The Late Bloomer

Chapter 20

“What do you mean he’s running late?” I asked Kat. LiveR@ was supposed to be at the winter ball four hours ago to start setting up. Two hours before the shindig, and I was leaning over the sink in our bathroom after we had been decorating The Venue all day. I had just put on another layer of mascara, which seemed useless now because I was just about to cry it off.

“His private jet just took off,” Kat said. “Who would think that fog would keep a plane grounded?”

Dallas to Tucson was a four-hour flight. My mind whirred with the implications. What could we do for two hours while we waited for LiveR@? Our biggest draw for people, and now we couldn’t deliver. My heart sank. I was a fraud. Game over. I couldn’t fight the pit growing in my stomach.

“Thankfully his subs are there.”

Half the time I have no idea what Kat is talking about. “What?”

“His equipment is all set up at The Venue.”

“That doesn’t do us a lot of good unless he’s there.”

“So, I asked him about that. He said for you to do it.”

“Me?” I nearly stabbed myself in the eye with the mascara wand.

“Yeah, he said put on his mask thingy and go up and play music.”

“Why can’t you do it?”

Kat shrugged. “Because he thinks my taste in music sucks. And he says you’re the only one he trusts to do it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you have the most at stake. With the mask on, nobody will know the difference. He’s got some pre-recorded tracks. He’ll call you when you get down there.”

That sounded a bit like fraud and a lot scary. With the mask on, anyone could be up there. If I could just get away with it for two hours. My heart thundered. I chewed my lip. All the bobby pins holding up my hair seemed to dig into my scalp. The pre-sold tickets were pretty high. But not enough to beat Beau. If I did this and nobody found out, everything would be all right. What other choice did I have? Refund their money? Tell them he’s not here yet? They might leave. They might not believe us. And lose to Beau? I’d rather die. “Okay. Meet me at The Venue, and we’ll go over it. Let’s hope nobody finds out.”

T-minus one hour. I dropped off my dress in a cleaning closet at The Venue, hoping it didn’t soak up the smells of the chemicals and the mildewing wet mop. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been to a formal in jeans and a T-shirt. The first time was in middle school when I signed up for the clean-up crew but then didn’t get asked. Dad refused to buy me a dress just to clean up the dance. So I went afterward in my jeans and T-shirt.

“There you are,” Kat yelled. Kat was dressed in electric orange, and her hair was two shades of pink which she said was very popular this season. Tucked under her arm was a hideously realistic-looking latex rat mask. Red reflective eyes poked out of a hairy brown face. Even the whiskers looked real. The nose was a pliable soft pink.

“That’s ugly!” I poke it.

Kat stamped her platform boots. “Yes, but you have to wear it, or everyone will know Nathan isn’t up there.”

“I’ll wait until the last minute.”

“You can’t. People are already lined up. If anyone looks through the windows or sees you, it will be all over. You have to wear it now.”

“Fine.”

It also came with an equally hideous brown sweatshirt. My eyes were glad to be looking on the inside and not looking at me. I was expecting an equally hideous smell from such a life-like mask, but I was surprised to be greeted by a smell that was…almost attractive.

Kat helped me fasten it on. “Sorry, I’m sure he’s breathed in there, and it’s all sweaty. Nothing like body fluids on your hair, right?”

The mask was hot, and sticky. And awkward. I could only see out ten feet in front of me since the nose was so long. This was temporary. LiveR@ or Nathan, would arrive in about two hours. I only had to keep it up for two hours.

Kat led me by the hand to the makeshift stage. Huge speakers flanked either side and a screen behind me lit up with purple spirals. I looked down at the table. A computer with a list of songs sat next to maybe a mixer?

“What am I supposed to do?” I hissed.

“Nathan,” I heard Kat say, she must’ve been on the phone. “We’re at your table.”

When I glanced up at the room, I stopped in sheer awe. It looked like it was snowing. Snowflakes dropped from vertical fishing line and shimmered at every movement in the air current. A disco ball bounced light all over them. Everything was covered with fake snow or metallic paper, and the MC stand and the table for the auction looked amazing with beads of snow around each item, sparkling and glittering under the dim lights.

Kat showed me Nathan’s playlist and said the projector was on. I just had to push a button on his computer to display the images. A bubble machine and a fogger were at my command. I pushed a button on a long-corded switch. Laser lights of red, blue, and green shot out of a black box at the bottom of the stage, lighting the room like a B-rated sci-fi film.

AWESOME!

An unfamiliar button sat to the side, and I was about to tap it when Kat grabbed my hand. “Don’t touch that! It’s for the finale. It can only be used once,” she said over the phone tucked by her ear. Finale? Was that like fireworks or other pyro-techno voodoo? I hoped that didn’t violate my contract, or I wouldn’t get our deposit back.

After making sure everything was in place, Kat hung up the phone and turned to me, the crystals stuck to her face sparkling in the passing circles of strobe light. “You ready?” she asked, her eyes lit up. I felt a puddle of sweat pour down my neck from this hot mask. My underarms were damp. My hands were icy. And I had to pee.

“What if I need to take a break?” I asked as she hopped off the stage, her dress trailing her as she swept away. I don’t think she heard me before she ran to meet Jefferson, her date. I looked at the clock. It was time. I pressed play.

Music started pulsing around me; even through the sound-dampening mask, the music reached my ears. My heart beat in time with the drumming music.

At 8 p.m., the doors opened, and a flood of people flurried into the room as if they’d been whisked in by an arctic breeze. They eddied around the goods to be auctioned and then headed toward the food. Lincoln came up to the stand. I’d almost forgotten about him in all my anxiety. He was the MC. He’d be coming up here every so often during the night.

“Wow, I can hear a little better back here,” he said behind the speakers. “Do you have a microphone? I need to make the first announcement. You have the slideshow I sent you right?”

My face burned as I handed him the wireless microphone turning down the music. Everyone’s attention turned toward us. I had no idea what slideshow he was talking about. I searched the computer, my heart pounding, the mask limiting my view. I glanced up to ask him what he was talking about, but he was already facing the crowd. Lincoln wasn’t afraid of the attention. He embraced it.

“Welcome to the Winter Ball!” he shouted into the mic. A large eruption of applause came from the crowd. “We are here to support our charity.” He glanced back at me as if to signal the go-ahead.

I grasped the rat’s nose as I tried to peek through the holes to the lists on the computer. “Oh, please, oh, please don’t let this fail,” I prayed. I scrambled through lists with the tiniest of thumbnails. Not that one! That was a cartoon. Nor that one. That lady barely had enough clothes on. How many gigs were on this laptop anyhow? Whose parties were these slide shows shown at? They had titles, mostly names of famous people or places—Caesar’s Palace, Madison Square Garden Fourth of July, Hyde Park New Year’s Eve, Tatum Quick’s party. My fingers shook so much I worried I would accidentally hit a key and start the wrong show.

Finally, I found a video entitled, For the Children. I hoped this was it. I pushed play.

Behind me, the screen changed, and laughing children filled the screen. Much to my relief.

Lincoln continued. “Our goal is to raise money for our charity For the Children in Mexico.”

The screen flipped to housing projects. A few students were nailing two-by-fours together on a cement foundation.

“Your support goes directly to help build houses, schools, and wells in small rural communities.” More pictures flashed of completed buildings. “We encourage you to support our efforts. Your donations mean so much to us and to them.”

The slideshow showed a few more pictures, and then it went black. I scrambled to find the music again and soon I was throbbing with the crowd. Several business owners came in with the mayor and other prominent dignitaries.

A few men wore black tie. Impressive. Throngs of people bid at the tables, keeping a watchful eye on items—jewelry, gift cards to local establishments and restaurants, spa cards, gift baskets. I wished I could be down there to see the success for myself, to see if we would make our goal or not. I didn’t realize Lincoln was still up on the stage, his eyes flitting across the clumps of people.

“You need something?” I was glad that the mask kind of disguised my voice. And I had to admit, I wasn’t trying to sound like myself.

“Just looking for someone,” he seemed to muse to himself more than to me. McKenna no doubt. Whether he found her or not, he thanked me, handed back the mic and stepped down from the stage with a quick, “I’ll be back.”

From my perch on the stage, I could see the crowd grow as the time passed. Jackets piled up as men shed their outer layers. Some guys obviously didn’t know what formal attire consists of, judging by what they were wearing. Or they didn’t want to pay the money to rent a suit. I searched for Lincoln among the crowd, trying to keep an eye on him, wondering who he was looking for.

By the fifth song, the room was packed. I couldn’t count the number of people swaying to the music. By the end of the first hour, I wondered how anyone could breathe on the crowded dance floor, and hoped we weren’t violating the fire marshal code. A group of girls wearing little more than a fabric wrap around their bodies lifted their arms up dancing, jerking to the music. I prayed whatever kept up their tops would continue to hold.

I spotted Kat and Marie in the crowd with Brett and Jefferson. If only I could signal to them to come and rescue me. I needed to pee and take a break, but I couldn’t just walk out of here. I would just have to wait until Nathan showed up. People crowded the tables, but the food was holding out. Beau was hanging around the auction tables, several girls with him.

I could see Lincoln, tall and well dressed. He stood out in the crowd. He made his way to Kat and Marie. Nice. Kat was wildly flinging her arms and telling a story. Lincoln had to bend over to hear her. He seemed awfully intrigued. She finished. What in the world could she have been talking about with such large expressive gestures? With Kat, one could only wonder. They danced a bit, and Lincoln excused himself.

Kat, in a flurry of orange taffeta and tulle, rushed up onto the stage. “You gotta start dancing!” she whispered loudly in my rat ear. “Nathan always dances. It looks suspicious.”

“Oh.” I bobbed to the music. “I gotta pee. When is your brother going to get here?” I asked, furiously forgetting for a moment he was a famous, sought-after DJ and was coming here as a favor. I just wanted to be out of this mask, down on the floor taking care of my party.

“He’s flying as fast as he can,” she said as if he were the one in charge of his aviation speed. “You can’t leave now. Lincoln was asking where you were.”

“Yes, I’m sure he’s wondering why I haven’t shown up to my own party.” A little thought crossed my mind. A horrible little thought that I couldn’t quite put into words. “Wait, did he ask you, and you told him where I was?”

“Yes.”

“You made up some story.” A feeling of dread started prickling my lungs and heart.

Kat nodded.

“About me?” Kat’s reality was already wild and over the top. I hated to hear what her fantasy world could create. The implications fell on me like a ton of bricks. “What did you tell him? Or do I even want to know?”

“Dance!” she yelled. In my dread, I had forgotten to bob. I wanted to wipe my hands across my face, but the mask was in the way.

I searched the crowd for Lincoln. All I saw was Beau coming up to the table.

I ducked my head lest he be able to see through one of the awful rat eyes and see me inside.

“I have a request.” I thought he was pretty gutsy coming up here with a request. What kind of jerk bugs a DJ who makes a quarter of a million dollars a night, writes music for movies and themes for DragonSpies for a request? At a benefit ball?

My throat tightened. “We’re not taking requests right now,” I said, in the most manly voice possible.

“My girlfriend loves your first song on the Hammer and Dive album. Can you play it for her?”

“Never heard of it.” Immediately my face flushed. He requested a song that LiveR@ composed. What did I just say? How would I know what the first song on his album was? I never listened to dance music, and if I did, I didn’t have his whole collection memorized.

Kat spoke up. “The goldfish ran off with the finch.”

Beau looked confused. He turned from her to me who he thought was the DJ. What was Kat talking about now? This was by far the weirdest thing that had ever come out of her mouth. Sweat leaked into my eyes, the heat of it burning my brow. What must he think of her? I wasn’t ashamed of my roommate, but the way Beau looked at her made me dislike him even more. Kat was sort of weird. How did she think of these things? Did I misunderstand her? I looked down at the computer. Titles of albums and songs scrolled by my fingers. There was the Hammer and Dive album. Under Album was a list of songs in alphabetical order. There was a song: “The Goldfish Ran Off with the Finch.”

A smile crept onto my face. No one saw it of course. I wanted to kiss Kat for her quick thinking. I nodded my big rat head and said we could do it. Beau thanked me but seemed to regard me with suspicion. I started bouncing again in time to the music.

“So what did you tell Lincoln?” I asked after Beau left, with maybe a little less venom this time since she’d just saved me.

A lady came up to the table interrupting us. “Are you taking requests?”

“Only music composed by LiveR@,” Kat said. The lady kind of huffed away.

But once word got round that LiveR@ was taking requests we got all sorts of people crowding the table. At first we set out a notebook and let people write their requests, but I couldn’t make transitions smoothly enough. My feet ached, my neck ached from the stupid mask, and I was pretty sure I was developing an allergy to latex. I glanced at the clock. He should’ve been here by now. After a while, Kat began shooing requesters away. I felt so overwhelmed. “Does he usually take requests?” I asked, but I don’t think she heard me because she was telling two teenagers there would be no more requests.

Lincoln came up to the table. “No requests, Lincoln Continental,” Kat said.

“I’m not here for a request. I’m here to announce the first raffle drawing.”

Ah-ha! I could slip out and take a pee break. “Take your time,” I said, handing him the microphone and heading for the door. Kat followed me.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I need a break!” I couldn’t figure out why anyone would want this job! My ears hurt; a migraine was forming at the edges of my skull. Once out in the hallway, I started to pull off the mask.

“Not here!” Kat said. Too late. It was off. A cool breeze caressed my hair and my face. I was free.

Then I heard another door open into the hallway. It was too late to put the mask back on. Beau stared at us.

At first his look was confusion, then his mouth opened in shock. With a few intimidating steps, he stalked toward us.

“Gabby, you are so in trouble for fraud.” My heart constricted.

“It’s not what you think,” Kat started.

Within inches of my face, he stopped. “What happened? Did you promise people LiveR@ and then couldn’t deliver so you had to fake it so you could still charge a hundred-dollar cover?”

No.

My heart beat so fast I couldn’t even talk.

Then he said what I feared the most. “Just wait until everyone inside hears who’s been DJing this little party.” An evil grimace dominated his face.

“And who would that be?”

We turned toward a voice behind Beau. A guy, a little older than us, stood at the end of the hall. Though only in a white T-shirt and jeans, he seemed imposing. Not tall, not big. He had pale skin like Kat, dark hair—not like Kat of course, but I wasn’t really sure what color Kat’s hair was. Intense black eyes. But the most defining feature was his sheer aura of confidence. It made even Beau back down.

“She was impersonating LiveR@.” I wasn’t sure, but it seemed even Beau, tall powerful Beau, was a little taken aback.

“I’m LiveR@.”

Beau cast an eyebrow up in disbelief.

“I asked her to take over for a bit so I could take a little break.” LiveR@ walked steadily down the hall staring Beau straight in the eyes, never flinching until he got to us. Then he turned to me and took his mask. “Thank you, Gabby.” LiveR@ who performed at Madison Square Garden. LiveR@ who played at private parties in Hollywood. LiveR@ who made six figures a night, knew my name. And kissed my cheek!

I flushed to the ends of my toes.

“How do we know you are really LiveR@?” Beau cast a skeptical eye at him.

“Wiki me. My picture is on my page.”

They were nose to nose. “You asked her to DJ?” Beau asked, as if asking me should cause him to question his credibility.

“Yes.” Nathan was as cool as a cucumber in a refrigerator in Yakutsk, Russia. But hotter than Death Valley, California!

Beau grabbed his phone, thumbed a few strokes. Then tilted his head back when he got to the page. There was Nathan, not exactly smiling, but looking very cool.

Beau mulled it around in his thick skull, giving me a glance out of the side of his eye before retreating inside.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath.

“Thank you, Nathan!” Kat squeezed her brother’s neck, then planted a big wet one on his cheek. He smiled at her affection.

“You were up there this whole time?” Nathan or LiveR@ asked. Was I mistaken or was there admiration shining through his eyes?

“Yes, but Kat helped me,” I said, wishing I could hog the whole of those shining eyes. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to come do this for us. When I think of all the money you could be making right now…” Kat elbowed me. I stopped babbling.

He flashed a smile with so much heat, I melted. “Well, let’s get this party started,” he said with a wink. And I wished he didn’t have to put the grotesque mask back on. “Thanks for warming up the crowd for me.”

I took off the brown frumpy sweatshirt, and he slipped it over his head. Then went on the mask. He took Kat by the arm and when he opened the doors, a burst of applause greeted him. They were announcing the raffle, but it was still a rush to see him walk in through the applause.

Alone in the hall, I turned toward the cleaning closet to get my dress. When I opened the closet door, I heard the door open behind me. Probably Beau. I turned, and Lincoln stood holding open the door.

Without even seeing it, I knew my hair was a matted mess of gnarled bobby pins and hairspray of what used to be curls. My makeup was gone ages ago. And I was standing in my blue jeans when he was dressed to the nines. I wished the whole floor would open up and swallow me whole.

“Hey,” Lincoln said, brightening when he saw me. “There you are.”

“Yes!” I said, wondering if I should even bother to smooth the tangled mass of hair. He didn’t even seem to notice.

“Kat told me what you did,” he said.

My eyes went wide. Did Kat tell him I was DJing while her brother got here late from the airport?

“Wrestling with those monkeys at the zoo must’ve been wild!”

My breath stopped in my chest. “Monkeys?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

“It must’ve been traumatic for you. Kat said four ganged up when you tried to save the baby and nearly pulled you apart. Sorry, I hope you don’t mind her telling me. When Marie said you were in the ER, I had to know the story.”

I don’t blame them for telling him I was in the ER. Where else could I be where I wouldn’t be accessible to a phone? But the monkeys? I might never forgive Kat.

I didn’t even know what to say.

“The Ball is going really well, Gabby. You should be proud.” An awkward pause hung in the air. He looked at my dress hanging over my arm. “You probably want to get dressed.”

I squeezed my dress closer to me. “Yes, thank you.”

“Well, you’re my new hero.” And he disappeared into the Ball.

Well, I might not have wrestled a baby from four angry monkeys, but I did manage to DJ a dance in a large rat costume. But I looked more on the monkey-battling side, I discovered, when I finally got to see my reflection in the mirror in the bathroom. I wasn’t sure I could repair that kind of damage.

Kat and Marie burst into the bathroom and immediately went to work on my hair.

“Monkeys?” I asked Kat as she retwisted my hair and jabbed my head with pins.

“I, at least, said you were in the ER,” Marie said, reapplying makeup retrieved from my purse. Paint, powder, fluids were everywhere. Finally, they were done.

A spritz of perfume, some gloss and the girls stood back allowing me to see myself in the mirror.

I didn’t recognize myself.

“That’s not me,” I said.

“She has blossomed before our very eyes,” Kat said.

“Yes, it is,” Marie said. “Look as beautiful as you can before you leave the house. Then forget yourself and focus on others. Other people took time to look nice for this. Remember, walk in a straight line, hold your purse at your hip, smile, and ask open-ended questions in conversation.” I barely heard her. I couldn’t take my eyes off the gorgeous woman staring back at me. This went beyond any of my previous makeovers.

“We’re going back in!” Kat said. “See you!” And she was off. Marie lingered a bit longer, but she grew tired of me staring in shock at my reflection. Soon after, she too slipped out.

I took a deep breath and exhaled out rat masks and monkey lies. I held my head taller, stuck my chin forward, gathered up the folds of my smokey blue skirts, and headed for the door.