20
For the past couple of days, Abby had kept her mouth shut over Bryn’s decision to go to the dance with Jason, but beneath her tolerant veneer, she believed Bryn was making a big mistake. Still, she knew Bryn wouldn’t listen to her concerns. Especially after Bryn had lashed into Devon when she’d expressed her opinion yesterday. That’s when Abby decided to simply keep her mouth shut altogether. She consoled herself that they’d be on a double date, so it wasn’t like Jason could pull some crazy stunt with Bryn. Not with Abby and Kent around. Plus, as Bryn kept claiming, maybe Jason did respect her more than he’d respected Devon.
Even so, Abby felt like Bryn was changing. Bryn had always been a lot more materialistic than Abby, but it seemed like she was becoming more shallow recently. She kept talking about the Hartfords and how rich they were. She even seemed to esteem Jason more highly just because his family was wealthy. Then there was the way she treated Amanda and Sienna—like they were more significant than her old friends. Abby had sort of understood when Bryn had catered to Amanda this week. Especially since Amanda was in such a snit over the news about Jason. Bryn had practically bent over backward to make amends with Amanda, doling out compliments and pleasantries until Abby thought she was going to gag. Fortunately Amanda had finally decided to ask a Northwood alumnus to accompany her.
“Can you guys meet at Costello’s after school today?” Bryn asked the rest of the DG at lunch on Wednesday.
“What for?” Devon asked.
“To make plans for the dance. As you know, tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, and I don’t know about you girls, but I’m going to do some serious shopping on Black Friday.”
“You mean you’re shopping for Project Santa Sleigh?” Abby asked eagerly. She’d been hoping to get Bryn more on board for this. “I’ve started making a list and—”
“No. I mean I’m shopping for formals. I saw that Nordstrom’s is having a big sale and—”
“I’m going to FRW for my dress,” Emma announced.
“FRW?” Bryn frowned. “Huh?”
“Formal Rental Wear,” Emma reminded her. “The ones who loaned you and Amanda the dresses for the assembly last week.”
“You’re going to rent a formal?” Bryn looked disgusted.
“Why not?” Cassidy chimed in. “Why put out so much money for a dress you’ll wear only once?”
“Seriously?” Amanda frowned. “I mean, it was okay for the assembly, but for the Christmas ball?”
“It’s a great idea.” Felicia nodded at Emma. “I’m going to FRW too.”
Now the girls became almost equally divided and the argument was on. Emma, Felicia, and Cassidy refused to back down from their frugal plans and were already agreeing to get a jump start by going rental gown shopping right after school that day. Meanwhile Bryn, Amanda, Sienna, and Devon all agreed that rental gowns would be shoddy and cheap as well as smelly. Abby kept her mouth closed as she watched in dismay.
“That’s right!” Amanda exclaimed. “The dress I wore for the assembly stunk like BO.”
“We’ll make sure to smell our dresses before we rent them,” Emma retorted.
“The money we save can be put toward Project Santa Sleigh,” Felicia added.
Bryn rolled her eyes. “Well, you’ll find me shopping for a lovely non-smelly formal on Saturday morning.” She looked at the others. “You guys care to join me?” Amanda and Sienna quickly agreed, and now Bryn pointed at Abby. “What about you?” She frowned when Abby shook her head. “Please, don’t tell me you’re going to wear a rented gown too?”
Abby gave her an uneasy smile. “Actually, I promised my mom that I’d go dress shopping with her. Otherwise my dad won’t pay for it. Not after the dress I got for the homecoming dance. Remember?”
“Hmm . . .” Bryn’s forehead creased. “Well, I’d really hoped the DG could coordinate our dresses. You know, since the theme is red, white, and green. I was hoping we wouldn’t all show up in the same color and—”
“Instead of focusing on our dresses, maybe we should focus on Project Santa Sleigh,” Abby declared with irritation.
“Yeah!” Felicia eagerly agreed.
Bryn blinked. “There’s plenty of time to do—”
“It’s a little more than two weeks before the dance,” Abby told her. “That means only two weekends, Bryn. That’s not a whole lot of time.”
“She’s right,” Emma added. “Felicia and the guys and I plan to get together this weekend to do something for our kids. We’re taking this thing seriously.”
“I plan on spending Saturday with Kent at the FAC,” Abby told her. “What are you and Jason going to contribute?”
Bryn frowned. “Make the sleigh?”
Abby nodded briskly then stood. “Fine. Do that.” As she walked away, she felt the resentment simmering inside of her. Why had she agreed to partner with Bryn? Never mind that they were supposed to be best friends. At least they used to be. Bryn was steadily becoming someone else . . . someone Abby didn’t respect very much. The idea of being on a double date with Bryn and Jason—well, that was just too much!
Cassidy hadn’t really planned on getting her dress from the rental place, but it wasn’t like she really cared either. After all, she’d never been very style conscious. Plus, like Felicia had pointed out, this would leave her more money to use for Project Santa Sleigh. All in all, it just made sense. She didn’t mind that it had rubbed Bryn the wrong way either. In Cassidy’s opinion, Bryn was getting a little too full of herself lately. Too obsessed with things like fashion, status, and money. Cassidy felt this was partly because of Amanda’s influence and she still wished that they’d never allowed Amanda into the DG. Not that there was much to be done about that now. In all fairness, Sienna seemed pretty nice.
“Ready to shop till we drop?” Felicia said as they walked toward Cassidy’s car in the school parking lot.
“Trust me, I’ll be the first one to drop,” Cassidy assured her. “Emma can attest to the fact that I’m not very good at this.”
“For sure,” Emma agreed a little too heartily. “Cassidy is probably the most fashion-challenged of the DG.”
“You mean before I joined,” Felicia said. “Never mind the fiasco I made of myself before Tristin made me into a total joke. I got rid of my, uh, inappropriate wardrobe, but I’m still not really getting it.”
“Bryn’s the fashionista,” Cassidy told her. “She’s the one who helped us with our makeovers.”
“And Devon too,” Emma added.
“Too bad Bryn didn’t want to come with us,” Felicia said.
“We should probably be relieved,” Emma told her. “Bryn would probably just turn it into a big joke.”
“Hang on.” Cassidy held up her phone. “What about Devon?”
“She didn’t want a rental dress,” Emma reminded her.
“Yeah. But she might be willing to help us. I think she was getting a ride home with Amanda or Bryn.”
“She probably wouldn’t want them to know she was going with us,” Emma pointed out.
“I’ll figure out a way to get her to come.” Cassidy hit Devon’s number and quickly explained. “I need your expertise, Devon. You know how clueless I am about fashion.”
“That’s true. But . . .”
Cassidy knew that Devon was with the others and embarrassed to let on what she was considering. “Just tell them you’re working with your partner—on something for the dance. That’s true enough.”
“Okay,” Devon chirped. “Meet you at your car in a few minutes.”
As Cassidy drove the four of them toward the strip mall, she wasn’t sure whether Devon would be helpful or not. Based on some of Devon’s sarcastic comments as she pulled into the parking lot, it seemed even more doubtful. But after they’d looked around the really huge store for just a few minutes, Devon started to change her tune.
“Some of these dresses are brand-new,” she pointed out. “And there are some impressive names here too.” She held up a dress. “Bryn loves this designer.”
“Maybe you’ll want to pick something out too,” Cassidy encouraged her. “Save yourself a few bucks.”
It took a couple of hours for them to make up their minds, but the money they were ultimately saving was well worth the time spent. Not only that, but the woman helping them also made sure that each dress would fit perfectly because the rental price included alterations.
“What a great place!” Felicia exclaimed as she gave a twirl in the sparkly red cocktail-length dress she’d chosen, making the skirt flare out prettily.
Cassidy gave her fitted emerald-green gown one last look in the mirror. “You guys really think this is okay?” she asked uncertainly. “This satiny fabric’s not too over the top? The neckline’s not too low?”
“It’s absolutely gorgeous on you,” Emma assured her. “You’ll knock Lane’s eyeballs out.”
“And that mint green is luscious on you,” Felicia told Emma. “So soft and pretty.”
“You think mint green is Christmassy enough?” Emma asked them.
“The dance is supposed to be red, white, and green,” Cassidy told her. “That’s mint green.”
“The length is okay?” Emma asked. “I know Bryn and the others are probably going for floor-length gowns.”
“I think you petite girls look better in the shorter dresses,” the saleswoman assured Felicia and Emma. “You looked a bit buried in those longer gowns.”
“I have to admit that all three of your dresses look really good,” Devon told them. “No one would guess you’d rented them.”
“What about you?” Cassidy asked. “That white sequined gown was pretty stunning.”
“I don’t look good in white.”
“Is it the rental thing that’s still bugging you?” Emma asked quietly.
“You can always change your mind,” Cassidy told her. “Sneak in here by yourself and rent a dress and no one has to even know about it.” She laughed. “If that makes you feel better.”
Devon wrinkled her nose, but Cassidy could tell she’d hit a nerve. Cassidy felt sorry for Devon. Her alliance with Bryn and the others could end up costing her, and Devon—perhaps even more than the others—probably couldn’t afford to be extravagant.
Cassidy dropped Felicia and Emma at home first, then as she was driving Devon to Emma’s grandmother’s house, she reminded her about Project Santa Sleigh. “I’ve been making some lists and stuff. Lane and I plan to get together this weekend and get things rolling. Do you and Harris want to join us?”
“I promised Bryn I’d go shopping with her on Black Friday. Maybe on Saturday I can help. I’ll text Harris and see what he’s up to. And Grandma Betty has offered to help both me and Emma with some homemade jams and things to put in the sleigh.”
“Speaking of the sleigh, we need to make a plan for that too.”
“Let the guys handle it,” Devon told her as Cassidy pulled into the driveway.
“I just want it to be nice,” Cassidy said.
Devon made a sly grin. “You want to win?”
Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not really into that red carpet stuff. But I’d like it to be nice for the kids.”
“Well, I’d like it to be nice for them too. But now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind winning either.” She winked. “Okay, I’ll put my full effort into this, Cass. I promise.”
“Maybe we can get together on Friday afternoon. After you’re done shopping with Bryn and the others.”
“It’s a date.” Devon made a finger wave then slammed the door.
Although it was somewhat reassuring that Devon seemed to care about Project Santa Sleigh and that she actually wanted to win, Cassidy wasn’t convinced that she was going to make the best partner. She knew Devon didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm that Emma had—for the kids. But maybe Cassidy could be a good influence on her.
On the morning after Thanksgiving, Emma walked over to Felicia’s house and together they rode the bus into the city, where they’d arranged to meet Isaac and Marcus at the Family Assistance Center. According to Abby, this was a great place to connect with needy kids. Kent had given Isaac a list of potential candidates. The plan was to select four children—one for each of them. What they would do after that was still something of a mystery, but at least they were getting started. After showing Helen at the front desk their IDs and release forms for the kids’ parents plus the vouchers they’d gotten from school for this project, they filled out the visitors’ information and were given name tags.
“Go ahead and make yourselves at home,” Helen told them. “We encourage guests to participate in whatever activities interest them.”
“I think we should all go our separate ways,” Emma said as they studied the map of the building hanging by the front desk.
“I’m going to the gym,” Marcus informed them.
“Me too,” Isaac told him.
“I’m going to the arts and crafts room,” Emma said.
“I’ll check out the sewing center,” Felicia proclaimed.
“Let’s meet back at lunch,” Marcus suggested as they parted ways.
Emma found her way to a rather dismal little room where an older woman named Diane was supervising arts and crafts. She seemed unenthused and the kids, who did seem interested in doing something artsy, were restless. “Do you have a project for them to do?” Emma asked Diane.
“Not really,” Diane admitted. “I usually just let them do what they like.”
“Mind if I get involved?” Emma asked. “I love art.”
Diane nodded eagerly. “Sure. I’d appreciate that.”
Before long, Emma had a dozen kids making Christmas tree ornaments together, but it was a six-year-old girl named Mindy who really captured her attention. “You’re an artist,” Emma told Mindy as she watched her decorating a cardboard gingerbread man.
Mindy looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Absolutely.” Emma pointed at Mindy’s careful work. “That’s beautiful.”
Mindy gave her a cautious smile. “You like it?”
“I love it.”
“Thanks.” Mindy returned her attention to the glue she was using to draw a vest on the gingerbread man. Then she carefully sprinkled it with green glitter, shaking it onto the folded paper like Emma had shown them. “How’s that?”
“Very elegant.”
By lunchtime, Emma had made up her mind. If Mindy was interested and if her parents agreed, Emma would choose her.
As it turned out, they each found a child they wanted to help. Isaac had bonded with a seven-year-old boy named Jackson who loved playing basketball. Felicia and Marcus had picked twin siblings—six-year-old Rosa and Roberta Gonzales. With the help of Helen at the front desk, by the end of the day, all arrangements were made with the parents, and Isaac and Marcus offered Emma and Felicia a ride home.
“So what’s next?” Emma asked as they got into Isaac’s car.
“We should take the kids to do something fun,” Marcus suggested. They kicked around various ideas, everything from seeing The Nutcracker, which the guys vetoed, to go-cart racing, which they decided was too old for these kids. They finally agreed on several things, including Christmas-gift shopping, a visit to Santa Village, lunch at a place with a kid-friendly environment, and a fun Christmas movie.
Emma knew some of these activities wouldn’t be cheap, but she didn’t want to put a damper on things by admitting that her budget might be a bit challenged. Plus, she knew there were available resources to help with some of these things. “What about the Christmas parade?” she asked. “It’s tomorrow.”
“Good idea,” Felicia said eagerly. “And it’s free.”
“Speaking of that,” Emma said carefully, “I want to contribute as much as I can to this project, but the truth is, I’m not exactly, uh, wealthy.” She made a nervous laugh.
“That goes for me too,” Felicia admitted.
“Maybe we should stop somewhere and have a kind of planning meeting,” Marcus suggested. Because the guys were hungry and Marcus insisted on treating, they quickly agreed to have their meeting over burgers and shakes.
Emma offered to take notes for their ideas, and by the time they were finished with their food, they had scheduled a number of activities for the next two weekends, as well as a budget and a list of responsibilities for everyone. As it turned out, Isaac and Marcus wanted to cover most of the expenses, while Felicia and Emma helped to round up all the available free resources.
“With everyone doing their part, this should be a very cool Christmas for our kids,” Isaac declared as they walked to his car.
“I’ll borrow my mom’s minivan to get the kids to the parade and everything tomorrow,” Marcus told them.
“I’ll do the phoning to set it up with their parents,” Felicia offered.
“Maybe we should get the winter coats I told you about before tomorrow’s parade.” Emma rubbed her hands together for warmth. “I heard it’s going to get even colder and the kids might need them.”
“Good idea,” Marcus said. “We’re not far from the police department you mentioned.”
Isaac turned back toward the city, and before long they were sorting through an enormous pile of both new and “gently used” winter clothes that had been donated to the police department.
“Good thing you stopped when you did,” a uniformed officer told them. “The rest of this is going to be dropped off for distribution after the Christmas parade.”
It took about an hour for each of them to accumulate a set of coats, mittens, hats, boots, and other things for their Christmas kids. Emma couldn’t wait to see Mindy’s face when she presented her with the pink-and-purple jacket and matching hat and mittens. “Hey, we should take photos of the kids in their new stuff,” she suggested as they loaded their loot in the trunk.
“Yeah,” Marcus said eagerly. “Maybe we could put the pics in the sleigh, you know, to show that the kids really have them.”
“Or we could make a video,” Isaac suggested, “and put that in the sleigh.”
“And give copies of it to the kids too,” Felicia added.
“Hey, Isaac,” Emma said. “Where are you going? You missed your—”
“That woman at the police station told me to swing by the fire department,” Isaac told her. “They have Toys for Tots collected there, and if we show them our vouchers, we can get some things for the kids.”
“Fantastic!” Felicia declared.
Just like at the police station, the fireman helping them explained that the remainder of the toys they’d collected would be distributed following tomorrow’s parade. “I’m sure we’ll collect more before Christmas,” he assured them. “But you never know. Might be slim pickings by then. You kids are smart to get a head start on it.” He grinned. “Nice to see teens taking an interest in something like this.”
By the time they got back to the car, they were loaded down with all sorts of great stuff. And all of it was free! Emma could hardly believe it. As Isaac dropped her at home, she was even more determined to go over the list of resources that the school counselor had posted on the school’s website. This was turning out to be even more fun than she’d expected. Sure, it was work too. But it was enjoyable work, and it was made much easier by everyone doing their part.