'hey victoria' steve said as he walked in through the front door

i was sitting on the living room couch, watching a tv show I wasn't even really paying attention to

'i brought pizza for lunch since I forgot to pack yours; i know it's almost three but i hope it counts' he said as he placed the two boxes on the kitchen table

it snowed a lot today, and the school didn't have ice to melt the snow,

so school was naturally canceled

i turned off the tv and walked over to the table and sat down across from him as he picked up a slice

after about ten minutes of silence while we were eating, steve asked me,'vic, do you know that school dance, whatever it's called, is on friday?'

i put the pizza down,'um, yeah. i was maybe planning on going'

'with who?'

'um'i paused for a second, trying to think of an excuse when he interrupted my train of thoughts

'richie?'

'you banned me from seeing him last year.'

'victoria, i know there's no science project with eddie.' he said sympathetically, not getting mad

'how?' I asked him in slight panic

'well, when you said you went to eddie's house on sunday, you forgot your backpack so i went to the kaspbrak household and you weren't there. i drove around town trying to find you and then i saw you at the dress shop with richie and what i suppose is his mother. you're going to the snowball with him, aren't you?' he asked me.

the funny thing was, that he didn't even get mad

he didn't even seem the slightest bit annoyed

but i didn't buy it, so i blurted out, practically in one breath,'steve you have no idea i'm so sorry for not telling you. i promise i won't ever go to the snowball with him. i'm so sorry i've been sneaking around i won't do it again just please don't get mad at richie he didn't ever do anything, hurt me not him'

steve breathed out an airy response,'i don't hate him, victoria mia. sure, i'm not exactly excited that he's dating my little sister and is an annoying little twerp sometimes. and even though i don't like him, i wouldn't hurt him. nor would i hurt you. you deserve happiness, and if he makes you happy then i'm all for it. all i want is for him to come to dinner tonight so i can get to know the real him, and not just what you say about him. if he comes for dinner tonight, you guys can go to the snowball; and if he doesn't, you guys can't. deal?'

i thought about what he had just said, and knowing richie he'd never pass up an opportunity to see me,'deal, i'll go to his house and ask him now. what time?'

'6 o'clock. sharp.' i nodded and grabbed my jacket before walking out of the front door

i grabbed my bike and started heading to his house, it was a five minute walk and a two minute bike ride

it took me a minute extra because i didn't want to slip and trip on the ice, but it was worth it

i threw my bike on the ground and happily walked over to the tozier household's front door

i knocked once and then the door opened quickly

it was richie,

he was smiling hugely

'you saw me from your bedroom window didn't you?' i asked him with a giggle

'yup' he said, his smile not fading

he stretched his arms out and pulled me into a hug

after he let go of me, he asked me,'so what brings you here, hot stuff?'

'steve figured out we're going to the snowball together'

richie instantly frowned, thinking i'd come to break up with him

'but, he said that if you came over for dinner tonight he'd be off of our backs for good and let us date and go to the snowball!'

richie's cheeky grin appeared again,'of course, victoria!'

'be there at six pm sharp, tozier' i said to him as i walked off back to my bike

'vic, wait! don't you wanna stay?!' he yelled out, eager to make me stay and be with him

'see you tonight, and wear something nice' I winked at him before picking up my bike

right when I was almost gone, I turned my head and saw him smiling at me

he blew me a kiss, making me smile

'ALRIGHT STEVE I'M TAKING A SHOWER NOW!' i screamed across the house, making sure he wouldn't bother me

i stepped in the hot water, rinsing my body off from any dirt that the bowers gang might have put on me, there were some bruises but not visible ones

only on my thighs and one on my knee, and since it's winter no one would notice

once i had shampooed and conditioned my hair, making sure to rinse it out extra well, i turned off the water and stepped out of the shower,

grabbing a towel and wrapping it around me, i searched the bathroom for my lotion

i rarely use lotion other than on special occasions, and this was a special occasion

it was from chanel, it smelled like honey and i had got it from my grandma for christmas last year

once i found the small bottle, and rubbed it on my legs, neck, and arms, i found the matching perfume and sprayed a little on my wrists and neck

i left the bathroom and walked into my room and shut the door, looking up at the clock that hung on my wall, it read '5:25'

i walked into my closet, looking for something to wear

after what felt like looking for forever, i found a white long sleeved dress that ran a little short, but i'd just wear stockings underneath it

it had small flowers lined up throughout it, it was like an extra layer of lace that was sewn onto the dress

it seemed familiar in a way, but i swore i'd never seen it in my entire life

something about it was, comforting, in a way or something

maybe just because it was pretty

i put the dress on my bed, frantically searching through my drawers to find a pair of stockings i could wear underneath it

after searching my entire room through, i finally found a pair of plain black stockings with no patterns

it would look good with the dress

i put the stockings next to the dress on my bed and sat down on my vanity

i looked through the two small drawers that were attached to the small, white vanity, trying to find some makeup I could wear

it ended up with me finding an old red lipstick that used to be my moms, and another used eyeshadow palette that also used to be my mother's

there was an array of colours in the small palette, and i decided on using the coppery bronze that was in it

i didn't have any makeup brushes, so i applied it with my fingers

after that, i dug out my mascara and put a coat of that on my lashes

to finish the 'look', i put on a little bit of the red lipstick, so it was more of a blush tint on my lips; and so i wouldn't have to worry about it coming off on everything i touched; cups, plates, forks, richie

with an accomplished look on my face, i got up from the small table and stool that i had previously been sitting on, and walked over to my bed again

i put on the white dress and black stocking and continued to look up at the clock

'5:40'

okay, i have approximately 20 minutes to finish getting ready

i walked out of my room and into the bathroom to blow dry my hair

i plugged the blowdryer into the wall and began blowing the hot air onto my damp locks

once my whole head of hair was dry, i grabbed my brush and brushed through the short, dyed brown hair

it didn't take long to dry my hair because of it's length, it only took about ten minutes which was nice

i looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that i was missing something

stealthy, like a ninja, i walked pass steve's room;

he was fixing his hair and was, for once, wearing nice clothes

a suit, to be exact.

i really hope that richie actually wears something nice

i slowly opened the door to my nonexistent parent's room

it was as if they never left,

my mom's perfume bottle was opened and laying on the chest in the cold room

and my father's newspapers spread across the desk that stood in the corner of the room

i walked over to the huge closet, and opened the door

all the clothes were still in there, it was as if nothing had changed

it was so nostalgic, but i took a deep breath and walked deeper into the closet; trying to find my mother's jewellery box

eventually, i found it, it was placed neatly on one of the shelves at the back of the closet

i gently opened it, and looked at everything that was in there

it was littered with necklaces, earrings, and bracelets

i moved the things around, looking for the pieces of jewellery i had originally come for

once I had looked for a little bit, I found the pearl necklace and earrings I was looking for and left the closet, followed by leaving the room

i walked back into my room and walked over to the mirror that stood in the corner of the large bedroom

with a small sigh, i took the earrings i had on out of my ears and put the pearl ones in

then, I put on the necklace and took a final look at my outfit

it looked better now, with the pearls

more put together,

i liked it, and I hope richie does too

then, i heard the doorbell ring

i slipped on a pair of white converse to go with the dress and ran out to the front door

i opened it up, and there stood my knight in shining armour

'hello, hot stuff. miss me?'