Page 3 of The Tip-Off
“Hold up,” I say before he can open the door. “Explain.”
Wes snorts and looks at me like I’m clueless. I guess I am. “Me and Blair, Joel and Katrina, Vanessa and Mario…” His voice trails off, allowing me to fill in the rest.
“What about Nathan? Where is he and why can’t he give this… thing to her.” I shake the box in my hand.
“Nathan’s staying to get the party going. Would you rather stay here and play hostess or stand next to a pretty girl all night?”
He opens the door and I follow.
“That’s what I thought.”
Vanessa steps out of the limo. “Hello, boys.” She gives us both a once over before nodding her approval. Vanessa, Blair, and Gabby are like the three amigos lately, so I’m surprised to see her without them.
“What are you doing here?” Wes asks. “I thought we were surprising you?”
“Surprising me?” She shakes her head. “Who do you think helped Joel put this together? I mean, honestly, like he was going to leave you two unsupervised to pull this off.”
“Fair enough.” Wes chuckles, steps past her and slides into the limo. I try to do the same, but Vanessa moves with me.
“Hello, Zeke,” she says. “You clean up nice. I almost didn’t recognize you without your headphones.”
“Thanks, Vanessa. You look nice too.”
“Let’s talk strategy. This is going to be the best surprise party ever.” She claps her hands and then climbs into the vehicle.
Strategy?
Once we’re all in the limo, Vanessa’s boyfriend Mario offers us a beer and a knowing look as Vanessa gets right to it. “Blair, Gabby, and Joel are all at the theater for Katrina’s play. Joel’s going to come out to get you two and you’re going to storm in there looking all handsome and surprise the girls.” She pulls out a rolled-up poster board and hands it to me. “When they see you, hold this up.”
As I unroll it, glitter explodes. So does my head when I read what it says.Go to Prom with us?is written in big sparkly letters.
“Prom?” I’m not sure if I’m more thrown by the high school throwback or that this whole thing has been orchestrated as a big group date. Fuck, it’s warm in here. I pull at the collar on my shirt. I’m going to kill Joel for leaving out some very important details.
Wes covers a laugh with his fist. “Uh, yeah, that’s the other thing. Gabby and Katrina missed their high school proms so that’s where the limo and corsages come into play. It’s a surprise party with a prom vibe.” He claps me on the shoulder and shrugs. A shrug that tells me he’d do anything for Blair and by extension, Gabby. “It’s gonna be fun.”
2
Gabby
THIS iswhy girls go to the bathroom together. So they can talk about boys, borrow lipstick,andso they don’t get lost.
I push through the crowd careening my neck left and then right and walking on my tiptoes to try and see through the mass of people. There are a lot of great things about being short… not being able to see over tall people isn’t one of them.
Relief washes over me when I spot my friends across the large lobby of the Valley campus theater. The front doors are open and the breeze filters through, bringing with it the sweet smell of spring. It’s a beautiful night to be out, and though this is my first time watching a campus performance, I suspect the weather is partly responsible for everyone lingering after the show.
“I made it.” I let out a long breath as I join Blair and Katrina.
“You got lost again, didn’t you?” Blair asks with a teasing smile. Damn best friends, they always call you out.
“Not lost,” I insist. “Delayed. There was a long line for the ladies and then I had to weave through a million people to find you. It’s like a Beyoncé concert up in here.”
“It’s one of the best turnouts I’ve ever seen, and the show was fantastic.”
At Blair’s praise, Katrina blushes. Tonight’s play was written entirely by her and all the actors were students too.
“It really was amazing. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She lets her shoulders droop. “I’m so glad it’s over.”
