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then pulled the rollers out of her hair and shook out the curls before walking back into the bedroom. Her new friends stopped and stared at her with wide eyes.
    “Ashton Wallace, I just hate you,” Aimee shrieked. “You are gonna put the rest of us to shame.”
    “And you’re going to make Jackson fall in love, if he hasn't already,” Sarah added with a mischievous grin. Both girls circled Ashton and fluffed her hair.
    When all three of them were finally dressed and primped, Aimee's mom made them all pose for pictures. Ashton was sure they had smiled through at least fifty different shots, and when the boys arrived, she knew they would have to endure several more.
    “You girls just look beautiful,” Aimee's mom kept saying between camera clicks.
    Ashton had to agree, at least so far as Sarah and Aimee were concerned. While she was still feeling a little awkward, she thought her new friends looked wonderful.
    Aimee was on the petite side, with bright red bobbed hair. She wore a sapphire blue dress that hit well above the knee and silver heels that had to be at least four inches high. What she lacked in height, she made up for in personality. Ashton was pretty sure Aimee would be the center of attention at the dance.
    Sarah was close to Ashton in height, with medium-length brown hair pulled up into a curly crown on the top of her head. Her dress was black and simple, but still very pretty. Sarah was sociable and fun, but whereas Aimee liked to take control of most every situation, Sarah preferred to stay a bit more in the background. Still, the two girls had been best friends since the first grade, and obviously shared a deep affection for one another.
    “Boys are here,” Aimee announced at the sound of a vehicle rumbling up the driveway.
    Instead of waiting for a knock on the door, Aimee threw the door open and yelled to the guys to come inside.
    “Ashton, this is my date, Jason, and that's Beau.” Aimee indicated the two unknown guys who had just entered the house with Jackson. Ashton recognized both of them from school, but hadn't met either of them before. As expected, several more pictures were taken before the trio of couples finally left for the dance.
    There had been hardly any time to exchange of words at the house, but now Ashton was squeezed in next to Jackson in the back of a large SUV. She waited for the butterflies to return and take over her stomach, but they never arrived, and Ashton couldn’t help but feel like it was some sort of sign.
    The engine started, and the group drove toward the school.
    “You look really nice.” Jackson was staring at Ashton.
    Ashton smiled and mumbled a quick “thank you.”
    “Ashton looks like a movie star,” Aimee yelled from the front seat. “I know more than a few girls who are gonna just die when they see her.”
    “What does she mean?” Ashton whispered to Sarah, who was sitting to the other side of her.
    “Well, there are some girls who've had their eye on Jackson for like…ever, and they are probably gonna be a little jealous that you moved here and caught him so quickly. Plus, you're way prettier than they are, so…ya know…jealous.” Sarah squeezed Ashton's hand and went back to giggling at Beau.
    Ashton wasn't out to “catch” anybody, and she certainly didn’t want to make anyone jealous. She didn’t want to draw any attention to herself at all. Still, Jackson did look awfully handsome in his dark blue shirt and black tie, and it was nice to spend a night away from her parents’ worried looks.
    The group pulled into the school parking lot and everyone filed out of the SUV. They started to walk toward the door, and Jackson reached to hold Ashton's hand. The butterflies still didn’t appear.
    “I should probably tell you, I don't really dance,” Ashton whispered to her date.
    “I don't mind. I'm just glad you came.” Jackson squeezed her hand a little bit tighter, and they made their way to the gymnasium.
    As they walked into the gym,