...

"What?" Don was furious. The way Tom acted towards Lizzie, it all makes sense now, that was his angle. "No freakin' way man! You know how much I hate him!"

"Wait. Calm down a sec." Pete says quietly. "He offered to triple it and make it six-hundred bucks. Except if I win this thing, I get three-hundred and he gets the other three-hundred.

That makes Don even angrier. "For what? It's just a dumb bet! All he wants to do is see me make a fool out of myself! That's not happening."

"But dude, it's six-hundred dollars." Pete repeats. "You'd be lying if you said you were to really pass up on that."

"I can't, not with Lizzie." Don means it. As appealing as it sounds, he can't risk it with Tom Keen and end up hurting Lizzie.

"Oh, don't tell me you've fallen in love with the girl already!" Pete says, grinning crookedly. "It's certainly not just a bet to you!"

"Shut up." Don says defensively, although he doesn't completely mean it. "Just tell Keen that a deal is a deal and that he's too late. If he wanted to be a part of this then he should have joined when we first made the bet."

Pete puts his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, if it means that much to you, I'll tell him. I still want to come out of this bet as friends with you, but I'm wondering, what do you have against Tom?"

Don sighs. "It's a long story."

"Whatever, man. I gotta run and get the house ready. See you tonight." Pete says before running off to his car.

Just then Lizzie catches up. "What was that about?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Pete wanted to know for sure if you're coming tonight." Don felt a bit bad lying to her, but he couldn't tell her now.

She bites her lip. "I can't, like I said. I've got cleaning to do. I've got to pick up some groceries on my way back so don't bother driving me."

"Alright, if you're sure. See you Monday, then." Don says, watching her walk off with that gigantic beach bag.

To be honest, he really does want her there with him, and not just because of the bet. Don may not be willing to completely admit to it yet, but he likes being with her.

But how can he get her to go?

Then suddenly he has an idea.

A really great idea. But he's gonna need some help.

"Samar!" Don calls just as she is about to get into her car. "Samar, wait!"

He runs up to her, and breathlessly says, "I need your help with something."

Samar looks at him with a puzzled expression. "With what?"

"Something that I personally don't know how to deal with. Like makeup, that kind of stuff."

She raises her eyebrows. "Why?"

Don sighs. "I'm going to need you to give someone a makeover. You're really good at that kind of stuff, you put it on every day. I'll even pay you!"

Samar purses her lips. "A makeover? Well. . . I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. I'm in, just let me grab my stuff from home, don't bother paying me. But don't you dare tell anyone on the team, or I will personally see to your-"

"Thank you, but we have to go now!" Don swiftly cuts her off as he runs back to his own car. "And is your brother playing soccer today?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Pick him and his whole team up, or as many as you can get on the way. Follow me."

He pulls out and drives to Lizzie's house, Samar right behind him.

His plan is working out perfectly.

...

"Don't tell me you turned it down. Didn't you always tell me that you've always wanted to go to a real teen party?" Aram says over the phone as Lizzie was cleaning the kitchen table. She had just returned home with all her groceries and was planning on reading the next chapter of her book after putting away the groceries and cleaning the kitchen, forget the stupid party. Clearly with Aram on the phone, that wasn't going to happen tonight.

"And Ellie's bowling party from last year doesn't count." Aram slickly cuts her off. "She was going to make us paint pottery but fortunately that place was closed that day."

Lizzie pouts, putting the bread away. "But that was actually fun!"

"Maybe Don really likes you!" Aram suggests, and Lizzie just rolls her eyes.

"I know that isn't true."

"You should have fun, Lizzie! And give him a chance. By the way, if you do go by any chance and you bump into Samar Navabi, tell her I said h-"

At that moment the doorbell rings, and Lizzie swiftly cuts him off.

"I gotta go, talk to you later." she says as she opens up the door.

It's Don.

"Didn't I tell you I was busy?"

"Yeah, you did." Don says, stepping in author waiting for an invitation. "So I figured I would help you with that."

"What-"

At that moment half of the soccer team enters Lizzie's house with mops and other various cleaning objects, splitting up to equally clean the different parts of the house.

"Uh, Don. . .?" Lizzie was incredibly skeptical. "This is the soccer team-"

"JV." Don corrects, leaning by the door. "Don't worry, they'll be finished before your dad comes back. Come on, you're not busy now, go get dressed."

Lizzie glances at what Don is wearing, then back at her. "I'm in no state to go to a party. I don't even have anything good enough to wear!"

"I got that covered." Don steps aside to let Samar in, who is holding a dress and a gigantic makeup bag. "Hopefully you like the color maroon, because this is one of the only dresses I own."

"Hi again. Please don't mention any of this to anyone." Samar says, although it's clear she's very excited. She tilts her head to the side as she briefly analyzes Lizzie's face. "Have you ever considered losing the glasses?"

Lizzie blinks, and Don tries to imagine her face without those signature hipster glasses. He's never really thought of it before, but maybe Lizzie would look a bit more relaxed if she didn't wear them.

"Um, my eyes suck and I can't see without them. I hate contacts, my eyes practically reject them-" she says, taking them off and looking at them before putting them back on, but isn't given a chance to finish.

"Yeah well, try and tolerate them for one night. Let's go upstairs, we don't have much time." Samar interrupts, practically shoving Lizzie up the stairs.

Don smiles and stands in the hall as the soccer team continues to clean around him.

He waits for a solid fifty minutes, and at one point tries to listen to what they're doing upstairs.

Finally Samar comes down the stairs with a proud smile on her face.

"Don Ressler, let me introduce you to the new Lizzie Scott." she says, glancing up the staircase.

She still doesn't come down.

"Um, Lizzie?" Samar repeats. "You good?"

"Yeah - just - trying to walk - down the stairs - in these heels -" Don hears her voice as she stumbles down the stairs.

Then he sees her. And she's never looked better.

Her brown hair, which used to be long and plain, is now cut shoulder-length. She wears the figure-hugging maroon knee-length dress that Samar brought and is wearing a fair amount of makeup. And now that she isn't wearing glasses he can finally see those sweet blue eyes.

She looks amazing. Samar did a really great job.

Then Lizzie takes that final step down and nearly falls over, but Don moves on to catch her in time.

"I guess my work here is done." Samar says, winking at Lizzie as she makes her way out. "See you guys at the party."

She leaves just as the soccer team finishes up, and soon it is just the two of them.

"So." Don says carefully, offering his hand it to Lizzie. "Ready to go?" He doesn't want her to change her mind again.

To his relief, Lizzie takes it, her eyes twinkling, and he swears his heart skips a beat. "Now I am. Let's go."

And so they leave her house together, Don having a feeling that it was going to be a very good night.

...

A/N: Only two more days until 2x19 airs and I can't wait! This hiatus has felt so long and reading all the other BL fanfics definitely helped! As for this one I promise you that things will pick up the pace in the next chapter! I will try to update again in a few days!