Story of a Friendship Part 7

Bethany stood in front of her full-length mirror and gazed at the beautiful light blue dress she had picked out for the night.  Oh, it was so beautiful!  There were just no words to describe it!  She played lightly with the shawl that was wrapped gracefully behind her back and flowed down from her arms.  Her hair was let down to slide elegantly across her cheeks and curl slightly underneath her chin.  She had to admit, she looked radiant.  The doorbell rang and she could hear her over protective dad questioning poor Trevor who was already nervous enough.  Bethany quickly took one last look in the mirror before walking out of her room and down the stairs.  Before she reached the bottom, there was her mom with the camera, taking pictures and smiling like a little child at Christmas.  Bethany skillfully dodged the flashing camera and her dad’s interrogation, swiftly closing the door and walking out to Trevor’s car.  Trevor was beaming from ear to ear with a smile that could light up every room in the Empire State Building.  Bethany just had to laugh at him as he nervously opened her door and helped her inside.  After a few moments of driving and making small talk, Trevor took a deep breath and fell back into his normal, charming personality.  This was going to be a good dance, Bethany could tell.1

Jesse looked into his rear view mirror at his friend Mike and his date making out in the back seat, then over to his own date.  He had decided to take Mandy Carter even with her high expectations and obvious self-conceitedness.  He shook his head and rolled his eyes.2

“Hey, Mike!  Come up for air for a second!  We haven’t even gone to the dance yet dude!  Making out comes after.”  Mike pulled away and smiled in the rear view mirror.3

“You’re right dude.  So, let’s get there already!”  Jesse continued to drive as he watched out of the corner of his eye, Mandy fixing her hair and make up the whole way in the flip down mirror.  Jesse pulled into the parking lot and sighed as he eyed Mandy.  She wore a very revealing, showy dress with a lot of jewelry and make up to match.  Jesse couldn’t help comparing her to Bethany as he watched Bethany and Trevor make their way up the stairs to enter the school.  Bethany was gracefully dressed, like an elegant angel with light make up and her hair sophisticatedly down.  Mandy looked impatiently at Jesse.4

“Are you going to get out and open my door or what?”  She asked in her whiny, demanding voice.  Jesse sighed and just thought,5

‘This is going to be a long night.’  Once inside the school, the group mixed with the crowd.  Jesse and Mike left their dates and headed to the stage.  The band was setting up next to the already working DJ.  Jesse went and greeted the DJ and then commenced setting up his guitar and the rest of the band equipment.  Brian showed up a minute later and quickly set up his drum set while the others continued to show up.  When Jesse was sure that he was done, he sat at the edge of the stage and watched everyone dance, but he was looking for one particular girl.  He found Bethany in the middle of the dance floor with Trevor, dancing to a song that he didn’t recognize, but from it’s sound; he knew it was R&B.  He examined Bethany and recognized the dress she was wearing as the one that he had seen her wear in his dream.  Jesse was taken back.  Just then, Brian came and tapped Jesse on the shoulder with his drumstick.6

“Come on man.  We’re on.”  Jesse stood up and tossed the guitar strap around his back.  There was nothing he could do, especially sitting and staring at Bethany.  Jesse continued to watch Trevor, making sure no bold moves were made on his part.  Jesse sighed and heard the band equipment flip on.  This was his time to shine, and Bethany would know it.  Jesse strummed a chord on his guitar and saw Bethany look up at him with her beautiful blue eyes.  Jesse smiled and approached the microphone with confidence.  He strummed another chord just for attention and dramatic effect.  Brian began to count it out, and the up beat song began.  This was a song that Bethany knew well.  She had been there when the band had composed the piece, and Jesse could remember her dancing to it while he sang.  He pictured this as the song continued and even into the next.  He soon noticed that every song he played he could somehow connect to Bethany.  Jesse closed his eyes most of the time to avoid the sight of Bethany dancing with Trevor.  After a few more songs, he couldn’t take it any longer.  It was now or never.  Jesse approached the rest of the band behind him while they all stared at him with confusion and uncertainty.7

“Hey guys.  I have an idea for a slow dance song.  We haven’t done many of them; so let’s try this one.  Just follow my lead.”  The band looked blankly at him, but then Brian stuck his drumsticks out toward Jesse as a sign of agreement.  Jesse smiled and nodded to him.8

‘At least I’ve got Brian with me.’  Jesse stepped up toward the microphone again, this time a little less certain of himself.  He adjusted his guitar strap and looked out into the crowd for Bethany’s gaze.  He found her near the front of the stage, exactly where he didn’t expect her.  She watched him with eyes that seemed to sparkle more then the ancient disco ball glittering above them.  Trevor was next to her, with his arm around her waist and a jealous glare directed toward Jesse as he tried to take her attention back onto him.  Jesse just had to smile and take it more as a compliment then an insult as it was.  Jesse began to lightly play with the strings of his guitar, guiding them into a haunting melody singled out to the night at the one girl that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of.  He continued to play the melody as he spoke into the microphone in a soft, easy voice.9

“We’re going to take it down a bit.  This is a piece I wrote late in the night while thinking about the girl that keeps me up on rainy nights.”  Jesse looked down to Bethany and could see her a little confused, but he could also see the blush that started to add color to her porcelain skin.  Jesse began to sing softly and sweetly into the over powered microphone, shedding a romantic light onto the dance floor.  “I see the moon.  The moon sees me.  The moon sees somebody that I want to see.  So, God bless the moon.  God bless me, and God bless that somebody I want to see.”  The song continued slowly, and eventually the rest of the band began to catch on.  First, Brian brought in a light drumbeat, then Mike came in with a quiet down melody, which then chimed in Kevin and his keyboard with a harmony that carried through the piece.  Jesse just couldn’t believe the talent that these guys had, to quickly catch onto a piece they had never heard and create a masterpiece.  Jesse never wanted the song to end, but eventually the rest of the band faded out and Jesse and his guitar we left all alone again to finish the piece as the stage lights began to dim, giving them the signal to take a break.  10

When the lights had finally dimmed away; Jesse took off his guitar and jumped down from the stage almost in a trance.  He made his way through the crowd and out into the hall to the water fountain.  Only a faint thought occurred in his mind between his exit from the stage and his entrance into the almost deserted hallway.  Bethany and Trevor weren’t there.  When Jesse had refreshed his dry desert of a mouth, he began to think what Bethany and Trevor could be doing right that second.  Jesse could only imagine, but the more he imagined, the more upset he became.  Not only did he envy Trevor, but then the rain began to fall.  Jesse couldn’t take it anymore.  Out of frustration, Jesse walked to the front doors toward his car.  Thunder rumbled in an attempt to shake the earth.  Jesse envied that thunder.  Oh, how he wanted to make the earth shake in all his frustration!  He threw open his car door and grabbed his cell phone, abandoned on the driver’s seat.  As he flipped it open to check the battery, he heard a car door nearby slam closed.  Jesse stuffed the cell phone into his back pocket and began to walk back to the school doors when he heard someone call his name.  Jesse turned around and watched as Bethany ran to him, he dress clinging to her and her shoes in hand.  She ran bare footed over the asphalt and when she reached him, she jumped on him, almost knocking him to the ground.  Her long legs wrapped around his waist and his strong arms held her up as her head came down and her lips met his.  Bethany was the one in control of the kiss.  She led him through all the emotions from anger, longing, and frustration, to joy, relief and uncontrollable lust.  Jesse was almost knocked to the ground at the shock and sheer power of her kiss.  This was more energizing then even the pouring rain, fiery lightning, and fierce thunder combined.11