Her Guardians Lost(44)

“Why are we outside Michael’s?”

I climbed off the bike. “I don’t think he’s home, which is great.”

Luana threw her shapely leg over the bike and took her helmet off. “What are you up to?” she asked, helping me off with mine.

Without answering, I looked around his porch for a key. I knew some people hide keys under flowerpots or something, so I wondered if Michael would do the same.

“What are you looking for?”

Bending down and looking underneath a bush, I found a little pot in the corner. I pushed it aside. “Voila!” I shouted as I came back up.

Luana saw the key and shook her head. “I don’t think Michael will take too kindly to us breaking into his house.”

“I’m breaking into his house. I just need to set up the scene.”

“The scene for what?” she asked, following me in.

The same white walls greeted us as we walked into the living room. That picture of an angel was still high above the fireplace.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Luana’s voice almost made me jump. “Yes, she is.”

“So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing here?”

I bit my lip, wondering if she would go along with this. “I need you to call Michael and I need you to sound really upset.”

“Why?”

“Well…,” I said, pacing the floor. “If Michael wants a damsel in distress, I think we should give him one.” I set my bag on the sofa and dumped it out, revealing a dress. “Michael hasn’t seen me in this yet. You seem to be the same size I am.”

Luana blinked a couple of times, shaking her head. “I don’t understand.”

I could see the confusion in her face, so I walked over to her and grabbed her hand. The feeling of nothing washed over me. “You and I are friends, right?” She nodded. “I want to give you something as one friend to another. You deserve it.”

I saw the tears in her eyes and it made my heart swell. “That’s good. Keep those tears coming because you’re going to need lots of them in a minute.”

“Why?”

“Because we are going to get you out of these jeans and put this dress on you. Then you are going to call Michael and tell him you came around to visit him, only to find me in his house. You can say I came around to speak with him, but when I saw you, I flipped. I will spit so much venom at you, Luana, that Michael will see me as the heartless bitch and will see you—”

“As a damsel in distress,” she confirmed.

“Exactly. I won’t mean anything I say, of course. It will be hard for me, but just know that whatever bad thing I say means how much I admire you.”

I saw the hint of excitement in her eyes, but I knew she was somewhat conflicted. “I don’t think I can do damsel.”

Squeezing her hand, I made her look at me. “I’m going to be so horrible, the shock of my words will have you hurting. You have to cry, Luana. Even if you can’t do damsel, you certainly can act like one.”

She saw the determination on my face and started laughing. It wasn’t long before I was joining her. I said, “Come on. We have to act fast. I’m not sure where he is or how long he will be.”

We got to work straight away. Thankfully, the dress was a good fit, and the transformation was amazing. Michael would be putty in Luana’s hands when he catches a glimpse of her.

“Beautiful. Just beautiful, Luana. You have the most amazing legs. Why don’t you show them off more?”

Luana actually blushed. I knew there was an inner damsel in there just screaming to get out. “I guess I’m just so used to being who I am.”

Pulling her golden hair around her face, I smiled. “You’re going to knock his socks off. Now, let me hear it. Act like you’re crying so we can get on with this call.”

Luana smiled and went into actress mode. After a couple of tries, I thought she was ready.

Picking her phone up, she began to dial his number. We both waited as the call connected and his loud voice could be heard. “Michael?” she said timidly. “It’s Cassie… She’s here at your house,” she said in a shaky voice. I put my thumb up to let her know she was doing really well. “She…she was waiting for you when I arrived. She’s mad, Michael. Really mad. Can you come home, please? I’m not sure what she’s going to do.”

I could hear Michael’s commanding voice on the other end. I could tell he was mad and it made me doubt what I was doing. I didn’t want Michael to be mad at me.

“He said he’d be here in five minutes,” Luana said after hanging up.