-1-

"You've gotta be shitting me," I said, glaring at my best friend. She was giving me her best puppy dog eyes, but I was having none of it: those had stopped working on me after they resulted in me being caught trying to run a pair of Sandy's underwear up the flagpole at our church.

She'd still never told me why she thought it would be funny in the first place.

"Come on, Donny! It'll be fun, and it's just our junior prom: you'll have a chance to dress in a tux and go again next year," she said, giving up on the puppy dog eyes and flopping next to me on her couch, both of us slouching low enough more of our shoulders rested on the cushions than our butts. "And it'll be more fun with you there."

I snorted at that. "You don't need me there. You'll have Butch," I said, using her boyfriend's nickname. 'Butch' Cassidy Delmonte had been Sandy's beau for almost six months. They weren't the school's 'it' couple – Cassidy was captain of the basketball team, not the football team, and Sandy preferred debate club over cheerleading – but they were up there on the school's list of perfect couples.

Sandy groaned and closed her eyes. "This again? Listen, I'm sorry things have been awkward hanging out, but you have to admit it's really sweet of Butch to invite you with us on our dates sometimes. He knows we've been friends for, like, forever, and he doesn't want to mess that up."

"*sigh* I know."

"And it's not like we MAKE you tag along."

"I know!"

I crossed my arms and gave my best friend in the whole world a hard look. In truth, we were closer than just friends. We were practically family.

No, not practically. We WERE family.

Our moms had been best friends before we were born, our dads had been best friends before they'd met our moms, and we had never lived more than a block apart or spent more than a few days away from each other, our entire lives. Our birthdays were three days apart. We had the same favorite movie, favorite color, and favorite soda. We even managed to pull the whole twin-speak thing on occasion, though it had been years since we'd managed to use it for anything particularly fun (or nefarious.)

The fact that she was the chocolate haired, green-eyed girl next door, down to the near-perfect body and a beautiful warmth to her skin thanks to her mixed heritage. That I was the blond-haired blue-eyed pasty nerd boy she deigned to hang out with for some reason, raised eyebrows occasionally. Still, it had been our schtick for our whole lives. We weren't about to stop being close just because people looked at us funny.

"You'd have fun, you know," she said, her eyes still closed. "You always do."

"Did," I countered. "And that was years ago. We've both grown up since then."

"Pssht. Bitch, I know you're still the same size as me, or are you forgetting the pool party over the summer?"

I groaned. "How can I if you keep reminding me?" It wasn't my fault the stairs were slippery, as was the cake platter, nor was it my fault I wound up under the chocolate lava cake when we both went tumbling down the stairs. "And they didn't fit. They were too tight."

"Nuh-uh," Sandy said playfully, sticking her tongue out at me. "They were perfect. If you'd worn the bra I asked you to and shaved your legs, YOU woulda been perfect."

I huffed but didn't say anything. She'd wanted me to wear her shoes, too, but I'd won that argument when she got pissy over the fact my feet were a size smaller than hers.

"I don't wanna go to prom with a boy," I finally countered. "Everyone will think I'm wei-OW!" I reached up to rub my arm where Sandy had punched me. "What was that for?" I whined.

"Don't be an asshole," she said, giving me a disgusted look. "You know Evelyn and Lilah are going together, and so are Kyle and Ross. We'll have several other gay couples there, too. And we both know that if a boy had asked you, you'd have probably said yes."

"No! I mean, not just ANY boy," I admitted quietly. I'd never told Sandy I liked boys, but I'd never had to either. "But one didn't. And one isn't asking me now. I don't even KNOW this 'Ted.'"

Sandy grinned. "Oh, he's a cutie. Tall, broad shoulders and curly black hair. Always seems to have a bit of stubble, looks a bit like that guy who plays Superman in that movie where he fought Batman."

"With the mustache lip?"

"Minus the mustache lip."

I thought about it and had to admit the image wasn't unappealing. "Still. You're not asking ME to go. You're asking Donna, and she's gone."

Sandy gave me a Look.

"Dead as a doornail."

She continued to stare.

"Kablooie."

Sandy shook her head and just grinned at me.

"What?"

"Ugh!" Sandy whined, rolling her eyes and sitting up. "I'd say 'have you looked in a mirror lately,' but I already know you check yourself out in almost every one you pass."

"I do not!" I complained, fighting the urge to glance in the mirror next to the TV across from us and do just that. I knew my hair was a mess but was hoping the frazzled look would help my case.

It didn't.

"You totally do. You spend longer on your hair most mornings than I do. I don't blame you, it's gorgeous, and I'd kill you for it if you were anyone else, but for real. Blonde hair almost to your ass, Long lashes, pouty-ass lips. If you'd drop the nerd specs and wear your contacts more, all the guys would be looking at you."

"I have enough people wanting to kick my ass already. The contacts would just make that worse."

"Oh, come on. You know that's not why they give you second glances. A little work on your brows and some mascara, and you could have half the boys in our grade eating out of your hand."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Yes, because straight boys love it SO much when they learn the girl they've been hitting on has a bigger dick than they do."

"*Snerk* Not like YOU could ever say that."

I frowned but again didn't argue. I couldn't: Sandy had seen me naked as many times as I'd seen her, both numbers probably higher than any of our parents would believe or be comfortable with.

"You know, most guys would take a girl saying that about their junk a lot harder."

"Yeah, well," I shrugged. "I'm not like most guys."

'And THAT," she said, snapping her fingers and standing up, "is my point! Come on, Donny!" She reached her hands out to me as she went back to the puppy dog eyes.

"No!"

"Can we at least see what Donna would look like now? Nobody else has to know."

NO!" I said again, crossing my arms under my chest and turning away from her.

"How about a bet then?"

I groaned and still didn't look at her.

"Here's the terms," she continued anyway. "I think you'll look gorgeous, and I think YOU know it. So, we go up to my room, find a cute outfit and get you dolled up. I'll even let you do your own makeup; you still remember how, right?" She waited for me to nod, and I did. "So long as you give it a legit try at doing a good job, anyway. If, after we give it our best shot, you end up looking like a drag queen or a boy in a dress, then I'll tell Butch he's gotta put on the dress and go with Ted himself."

I couldn't help but smile at the mental image of big, bad Butch, with his high school goatee and buzz cut, decked out for prom in a frilly pink dress.

"But if I win, then when we go to get my prom dress tonight, you have to pick one up too."

"I can't afford that!" I argued, then winced. "Not that you'd win."

"Hey, you can't tell me you've spent all that money we made doing lawn work last summer already since Butch has paid for you as well as me every time we've all gone out together."

"No," I agreed, figuring it was hardly a hardship for Butch, given his summer job had been working at his father's golf course. "But I don't want to spend it all on a dress for one night out either."

"Then we'll get you an LBD instead of a prom dress. It won't be quite as fancy as a lot of the other girls, but once again, this is just our junior prom. We can put you in the whole taffeta and silk ensemble next year."

"Now I'm wearing a dress next year too?"

"If you lose tonight, sure."

"That's not fair!"

"If you win, I'll pay for your tux. Both this year and next year."

I looked into Sandy's smiling eyes. She looked confident. Strong. Self-assured.

I finally risked a glance at the mirror next to the TV and saw the fear in my own eyes, as well as a rat's nest of my hair I'd have a hell of a time brushing out when I sat up.

All I had to do was say no.

I didn't have to leave. Sandy wanted me to do this, but I didn't think she'd kick me out of her house or tell me I couldn't go dress shopping with her just because I said no.

I looked back at my best friend. Then, back to myself in the mirror.

Just say 'no,' Donny.

Just say 'no.'

-==-

This has been the first chapter of Double Date Dare as a sample! I hope folks like it!

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