The Promposal (The Ugly Stepsister Series Book 2)

by Sariah Wilson

And here I thought we were having kind of a moment. “Okay. I have to get to class.” I started to walk away and then stopped. I didn’t have to be mean, but she deserved to get called out on her behavior. “You shouldn’t have blackmailed Mindi and nearly ruined the prom. It’s one thing to go after me and Ella and take away our dresses or whatever, but you almost destroyed one of the most important nights of everybody’s lives.”

  “I know. I shouldn’t have.”

  I nearly fell over from the shock of her admission. If she’d apologized, it might have led to an actual heart attack, and I would have died. And missed the prom, which would have been terrible.

  And even though I knew she’d never ask for forgiveness for her actions, I forgave her anyway. Maybe it was because I’d made up with Jake and was feeling generous and happy, but I didn’t want to keep being angry with her. The school year was almost over, and I didn’t plan on ever seeing her again.

  “Right.” There was nothing else to really say, and I did need to get to class. “So . . . yeah. Bye, I guess.”

  “You’re going to tell everyone, aren’t you?”

  Her words again made me come to a stop. “What?”

  She wiped her nose with the toilet paper I’d given her. “That’s what I would do if I were in your shoes. Tell everyone.”

  “I’m not you. And I don’t plan on telling anybody. It’s none of my business.”

  I could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t believe me. But it was the truth.

  And I got the feeling she was about to become intimately acquainted with having to tell the truth to some important people in her life.

  I did as I promised and kept my mouth shut. Especially since Mercedes seemed to be dealing with a lot of crap. Mindi had spread the truth of what she’d done far and wide, but she gave most of the blame to Mercedes.

  Which led to Mercedes being so ostracized by the other kids that, once again, I felt really sorry for her. I even said hi to her when I saw her in the hallway.

  She ignored me and my attempts at niceness.

  My sister couldn’t help but notice.

  Later that afternoon, I was heading out to our car to drive over to Kenyetta’s school for our last tutoring session. Ella was going to catch a ride with one of the girls from cheerleading. “Why are you being nice to Mercedes? Have you forgotten what she did?”

  “I didn’t forget. And it’s kind of a long story. I’ve just come to realize that when people are awful to you that it usually means that terrible things are happening in their personal lives. Maybe instead of getting mad and lashing out it would be better if I remembered that everybody has their stuff that they’re going through and it’s better to try and be kind.”

  “Huh. So when did you get all enlightened and become a better person than me?” she teased.

  “Not hardly.”

  She grinned. “Give Kenyetta a hug for me!”

  I told her I would and waved goodbye. I drove over to Kenyetta’s school and found her waiting for me in our spot in the library. Since this was our last session, we’d mutually decided that we would not do homework of any kind but would spend our time talking and playing cards.

  I brought Uno and Go Fish. I thought Dr. Drummond probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I taught his little girl how to play poker.

  “Are you excited for your recital tomorrow?” I asked her.

  She nodded. “My dad scheduled time off so he could be there. He’s even working late tonight, trying to get everything done.”

  When you were one of the best oncologists in the state, it made sense that you didn’t get much free time.

  “I still wish you could come, too.”

  “I know. But I have to set up for prom, and it’s at the same time.”

  “What’s a prom?” She asked me for a four, and I told her to go fish. She took another card from the top of the deck and added it to her hand.

  “It’s like a big ball.”

  She raised one eyebrow at me. “A ball?”

  “Not the bouncy kind. The Cinderella kind. Like a big dance.”

  Her eyes lit up. “So you get dressed up? Are you going with Jake?”

  “Yep. Do you have any sixes?”

  “Go fish.”

  I grabbed a card and realized that Kenyetta had put her hand down and was rummaging through her backpack. “I have something I need to show you. I found it in my dad’s drawer.”

  She took out what looked suspiciously like a ring box. She opened it up, and the huge rock perched on top of the tiny band nearly blinded me. I didn’t know a lot about jewelry, but this thing looked like it cost more than Jake’s car. Now I’d be having nightmares about her losing it and not returning it.

  At first I wanted to ask her why she was going through her dad’s drawer, but instead, I closed the box and handed it back to her. “Put that in your backpack. Zip it up tight. And as soon as you get home, promise me you’ll put it right back where you found it.”

  She returned it to her backpack and said, “I don’t want to put it back. I think he’s going to propose to Bahati.”

  We had entered dangerous territory, and I needed to be careful about where I stepped. “That would probably make your dad really, really happy. He’s probably been lonely since your mom died.”

  “He’s not alone. He has me.”

  “I know he does. But it’s not the same. Think about how much you like Jake,” I told her, putting down a pair of eights on the table. “Grown-ups feel that same way, only a thousand times more. They like having a partner, somebody who can help them out and that they can count on. And that they can kiss and stuff.”

  “Ew.”

  “I think Bahati is really nice. And I’m kind of a stepmother expert since I’ve had almost as many of them as I have fingers on my hands. Most of them were terrible. But my dad’s girlfriend now? Jennifer? I really hope he marries her.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m in the same position as you. My parents can’t get back together.”

  “Oh.” Her brown eyes looked so sad. “Is your mom dead, too?”

  “Nope. Just evil. Anyway, Jennifer makes my dad happy, and I want him to be happy. I don’t want him to be alone. Bahati wouldn’t take your mom’s place. She could be a friend to you. And who can’t use more friends?”

  She drummed her fingers against the table, thinking. “What if they have a baby and they forget all about me?”

  “You, my dear, are unforgettable. When you add more people to your family, the love just grows bigger and bigger. And if they have a baby, you might get a sister. And having a sister is the best.”

  Kenyetta shot me a skeptical look.

  “I’m serious!” I protested. “Did I ever tell you about how I didn’t used to get along with Ella?”

  “Why? She’s awesome.”

  “That’s why. Because she’s awesome and does everything right and everyone loves her and it annoyed me. But the thing was, she was there for me. Ella showed up. She helped me. Even when I was awful to her, she did her best to be my sister. And it made me realize how much I loved her and how important she was to me.”

  I put down another pair of cards and realized that Kenyetta wasn’t paying attention to the game, but to what I was saying. “It’s okay if you start out not liking someone and then change your mind.”

  She nodded, her focus back on the cards. “I’m going to be sad when you leave and won’t tutor me anymore.”

  “We’ll always be friends.”

  “You’re going to college in the fall,” she protested.

  “I won’t be too far away. And you can call me or text me any time you want. I’ll always be just a phone call away. You’re going to have to work a lot harder than that if you think you’re going to get rid of me so easily, Kenny-the-Pooh.”

  “Ugh,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I never should have told you about that.” It was the nickname her father had given her as a baby because of her big, rolly tummy. Just like Winnie-
the-Pooh.

  “Too late. It’s in the vault now. At your wedding, when I’m your matron of honor, I’m going to announce it to the entire room.”

  “You are so embarrassing,” she mumbled, but I saw her secretive smile at me promising to be a part of her life for a long time. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at it. “I gotta go. Bahati’s waiting for me out front.”

  She gathered up her things, and I stayed quiet, not wanting to beat a dead horse. I’d done my best to nudge her toward trying to work things out with her potential future stepmom.

  “I’m glad we got to work together and become friends. I’m going to miss being able to hang out with you every week,” I told her.

  Without warning, she threw her arms around my neck, almost knocking me out of my chair. She didn’t say anything, just squeezed. And when the hug was over, she ran from the room. I found myself having to fight back tears, and I gulped several times, trying to keep them in. I’d known it would be hard to say goodbye to her. Just not this hard.

  The thing that made me feel better was that I’d been like her Yoda. Not small and green, but more of a mentor since I could help her given that I’d been where she was. Who knew that playing Musical Chairs: Stepmothers Edition would make it so I could help someone else? Like the pain and annoyance had all been worth it just so that I could try and help Kenyetta down her path.

  It made me wonder if someday I’d meet someone else with a terrible mother, and I could tell them been there, still haven’t murdered that.

  I mean, assuming that I hadn’t.

  I gathered up my things and headed home. As I pulled into the driveway, my phone chirped at me. It was a text from Ella.

  YOUR DRESS IS COMPLETE. REPEAT, YOUR DRESS IS COMPLETE. YOU’RE GOING TO DIE, AND JAKE WILL LOSE HIS EVER-LOVING MIND. OVER.

  Now this I had to see.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Ella practically tackled me when I walked in the front door. “Come see! Come see!”

  She was wearing her “new” prom dress, created from two of her old gowns. And while I hadn’t been able to picture it when she’d first described it to me, now I was blown away by how pretty it was. “Your dress is amazing!” I told her.

  With a wave of her hand, she dismissed her dress, as if it didn’t matter. She grabbed me by the wrist and led me into her room.

  My dress was hanging on her closet door. “That’s the kimono?” I asked, my mouth hanging open.

  “The silk was much easier to work with than I thought it would be. So soft, but still really strong.”

  Ella had altered the bodice of the dress to be sleeveless and brought in the sides. She had also given it a bit of a plunging neckline, something a little more daring than I might normally wear. I didn’t know what she had done to the skirt, but now it hung down like a bell, as if it would move and flow when I walked or danced. Ella lifted it down from the closet door and handed it to me.

  The bottom embroidery was still intact, beautiful silver renderings of a Japanese garden with birds taking flight. I noticed that the back had a deep V as well, even more than the front. It was a very grown-up dress.

  It was absolutely perfect.

  “Try it on!”

  Without hesitation, I kicked off my shoes and tore off my pants and shirt. Ella helped me slide the dress on over my head, and it made that silk-whispering sound against my skin, feeling as smooth as water. I saw that she’d cut the bow down by half. I looked at my reflection and watched her tying it in the back for me.

  “I didn’t realize this at the beginning, but there was so much material with this thing. I guess it’s a lot of padding and tucking to make it fit right when you wear it traditionally, but that also meant I had a lot to work with.” She stepped back to take a look at me, even making me spin around. “Sometimes I even impress myself.”

  “You should be impressed,” I told her as I shifted my weight from side to side, making my skirt sway softly. “You are so talented. Are you sure you don’t want to go into fashion design?”

  “I’m just copying someone else’s work. I didn’t come up with the idea for either dress on my own.” She went over to her jewelry box and started sorting through it. “I think silver earrings will work best with your dress, and I have the perfect pair of dangling ones—here.” She came back over and held one of them up to my ear so that I could see it in the mirror. “I also have a matching necklace.”

  “You know I’m not this kind of person, but you were forewarned. Thank you.” Then I grabbed her and hugged her. I seemed to be doing a lot of hugging lately. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I always thought it was.

  But Ella deserved a hug for saving the prom for us. Now we had really unique and beautiful dresses.

  When I let go of her, she smiled at me and asked, “So what are your plans for the rest of the night?”

  I had already filled her in on my conversation with Jake in the hospital. “I was going to go put on something nice and wait in my room for a phone call or invitation to go somewhere to get my promposal. But I’ve decided that’s pathetic, and you and I should do something together.”

  And if a phone call came or Jake showed up, well, I was sure Ella wouldn’t mind if I bailed a tad bit early from our plans.

  “Let’s binge watch something,” she suggested.

  I agreed. Lately we’d been really into watching British period dramas together. Our boyfriends (or ex-boyfriend, in Ella’s case) weren’t very good company for it. It was definitely a girls-only thing.

  Ella helped me out of my dress and hung it up. I put my clothes back on while she changed from formal wear to yoga pants and an oversize shirt. We sat on her bed, and she pulled up our Amazon account on her laptop. She clicked on North & South, which we’d recently started.

  I looked at her comfy clothes and wondered if I should go change, too.

  But I left my jeans on. I wanted to be prepared. Just in case.

  There was nothing wrong with having a little hope, right?

  Except for when your hopes get dashed and your boyfriend does not come over to ask you to the prom.

  My restless night turned into an early morning, and prom was now less than ten hours away.

  Still no promposal.

  Whatever Jake had planned, he was cutting things awfully close.

  Ella and I had created an itinerary for the day. We were in the middle of doing mud masks with cucumbers on our eyes when my phone rang. I removed the vegetable from my eye to see who was calling me.

  To my surprise, it was Kenyetta.

  Obviously I’d given her my number just in case, but this was the first time she’d ever called me.

  “Hey, Kenyetta. What’s going on?” This kid was taking me up pretty quickly on the whole “I’m only a phone call away” thing.

  “There was an emergency at the hospital with one of my dad’s patients. He can’t come to my recital today.” I could hear the wobble in her voice.

  “I’ll come.” The words just burst out of me, with no thought behind them. I had so much to do, like, decorate an actual prom, but in that moment, none of it mattered.

  Because I had been in her shoes. I grew up with a single father who often missed important events in my life because of his work. At least in Dr. Drummond’s case he was saving lives, which probably made it a tad easier to deal with. My dad just usually forgot.

  I wasn’t going to let her feel completely alone and forgotten.

  “Really?”

  “Of course. Text me when and where, and I’ll stand up and yell the loudest for you.”

  “It’s a ballet recital,” she said with a sad laugh. “Not a concert.”

  “Don’t care. I’ll be the one in the middle shouting, ‘Kenny-the-Pooh!’ and holding up my phone with the flashlight app on.”

  This time I got a real giggle. “You are dumb. I’ll send you the information.”

  I hung up my phone, and her text arrived. The recital was from one o’clock to three thirty. And it was an hour
away. Realization struck me, hard. “What did I just do?”

  “What’s going on?” Ella asked, removing the cucumbers from her eyes, too.

  “Kenyetta’s dad had to cancel on her recital today. I told her I would come, but it’s right when we’re supposed to be decorating for prom.”

  Ella’s eyes lit up, as if this was exciting. “That’s great! I mean, that’s not great. For Kenyetta. But great that you can be there for her. Support her. You should definitely go.”

  She was acting really strange. But since I’d jumped to such a wrong conclusion with Jake I wasn’t eager to go there again. I chalked it up to prom stress.

  “But what about decorating? What about us getting ready together?”

  “Don’t worry about setting up. Because you’ve made everybody so excited about having a dance that was just for us we have a massive group of decorating volunteers. There’s so many people signed up that it will go really quickly. And you should be home by four thirty or five, and that’s still plenty of time for us to get ready and head over.”

  That relieved most of my guilt. Especially since I knew that Ella would do such a phenomenal job of telling everybody else what to do.

  “I’ll have to take the car. How are you going to get over to Victor’s house?”

  “Oh.” Was that a blush I saw on Ella’s cheeks? “Deacon volunteered to help out, too. He was planning on coming by to pick me up.”

  “Just you, huh?” I teased. “Isn’t it bad luck for him to see you before the prom?”

  She blinked rapidly, as if she’d misspoken. “Obviously he would have taken both of us. But now I guess he’ll just be taking me. And that luck thing is for weddings. Not dances.”

  I knew the thing with Trent still hurt, but I was glad to see that she could be excited about someone new. I guessed what she said was true. That she spent a long time getting over him so that when the actual ending came, it didn’t hurt quite as much.

  “I better get ready,” I said. I went into my bathroom and washed the mask off my face and didn’t bother with any makeup. I grabbed some lunch to go (half a bag of Lay’s sour cream and onion chips) and got on the road.