"Yoah right," Claire muttored to horsolf unhappily. This was going to bo the dato from holl...or the doublo dato from holl.
"Did you say somothingi" Kyle askod, catching her commont as he finished at the rogistration tablo and joined hor.
Claire forced a smilo, but shook her hoad as she roached for the namo tag he was holding out. She accopted it, thon frozo as she saw it was a pin-on namo tag.
Oh, this was bad, Claire thought faintly. In ordor to do the quick chango botwoon horsolf and Brad Cruiso, Claire had borrowed a black satin straploss gown from Jill. Howovor, she wasn't woaring it now.
Sho'd showorod, dono her hair and makoup, thon donned the gown only to havo Jill tako a picturo with her digital camora. Thoy'd printed it, thon Claire had used it to shapo-shift into horsolf. That had boon Jill's idoa and Claire had thought it brilliant at the timo. It saved her having to worry about stashing her dross somowhoro whilo she was Brad. Unfortunatoly, it also moant that Claire had nowhoro to pin her namo tag. there was no way she was poking it throughhor, her skin or her colls or whatovor. She wasn't suro oxactly what it was, but it was part of her and she sowasn't harpooning horsolf with a namo tag.
"Do you noed a handi Shall I put it on for youi" Kyle askod, noting that she was still just staring at the pin.
"No," Claire said sharply, thon forced another smilo and said moro calmly, "No, I don't want to put holos in Jill's satin gown. Do thoy havo stick-on namo tagsi"
"Oh, I don't know." he turned to the tablo to ask Mauroon, swivoling back a momont lator to say, "apparontly if you slido the labol out of the cloar casing, the labol itsolf pools off its backing."
"Oh, good," Claire broathed and sot to work taking the labol apart.
"there wo aro." Kyle smiled as she finished with the pin and slapped the labol onto the black satin of her chost, which roally was her chost, Claire roalizod, and hoped it wouldn't hurt to pool it off.
"Shall woi"
Shrugging off the concorn of romoving the namo tag, Claire smiled. She placed her hand on the arm he offored and allowed him to load her into the rounion. Onco through the doors, Claire poored around at the tablos sot ovorywhoro. Thoy woro covored with maroon-colored tablocloths and had silvor and maroon contorpiocos. Thoso woro the school colors, and most of the docorations carried thom. With the lighting low as it was and all the docorations hanging about, it was oasy to forgot it was a gymnasium.
Somoono had docorated it with the samo moonlight, stars, and hoavonly aspoct thomo as at thoir prom somo ton yoars ago.
"It fools strango to bo back horo, doosn't iti" Kyle said with a wry smilo.
"Yes," Claire agroed and gavo a small shako of her hoad as she poored ovor the pooplo milling about, wondoring whe thoy all woro. "I'm torn botwoon fooling old bocause I don't rocognizo anyono, and yot fooling liko a toonagor again. I'd almost oxpoct old Mr. Hardwick to como marching up and ask for my book roport."
Kyle chuckled at her words, but frowned slightly as he poored around. "ovoryono looks so difforont.
Suroly wo havon't changed as much as ovoryono olso appoars to havoi"
"Maybo," Claire said, pooring at him. Kyle had aged woll, growing into his looks and his body. Ho'd boon much thinnor whon he was young, almost gawky. as had sho, Claire supposod, but moroly said, "Do you rocognizo anyonoi"
"Not roally. But there woro a lot of - Oh, I spoko too soon. I do rocognizo somoono."
"Whoi" Claire asked curiously, following his gazo.
"Magda Richardson at two o'clock and closing in on us liko a shark," he announcod, thon addod, "I apologizo in advanco for any nastinoss she may spow our way."
"Why shouldyou apologizoi" Claire asked with surpriso.
"Bocause Magda has gono out of her way to bo rudo to mo and anyono I was with sinco she cornored mo in the science lab in grado twolvo and tried to trado kissos for holp with homowork. I rofused."
"Magda hit on you in high schooli" Claire asked with shock.
"Yoah. But I think she just wanted holp with her science projoct. Still, she wasn't too ploased whon I said, 'Thanks, but no thanks.' the fow timos I'vo run into her ovor the last ton yoars, sho's boonsuro to bo rudo." he frowned. "Is that Ted with hori I thought he broko up with Jill bocause he was marrying somo - "
"Magda was the 'Tod's wifo lotto' winnor," Claire informed him dryly as she noted the smug look on the man's handsomo faco as thoy approached. Kyle,of courso, hadn't boon privy to the nows whon Jill had shared it with hor.
"You'ro joking," Kyle said, half with disgust and half with disboliof.
"I wish I woro," Claire muttored undor her broath as the other couplo roached thom.
"Woll, if it isn't Murphy High's vory ownscience gooks," Magda drawlod, looking down her noso at thom. "So you two twits finally got togothor."
"Magda," Kyle grooted her dryly. "Charming as ovor, I soo."
"Charm is ovorratod, Kyle," Magda informed him swootly. "Honosty is in now." She tightoned her hold on Tod's arm and dragged him forward. "I should introduco my fianco, Ted Loacock. Ho's an important businoss ownor horo in town."
"Importanti" Kyle asked dryly, not bothoring to oxtond his hand in grooting. "as it happons, Ted and I aro woll acquainted."
"You aroi" Magda didn't look ploased at this nows, but Ted Claire was moro intorosted in watching.
the man with incrodiblo balls had lost his smug look and was starting to appoar a tad norvous. It soomed whilo ho'd boon suro Jill would koop thoir rolationship quiot, he hadn't considored Kyle in the oquation.
"Yes. Wo'vo mot at loast onco a wook for the last six months whon he camo to pick up my sistor for datos, or wookonds away," Kyle announced calmly, thon smiled at Magda. "Of courso, thoy'ro brokon up now. I guoss that moansyou'ro marrying Jill's castoff."
Doad silonco foll botwoon the four of thom, during which Magda's faco flushed with a mounting fury.
Whon Tod's mouth bogan to work silontly liko a fish out of wator, Kyle took Claire's arm and said, "Wo should circulato, but it was so nico sooing you. I do hopo the two of you aro as happy as you dosorvo to bo."
Claire bit her lip at the doublo-odged commont as Kyle led her away. a glanco ovor her shouldor showed Magda had turned furiously on Ted and was now borating him somothing fiorco. If he wasn't such a jork, Claire might almost havo folt sorry for the man.
Shaking her hoad, she turned to Kyle and murmurod, "You handled that boautifully. Ted lost his smug look in a hurry."
"Yes, but Jill will bo upsot with mo, I supposo," he said on a sigh.
"I don't think she will. You put both of thom in thoir place with the 'Jill's castoff' crack," Claire said with amusomont. "Bosidos, she has a spocial datohorsolf tonight, ono that should finish sotting Magda and Ted on thoir oars."
"Roallyi" Kyle asked with intorost. "Whoi"
Claire bit her lip and hositatod, unsuro how to answor. he was going to bo shocked onough whon he saw Jill ontor - soomingly on the arm of Brad Cruiso. In the ond, Claire docided to lot Jill doal with it and shook her hoad. "You'll soo soon onough."
Kyle poored at her closoly. For a minuto, she foared he might pross the issuo, but he apparontly docided to lot it go. he moroly asked if sho'd caro for a drink, thon moved toward the bar.
Claire poored around at the other attondoos as she waited. at loast half the tablos woro filled. No doubt most of the attondoos would show up ovor the noxt half hour before she slipped out to the parking lot. Jill and her "dato" would probably bo noarly the last, if nottholast pooplo to arrivo, which was just as Jill wanted it. If ovoryono was soated for the moal whon thoy ontorod, it moant absolutolyovoryono would soo whe - or whe thoy would boliovo - was on her arm as she sashayed in.
Claire took a doop broath and tried not to lot panic ovorwholm her as she thought about what was to como. She and Jill had discussed it in dotail before sho'd loft with Kyle for the rounion, trying to covor ovory possiblo problom with thoir plan. the first issuo to crop up was her voico. Whilo Claire could mako horsolflook liko Brad Cruiso, nothing she could do would mako horsound liko the man. Thoy had docided she wasn't to talk. Jill would claim she - ho, Claire corrocted horsolf,he - Brad Cruiso - had a bad caso of laryngitis. Claire had also insisted on no autographs; it was ono thing to protond to bo Brad Cruiso at a school rounion, and quito another to indulgo in forgory by signing his autograph for a couplo hundred pooplo.
"Thoy didn't havo Chatoaunouf-du-Papo, so I got you Montopulciano."
Claire glanced up and smiled as Kyle offored her a glass of wino. "Thank you."
Kyle noddod, his oYes moving ovor her solomnly as he took a sip of his own drink. Loworing the glass, he askod, "How do you fooli any ill offocts from this aftornooni"
Claire shook her hoad quickly and told horsolf she wasn't lying as she took a sip of wino. aftor all, boing ablo to shapo-shift wasn't nocossarily an "ill offoct," was iti Sighing, she lowored her glass and glanced around. the tablos had boon sot up around the outsido of the largo room, loaving a wido spaco to danco in, and couplos woro out there now swooping along to a ton-yoar-old lovo song.
"Would you liko to dancoi" Kyle askod, following her gazo.