It was now Saturday, and the wains were buzzing for the dance that night at Our Lady Immaculate College. The girls were getting themselves ready at the Quinn household, with the ma's assisting with hair and makeup. Erin, Orla, Michelle, and Clare sat in the kitchen, while Laurie prepared in the living room, a sheet hung up so she and Clare didn't spoil seeing each other's outfits. The wee lesbian was fidgeting as her Ma worked on her hair.
"For Christ's sakes, Clare!" Michelle exclaimed. "Ye need to calm the fuck down!"
"Language, Michelle!" Deirdre exclaimed.
"Why exactly are ye so nervous?" Erin asked. "Ye've taken a girl to a dance b'fore."
"This isn't the same at all!" Clare exclaimed. "This is my first real girlfriend! Also, she's not some mental case who's gonna douse tomato juice on people!"
"That was right funny, it was," Orla smiled.
"Easy for ye to say, Orla," groaned Erin. "Ye weren't one of the people gettin' doused."
"I thought ye didn't get doused, Clare?" Laurie asked from behind the sheet.
"She didn't," Erin replied bitterly.
"She also didn't stop that mental bitch from dousin' us," groaned Michelle.
"Seriously, Michelle! That mouth!" Deirdre exclaimed again.
"Ye lot didn't get Jenny Joyce out of the way!" Clare shot back.
"Sweet Jesus! Enough with the squabblin' already!" Mary chimed in. "Ye can't be expectin' us to finish yer hair n' makeup, with ye lot fidgetin' n' arguin' over such trivial shite!"
"Aye, it's very distractin', it is," agreed Sarah. "I can barely hold onto me cigarette and fix Orla's hair."
"Ye really shouldn't be smokin' n' doin' hair," Sarah," said Mary. "God knows we don't want another incident."
"Are ye ever gonna let that go, Mary?" Sarah asked. "Jesus, but it wasn't that bad."
"Ye very nearly singed off all of Orla's hair, ye did!" Mary retorted. "She woulda looked like Sinéad O'Connor!"
"Aye, but she does have a crackin' round head, so she does," Orla grinned. "But, I think I'll keep me hair as is."
"Probably fer the best, love," sighed Mary.
Even James's mum, Kathy, had flown in from England to see her son off to his last school dance.
"I'm so glad I was able to make it out to see my boy off to his last dance," Kathy said with a warm smile.
The parents, along with Erin and Michelle, didn't seem too excited when Kathy arrived earlier in the morning unannounced. But, evidence suggested she and James were getting along much butter compared to a couple years ago.
"I hear yer sticker business is goin' grand, Kathy," Sarah said nonchalantly.
"Self adhe… aye! It's goin' grand, Sarah," Kathy relented and agreed. "But, right now I'm more excited for my James. I'm glad to see he's been thriving here. Even found himself a cracker girlfriend."
Kathy shot a wink at Erin, who gave a little smirk in response.
"James is cracker too, hi," Erin replied, a loving smile forming on her face.
"Talks about you all the time when he rings me," said Kathy.
"Really?" Erin asked, now blushing.
"Boke-o-Rama," Michelle groaned.
Meanwhile, across the road at Jim's house, the fellas were getting ready. Niall was sat in a chair in Jim's kitchen, towel wrapped around his shoulders. Jim was preparing various barbering tools, including a straight razor. Joe and Gerry were sitting at the kitchen table.
"When it comes to a close, clean shave, ye just can't beat a straight razor," he explained while he cleaned and sharpened it.
"Why are ye wantin' a shave to begin with, son?" Joe asked.
"This is the first formal I've ever been to," answered Niall. "I figure I should look less disheveled. I'm a wee bit concerned with how it'll look."
"Why's that?" Joe asked.
"Cuz of the scars," Niall answered solemnly.
"How bad do ye think those scars are, son?" Gerry asked.
"Can't ye tell just by lookin' at me?" Niall asked.
"I think ye got a poor opinion of yerself, hi," Joe said with a warm smile. "Trust me when I say, I've seen far worse damage done to a face than yous. Look at my eejit son-in-law, fer Christ's sake."
"There it is," Gerry sighed deeply.
"What does Orla think of yer face?" Joe asked.
"She said I was handsome," Niall replied with a smirk.
"Then that's all that matters," said Joe.
Gerry got up from the table and walked to the living room, where Jame and Fin were sitting.
"James?" he nervously got his attention.
"Yes, Gerry?" James asked.
"I believe we... need to have a wee chat, we do," Gerry nervously said.
"About what?" James asked, now feeling nervous.
"It's best if we just have this wee chat, son," said Gerry. "Let's step outside."
The two went out on Jim's front porch.
"Right," Gerry sighed. "So... ye lot are goin' to yer final school dance."
"Yeah," James nodded.
"And I bet there's gonna be some after parties," Gerry continued.
"Probably," James agreed, arching an eyebrow. "What exactly are you getting at?"
"I was young once, ye know," Gerry retorted. "And I know that young people have... urges."
"Oh dear god," James went wide eyed. "Gerry, I had no intentions of..."
"I am aware that things can happen, son," Gerry interrupted. "So... I just want ye to be prepared."
The Quinn patriarch then quickly placed a small box into the wee English fella's hand, whose eyes went even more wide with shock.
"Now then," he gave James a stern look. "Ye're gonna put that wee box in yer pocket, we're gonna go back inside Jim's, and we are never speakin' of this again. Understood?"
The wee English fella simply nodded and the two walked back into Jim's.
After a little over an hour, Niall was impressed with what Jim had done. The last time he remembered having a clean shaven face was at his trial. Same went for having shorter, neat looking hair. Jim had even brushed it with some mousse, coming it to one side.
"Jesus, Jim, that looks cracker, it does," said Niall. "Yous barber by trade?"
"No, son," Jim chuckled. "Just somethin' I learned years prior. Glad ye're satisfied with me work."
"Yous best be finishin' gettin' yerself ready then," said Joe.
The fellas made their way back to the Quinn household, keeping with the orders made to not go past the foyer. James was in a black suit with matching bow tie. Fin was in a dark brown suit with matching necktie. Both had their hair moussed and parted to one side like Niall. The eldest Mallon child was wearing the grey suit he'd worn the day of his trial, with a matching necktie and black shoes. It was a bit looser back then, but he filled it out better now that he'd grown some muscle.
The three stood nervously, when they saw Laurie walking down the stairs. She was wearing a bright blue pantsuit with a swirling pattern, along with some kind of headdress of the same color and pattern.
"Evenin', fellas," she greeted with a warm smile. "I see ye're all dressed up. Lookin' right dapper, ye are."
"Thank you, Laurie," James replied with a smile. "You look absolutely cracker!"
"Jesus, James," Niall chuckled. "Tryin' to sound native, are ye?"
"Filling in for Michelle?" James asked sarcastically.
"How am I doin' then?" Niall asked with a wink.
"Ye forgot to call 'em a dick," Fin chimed in.
The three fellas and Laurie shared a laugh, as Gerry and Joe walked back into the house.
"Are the others ready yet?" Joe asked nobody in particular.
"We haven't had a chance to ask yet," answered James.
Just then, little Anna walked out into the foyer, smiling brightly.
"Mammy says to come into the livin' room!" the youngest Quinn child exclaimed.
They made their way into the living room, where the Ma's were standing, but the girls were out of view. A sheet had been placed in the way of the counter window. Kathy went over to James and gave him a big hug.
"Ach! My boy looks so handsome!" She exclaimed. "The rest of you look grand as well!"
"Thanks, Aunt Kathy," Niall replied.
"Aw, Niall!" Kathy exclaimed more, hugging her nephew. "I'm so glad you got let out early! I'm so happy to see you's doing well!"
"Thanks a lot, Aunt Kathy," Niall replied, not used to his aunt being so affectionate.
"And you must be Fin!" Kathy drew her attention to the fidgety ginger fella. "James has brought you up a few times!"
"P-pleasure to… um… meet you… Miss Maguire," Fin fumbled.
"Alright, Kathy, that's enough," Deirdre chimed in. "We gotta get those slow on the road."
Kathy let out a sigh and walked back to stand with the rest of the Ma's.
"What's all this about?" Joe asked, pointing to the sheet.
"They felt it necessary to put on a wee fashion show and reveal themselves one at a time," Mary explained with slight annoyance in her voice. "That's why we put up that there sheet."
"I thought it was a grand idea," said Sarah. "We put a lot of work into the hair and makeup, we did."
"That mean we can start, Mammy?" Erin asked from behind the sheet.
"Aye, yer dates are all present and accounted for," Mary answered.
Erin was the first to step into view. She was wearing a short sleeved, velvety dress, with a square scooped neckline. It was the same shade of lavender as her pantsuit she'd worn for her birthday, hair was in the same Rachel Green from Friends style she'd done for that. The bodice was solid with a string tie, and the skirt portion had roses that blended in. Her makeup consisted of red lipstick, and just a bit of blush.
She walked over to James, who was looking at her with nothing but love in his eyes.
"You look absolutely gorgeous," her wee English fella said with a crooked smile.
"Thank ye," she blushed, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "Ye look really handsome."
Michelle was next, doing a twirl, then holding one hand on her hip, sporting her usual cocky smirk. She was wearing a black, silky dress, with a beaded bodice, and spaghetti straps. Her hair was put up in a slight bun, with the rest flowing down. Her makeup consisted of pink lipstick, slight blush, and a smokey eyeliner that was a bit wing tipped and smudged.
She sauntered over to Fin, who was his usual fidgety self, pushing his glasses back up.
"Y-you... um... look wow," the fidgety ginger fella fumbled out. "A-absolutely stunning."
"A sweet talker as always," she said in a sultry tone, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ye're lookin' exceptionally fine."
"Both of ye watch where those hands go, hi!" Deirdre exclaimed.
"Ach! Don't spoil the mood, Mammy!" Michelle retorted.
Clare came out next, holding her hands nervously. She had repurchased the same type of blue dress she'd worn to the 50s style prom a couple years back. Her hair was also made up the same, in a slight updo, with her bangs loose. tied in the back with a light blue ribbon. Her makeup consisted of rouge lipstick, slight blush, and mild blue eyeshadow.
The wee lesbian walked nervously over to her girlfriend, who let out a little whistle.
"Well, ye're certainly gonna be the belle of this ball," said Laurie with a warm smile. Clare couldn't really speak, she just let out a nervous giggle.
Orla was the last to appear, practically leaping out into view, as she did a wee twirl and was smiling brightly. She had on a dress that reminded her of her Easter dress, but it felt a bit more "grown up" in her eyes. It was sleeveless, but had some frills at the shoulders, a slight scoop neck, tighter at the torso, but flowed out at the skirt, primarily yellow in color, but with a variety of vibrant colored roses throughout. Her makeup was a subtle shade of red, light blush, and just a bit of eyeliner. Her hair was styled like it had at the prom, tied at the top with the rest flowing behind.
The quirky Derry girl's smile slowly faded as she started looking around.
"Where's Niall?" she asked.
Michelle immediately burst out laughing.
"Good god, Orla," Erin said quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Fuck-a-doodle-do!" Michelle cackled. "She can't recognize you's without that Brillo pad on yer face!"
Orla slowly walked up to her boyfriend, looking at him with slight suspicion.
"Are ye really my Champion?" she asked, a smile now forming.
"That all depends," Niall replied with a chuckle. "You's still my Golden Princess?"
Orla slowly reached out to touch Niall's newly shaved face, which caught him by surprise, but in a good way.
"Is it weird?" he asked. "I just figured I should look a bit cleaner for the first proper dance I've ever been to, hi."
"Aye, it's a wee bit strange," she answered in her usual honest fashion.
"Fuck me, if that ain't the pot callin' the kettle black," Michelle chuckled.
"Honestly," James sighed.
"But, it's also grand!" Orla exclaimed with a big smile.
She then wrapped her arms around Niall's neck and gave him a soft kiss, which he gladly reciprocated.
"Ach! Orla, love!" Sarah exclaimed. "We don't wanna hafta redo yer lipstick!"
The new couple broke apart from the kiss, both smiling shyly.
Orla then noticed the head wrap Laurie was wearing, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"What's the wee hat ye have on there, Laurie?" she asked.
"Jesus, Orla!" Clare cacked.
"It's fine, love," Laurie chuckled. "This is called a gele. It's a common head wrap worn by women in Nigeria. Me Da's from there."
"It's cracker!" Orla exclaimed.
"Thank ye very much," Laurie replied with a warm smile.
"Alright then," Mary chimed in. "We best be gettin' some pics b'fore you's head out.
The parents took various pics of their wains: individual, couples, girls, fellas, then all together. Finally they headed out, taking two cars to accommodate everyone. Gerry allowed James to drive his car, with Erin in the passenger seat, while Clare and Laurie riding along. Fin had his car, with in the passenger seat, while Michelle, Orla and Niall sat in back. They were on their way to their final school dance.