Double Date Dare -6- by Melanie E. (Patreon)

6.

Sandy gave me a quick look-over and grinned. “Well, look at you!”

I gave her a little spin and a mini curtsey. “You like then?”

She nodded. “I figured you’d be getting ready here, I had an outfit all planned for you too. But this is better.”

“Thanks! Mom decided since I’m doing the Donna-thing again she wanted some mother-daughter time so we went shopping last night, that’s why I couldn’t come over for homework.”

“I know, Mom told me last night when I complained about you not answering your phone.” Sandy pouted. “I was a little miffed you didn’t invite me along too, but I suppose I can’t deny Aunt Audrey a bit of fun too.”

“Ah,” I said, then shivered. “So, can I come in then?”

“Oh! Yeah!” Sandy said, stepping out of the door and letting me into her house. March might be the start of Spring a lot of places, but a cold front or something had moved in and the weekend was noticeably cooler than it had been when we’d gone dress shopping the week before.

I shivered and rubbed my arms through my thin top, Sandy adding her own body heat to the mix with a tight hug soon after.

“It really is great having you back, sis,” she said, muffled a bit by my shoulder.

I squeezed her back. “I never went anywhere you know. It’s not like I change who I am when I change clothes.”

Sandy stepped back and looked at me again. “I know. And you’re right, but still.” She looked like she had something else to say, but shook her head and smiled instead. “Got a new makeup kit for at home too huh?”

“Well SOMEONE got rid of my vanity here,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at her. “But yeah, not too much, just a few basics. I was thinking I might start using some of the eyeliner and mascara at school.”

“You should,” Sandy said confidently. “It’d make your eyes pop even more than they already do.”

I walked over to the mirror next to the TV and frowned at myself. “Maybe too much?” I asked, admiring my new leggings and tunic top. Mom and I had been worried I wouldn’t have the figure to pull it off, but the drapey cut of the shale-colored top helped to hide my hip dips and the shiny black fabric of the leggings made my legs look a mile long, especially with the chunky heeled brown boots.

Sandy stepped behind me and wrapped me in another hug, looking my reflection in the eyes. “I don’t think so. ‘Sides, with how pretty you are you might as well give up and go all the way right? I’ve got the perfect skirt to wear Monday if you wanna.”

I laughed and pushed her off of me. “Hah! No way sis. I don’t think I’m ready for that kinda thing yet.”

“Yet?”

I pretended like I hadn’t heard her and changed the subject. “So, when are the guys getting here again?”

Sandy smiled. “We have about an hour and a half. I asked you to come over early ‘cause I figured I’d be helping you get ready, but since we don’t have to worry about that now….”

“Smash Bros?” I asked, grinning.

“You’re on!”

We lost track of time as we played, Sandy sticking to Zelda/Sheikh like she always did while I took my own favorite, Dark Samus. We were right in the middle of an epic Final Destination battle when a knock at the door startled both of us. Sandy recovered before I did, and landed a final smash combo on me for the win.

“Nooooo!”

“YES!” She cried, bouncing out of her seat and dancing her way to the door. “You know what that means!”

I groaned. Overconfidence and taunting had led to me betting my glasses she had ‘miraculously’ found on our last match. Now I wouldn’t be getting them back ‘til after prom at the earliest.

I didn’t bother to look to the door, instead focusing on getting controllers put away and turning things off. Even if it wasn’t them, that loss had soured me on playing any more for the moment.

I was crouched in front of the television, sticking everything in the drawers under the set, when a set of hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me up.

“Eeek!” I squeaked, though my wits were still with me enough I didn’t kick back and risk getting dropped. “Put me down you goob!”

I heard Butch’s familiar laugh as he obeyed, letting me go an inch from the ground to get another squeak out of me when I started to fall, though his arms didn’t come completely loose until I was safely standing.

“Damn Donny! I knew you’d look good, but wow!”

I spun around in place and punched the laughing oaf in his shoulder, not so much as rocking him. He just stood there, looking me up and down with the same goofy grin I’d seen him use when checking Sandy out and chuckling, the glare I was giving him not budging him in the slightest.

“Butch, you asshole!” Sandy growled, standing next to me and punching him in his other shoulder, then joining me in glaring at him.

“Hey, hey! Easy!” Butch said, backing up and holding up his hands. “I just wanted to get a rise outta ya!”

“Sure you weren’t tryin’ to get a rise of your own?” Sandy threw back.

“Ouch,” Butch said, more quietly this time. He looked at Sandy, then looked at me, and lowered his hands. “Hey, I’m sorry. You both know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt ya, right? Either one of ya.”

Sandy huffed, then grinned. “We know,” she said, stepping up on her tip toes so she could wrap her arms around the goon’s neck and give him a peck on the cheek. “Still, don’t go grabbing my girlfriends like that, might make me jealous.”

“Girlfriends?” Butch said, waggling his eyebrows.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, but let my glare slip into a grin. “We missed ya at the lunch table this week, goob.”

“And I missed my lovely ladies,” Butch said, getting another eye roll. “But Ted was being, well, Ted.”

Sandy sighed. “What’s his issue with girls anyway? He’s a good lookin’ guy, and I’ve heard some of the other girls talk about how they’ve caught him checking them out, but always looks away when he gets caught. He isn’t gay, is he?”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Butch said, scratching the back of his head and shrugging. “I know a couple of the gay guys at school have asked him out, and he turned them down but didn’t make a big deal of it? And we’ve talked about girls before and he seemed to like ‘em well enough. I think he’s just intimidated, to be honest. His mom’s a real piece o’ work, and he has an older sister who’s pretty much the same.” Butch seemed to shudder at that. I wanted to ask him why, but decided against it. “’S why I thought asking Donny to go with him would work out? Like, basically a girl, but maybe you’re guy enough he won’t freak out as much.”

I wanted to complain about the ‘basically a girl’ part, but couldn’t really think of a reason why. Instead, I looked at the door and asked, “So, is he meeting us here, or are we picking him up?”

“Nah, he’s already waiting in the car for us. I tried to get him to come in to meet you, but...”

“But he’s intimidated,” me and Sandy said at the same time, then looked at each other and started laughing. Butch joined in not long after.

“Well, since he’s not here I feel it is my sworn duty to escort both you lovely ladies to the vehicle,” Butch said, standing straight and offering a hand each to Sandy and me. I watched Sandy take his right arm, then waited until she gave me a nod before taking his left.

We were almost to the door – not that it was a very long walk, but organizing three sets of feet took a moment – when Butch pulled us both to a stop.

“What’s up?” Sandy asked him, and I looked up to see a questioning look on his face as he turned to look at me.

“Well, before we head out, what are we calling you tonight? Is it Donny? Or Dana, or Danielle, or Donna, or Henrietta, or what?”

“Donna,” I confirmed. “It’s what we used to always use.”

I didn’t know if Butch was aware that it wasn’t my first time dressed as a girl, but he didn’t show any reaction when I said that. Instead, he just smiled and gave my arm a squeeze. “Donna it is then. Ready to go meet your date?”

“I guess,” I said, none too enthusiastic.

Butch chuckled. “Hey, I know Ted’s a bit of a flake, but trust me. I have a feeling once he gets to know you he’ll open up more, and you’ll see he’s a really fun guy and not just a stick in the mud.”

With that we walked out the door and toward Butch’s old Explorer. I saw the familiar head of hair through the back window, sitting in the back seat on the driver’s side and looking the other way from us, and once again found myself doubting just how fun Ted’s presence would be that evening.

You know what? Screw it. Me, Sandy, and Butch had gone out plenty of times, just the three of us, and had a lot of fun. If Ted wanted to ignore me all night, or be a ‘stick in the mud’ as Butch had put it, then that was on him. I wasn’t about to let his attitude bring me down.

‘I’m sixteen, almost seventeen. I’m pretty, I’m smart, and I don’t need a boy to have a fun night,’ I reminded myself, straightening my back and putting as much confidence as I could into each step as we approached the car.

‘Well, no boy except Butch, since he’s paying for all this,’ I admitted to myself.

Ted finally turned his head to look at us when Butch pulled the door open for Sandy, helping her in. He kept his eyes on her, looking almost ready to jump out of the car and run away, only turning to look my way when Butch repeated the process to help me up and into the 4x4.

As Butch was walking around the car to get to the driver’s seat I looked over at my date-to-be. The look he was giving me held less fear than the one he had given Sandy, but even with that he still looked like he would sooner leap out the window than hold my hand.

‘Guess I’m just gonna have to be the man for the moment,’ I thought, not without a sense of humor about the whole situation.

“Hi!” I said brightly, holding my hand out toward the frightened boy and trying not to frown when he flinched back. “I’m Donna, and I’ll be your date this evening.”

Butch had climbed into the car, and both him and Sandy were watching intently in the rear-view mirror as I sat there, smiling and waiting for Ted to make a move.

The handsome but terrified boy gave the door a quick glance, then looked toward me again, then into the rear-view mirror himself. Butch nodded his head, and Ted gulped, then gingerly reached out and shook my hand. “H-hi. I’m T-Ted,” he said quietly, then gulped again. “Ted S-Simpson,” he continued, with more confidence.

I gave his hand one solid pump. “Nice ta meetcha Ted. I’m lookin’ forward to a movie and a meal on Butch’s dime, what about you?”

Ted looked to the rear-view for confidence again, then looked back at me. “Uh, yeah,” he said, with just the smallest of smiles. It was enough to showcase his handsome features, and finally I could see the attractive boy that had caught Sandy’s eye many moons ago.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start.