Ryan raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t believe her. ‘Com’on, I’ve got another test for you,’ he said with an evil grin.
‘Damn, I take it back, maybe trigonometry would be better. So what’s next?’
‘Follow me.’
They walked the busy city centre streets, people rushing past, others sitting reading papers. It made Jaz wonder what some of them were really up to. Was that guy really reading a paper or was he staking out a shop, or person?
Ryan pulled her away from a few dress shop windows a few times until they came to a huge Target store. ‘Okay, you sit here opposite this store. Now I’m going to go in there and you have to spot me when I come out.’
‘Sounds easy enough.’
‘Well, I might be disguised and I might be out in ten minutes or three hours.’
‘Oh damn, really! I’ll never have time to look for a dress if you take that long,’ she whined but nodded her head none the less. ‘Alright off ya go, I’ll be watching.’
And watch she did. The doorway was quite large and people were in and out but she thought she could see them all okay. None were Ryan so far. But after twenty minutes she had to try hard to stop her eyes wandering off. This would be so much easier with her music. After another twenty minutes, and a few close look-a-likes, she was still sure he hadn’t come out. Or was she? If she blinked at the wrong time, he could have slipped out unnoticed. What if he’d been wearing a hat? Oh crap, this was mental.
Ten minutes later and she felt like she was being watched. Abandoning her post, she looked behind her to see Ryan standing there. He was wearing a sexy leather jacket, a trendy surf hat and a stupid smile because he’d won. How could she have missed him! Anyone would have noticed someone that good-looking, surely.
‘Okay, obviously I suck at this! But on the plus side, I like that jacket on you.’
Jaz crossed her arms as Ryan sat down beside her, ditching the hat on the other side of the chair. ‘Hats aren’t my thing, but you like the jacket?’ Jaz nodded and was rewarded with another smile. ‘It’s a keeper then. Don’t worry, surveillance is a hard job, especially as I knew you would be looking for me and I know how to blend in, hide behind a group and stay out of your line of sight.’
Jaz’s phone went off as she pulled it from the waistband of her skirt. ‘Oh no, busted. It’s from Anna, wondering where I am. She said she was sitting all alone in the school caf but luckily, Taylor kept her company. I’m now demoted to second best friend.’ Jaz laughed and texted her back. ‘I just told her we went to The Ring for a work-out.’
‘You hungry?’
‘Could eat a horse,’ she replied.
They grabbed a bite at the Carillon food court, both Chinese, before heading back through the shops. Jaz saw a dress shop and turned her eyes to Ryan. ‘Look, normally a dress shop is the last place I’d be, but I can’t go to the ball naked now, can I?’
His eyebrows shot up and then he shrugged. ‘Oh I don’t know, I think you’d be the best dressed there,’ Ryan laughed.
‘Pleeeeease, can we go in?’ He sighed and she took that as a yes. Jaz grabbed his arm and dragged him into the shop. ‘You can stand here and tell me what you think. I need a guy’s opinion.’ Jaz parked Ryan in front of the change rooms before heading off to find some dresses. She went for the blue ones, Taylor did suggest it after all. On the way back to the change rooms she saw a silvery blue halter neck dress and grabbed that too before strutting into the change rooms past Ryan who looked less than enthusiastic.
‘Shouldn’t you be doing this with your mum?’ asked Ryan, whose foot she could hear tapping away impatiently.
‘My mum works and just gave me money to find something. She probably thinks I’m not even going to go. But I have a date now, so I have to.’
‘Ah huh. So who’s the lucky fella?’
Jaz burst into laughter as she walked out. ‘I look like I’m being strangled. Check out all these straps. Any good?’
‘No.’
She tried on the next one.
‘You didn’t say who you were going with?’
Jaz didn’t know why he cared. ‘Taylor is taking me. Just as a friend,’ she said coming out with another dress on.
‘No.’
And then another.
‘No.’
‘Damn you Ryan, are you going to like any of them?’ Jaz reached for the silvery one and slipped it on. She smiled at the image in the mirror. The dress started at the top in a silver halter and blended through to a vibrant blue. Fitted like a glove too. This was her favourite. She sashayed out of the change room for Ryan’s opinion. But she didn’t need to hear it as she could see the awe in his eyes.