Me, Alexandria, and Adrian all head to our separate lockers, and I grab my books and stuff them into my backpack before heading out the double doors at the front of the school. Both me and Jasmine don't have cars, so I walk the short distance to our house. Pulling the house key that hangs around my neck out of my shirt, I unlock the door and step inside and turning on the lights. I stop by the kitchen, grab a frozen pizza and stick it in the oven at 3:50, then make my way up to my room. I glance at the clock on my night table and see that it is only 2:45, giving me plenty of time.

I change out of the clothes I was wearing and put on a floral print dress that stops a few inches above my knees that my mom bought for me, and top it with my favorite blue denim jacket. I then put on some sheer tights to keep my legs warm. Turning around in front of the mirror, I have to admit that I look pretty good. That gets me thinking and I remember that Enzo's number is still stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans. I pull it out and smooth it down reaching for my phone to put his number in my contacts. Entering it in, I label his contact 'Enzo', and save it. I want to drop him a text and say 'hey', but I don't want to over step my boundaries. I send my mom a text about my four o'clock appointment with my friends before getting out my laptop and doing some more research on the Wright brothers for our project.

An hour into my project I hear a loud honk outside my window. Pulling back my bright blue and white lace trim curtains, I spot Essie's red convertible below, the red making a sharp contrast to the dark brown siding on my house. I quickly lace up my white, all-star converse and jog down the stairs and out the front door.

Essie waves at me from inside the car and I wave back, opening the back door and getting in beside Alexandria and Adrian. They both say "hey" and I respond in kind. Essie starts the engine and we're off.

About 20 minutes later we pull into the parking lot of the boutique that specializes in prom/banquet/formal attire. I slide out the door behind Adrian and we all head into the boutique. A dress on display in the front window catches my attention as we enter the building. It's a long, chiffon, maroon dress with silver bead accents at the waistline, a sweetheart neckline, and it's lightly pleated at the waist.

While my friends and several others meander through the store looking for the "perfect" outfit, I stay by the front, admiring the beautiful dress from all sides. The back of the dress features an open back that closes a few inches before the waist, maroon straps crisscrossing over the gap. I check the price tag and it's a little out of my price range, but not by much. I step back from the dress and I decided to go for it.

I turn and make my way around the store, searching for the rack or hook with this particular dress on it. I finally find it in a corner toward the front of the room and I take down my size and make my way to the dressing rooms. All of them are full except for the one on the end. I step inside, slide the lock into place and hang the dress up in on of the hooks provided.

I shimmy out of my dress and jacket and slide the dress carefully over my thin frame, zipping it up at the side. Smoothing the dress down the sides, I look up in the mirror and about faint. The girl staring back at me is not the girl I saw this morning. The dress hugs my body, accents my thin shoulders, neck, small cleavage, and gives me the elegance I wish I had. The bottom of the dress make a "swish" sound as it brushes against the floor and I turn from side to side, trying to take it all in.

I hear Essie's voice carry through the thin walls of the small dressing room and I call out to her, asking her to bring the others. Taking a deep breath I unlock the door and step outside and walk to where they are. In turn they all gasp and Essie covers her mouth, a squeal escaping through her parted lips.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Where did you find that dress! It's gorgeous and it fits like it was made for you! The color goes perfectly with your hair color!"

"Uh, it was in the front window and I was sort of drawn to it, so I was like 'what the heck! Why not' and I tried it on and I absolutely love it! It makes me look elegant!" I say excitedly, twirling around to give them a view of the back of the dress.

"Wow, Cassie! Just wow! That dress looks wow . . . !" Adrian trailed off, staring at me like he'd never seen me before.

"I agree with them both. That dress is absolutely perfect on you and I bet you'll have a dozen of guys flocking after you trying to ask you to the banquet." Alexandria chimed in with a laugh.

"I seriously doubt that, but thanks, guys! I'm definitely gonna buy his dress!"

I changed back into my dress and converse and after we had viewed Alexandria's dress and Adrian's suit (Essie wanted her outfit to be a surprise), we paid for our outfits and exited the store. On the way back to my house, Essie was trying to convince Adrian that he should ask Sarah, from his Pre-Cal class to the dance. He just rolled his eyes and said that he would think about it, which satisfied Essie. I rested my hand on my elbow and enjoyed the scenery as we drove through the busy streets of the city.

The cars thinned out and a few minutes later we arrived at my house. I hopped out, thanked Essie for the ride, said "goodbye" to Adrian and Alexandria and stood on the driveway, waving at the car until it had passed from my sight. Pulling the house key out of my purse, I inserted it in the lock, turned it until I heard the familiar click of the lock releasing and pushed the door open with my other hand.