"So, are you going to prom?" Aria asked.

"I want to but I don't think Alex will be able to," Claire confessed. She didn't like calling him Aj so she called him Alex just like his mom did. She and Aria were hanging out in her bedroom working on a project.  

"Why wouldn't he?"  

 "Tour starts two days after. If I do go to prom I won't be going to Jen's after party because I have a VERY early flight the next day."  

 "You're so lucky," Aria complained. "You get to go on tour. Again."  

 Claire smiled. It had been pretty easy to convince her parents, brother and cousin to let her go again. She'd told them that she planned to keep a diary of things that happened on tour and use the stories as part of her senior project.  

"AND  you get all that alone time with your boyfriend. You officially suck Claire."  

 "You're still coming to the show at Rupp aren't you?"  

"Duh. How could I pass up the opportunity to ogle Nick in person?" Aria laughed.  

"Well then, I'll sneak you backstage and you can ogle him up close and personal." Aria had had a MAJOR crush on Nick ever since she'd answered the phone at Claire's and he'd been the one calling.  

"SERIOUSLY?!?!?!" Claire nodded. "I take it back. You don't suck. You're the most AWESOME friend EVER."  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 "I know I said I'd be able to go with you but I'm just not going to be able to make it," Aj said. "They've scheduled all sorts of extra rehearsals and junk. I'm sorry."  

 Claire was lying on her bed talking to Alex on the phone. They were, of course, talking about prom.  

"It's ok. I kinda figured you'd be really busy and wouldn't be able to go. It's okay, it really is."  

 "You're not mad?"  

"No. Why would I be?"  

 He laughed. "I don't know. I was just worried. You are still going right? You can't miss prom."  

 "I want to. But I don't know who I'll end up going with."  

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Claire could hear the grimace in his voice as he said this.  

 "Whoever it is will be a friend."  

Claire was about to say more but a person shouted in the background. "You'd better go. Whoever just yelled sounded angry. You're probably breaking into rehearsal time. I'll talk to you soon. I love you and have fun."

  "Love ya too."  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 Immediately after hanging up with Alex, Claire had called Aria. They were talking about who Claire could go with when Aria's brother Joey had interrupted them.  

 "Ari, let me talk to Claire."  

 Aria hung up her extention and Joe said, "Hi.

  "Well hi Joey. What do you want to talk about?" Claire asked; she knew that Joey, even though he was a year older, had always had a crush on her. And she may have had a teeny tiny one on him too.  

"Well, I heard my sister's end of the conversation. And I started wondering if you'd go to prom with me?"  

 Claire smiled. "I'd love to," she told him.   They talked a while longer, Aria now forgotten, and worked out the details. They only thing they'd left out was the color of Claire's dress.  

 "Wait!" Joey said, before she hung up. "What color is your dress going to be?"  

"Orange." Besides purple, orange was Claire's favorite color. She had no idea why but she loved it.  

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

"Ok Claire," Jackie, her mom said. "You've literally tried on EVERYsingle dress this place has. This is THE very last one."  

Claire stuck her arm out and her mom draped the dress across it.  

 "Goodie! It's actually orange!" Not many of the discarded dresses had been orange and Claire didn't want to have to send her dress to be dyed.  

 She threw the curtain aside when she had the dress on. "I LOVE IT!! she declared.

 The dress fell to her knees. The bottom hem was studded with rhinestones, as was the rest of the fluffy skirt. The halter style top was outlined with rhinestones. It might look weird to some people, but Claire loved it.   "Alrighty then. Let's get it."  

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 "Are you sure you can't stay?" Mrs. Nielley asked. "You're always such fun in class."  

 "Sorry Mrs. Nielley. You're an awesome teacher and all but that tour bus is calling my name," Claire laughed. "But don't worry. I'll be back for senior year."  

 Claire and her parents had set it up with the principal, who was rather fond of both Kevin and Brian, so that she could take her finals two weeks early and leave on time with the tour. She'd just finished the last final which was Mrs.Nielley's history exam. It had actually been sort of fun.

Mrs. Nielley had taken the vacant history teacher position right when the Edwards trial had begun. And like Claire had told her, she was an awesome teacher and everyone loved her.  

"You'll have to share stories with the class when you get back." Claire already knew that Mrs. Nielley would be her Civics/Econ teacher for Senior Year.  

"Oh I will," Claire hugged her and set off for home. Tomorrow was prom and she had a bit of day-before prep to do.  

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 Aria, Jenna, Megan and Stephenie had spent the night at Claire's and now all five girls were in various stages of prom-readiness.

  "Claire your hair is gorgeous."  

 "Thanks." Claire had spent days going through magazines looking at hairstyles before she'd decided to improvise and create one herself. Her hair was parted on the right side and pulled together in a ballerina bun behind her left ear. When the guys showed up she was g oing to put the orange Alstroemeria in it.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  "You look amazing," Joey said, slipping the corsage onto her wrist.  

She smiled. "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself."  

 It took thirty minutes before the moms were satisfied that they had enough pictures.

  "Be careful and have fun!" The five mothers called after their children.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 "Time for the last dance," the lead singer called out.

  The opening notes of "I'll Never Break Your Heart," came through the speakers.

   "I'm surprised," Claire said.

  "Why?"  

"Because they just released this song a few weeks ago and they were able to learn it quickly."  

 "But isn't it one of the songs they sang last summer?" Joey asked.  

"Well yeah. But that wasj ust a teeny promo tour before they released their first album. This summer's the BIG tour. I won't be home until two days before school starts."  

 "Sounds like you've got a busy summer ahead."  

"Oh I do," she told him. "But I'm really looking forward to it. It should be a blast."  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  "Come on Clairebear, it's time to go."  

Claire rolled over. "Five more minutes. Then I'll go to school."  

 "If I give you five more minutes you'll miss your flight," her dad said.  

She bolted right out of bed. Claire'd chosen her travel clothes (sweat pants and a hoodie) the night before and had been packed for weeks.  

"You get dressed. Luggage is already in the car. We'll stop somewhere for breakfast on the way. Mom and I'll wait in the car."  

 Pulling the hoodie over her hair (which was still prom ready) didn't mess it up and that made her laugh. She must've used a ton of hairspray; a shower was the first item on her agenda upon landing in Texas.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

Claire was happily munching on a giant cinnamon-sugar pretzel as she waited to go through security. Her parents had said goodbye after she'd checked her bags and made the promise to call immediately upon spotting the first phone after landing.

  She was excited to be back on tour, and was determined that this one wouldn't be marred by her doing something stupid (like last time) or a very overprotective older brother.  

 Claire was only dreading the plane ride; it was the longest she'd ever taken (on her own) and had decided to pass the time by reading IT by Stephen King.  

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

   Claire had always been a fast reader, she thought this was because she loved reading so much.  

She was almost finished with IT by the time the pilot turned on the 'Fasten Seatbelts' sign and announced their descent.  

Closing the book, she said,"You know, I wasn't afriad of clowns before. But now that I've nearly finished this book, I think I am," to the person next to her.  

The grandmotherly woman chuckled. "Clowns aren't the problem with that book honey. That Stephen King has a twisted mind. But that's what makes him such a GOOD storyteller."  

 Claire laughed and tucked the book into her bag and prepared herself to land.  

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

   Once the plane actually landed, nerves hit Claire again, making her antsy to be off the plane and with everyone who was sure to be waiting.  

She heard them before she saw them.  

 "CLAIRE! CLAIRE! CLAIRECLAIRECLAIRE!!!"  

Someone must've given her brother large amounts of sugar. When they saw her, they all rushed her and she got one helluva group hug. Claire thought she would be permanently squished.  

 "Hi doll," Alex kissed her. "Are you sure you're ready for this again? It's bound to be a whole lot crazier than last time."  

 "Well now that you mention it...." Claire teased. "Of course I'm ready. This is going to be awesome!"  

Once they had her luggage, Brian and Nick (who, apparently, also ingested large amounts of sugar) led the wayout of the airport singsing, "TOUR! TOUR! TOURTOURTOUR!" at the loudest volume their lungs allowed.  

 It was going to be an awesome summer alright.