Chapter 8

Note: Thanks for being patient. To compensate, chapter 9 will be up super soon. Like, probably less than a week.

Breathe, I thought to myself as I stood before my closet. He said the party was dressy. Dressy. What kind of dressy? There was the extremely dressy event: the kind where you’d curl your hair and wear a silky or sparkly dress and tall heels. Then there was the middle dressy: where a dress was required, but it wasn’t as fancy as silk. Finally there was the lowest type of dressy. This level of dressy didn’t require the female participants to wear a dress or skirt if they didn’t want to, but nice pants would be acceptable.
I wandered out of the shadow of my closet to ask Chris what he thought. He told me he was just wearing black jeans and a collared shirt, which didn’t help much since that could be accepted for everything but the extreme dressy.
I decided to try to blend the lesser two categories of dressy by wearing a casual dress. I only owned one casual dress. It was a dark plum color, nearly black. The top was cut straight across my chest the way I like it. I loved to be comfortable but feel pretty at the same time. At the waist there was a horizontal sash about six inches wide, accentuating my waist. From there, the skirt cascaded smoothly, eventually falling into a ruffled bottom. The bottom ended right above my knee, feeling just right for the party.
Since tonight was special for both me and Ellis, I tried to look my best. I painted my nails a deep plum, matching my dress, but added a sparkly coat over top to dress it up at little. To dress my outfit down, I wore silver hoops in my ears and left my hair straight and down. To finish it all off, I slipped into black shoes with a tiny heel and called for Chris.
“You look nice,” he commented as we stepped out the door to his car. He was true to his word by wearing exactly what he’d told me earlier.
“Thanks, so do you.”
We stepped into his car, almost permanently colored a dirty red and never kept clean. I shoved away an old soda bottle from my seat and made way for my feet by kicking away a few papers.
“Don’t you ever clean this out?” I asked as I eyed his side of the car. It was no better than mine with papers and CDs crowding the floor beneath his seat.
He shrugged and turned to key in the ignition. A male voice I didn’t recognize resounded from the speakers, wailing something about unrequited love and ivy.
“I don’t have time to clean it out anymore. You’ll see when you’re a senior.”
“I’m busy, too.”
He snorted. “Hazel, you’re barely busy at all. How long has it been since you’ve had a friend over?”
“Ellis was just over.”
“Yeah, for a project.” He left his mouth open for a split second longer like he was about to say something. I knew it was probably going to be hurtful. I turned my head to look out the glass. The sky was perfectly clear, and the sun was making its descent toward the earth, gathering together pinks and oranges on its way.
“Cassie’s my friend.” I wished it was truer than I was making it sound.
“She hasn’t been around in a while. What happened to her?”
“She, uh...I don’t see her that much in school anymore.” “Oh. Well, you should try to make some new friends.”
I thought about the kids I sat with at lunch, and some I shared classes with. I could call them friends, but nothing more. I could barely invite them to my house without an uncomfortable air hanging over us, but to say the least, they were friends.
“Well, I’m going to this party, aren’t I?”
“Good way to start.”
For five minutes longer we stayed quiet until Chris turned into the parking lot. To our left was the restaurant where the party was, a little place I’d never heard of. The sign displaying the name, Doc’s, was lit up in neon pink above the door. Inside I could make out people smiling and holding glasses, and right away I could tell that my outfit would be acceptable.
When we got inside, December Breath was getting up on stage to perform. Of course I spotted Ellis right away. He was seated on a stool like Blondie, no bass in sight. Wearing black pants and a black long-sleeved dress shirt completed with a skinny red tie, he looked absolutely perfect. He had a certain excitement hiding in his eyes, like a child waiting to be given a sweet reward. A microphone was perched in front of him, which he lifted and adjusted as Blondie announced, “Hey everyone, we’re going to perform two songs for you. It’s a nice acoustic set tonight.”
Chris wandered from my side as I half expected him to. I didn’t spot one face I knew, besides the band up on the stage. Some people were sitting around tables, so I followed their example and walked towards an empty one. When I turned back I was too far away from the stage to my liking, and Blondie had shifted in his stool so that I could only see half of Ellis’ body.
“This is a new one,” Blondie said, continuing his speech. “We wrote just a week ago, so it might be a little rough. Hope you like it.” He leaned away from his stand for a second, but added quickly, “Oh, and Damon would like to dedicate this to Marti.”
Damon started a mellow tune on his guitar, and Blondie soon added another part. I was expecting Blondie to start out the lyrics, but instead I recognized Ellis’s voice. As he sang out the melody of the verse, I shifted and smiled in my seat. I’d forgotten how nice his voice sounded. Blondie took over the chorus, and the song unfolded into a dramatic bridge and ended with a quiet finish, coming back full circle.
During the song I looked around the restaurant when I found myself staring at Ellis for too long. I remembered coming here once before, a long time ago with the family. It was bright and cheery, with maple wood flooring and dark green booths.
Blondie leaned into the microphone again. “This next one might be more familiar. It’s on the album, so, uh, here we go.”
I recognized the song from the two shows I’d been at, but didn’t know any of the words yet. It was fast paced and catchy, so before I knew it the song had been finished. The members of the band began their descent down the little black stairs, back to the party. I followed Ellis naturally with my eye, and he elbowed his way through the crowd, every step coming closer to where I was seated. His eyes held the slightest hint of a sparkle as he caught my eye and smiled.
When he was close enough he exclaimed, “You came! Did you like the songs?”
I rose and said, “Of course. I’m planning to buy this CD tonight.”
“I’d hope so. Is Chris here, too?”
“Yeah, but he went off with some friends I guess.”
“Left you here alone?”
I shrugged while still maintaining a smile. “More so left me at the door. I kind of wandered over here.”
“Well, I’ll take you to meet some people.” He gently touched my elbow and guided me into the big crowd. Once we were in the middle of everyone I could see that the collective group was actually separated into small groups of about four or five people each. Some were holding clear plastic cups and slowly sipped their beverages down as they chatted and laughed. I couldn’t help thinking that this party seemed somewhat glamorous, at least compared to the parties I’d been to before. All the variations of dresses and collared shirts created a palette of colors and patterns that swirled before my eyes as Ellis himself steered me to a group of my own to talk and sip bubbly juice with.
He stopped at a group of three people: Blondie, Damon, and a girl I couldn’t name. I knew she wasn’t Jade right away because of her appearance. She had normal brown hair that fell at her shoulders in loose curls. Her eyes resembled rich milk chocolate, and freckles lightly dotted her nose. Her face glowed due to the huge smile still lingering there from laughter of the moment before. Her dress was a light floral print, red and pink flowers on a white background. Damon stood next to her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder, pulling her pretty close to himself.
“Hey guys,” Ellis said as he broke in the circle next to Blondie, and I next to the girl.
“Hey El,” the girl responded, “Who’s this?” She tipped her head my way.
“This is Hazel. She goes to Nova with me and works at that one club we played just before school started.”
“Frisco?” Blondie asked.
“Yeah.”
Blondie stuck out his hand awkwardly in the middle of the circle, so I took it for a second. It felt rough and big compared to mine.
“I remember you! You helped us with the chairs.”
I nodded. “Yep.”
Damon piped up, “Didn’t you come backstage at the arena show?”
“Yeah, with my brother, Chris.
He stuck out his hand, too, and pumped once. His hands were smaller than Blondie’s, and much sweatier. His hair had grown since I’d seen him, but he still wore it in the same spiky way.
The girl turned toward me and exclaimed, “Hey, I’m Marti.”
I smiled. “Hi.”
“I won’t shake your hand, I’ll give you a hug,” she laughed as we embraced. I had to stand on my toes to reach my arms around her neck. She was wearing pink high heels, making her about three and half inches taller than me.
When Marti returned to her spot next to Damon, he didn’t put his arm around her again, but it was obvious he liked her. He stayed close to her and looked as if he was dying to take her hand in his or something, but she didn’t notice. Her eyes were bright like she had just laughed, and she looked into the face of whoever was talking.
“So, um, did we sound okay?” Ellis asked Marti and me. We were the only ones in the circle that didn’t belong to the band.
Marti started before I got a chance to, but it wasn’t like I really wanted to speak my mind. I always loved hearing December Breath, but I was still shy about talking about how much I loved it. It made me think that the band would think of me as one of those crazy girls who are attached to those local boy bands just because they’re attractive musicians who will actually talk to them, unlike the famous ones.
“I thought you sounded great. What’s that new song called?”
“Damon wrote most of it,” Blondie said. “It’s pretty much for you.”
Marti looked at Damon with a huge smile on her face and her eyes still shining. She hugged him with one arm around his side and asked while looking up at him, “What’s it called?”
He looked down at the floor for a second, and then lifted his eyes as he spoke. “Uh, Roses Don’t Compare.”
“It was pretty,” I spoke up before it got to be an awkward conversation about the couple.
“Thanks.”
“So, food, guys. Where’s the food?” Marti asked. I was glad she wasn’t a girl who tried to make people believe she eats four crackers for a meal.
“It’s over there,” Ellis pointed to a table draped in a blue plastic tablecloth. Bowls of chips and plates of cheese and meat were piled among sodas and Styrofoam cups and plates.
“Thanks!” Marti grabbed Damon by the hand and they left the group.
Ellis turned to me. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really. Thanks, though.”
“Me either,” Blondie answered.
“What’s your name again?” I addressed Blondie. I knew I should learn his name before I let my own nickname for him slip out accidently.
“I’m Dave. And you’re…Hazel?”
I nodded.
“Did Ellis invite you here?”
“Yeah.”
He was staring at me pretty intently, almost like I was a big steak and he’d love to cut me up and dip me in some A1 sauce. It was pretty obvious he didn’t know what to say next, but the fact that he kept on trying to make conversation was becoming slightly humorous with a hint of annoyance. I didn’t like him much, if that wasn’t clear before. I wished he had been the one to go to the food instead of Marti and Damon. Marti was the kind of person that has the right balance of kindness and outgoingness that attracts people, so I automatically liked her and wanted her around.
“So, you liked the little concert?”
“Yeah, I always like to hear you guys play. You’re good.”
“Well, thank you. We try, don’t we Ellis?”
Ellis was kind of staring off somewhere behind Dave, looking bored and preoccupied. “Uh, yeah. We always try our best.”
“So, Hazel, do you—“
“Dave,” Ellis cut Blondie off without realizing it, “I’ve told Hazel a little about Jade. Do you think we should introduce her?”
Blondie looked a kind of mad that Ellis had cut him off, but he nodded anyway. We traveled in a little group; Ellis led, and Dave stayed by my side right behind him. There wasn’t enough time for him to start another conversation, thankfully, so I didn’t pay any attention to him. I looked ahead at where Ellis was headed and tried to pick out Jade from the crowd. It was unsuccessful, but once we reached the group she was talking in I knew her right away.
Dressed in a simple strapless red dress with an empire waist and a sweetheart neckline, she stood there neither frowning nor smiling. She had long silky black hair that was slicked back in a tight pony tail, hanging there perfectly straight without any bumps or creases. Her skin was pale, contrasting with her hair. Her eyebrows had a natural arch that made her look serious when she wasn’t smiling.
But her eyes were what caught me off guard the most. They were a bright green with an almost black rim circling around them. She didn’t need much makeup, but it was there: smoky, gray eyes, flawless foundation, and a hint of blush. All in all, she was stunningly gorgeous.
Occasionally sipping her sparkling cider, she stared at whoever was speaking when we walked up. Steve was right beside her, standing close but not touching her.
“Hey guys,” Steve said as we joined the group.
“Hey. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Hazel Tamblyn,” Ellis introduced me.
I glanced at Jade. She was looking at me, like everyone else, and as soon as I met her gaze she smiled. Her smile was mesmerizing like her whole aura, and she actually looked pretty friendly.
I was glad when the conversation turned to something other than me. I usually never like being the center of attention. My mind easily drifted away from the conversation; they were talking about a mutual friend between them that I didn’t know. I thought about how nice this was: standing here beside Ellis and Dave (well the last part wasn’t that great), holding some sparkling juice, and feeling pretty and put together. And then, I realized, I could hear Ellis’ voice whenever I wanted after I bought the December Breath CD. Life was good.
“You think so, right Hazel?” someone addressed me.
“What?” I was instantly jerked from my thoughts.
“Ellis is a real cutie, huh?”
I looked at Ellis. He looked a little red, but he was smiling shyly. I had no idea how to respond to that, especially after being thrown into the conversation so quickly. I didn’t want him to know my direct thoughts about him, but I sure wasn’t going to say he was ugly.
In truth, I thought he was perfect in appearance terms. I loved the dimple on his left check that appeared when he smiled. His eyes were such a stunning shade of blue that I didn’t think I’d ever look at normal blue eyes the same again. I also loved what he wore, particularly tonight. He made me wish that boys would dress nice every day.
“Uh, yeah.” I stole another glance at him. He was looking at me with the same smile as before.
“See guys, you’re a bunch of cuties.”
I was relieved when Chris came to ask me something, because I didn’t want to contribute anymore to that topic. Making Blondie think I thought he was the least bit attractive wasn’t a goal for the night.
“Hazel, you want a CD, right?”
“Yeah, get one.”
“You’re paying half.”
“Fine. Here,” I said as I dug through my bag for some money, “take a ten. But give me back half!”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” Blondie said, “We should probably go sign some.” He ran up to the stage again and announced that the band would be signing CDs for the next hour.
Inwardly I sighed. The party would probably get to be pretty boring from now on. And I proved to be right, except for part when the band signed our newly bought album. When Ellis signed it he looked me straight in the eye and asked if I was leaving soon. I guess it was pretty late by that time.
“Um, probably. I don’t know. Chris drove, so I don’t really have much of a say.”
He kind of laughed. “Well, thanks for coming. It meant a lot.”
Then the moment was over. It was incredibly small, but it was enough to think about for the whole rest of the night, which consisted of standing around, drinking even more juice, and meeting various new people.
Finally I got Chris to start heading for the door after he finished his third round of food, and we were almost out when Ellis came calling my name.
“Hey, real quick. Do you, uh, want to hang out sometime this week?”
Somehow I answered, though I was pretty speechless at the moment. Later in the car Chris said, “It’s so obvious he’s into you.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Why, would you date him?”
“Maybe.” Maybe I should have told the whole truth then, but if Chris could pick up on Ellis liking me, maybe he knew the real answer to that question.