"My dress!" Lucky sat straight up. "I have no dress!"
"It's ok, Babe, I'm taking care of it. Just get dressed!" Jon smiled.
"What would I do without you?" Lucky asked as she pulled out a pair of faded, studded, denim Tommy Hilfiger flares and a Tommy Girl spaghetti-strapped tanktop.
"Most likely shrivel up and die," Jon said thoughtfully.
She turned and gave him a Look and he smirked.
"It was a rhetorical question, Jon," Lucky said frankly.
"Ah well," Jon shrugged. "I answered anyways."
"I don't have a date, either, Jon!" Lucky said, pulling up her jeans and pulling out a double-grommet black leather belt with one hand and zipping her jeans with the other.
Jon smiled. "I've got everything covered, ok, Princess?"
"You better, Jon," Lucky said, curling her hair into loose waves.
"Should you do your own hair or have a pro?" Jon asked right before she began screaming curses at the curling iron she'd just burned herself with.
"I think that answers my question, we'll have a professional come."
Lucky turned and shot Jon a warning look and Jon could see in her eyes she was becoming unglued. Too stressed.
"Calm down, Princess," Jon said. "Hand me the curling iron."
She sat down in front of Jon, handed him the iron, and let him do whatever he felt like doing to her hair, not caring anymore. Twenty minutes later, once it was cooled, he brushed it and ran a hand through it over her part, tousling it.
Lucky took one look in the mirror and threw her arms around Jon's neck, crying. "I can't do this anymore!" She sobbed into the crook of his neck. "I can't be little miss perfect for my mom. I'm sick of being someone I'm not!"
"Hey, Princess, it's gonna be ok," Jon said, hugging her tightly. "You're gonna be ok, you hear me?"
Lucky sniffled, nodded, and finished her tears. "I'm sorry. I just...I can't be someone I'm not, you know?"
"I know," Jon muttered. "Believe me, I know."
Lucky sighed and began applying her make-up, going for her dutiful fresh-faced look, knowing better than to ask Jon what he meant.
Hours later Lucky stood staring at herself in the mirror, Justin, her date compliments of Jon, stood five feet away.
"It's not me," Lucky was referring to the dress her mother had bought her, a knee-length pale pink slipdress with thick staps. She had tried it on for Justin a few hours before it was required to be dressed and ready.
"So don't wear it," Justin said simply. "Wear something thats you."
"What is me?" Lucky turned to look at Justin.
Justin smiled. "I know a surefire way to find out, Luck. Let's go!"
Soon Justin had placed her in a store named Wet Seal.
"Justin, we're in a mall," Lucky said, poking him in the ribs with her elbow.
"Yup," He nodded, tugging his Abercrombie & Fitch hat farther down on his head, trying to conceal the curls. "Pick something out - they got some cute stuff in here, or so I've heard."
"From who?" Lucky countered.
"My mom," Justin grinned, holding up a red mini-dress with side cutouts and fringe along the bottom hem, which would barely cover someone's rear end. "She's got this exact dress!" He joked.
Lucky looked at him. "Disturbing."
"Ain't it?" Justin agreed cheerfully, grabbing her hand and tugging her inside of the store.
Lucky shyly began to pick out an outift, but soon had an armload of things she liked and took off for the dressing room.
Justin smiled as he straddled the bench in front of the dressing room and Lucky pranced before him in each outfit.
Finally Lucky decided on new outfits for everything she needed to do. One to appear in, one to perform in, and one to present an award in. Her first outfit was a slinky black tube dress that reached just below her knees, with a slit up the side, showing off her legs with black, velvet-covered, chunky high-heeled sandals.
The outfit for her to perform in was a pair of black, stretchy, shiny, flared pants and a hot pink cropped tank top with a square neck and regular straps and black shoes.
The third outfit was a baby pink bandeau tube top and a baby pink long skirt with two hip-high slits up the front with matching baby pink stilletos.
Justin grinned to himself as Lucky took the outfits up to the counter. Not really her from what I can see, but it's a start! He thought to himself as he stepped in front of her and handed the cashier his credit card.
"You can't pay for this, Justin!" Lucky protested.
Immediately the salesgirl's eyes widened and her hands began shaking as she took a closer look at Justin.
"Of course I can, Luck. Can't I?" He turned to the salesgirl and gave her a wink, turning on the charm.
"Uh-huh," She nodded dumbly.
"See? I told you. This pretty little lady agrees with me," Justin announced, squeezing Lucky's hand to reassure her that he was only doing this for the girl's benefit, and not his own.
She swiped his card and thrust the receipt at him. "Can you si-sign this, sir?" She stammered.
Justin grinned. "You bet I can," He signed the receipt and smiled his heart-melting, but rather fake, smile at the girl.
"Can you sign this for my little sister?" The girl asked apologetically, handing him a piece of paper.
"You bet. What's her name?" Justin asked.
"Alexia," The girl responded.
Justin quickly wrote out a message and handed it to the girl with a smile. "Tell her she's got a beautiful sister."
The girl gaped for a moment, then regained some confidence and said, "I do everyday!"
Justin and Lucky both laughed.
"Hey, aren't you Lucky?" The girl asked.
"You bet," Lucky smiled her sweetest smile at the girl.
"Could you sign it, too?" The girl asked shyly.
"Of course I can," Lucky smiled and quickly wrote out a short message and signed her name for the girl.
"She'll never believe me," The girl said. "But hey, if not, I can keep it!"
Justin laughed as he lifted Lucky's bags with one hand and laced his other hand's fingers through Lucky's before heading out into the mall.
"Well, you handled that like a pro, Mr. Charmer," Lucky grinned up at him.
"Not too shabby yourself, Little Missy," Justin smiled back at her and squeezed her hand gently, almost imperceptively.
I could get used to this... Lucky thought with a contented sigh.