At 2 pm on the dot, Stina stood in my doorway with her arms overflowing with dress bags and make-up kits.

"Wow, this really does feel like prom," I teased as I moved out of her way.

"Better than prom; we don't have to sneak cheap booze. We can drink the good stuff all night. And, with that in mind," she dropped the bags on the couch to reveal her hand clutching a bottle of Champagne. "No reason not to start now!"

"And how is Jay preparing for this big night?"

"He's a boy. He went to the batting cages with his friends. All he has to do is shower, shave, and put on his same tux. Then he suddenly transforms into James Bond. Boys have it so easy."

"Oh yes," I nodded as I filled our glasses with Champagne, "because we have it so hard."

"Hey, it's not easy being effortlessly beautiful like us. Anyway," Stina said before taking a sip of her drink, "I have a few dress options for you, but I think I know which one you'll want."

"Oh really, well, let's make life easy and start there."

"Okay, be prepared to be wowed," she said as she pulled out the green and pink bridesmaid dress with a flourish.

"You kept it?"

"Of course, it was tailored to me and is a reminder never to settle."

"You realize you're going to hell."

"Oh, honey, I've been to hell, and it was a fitting in Jersey for this dress. Now, put it on."

"There's no way I'm putting on that dress. It's filled with bad karma," I argued.

"What are you talking about? This dress is not filled with bad karma. I've had it for years, and look at me living happily ever after with Jay."

"You stole a bridesmaid's dress from your ex's sister. This is a bad karma dress."

"I had to pay for it; why wouldn't I keep it? Maybe it's the lucky dress. After all, this dress made me realize that I had to leave Matt, then I met Jay. And here I am. Maybe these are like the magical jeans from that movie."

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?"

"Yeah, that one. by the way, you're like a walking encyclopedia of chick-flix movies."

"Hey, I like what I like," I shrugged.

"Okay, enough stalling. On with the dress."

"Fine, but no pictures," I conditioned.

"Oh, that's a promise I'm not willing to make. I already promised Jay I'd send him one when I made him pull this out of the storage unit."

"You're the worst," I grumbled as I picked up the dress bag and headed to my room.

"Aw, I love you too!" Stina called down the hall at me.

I returned a few minutes later, wearing the monstrosity. "So, what was Matt's sister's deal? I mean, this is exceptional."

"Yeah, she had a severe case of terrible fashion sense," Stina laughed.

"You're telling me," I lamented.

"Now smile," Stina prodded as she held up her phone.

I gave her more of a cross between a wince and a scowl, but it fit with the dress.

"And send," she announced.

"Okay, now that we've had our fun. Let's get down to business. First, get out of that thing before I have some nightmare about a trash heap coming alive and seeking revenge on the world."

"Wow, I look that good."

"Honey, you gave a valiant attempt, but no one can make that dress look good."

"Maybe she was actually a genius. Think about it; all the ladies in her pictures were wearing this dress. She would have to look amazing next to them," I theorized.

"My gosh, that's diabolical. Get out of that before I start to think too highly of my ex's whiney brat of a sister," Stina demanded as she pushed me back down the hall to my room.

"I'm so excited you're coming out tonight," Stina began as she curled my hair. "Jay's friend is single," she added absently.

"Stina," I cautioned.

"What? I was stating a fact," she shrugged.

"Mmhmm, there were many other facts you could have started with other than he's single," I reminded her.

"I want you to be happy. I want you to have what Jay and I have."

"I know, I want that too. I can feel that there is someone out there for me. Seriously, I woke up Wednesday and just had the lingering feeling of a dream or something. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture him."

"Well, hopefully, you can recognize him in a mask!" Stina giggled.

"Here's hoping," I agreed as I raised my glass and met her eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

We spent the next few hours giggling like teenagers, doing our make-up and hair, and dressing. The hours slipped away so quickly that I was almost disappointed when our car arrived.

"Oh, a town car; how fancy," I teased Stina as the driver held the door.

"Nothing but the best for you, my dear," she jested back as we slid into the car. "Tonight is going to be fun," Stina announced as she clutched my hand. "We shall dance, we shall drink, and we shall be merry!"

"We shall, and tomorrow we shall brunch to soothe our hangovers," I added.

"That's the attitude I'm looking for," Stina giggled.

We pulled up to the Gramercy Tavern behind a line of limos, and my stomach churned.

"Woah, how fancy is this thing?"

"It's basically adult prom. It's some fancy charity event."

"Um, are you sure we should be crashing?"

"Well, technically, we're not crashing. Jay's friend got the invitations from work. We belong here just as much as anyone else. Besides," she added as she stuck her mask to her face, "no one will know who we are."

"These masks don't cover that much."

"They cover enough," Stina argued as she plucked my mask from me and placed it on my face. "You look gorgeous." She turned to look at the crowd as our car approached the front of the line. She turned back and met my eyes, noting the panic. "Come on, Sadie. It'll be fun, and we're wearing masks. Now, say it with me," she dropped her voice and added, "I am Batman," causing not just me but the driver to also bust out with laughter. "We're going to have fun tonight," she promised after the giggles subsided.