Capturing You

Chapter 9: Glad You Called

     I realized after my phone call with Joe that my closet was absolutely barren of anything that was even remotely nice enough for an extravagant gala. A quick ransacking of it showed me total squat: old McNeese jerseys, ratty sweaters, and too-big jeans. I went to prom because I was forced to and nothing I did in college called for anything even semi-formal. My teal taffeta prom dress was the nicest thing I owned despite making me feel like a cupcake, and of course it was gathering dust in my closet back home. Would a quick flight to Louisiana to grab the old thing be irrational? I thought.

     Of course it would!

     A mixture of excitement and anxiety brewed in my stomach as I looked to my body's compass for the next step: should I call Spencer and Trish, or should I hit the shops and hunt for something to wear? Should I even invite them, or would I be better off just going solo with Joe? I opted to include Spencer and Trish, sending a quick text in our seldom-used group chat directing them to meet me at Quincy's downtown. I made sure to write that it was an emergency situation and that I would explain once I met up with them. I threw caution to the wind as I hopped in my car, still dressed in my loungewear for the day, and headed to our destination.

     Once at Quincy's, I waited outside the grand front doors, pacing back and forth off to the side and wondering if the two were going to show up. The mannequins in the window were dressed to the nines and wore a distinct condescending expression that I knew I was completely making up in my head, but needed to do so in order to remain calm. I should point out that before this week, I was not usually such a hypochondriac.

     Around the corner I finally saw the two pop up, Spencer approaching me with a worried look on his face and Trish trailing behind, already rolling her eyes.

     "Avery! We got your message. What the heck happened?" Spencer asked, catching his breath.

     "Something kinda crazy happened," I said, my imposter syndrome about to come in guns a-blazing. "Joe asked me to..."

     Even the mention of his name perked Trish's ears up, and I had only trailed off because I knew she was not going to be happy when I finished the sentence. I licked my lips and looked down at my feet. "He asked me if I wanted us all to come with him to this gala that the team owner is hosting in celebration of going to the Super Bowl."

     It was a good save, but by the way she glared at me, I knew Trish could see right through the way I'd sugarcoated my words. Thankfully, Spencer's puppy-like excitement at the news diffused the situation. "Really? Whoa! You know how awesome it's going to be? The Bengals haven't gone to the Super Bowl since, like, the 80s. I bet the owner's gonna go all out."

     I laughed. "Yeah, and Elena's gonna be so shocked when she sees us show up there."

     Then came Trish's rebuttal: "Uh, that's the point. How do you know she's not gonna kick us out when she sees us?"

     Spencer responded for me, and in a much more straightforward way than I would've. "Didn't you hear her say that Joe invited us?" He turned to me. "Since when did you start calling him Joe?"

     I didn't know Spencer had been so in tune with my emotions, but he picked up on that rather quickly. I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled, hoping I didn't sound too nervous.

     "Anyway, the reason I wanted to meet up here was because I don't have anything to wear," I said. "And I was hoping we could all go shopping together, spend some time outside of work like we always talk about doing."

     Trish sighed, but I could see a smile creep up to the edge of her lips. I knew there was still a part of her that was upset by the fact that Joe had asked me to go to the gala, but I wondered if she had chosen to accept it for now. She looked me up and down. "I'm just glad you called," she said, brushing past Spencer and I to walk inside Quincy's, "or else who knows what you would've shown up next to us in?"