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  “Oh,” Lisle said when I took off the white cloak that was covering my dress. “Where did you find that dress? I don’t remember you trying it on.”

  “It was my mom’s,” I said.

  “Ah, a used dress,” Jacqueline said. “Of course.”

  “Vintage,” I corrected her. “A vintage dress from a time when people had style.”

  As I walked away from her, I suddenly missed my mom and I wished she was there to see me in her dress.

  Lisle caught up with me. “Sorry about Jaqueline,” she whispered. “She’s having a bad night. Her escort got sick at the last minute and can’t come. She’s going to have to go to the ball by herself.”

  I sighed. I was sick of Jacqueline’s rudeness and pretty much over Lisle constantly defending it. I just turned away from Lisle, making up my mind that I wasn’t going to let it happen anymore.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door and the fathers came in to present their daughters with gifts.

  I watched as Lisle’s dad gave her diamond earrings and Jacqueline’s dad handed her an emerald pendant.

  “I have a special gift for you,” my aunt whispered. “Just wait.”

  A moment later two more people came into the room: my dad and mom. “You guys!” I squealed, running over to hug them. “What are you doing here?”

  “I paid for them to fly out,” explained Caroline.

  “And they won’t arrest you again?” I asked my dad, half joking, half serious.

  “Never again,” my Aunt Caroline said. “I thought that if you were being presented as a Valmont-Diaz, it was about time Evonia got used to the Diaz part.” She turned to my parents. “You are both always welcome. I’m so glad you’ve returned.”

  Aunt Caroline and my mom hugged each other and then both dabbed at their eyes at the same time, in the same way.

  My dad came over to me. He held up a guitar case.

  “Caroline told me I was supposed to give you a gift.”

  He set it on a table and I opened it. Inside was his old guitar—the one he had first taught me to play on.

  “Thank you,” I said, hugging him. “It’s perfect.”

  25

  When our escorts came into the room, I immediately noticed how Jacqueline looked at Victor. Suddenly I felt bad for her. Even though she’d been petty about it, it seemed like she really did like Victor. More than I did, at least.

  “Victor,” I said.

  “What?” he said in a slightly alarmed voice. He’d been looking at Jacqueline in pretty much the same way she was looking at him.

  “I don’t like you,” I said. Then, realizing how harsh it sounded, I added, “romantically. I don’t like you the way you and Jacqueline like each other.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but I held up my hand to stop him. “It’s okay that you like her. I’m not offended. You two have history.”

  He hung his head. “To be honest,” he mumbled, “I’m not really over her.”

  “Then you should be with her,” I told him. “Her escort backed out.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “I made a promise to you.”

  “But you made a promise to her first,” I said. “Do the right thing. Offer to be her escort again.”

  “What about you?” He said.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “My dad is here. And my mom. I don’t need anyone else.”

  I watched Victor sheepishly make his way over to Jacqueline. At first she ignored him, but eventually she smiled and took the hand he was offering her.

  My parents were still talking to Caroline, so I sneaked out of the room without anyone noticing. I wanted to get some fresh air and be by myself for a few minutes.

  I walked across the lawn, and in the distance I saw Sasha leaning against a tree. I walked toward him.

  “What are you doing?” he said when he saw me approach. “Why aren’t you inside?”

  “Why aren’t you?” I asked.

  “I can’t go inside,” he said a little bitterly. “I’m hired help.”

  “You can come if you’re my guest,” I argued. “And, if you didn’t already have a girlfriend, I would’ve invited you to be my escort.”

  “Girlfriend?” He laughed. “Since when do I have a girlfriend?”

  “Courtney,” I said. “Petra mentioned her.”

  “Courtney is a boy,” he laughed again. “My best friend. We started a band together a few years ago. He’s the drummer. That’s why I wanted to get to the States. I wanted to introduce you to him. I had this vision of the three of us being in a band together.”

  For a moment I was too shocked to react. And then I burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny,” Sasha said with a serious look on his face. “I really think we could make it big.”

  “Let’s take this one step at a time, Rock Star,” I said. “I’m guessing this means you weren’t trying to get close to me just so you could meet my dad?”

  “What? No! Why would you think that?”

  “Maybe because you asked me to connect you with him?”

  “I was just excited because I thought he could help us get a band off the ground. But even before I realized who he was, I knew I wanted to work with you. And . . . spend time with you in general.”

  I smiled. “Will you be my escort tonight?”

  “What about Victor?” He asked.

  “He made a promise to someone else,” I said. “Come on, walk down those stairs with me.”

  “I smell like horse,” Sasha said with a laugh.

  “I like the smell of horses,” I said.

  “Future band name?” He grinned. “The Smell of Horses?”

  “Umm, no,” I said, smiling.

  Then I took his hand and led him inside.

  K. R. Coleman is a writer, teacher, and parent of two boys. She has written half a dozen books for Darby Creek. Some of her favorites are Deadman Anchor, Showdown, Truth or Dare, and The Freshman. Under her real name, Karlyn Coleman, she has published short stories and a picture book entitled Where Are All the Minnesotans? Currently, she is working on a young adult novel entitled Air.