché picnic scene- checkered blanket, wicker basket- the works, was laid out. His trembling hand went unnoticed. Perhaps it was because Angela's was trembling as well, neutralizing his. There was a strange feeling in his stomach…butterflies? He had never felt that severe though. Gill had the most overwhelming need to smile, ear to ear, and laugh. To laugh like a little kid. There was no point in trying to resist it though, but he tried to hide it, and laugh quietly. This seemed to catch Angela's attention. She squeezed Gill's hand showing that she knew what he was doing. That's right- she was still holding his hand.
"Is something funny, Gill?" Angela stopped and turned to face him. Her brown eyes were wide, staring at him from under her bangs. He focused his eyes on something; anything, that wasn't her face.
"It's just…I never thought you and me would…I mean…I'm happy. Because…" Say it, say it Gill, and don't screw it up. You can do this. He gulped and finished his sentence. "Because I really like you and I thought you hated me." He breathed a sigh of relief. A grin crossed Angela's face and she kissed his cheek.
"You're so cute!" She hugged him tightly. "Anyway, the food is gonna get all soggy if we don't eat it soon." Angela clasped his hand and pulled the blank-faced boy over to the blanket. It was strange how shy he was about all of this. Usually, he had nothing to say to her but snide remarks and sharp-tongued comments. Seeing him fidget and stutter around was, well, adorable to her. He hesitantly took a seat, sitting quite the distance away from Angela. She giggled and scooted closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder. Sensing that he was nervous, Angela interlaced her fingers with his and squeezed. "Are you going to sit in that same position or are you going to eat the ever so amazing sandwiches I made?" Sandwiches were something nobody could get wrong, right? "I actually had Phoebe help me with them though."
They sat, eating, while Angela tried her best to make Gill laugh again. Fed up, she put her fingers on the corners of his lips and pushed them upwards, giving him a marionette-puppet esque smile. He was biting his lip, trying his hardest not to smile. The food had been finished long ago, so Angela's entertainment was messing with him. She poked him in the side a few times, and finally he started to laugh. With a smug face of accomplishment, his girlfriend hugged his arm, happy that they were finally together.