The rest of the week was one of happy agony for Francie. She didn't exactly keep her date to the Sadie Hawkins a secret from anyone, but it was sort of accepted that, between how things stood between her and Tony, and the fact that Jill Wyler would be devastated, the fewer people who knew about it, the better things would be. So, other than Tyler and Veronica, and whomever Chester chose to tell, the truth was that not many people at school knew whom she'd asked to the dance.

She didn't even spend that much more time with Chester than before, simply because she was so busy. They had English together, and they did spend their break time together, much to Jill's disgust, but other than that, they really only saw each other for a few minutes before Francie's practice. Obviously, Francie no longer came to watch Antonio work out, but she did come out to sit with Chester and talk to him, so no one really noticed that she and Antonio were no longer whatever they had been before.

"Hey." Francie put her backpack down and sat next to Chester as he punched some numbers into his laptop on the pool deck.

"Hey, you," he responded, smiling. "Did I already tell you that you looked nice today?"

Francie shook her head.

"Well, you do."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Francie asked, "You know when I pick you up tomorrow night? For the dance? Does the car have to have anything special? To accommodate your crutches or anything?" She gestured to his legs.

Chester shook his head. "But I do have a placard for parking." At Francie's questioning look, he explained. "For handicapped parking. If we go anywhere. It's pretty convenient."

"Oh. Neat." Francie was silent for a moment. "Do you want to go out after? Veronica isn't dating anyone right now, and she just asked Tyler to the dance, so the four of us could go out after, get something to eat if you want?"

Chester looked quizzically at Francie. "Yeah, sounds like fun. They won't mind? Even though they don't know me?"

Francie shook her head. "They want to get to know you," she explained. "They asked me to ask you."

Chester smiled. "Okay, then, it's a double date." He looked at the pool. "Who was that? In lane four, who just came off the wall? Doing the funky breathing?"

Francie stared. "Um, Aline Shaw, I think."

"Thanks." Chester make some notations.

"I just bought the most beautiful dress," she confessed. She hugged herself and shivered pleasurably.

Chester caught the movement and grinned. "Really? Want to tell me about it?"

Francie shook her head. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Why did you tell me, then?" Chester laughed.

"I don't know!" Francie joined in his laughter. "Don't make fun of me, this is really exciting and fun for me."

"I can tell, and I think you're so cute, honest," Chester assured her, nudging her shoulder. "I can't wait to see you in your dress."

Francie nudged him back, and they watched the workout for a few more minutes.

"Did you hear who asked Antonio to the Sadie Hawkins?" Chester asked.

Francie shook her head.

"Clary Carmichael."

"Oh." Clary Carmichael was, along with Francie, generally considered to be the most beautiful girl in their class. She had glossy black hair and dark blue eyes, and had even done a little modeling and acting. Her father was someone important in the music business, and she liked to say that he would be around long after most rock stars' careers were over, not that she was talking about anyone in particular, of course.

"I bet it didn't take long for her to ask," Francie said with a smile while shaking her head.

"No, I think she asked the afternoon of that same day," Chester agreed.

"I thought she was dating Mitch Richardson? The one who's related to George Clooney or whatever? On the basketball team?"

"I guess they broke up," Chester responded with a chuckle. "I can't keep up with the social goings on of this school, I swear it's more complicated than some of those reality shows that are on TV."

Sycamore Prep was one of the most exclusive schools in the city, one of the most expensive, with one of the oldest pedigrees, and therefore one of the most sought after. The fact that it had incredibly high academic standards made it very hard to get into, which made many of the old New York families quite angry, because it meant that their connections and money couldn't get them anything.

Francie left to get ready to swim, after waving good bye to Chester, feeling happier than she could ever remember feeling.

✨ 💕 ✨ 💕 ✨ 💕 ✨💕 ✨

"Is it time?" Lottie asked for about the hundredth time.

"Lottie, please stop, you're going to make me hurl," Francie begged, putting her fork down. "In fact, may I be excused, please? I can't eat anymore."

All of her younger brothers and sisters stopped eating their dinner and stopped to stare at her. This was not the happy-go-lucky Francie they knew. She had a cast iron stomach, first of all, and was always cheerful and relaxed. And she never, ever, hurled. That was Clio's domain.

"I'm sorry," Lottie said in a small voice. "I'm just so excited, you know? I can't wait to see you in your dress!" And she began bouncing up and down in her chair. Francie caught her movements and began bouncing a little herself and looking decidedly green.

"Lottie, stop! Look, you're giving her motion sickness!" Brina chided, holding out a hand to stop her twin sister from bouncing.

Daisy put a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to hide her smile.

"Go, Francie, and get ready, for heaven't sake, before you lose your dinner," she urged her second born.

"I'll be there when you get out of the shower," Clio assured her sister with a smile.

"Good luck in the shower!" Finn called as she vacated the table, making Pete laugh into his wine glass.

"Passerotto, what did we do for entertainment before we had you, eh?" he asked his son.

"What? I just didn't want her to vomit in there," Finn told his father. "That would be messy, don't you think?

"Hey, I learned a new way to say that at school," Finn continued. "You want to know what it is? It's 'blow chunks!' Isn't that funny? Did you know that one, you guys? Did you?" He looked around the table, where everyone was now laughing and nodding.

"Oh, you did?" He sounded disappointed. "Man, that's the problem with this family. Everyone. knows everything already."

"Finn, I can teach you another way to say it that probably no one at school knows yet," Clio offered. "It's an English way that I learned from Archie and his sister, you want to know?"

Finn nodded eagerly.

"It's 'chunder,'" Clio told him. "Like, 'I ate too much, and chundered all over the floor,' isn't that great?"

"Chunder," Finn repeated. "I'm going to chunder my guts out," he tried experimentally, grasping his stomach and making some creative noises.

Lottie and Brina were laughing so hard they were crying.

"Wonderful," Daisy murmured. "We're such a classy family."

"This," Pete said, spreading his arms to encompass everyone. "This is why I love my famiglia so much."

"And on that note," Clio said, pushing her chair back. "I'm going to go help my beautiful sister get ready for her first dance."

"I'll be there in a bit," Daisy called.

"Us too, okay?" Brina and Lottie added.

"And me," Finn added.

"The more the merrier," Clio responded as she walked down the hall.

She found Francie just stepping out of the shower, wrapped in a towel.

"Well, luckily there's nothing to do with your hair except towel it dry, so let's start there," Clio suggested.

"What do you mean, 'luckily'?" Francie asked. "I hate my hair!"

"I know you do, and it's absolutely gorgeous," Clio said with a laugh. "Now be quiet and let me work." A few minutes later, she asked, "Are you going to let me put make up on you today?"

Francie nodded. "Why not? It will be fun, I think."

Clio grinned. "I think so, too, Francie-pants."

First she zipped Francie into her dress, which was a blue cocktail minidress with iridescent sparkles all over it. It had spaghetti straps and a netting overlay from the waist over the bouffant skirt. It was playful and fun, like Francie herself, dressy but not heavy.

AN: I'm putting a pic of my daughter in here, because this is how I picture the dress, so you're going to have to imagine Francie in it, because my daughter looks nothing like Francie, okay?

Next, she sprayed sparkles in Francie's lovely hair. Not a lot, just to give her blonde hair some shimmer under the lights. Then, she started on Francie's make up. She didn't put a lot, partially because she didn't want Francie, who'd never worn make up, to freak out, and partially because she didn't think Francie really needed much.

The entire family trouped in just as Clio was finishing, and Francie drew gasps of admiration from one and all.

"Francie, you look like a princess!" was Lottie's predictable statement. It was still her highest praise. Next to her, Brina could only nod.

"I hope Chester doesn't fall in love with you and ask you to marry him," Finn said, looking anxious. He was already in his Star Wars pajamas.

"Oh, mimma, you look spectacular, veramente," Pete murmured, dropping a careful kiss on the top of her head.

"You really do, love," Daisy echoed, taking a quick picture with her phone.

Clio just stood back and nodded, accepting praise on her sister's behalf.

"Mom?" Francie asked shyly when they were alone, "could I borrow some of your perfume? The stuff that smells like lily of the valley? I want to smell nice," she confessed.

"Of course," Daisy answered with a smile. "Come and pick whatever you like."

The top of Daisy's vanity contained five or six bottles of very nice perfume, and Francie carefully selected the bottle that she wanted. She let Daisy spray the air, and she walked under it, letting the droplets settle in her hair and on her skin, so the scent wasn't overpowering.

"Thanks, mom."

"I'm so excited for you, love." Daisy smiled at Francie as they sat on the edge of the bed. "I hope you have a wonderful time tonight."

"You like Chester, right?"

Daisy nodded. "I do, very much." Daisy put a hand on Francie's arm. "You know that people might be unkind to you tonight, right? Because of his legs?"

Francie nodded. "I know. But what can we do? Never go out?"

"It makes me so angry that people might ruin a lovely night for you two because of their stupidity," Daisy said in a tight voice. "I want tonight to be perfect for you, and I'd do anything if I could keep those horrible people away from you."

"I know, Mom. But we'll have a good time, anyway. And Chester's gone to our school his whole life, everyone knows him there, hopefully no one will be too terrible."

Daisy smoothed a curl behind Francie's ear.

"So the four of you are going out to eat afterward? You'll be home around one or two?"

Francie nodded. "You can text me whenever you like, I'll answer. And I'll have that Find My Friends app turned on, so you can see where I am all the time, okay?"

Daisy nodded. "Thank you for that, love."

Francie kissed her mother. "No need for thanks. You're the absolute best parents I could ever ask for, honest. I love you mom."

I love you too, Francie."

Francie kissed everyone else goodbye at the door, put on her pink dress coat, and took the elevator down to the lobby with her father, who walked her to the car.

"Enjoy your evening, mimma. Ti amo."

"Anch' io, Dad."

He shut the door, and Francie took off into the night, headed for Chester's, and the Sadie Hawkins dance.