‘I love you too, Pax.’
Jaz headed out to the change rooms to put on her work-out gear. She felt so different. No longer naive and young. And as she worked out on the mat she felt like she had a purpose. That finally her life meant something.
Chapter 28
‘Oh my God!’ said Anna as she walked into Jaz’s room. ‘What the Hell happened here? Did your mum hire another cleaner?’
‘Ha ha, very funny. You know, my mum said the exact same thing. She even checked my temperature.’
‘I’m not bloody surprised. Wow, you have a nice room, I’d never noticed before,’ laughed Anna as she walked across the clean carpet to the window, where the curtains were drawn open, letting in the dying afternoon light.
Anna spun around and squealed. ‘Can you believe it, the ball’s tonight! I might finally get to second base!’
‘Anna you’re beautiful, you could have been kissed long ago if you’d leave your computer desk,’ Jaz laughed.
Anna frowned. ‘I don’t know how to take that, Jaz. It’s like a backhanded compliment!’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Only a few hours to go, do you wanna see my dress?’
‘Oh, I’d love to,’ said Tasha coming into Jaz’s room. ‘I’ve got the camera fully charged too.’
‘Mum,’ groaned Jaz. ‘Can we not do the overexcited parent thing?’
Tasha walked past Jaz, ignoring her comment and went to Anna’s dress that lay on the bed in its black cover bag. ‘Come on, Darling. Humour your old mother. I never got to go to a ball.’
‘Really? How come Mrs T?’ asked Anna.
Tasha tucked a blonde strand behind her ear, as her face dropped, deep in thought. ‘I was always doing more important things…or so my family told me, but all I wanted to do was be like the other kids and go to a ball.’ Tasha opened the black bag, peeked in at Anna’s dress, and smiled wistfully.
Jaz glanced at her mum, shocked at her words. ‘Your parents wouldn’t let you go?’
‘I wasn’t at a school by then; I’d left after year eleven so I missed out.’ Tasha smiled and quickly hid the hurt.
‘Oh, that’s a shame Mrs T. But now you can experience it through us,’ said Anna. ‘Besides, my mum will be here any minute and all Hell will break loose.’
Tasha laughed and gave Anna a hug. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got a bottle of wine chilling to keep us occupied while you get ready. We will cry into our wines at how quickly our girls have grown up. Oh, don’t look at me like that Jasmine,’ said Tasha giving Jaz’s cheek a squeeze. ‘Fine, I will leave you both alone.’
Jaz and Anna watched her leave, shutting the door behind her, before breaking out into nervous giggles.
‘I’m so nervous, Jaz. I can’t believe I’ve got a date.’
‘I can’t even believe we’re going,’ laughed Jaz. She couldn’t believe she was succumbing to this, being like everyone else, what they expected. Well actually, no one probably expected Jaz to go, let alone wear a dress without boots.
Jaz opened her cupboard and pulled out a silver high heel. ‘Look what Mum brought me,’ said Jaz hanging onto it by the heel. The heels she’d ‘borrowed’ from her mum’s cupboard for that special job of Ryan’s had been a bit taller than these but Anna didn’t know about them.
‘Bloody Hell, my mum wouldn’t let me get anything that high. Your mum is so cool, mine is from the fricken dark ages.’
‘She can’t be that bad, you said your dress is great. Com’on let’s start getting ready, Mum’s got the hairdresser here in half an hour.’
‘I bags first shower,’ said Anna grabbing her bag and heading for the bathroom.
An hour and a half later, the paparazzi had descended.
‘Okay, now just one more against this door, I think the cream will show up your dresses better.’
‘God, Mum, you’ve taken like a hundred already!’ Jaz complained as they shuffled across to the large front doors.
‘Say cheese,’ said Tasha.
‘No.’ Jaz smiled back with her arms crossed.
Tasha sighed and put down her camera. ‘Okay, you win. I’ll stop with the pictures. But you both look so beautiful.’
Anna’s mum was still clicking away, her red hair over her shoulder and halfway down her back. Anna was trying to cover the camera with her hand. ‘Enough Mum.’
A knock at the door sounded, sending the women in the room into a frenzy with their cameras again as Jaz opened the door for the boys.
Taylor had offered to pick up Ricky and drive them to the ball, as he didn’t have a car. Both guys walked in smelling of aftershave and hair gel. Ricky was wearing a white suit and a matching green tie and Taylor looked smashing in his black tux and silver tie. Ricky was quite cute with his normal mop of hazel hair sculpted and trimmed. Jaz felt uncomfortable seeing the way Taylor’s eyes popped from his head as he looked from Jaz to Anna.