Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters besides Laura, Kayla and Steven.

Summery: Just as Laura's trying to get through her last year in high school and forgetting about her ex boyfriend Steven, she goes job hunting for anything. Desperate for a job, she's hired as the second Night Guard at the Museum of Natural History. Working along side of Larry as history comes to life each night, she finds herself falling for Larry...and someone else. But only one of them ends up feelings the same way for her. Will she end up breaking from her heartbreak and let herself be happy once again while trying to help Larry keep peace and order in the museum?

Chapter Seven ~ Ch-ch-changes

Laura's POV

I sighed as I painted the archway for the entry way of the gym. Prom was this weekend and we weren't nearly done. I was staying every day after school for four hours to help out. The blue paint I was using was definitely my favorite. Which was why I volunteered to paint everything that was supposed to be painted in this very color. A very teal-ish blue.

"So what are you going to wear for the dance?" Jamie asked me as she handed me a new bottle of ink.

I scoffed. "I'm not going to the Prom," I said in an obvious way.

Jamie froze when her hand held the paint bottle in mid air for me. She looked at me like I was crazy. "Not going to the—Laura...you're part of the Prom Committee...heck, you're head of the Prom Committee! That means you get in for free and not to mention, it's your senior year...you've never gone to a school dance, Homecoming, or even Prom!" Jamie said, taking back the bottle of paint.

"Can I have the bottle back please? The Prom's in two days and we still have the table and the chairs to paint," I said, ignoring what she just said, even though I knew she was right.

She gave me a weird look. "Laura...if I have to personally drag you into David's Bridal myself, I will," Jamie assured me.

I sighed and rested my head down on the edge of the paper plate where I squeezed some of the paint onto. She wasn't going to give up and I knew it for a stated fact. "Fine..." I murmured.

Her serious frown turned into an excited smile. "Today, after we leave here. Now finish up with the painting. I know the perfect dress for you that I saw yesterday."

..::( ~ ~ ~ ~ )::..

I browsed through the dresses. Before I knew it, Jamie stood before me with a teal dress that reminded you of a ball gown. The top was fitted like a corset. I looked at Jamie and gave her a crooked half smile. "There are other dresses to try on," I told her as I took the dress from her and added it to my collection that was building up on my left arm.

"Size eight, right?" she asked with a wry smile.

I rolled my eyes and headed into the fitting room. The first one I tried on was a simple powder blue dress that was a spaghetti strap dress with a heart shaped top. The skirt flowed naturally to the ground. I walked out of the dressing room to show Jamie, who was probably texting her boyfriend. She looked up from her phone and looked at the dress on me. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Without waiting for a word for her to say, I headed back into the dressing room to put on the next dress.

The next dress I tried on was a simple white gown with teal sequence attached to the bodice. It wasn't right and I knew it. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful and gorgeous, but there was no way it was right for me. So I slid on the next gown. It was the one Jamie had picked out for me.

"You ready to show me the next one yet?" I heard Jamie ask.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'm putting it on right now.

The teal gown consisted of four layers. The first one was of a white puffy net to make the skirt actually look like a ball gown. The second one was a layer of the fabric the whole dress was made out of that was crimped. The third layer was the same material with ruffles on the edge that laid on each side of the dress. The fourth layer was the same, only layering over the third layer. The bodice had silver stripes running downwards to the end of the corset-fit. In between the stripes laid random silver sequences.

The dress was one and I looked at myself in the mirror in the dressing room I was in. The dress fit so perfectly. I headed out of the room and showed Jamie. I heard her sigh as she then looked up from her phone and her eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh, Laura! It's the perfect dress! You have to get it!" she said, looking at me with such an excited look as she stood up from the chair she was in and put her phone away, motioning with her hand for me to turn around.

"You look so beautiful in teal," she commented, clapping her hands together.

..::( ~ ~ ~ ~ )::..

I walked into the museum early so I could talk to McPhee. He stood at the front information desk, talking to Larry as usual. They turned to me, a curious expression on their face. "Dr. McPhee, I need to talk to you about something," I said.

He sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked off in the distance with me, stopping by the stairs. "Alright, out with it. What is it," he said in a blank tone as if I was wasting his time.

"I can't come into work this Saturday due to Prom," I told him.

He raised his eyebrows. "Short notice much?"

"I didn't decide it until Wednesday," I told him.

He sighed. "Well you'll be working tonight and Sunday, right?" he then asked me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah," I replied.

He just nodded his head and walked away. I watched him leave the museum as I walked over to Larry at the information desk. He seemed like he was avoiding my gaze. I sighed.

"Alright. What's wrong?" I asked, facing Larry so that he could look at me, but he averted his eyes away. He just shook his head. "Larry..."

When he didn't bother to look at me, I sighed and cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look down at me. His eyes met mine and I saw a tinge of sadness buried within them. "What is wrong?" I asked.

He gave me a calm look as he took my hands in his and gently pulled them away from his head, setting them at my sides but not taking them away. "Laura, I don't want to talk about it," he said in a serious and yet gentle voice.

I sighed and gave him a 'really?' look. He just looked at me and gave me a sweet and small smile. "You're a sweet girl," was all he said as he let go of my right hand and put his hand to my cheek, leaning in to kiss my other cheek.

Feeling my cheeks burn, I sighed and looked away, ignoring that I was seriously blushing. "What is it that you're not telling me, Larry?" I asked, shaking my head.

Without waiting for him to reply, I took my head and hand out of his grip and moved away from him just as the sun was falling. I walked away from him, feeling hurt that he wouldn't tell me and yet was totally flirting with me at the same time. There was something I was missing.

I walked into Ahkmenrah's room, seeing Cleopatra, looking at herself in a hand mirror I got her last weekend. Ahkmenrah was just putting his royal jewelry on he usually wears. He looked at me and smiled. "Good to see you again, Laura!" he said as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, giving me a warm and welcoming hug.

Just when he loosened his grip to let go of the hug, I tightened my grip, a way of telling him I didn't want him to stop hugging me. So he wrapped his arms around me once more and put a hand to the back of my head.

"What's wrong, Laura?" Ahkmenrah asked, confused.

"Just...hold me," I murmured, feeling a sort of pang in my heart.

As if he felt my pang, he tightened his hold on me. "I'm sorry that whatever it is, is bothering you," he whispered in my ear in his captivating accent.

I gave a small smile and took in his sent. He smelled of spice and vanilla. In a way, it calmed me and made me smile all the more.