HI GUYS I'M SORRY ABOUT MY SPELLING/GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES. MY FRIEND CATHY HAS BEEN EDITING FOR ME SINCE I DON'T USUALLY HAVE TIME TO LOOK OVER ANY OF MY WRITING. SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SO LONG ;P

I WAS IN SAN DIEGO. THE WEATHER IS SO NICE THERE! :)

SO...HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER!

"Max...you...must!"
"NO...I...DON'T...!"
"MAX YOU ARE COMING ME SO GOD HELP ME I WILL DRAG YOU THERE. COME WITH ME NOW I, I SAID NOW!"

I wince, covering my ears and glaring at Ella Martinez the screaming banshee in annoyance. "God, woman, you have a pair of lungs!"I comment, waving away her previous remarks about my having no fashion sense about dresses. Ella's eyes narrow, her face flushing red from anger.
"What? Are you coming with me or not, Max?"Ella asks.

I nod quickly, not wanting to anger her anymore.

"Yes, of course! Whatever you say!"I say, disturbed by how cheerful and high-pitched my voice sounds. Ella smiles, her features normal again. I almost sigh in relief. Who said fashionistas weren't scary? Was it me? Yeah, it was. Scratch that.

"OK, so first, we're going to Dillard's to check out some stuff, then maybe that one new place with the awesome music and the gorgeous dresses,"Ella says, counting her to-do list off on her perfectly manicured fingers.

"And we also have to pick up Ange and Crystal and Rae to critique my choices of outfits for you!"she finishes, grinning broadly. I raise an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Did you say outfits? Please, I thought we were just buying DRESSES!"I say.

Ella sighs in frustration. "My young student, you have much to learn about the art of fashion. Max, we have to get you the shoes and the hand bag, preferably a clutch, and the mask! I saw these masks from Italy on sale! They're, like, fifteen dollars now,"she says excitedly.

I quickly pull of my phone and write a message to Lissa:

Lis, I'm winning...going shopping w/ Ella ;D

I quickly received a message from her.

*winks*go get 'em, tiger

I smile to myself. Ah, sweet Lissa.

Ella pulls me to her car. It's dark-ish purple with bold, black streaks on the hood. It's a Mustang. On the doors are black hearts.
I hop into the shotgun seat, smiling at Ella.
She rolls her eyes.
"Honestly, Max. Why do you freak about wearing dresses?"she asks. I raise an eyebrow. "Why do you freak about not wearing a dress?"
She shrugs. "Good point."

Ella parks the car in front of Angel's house and starts honking.
Angel, Crystal, and Rae burst out of the house, carrying over-sized purses. "Hi, guys, "I say, waving. They nod at me, smiling.

"You're not still mad about the whole 'We-forced-Fang-to-ask-you-out', right? I mean, you had it coming. You guys are dating anyway, "Ella says.
Angel agrees.
I smile and nod, a lump forming in my throat. How can I lie to them? "Where's he taking you for your date on Saturday?"Crystal asks. I shrug. "I don't know. He said it was a surprise. "I reply.
Ella sighs. "Oh, my big brother, finally being all romantic and everything. Who knew he had it in him? "she says to herself.
Lissa, I think.

"So, who's taking you? "I ask Ella. She beams at me.
"Oh, just some cute guy in my history class. Calvin Harrison, "she says, a dreamy look on her face. I laugh. "Oh, him! He's an excellent soccer player, you know? "I tell her.
She nods. "Oh, he is not cute, Ella. He's adorable! "Rae chimes in. Angel agrees, grinning widely. Ella winks. "He's mine, sweet tarts, "she sings.
"I'm going with Jet, "Crystal says.
"Ian, "Rae says.
Cranking up the radio, Ella sings along to a song by Taylor Swift. "Go Swifties!"Angel cheers.
"Eh. She's OK,"I say, propping my feet up.

Ella glares at me and lets out a dramatic gasp. "How could you, Max...how could you!"
Rae, Crystal, and Angel giggle in the back seat.

"How could I? It's OK, my dear...I'm sorry, "I say dramatically, clutching my heart.

Angel bursts out laughing, wiping her tears.
As laughter dies down, Angel finally asks...that question.

"Why are you suddenly hanging out with us? "she asks.
"I love you guys. I thought it was time to hang out with people more like me. Awesome and super friendly, "I reply coolly.
I wait for one of them to figure out my game, but all of them fall for it. They think I'm really their friend.

But I am...aren't I?

At the mall, we go from store to store. First, we look for dresses. Apparently, dresses decide everything.
We've been looking for our outfits for two hours! Rae and Crystal have dresses, but Angel, Ella, and I don't. Since I'm going with her brother, Ella won't let me look anything but perfect.
We enter an expensive-looking shop where Ella finds her perfect dress. It's dark purple with layers of gauzy material.
Angel finds a snow white dress she likes at Macy's. Usually, she doesn't shop there for formal clothing, but today is an exception. We hunt through the entire mall looking for a dress for me. I really don't mind going to some random store and buying some random cheap dress, but the others won't settle for it.
They buy their masks, shoes, and Ella and Crystal actually buy Gucci clutch bags for the dance, too.

I groan. "What am I going to wear? "I ask.
Angel's eyes suddenly light up. She snaps her fingers, a huge grin on her face. "Guys! You know that vintage formal wear boutique on Ray Street? "Angel asks.
Ella nods, grinning in agreement. "Oh! You mean 'Sweet Beginnings?' Yeah, how could we not think of that? Max, we'll find you the most amazing dress..."she says, dragging me back to her car.

"Here we are! "Rae announces, pushing the door open. "Whoa..."I breathe, examining the shop.
It's a small place, but it's jam-packed with formal wear on racks and mannequins. There's tuxedos, dresses, feathery masks, scarves, bags, bow ties, and flowers.

"Welcome to 'Sweet Beginnings! "a voice says. A woman around sixty with horn-rimmed glasses perched on her nose approaches us from behind a mound of magazines.

"Hey, Clarice! Can you find something for Max here? She has a date with Nicholas to our school Winter Masquerade, "Angel says, smiling. Clarice winks at me. "Oh, he's finally found a suitable girl. You are a lovely one, Max."
Clarice leads me to a rack of clothes with beautiful flowing dresses. She smiles fondly, admiring an icy blue dress with a white sash and crystals decorating it. I'm stunned. It looks...awesome.

"C'mon, dear, try it on, "she says kindly. Clutching it to me, I take the dress into a dressing room to try it on. It is tight around the waist, reveals my legs, and flows to the back of my legs. It's simple, but even I know it's elegant yet chic.
I grin. I look amazing. Perfect material for the Game.
I twirl out of the dressing room. Everyone nods in approval.
"Well...I guess this dress should leave now. My daughter Shelly wore this to her prom, "Clarice says, drowned in her memories.

"You want me to take this? Are you sure? "I ask, concerned. Clarice gives me a wide smile. "Oh, yes! And, I also have the perfect mask and these shoes...oh, Nicholas won't be able to take his eyes off you..."she trails us, taking something from the back.
"She's right. That dress was made for you, Max,"Angel agrees, admiring the fabric. Ella squeals. "Ooh, my brother will be star-struck! Prepare to amaze, Max,"she says.
Clarice reappears, holding an elaborate half white, half gold mask with blue gems along the side. It has a strap, too. The shoes she holds are plain gold with small white rhinestones set on the heels.

I buy everything. We thank Clarice before leaving.
"Bye, girls! Max, tell me all the details when you come back, "Clarice calls, winking before settling into her seat and flipping through her magazine.
I laugh, blushing slightly.

The others turn to me, evil grins on their faces. "Oh, Max. Fang will absolutely LOVE you."

OK THERE YOU GO :)

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