by Sadie Allen
And I did love him, even if he turned out to be the father of Raven’s baby. He was the best person I had ever known, and I told him that, too. I told him that I wanted to try. I told him he was the best part of my day. I told him that he had the most incredible eyes I had ever seen. I told him I would slow dance with him forever. I told him I couldn’t picture my future without him in it. The list went on and on. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.
It took forever, and I was surprised no one had come looking for me.
I left the Sharpie and leftover stacks of sticky notes on the tabletop that covered the low-lying lockers. I really hoped maintenance didn’t take down all my hard work.
I thought it was dumb I had to participate in the prom preparations when I had been banned from attending. I wondered if Sterling was going, and if he was, would he take Raven? The thought made bile rise in my throat, and my eyes stung.
I made my way back into the cafetorium where Laura was working with one of the men hired by the parents to have these huge columns swathed in purple and silver glittery gauze placed throughout the room. No one said anything or even looked at me funny. I wondered if they noticed where I had come from or that I had left earlier.
I went over to Laura and asked, “Do you need me to do something?”
She gave me a look that was kind of insulting, like I had been dropped on my head as a baby. “Uh, look around. There are tons of things that still need to be done.” She cut her eyes back to the short man who was wiggling the pillar into place before shrieking, “You’re going to tear it!”
Whoa. I backed away slowly and searched the room for a job that would not put me in her path.
The stage area had been fitted with strand after strand of white lights that came down as a curtain. The podium had been moved next to a red carpet that stretched backstage and rolled down the steps to the floor. Supposedly, there would be an MC who would announce the couples when they arrived, like a mix between a royal ball and a Hollywood event.
I went over to the team that was trying to pin or staple the red carpet down to the steps.
“Need any help?”
“Sure. Come over here and hold this down,” was Gage’s reply.
And that was what I did until it was time for everyone to leave and get ready for prom.
The room had been transformed into something out of a movie. I felt a small pang that I was going to miss it all. It was my first prom, after all.
As I left, it felt like everyone’s eyes were on me, pitying me. No one had mentioned my suspension—probably because I had hidden for most of the day—but I still felt like a pariah. The people who I had belonged to were strangers to me, and my friends weren’t there.
I was so busy staring at my shoes as I walked to my car that I didn’t notice the boy leaning against my door. So, when I heard a familiar voice call, “Hey, Ally,” I jumped a foot in the air. My head jerked up, and I saw Miles leaning against my SUV.
“Hey,” I greeted, confused as to why he was there.
He pushed up from the door and stood in front of it, blocking my path. “How are things?”
He looked like his usual self—styled blond hair, ocean blue eyes, dressed in jeans and a button-down, and I could smell his cologne from where I stood a couple feet away. Bleh.
I nodded in short movements and replied on a sardonic chuckle, “Just peachy.” Then I jiggled my keys in hopes he would take the hint.
I guessed my hint wasn’t received because he still stood there and sighed out, “Yeah.” He didn’t move, his gaze caught on something over my head.
We stood there awkwardly for a moment until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was incredibly tired.
“What do you want, Miles?”
He lowered his eyes back to me and just stared, like he was looking for signs of something. Then he seemed to make up his mind about whatever it was. I would know what when he stated, “He told you.”
I was too exhausted to pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I replied, “Yeah, he told me.”
“The baby’s not mine,” he stated, his voice cracking on the word “baby.”
I knew he wanted to believe that, but his tone, along with the look on his face, revealed his fear. He looked like a lost little boy. A lost little boy who was probably going to be a daddy.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked with a gentleness I didn’t feel. I really wanted to smack him. I wanted to maim him for being so stupid by not having condoms and for screwing everything with a vagina without one.
He didn’t say anything, so I did. I stared him straight in the eye and gave him some truth. “You need to do the right thing. For once.”
He flinched. “What is the right thing, Ally? Tell me, and I’ll do it.” His shoulders hunched as he jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“You need to talk to Raven, you need to find out if the baby is yours, and then you need to tell your parents.”
His head shot up, and he cried out, “I can’t do that!”
“You can’t go on pretending like your actions don’t have consequences. You are probably the father of that baby, if the rumors about your condom aversion are true.”
He ignored me, his face turning mulish as he declared, “I’m not marrying her.”
Okay, I had tried to be patient …
I threw my arms out and admonished loudly, “You don’t have to! It’s the twenty-first century, for goodness’ sake!”
“I won’t be able to play college baseball.” He matched my volume in his panic.
I dropped my hands, closed my eyes, and sucked in a huge breath. Then I blew it out noisily and counted to ten before I opened my eyes and stated calmly, “Maybe. Maybe not. Do you honestly think your parents, with all their money and influence, won’t take care of you and the baby? They love you. Y’all will figure something out.”
He stabbed his fingers through his perfectly styled hair and grumbled, “This wasn’t the way my life was supposed to turn out.”
I chuckled, but it held no humor. He didn’t know the half of it.
“Life rarely turns out how we plan it, Miles. It’s funny that way. How well it turns out depends on how you accept those changed plans and live the life you’re meant to, not the one you expected.”
It was like Dr. Keller had spoken to him through me. I guessed therapy really was changing my inner voice.
He squeezed his eyes shut, and I could see his throat working.
I was done. If he took my advice, great. If he didn’t, it wasn’t my problem. I had enough of my own to deal with at the moment.
“Don’t you need to get ready for prom?” I asked quietly.
His eyes popped open, and he nodded.
“Who are you taking?”
“Laura,” he croaked out.
I smiled, knowing why she so readily took Miles back. She was vying for a position in the junior court. There was no question Miles would be the junior candidate, and whomever he brought as his date had the highest odds of being the female choice.
“Well … y’all have fun.” I kept my smile in place, hoping he would take the hint and move.
“Thanks.” With that, he finally moved in the direction of his vehicle, which happened to be next to mine.
I bleeped the locks and was opening my car door when he called my name. I paused and rolled my eyes before twisting my neck to look at him from over my shoulder.
He was already in his car with the window down. His face was sad when he said, “I wish it was you.”
He wished it was me, what? Did I want to know?
Before I could make up my mind on whether to ask or not, he rolled the window up and took off.
Maybe some things were better left unknown.
“Mom,” I called as I walked through the door. Her car was parked in the driveway, so I knew she had to be home somewhere. Maybe she would be up for a spa night while we watched Supernatural? I didn’t feel like being alone.
No ans
wer.
Exhausted and a little bummed, it looked like the only date I was having was with Sam, Dean, and a tub of Halo Top.
I strolled into the kitchen to get that tub and saw a note on the fridge.
Ally,
Out with friends. Be back late. You got a package today. It’s in your room. Have fun!
Kisses!
Mom
I sighed, wondering what package I had gotten. I hadn’t ordered any more clothes. I guessed I would find out in a minute, thinking I would skip the Netflix and ice cream and just go to bed.
Feeling dejected and alone, I wandered down the hall to my room and flipped on the light.
On the bed was a box, and on top of the box sat my phone. A trill of excitement raced through me. I wanted to run over and snatch it. I could finally message Sterling!
As instantly as that excitement came, it was doused by the thought of the possibility of him being at prom tonight with a date. Again, I thought: would he have taken Raven? My gut twisted as I stared at the device like it was a snake coiled to strike.
I moved to the bed and set the phone aside, not glancing at the screen. Instead, I focused on the box.
It wasn’t a regular brown cardboard box used for packing. It was a white gift box with a shiny emerald green ribbon. I fingered the fabric between the pad of two fingers, feeling its satiny softness, before I yanked and unraveled the bow. Then I lifted the lid of the box and gasped.
Inside was an emerald green dress and a matching pair of heels. What was going on?
The light from my phone screen caught my eye, and I saw that I was getting Snapchat notifications. I reached for the phone, my heart beginning to race at who the snaps were from and the butterflies in my tummy swarming. Forget fluttering.
I clumsily opened my phone and went to the app, my breath catching at what I saw.
It was a picture of the pier, but it had white Christmas lights tacked around the edges of the rickety wood. The text band read: “Wear the dress and meet me at our place.”
O.M.G. Was I getting my She’s All That promtastic ending?
I clutched the phone to my chest and let out an excited squeal that would have put a tween girl to shame.
“I have to get ready,” I whispered into the empty room. “Fast.”
The dress fit perfectly. I smoothed my hands down the soft, floaty overlay of the almost Grecian-style, maxi dress. It had black and gold rope-like straps. The double bands of them wrapped around the waist. It was a little risqué with its deep vee of exposed skin that went from my neck until almost my belly button. If my boobs were any bigger, I would probably be exposing myself every time I moved.
I knew who was responsible for the dress and felt a smile twitch at the corners of my lips. Of course Blake would pick out a dress that was both classy and sexy.
I left my still blonde hair loose with soft curls, and kept my makeup simple but dramatic. I lined my eyes with black liquid liner, creating a winged effect at the corners, and pulled out the extra set of fake lashes that Blake had given me weeks ago for the musical. The last thing I did was smooth red lipstick over my lips and put on my gold Kendra Scott dangling earrings my mom had given me for my sixteenth birthday last year.
My hands shook on the steering wheel as I drove toward our place at Westbank Park. Anticipation tingled all throughout my body as I barely drove the speed limit all the way there.
I pulled into the lot and saw Sterling’s Chevelle, but no sign of the guy himself. I parked and barely had the engine off before I flung the door open and got out. I left my phone and purse, but bleeped the locks. Then I wetted my lips, my heart beating a mile a minute, and lifted my skirt as I hurriedly journeyed toward the pier.
I could see the soft glow as I picked my way through the tall grass and came to the small clearing. And there he was … Tears blurred my vision, and my heart practically flew out of my chest at the sight of his beloved form.
He was dressed in a royal blue tux with a snowy white shirt, black bowtie, and dress shoes. His overlong hair was brushed back from his devastatingly handsome face, making him look debonair.
I let out a long sigh. Then I noticed the glint of something on his lip and pressed the back of my hand to my lips to contain the cry of joy that wanted to escape my lips.
His eyes devoured me in return, a small smile playing on his lips. Then he called out, “Are you going to just stand there?”
That was my cue to move, and I did. I practically ran and threw myself into his arms, inhaling his woodsy, clean scent. I basked in the warmth of his body since I had felt so cold for those two weeks without him. I savored the strength of his arms as they wrapped around me and the smooth, just shaven feel of his cheek as it rested on the skin of my shoulder.
“I missed you,” I whispered in a watery voice.
He squeezed me tighter and replied gruffly, “And I missed you, princess, so much.”
We held each other, needing to feel close after being apart for so long and after the scene that had occurred the last time we had been together.
Finally, we pulled back, and I looked up into his beautiful bi-colored eyes that were so warm I thought I would never feel a chill again. Smiling, I gently tapped the ring that was in his lip with one finger.
“I figured I’d need every weapon in my arsenal to get you to give me a chance … to give us a chance.”
The corner of my mouth tipped up as I stared at the silver hoop. “You didn’t need it. I was going …” I looked up into his eyes and hoped that everything I felt for him was there, easy to read. “I was going to tell you that I wanted to try. I mean, I want to try. I want to stand by you no matter what. Even if …” I trailed off, not wanting to bring it up right now when everything was so perfect. “I love you, and that’s what matters. I was going to tell you all this last week, but I guess you know what happened.”
He nodded.
“Mom took my cell, and I figured you probably couldn’t read smoke signals, so I knew I would have to wait …” I remembered the display I had made at his locker, and my cheeks went hot. “And I may have tried to communicate all this to you … on your locker.”
His smile was brilliant, but then his brows crinkled. “What did you do?
I gave him a sheepish smile. “Let’s just say I’m handy with a Sharpie and sticky notes.” I needed to change the subject, so I leaned around his shoulder and asked, “So, what’s all this?”
“Prom.”
If I wasn’t already in love with him, I would have fallen right then. Therefore, all that was left for me to do was fall even deeper.
I felt like I was in the final romantic scene of a movie, the grand gesture, the stereo over the head, the lit backyard, the birthday cake on the table, the Gibson guitar, etc. I expected a soundtrack to start playing at any moment.
He pulled away and took my hand, leading me down the wooden planks of the pier. My heels made a click-click noise that sounded loud in the peaceful quiet of the lake.
“Hand me your keys,” he ordered.
I automatically placed them in his hand, and he pocketed them.
“Don’t want you to lose those or have them get knocked into the water.”
“Good idea,” I muttered. That was a real possibility.
Once we were in our spot, the place we had danced the first time we had come here and the spot where he had made me his, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After he pressed a few buttons, a song started playing that I didn’t recognize, which was nothing new. Then he extended his hand and asked, “May I have this dance?”
When I placed my smaller hand in his, he pulled me in close. Our bodies melded as I laid my cheek against the fine material of his suit jacket.
We swayed to the music, his breath tickling my ear as he whispered, “Did I mention how gorgeous you look in that dress?”
“No,” I answered.
“You’re so beautiful it hurts my heart to look at you.”
I snuggled deep
er into his chest, feeling shy at his sweet words. I felt it rumble as he chuckled.
“Never thought you could be shy.”
“Shut up,” I mumbled.
Our bodies moved in time, rocking side to side, my softness to his hardness. I listened to the lyrics of the song with excitement and longing that created an ache in my chest, in my soul. This boy was so much a part of me now, and I wanted to be absorbed by him, to live in his skin as he lived in mine.
“What song is this?”
“‘Skin and Bones’ by Eli Young Band.”
“I love it,” I whispered.
“Me, too,” he said against my hair before I felt him press a kiss there.
“Love you.”
“Love you, too, princess.”
And we danced in the glow of our pier under a velvety night sky filled with stars. I couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect prom night, not even in Hollywood, or even in my dreams.
Sterling just kept on saving me, and I hoped he never stopped.
It was the night after prom, and I was officially ungrounded. Sterling had wanted to do something, but I needed to reconnect with my two best friends. So, Elodie, Blake, and I were in the kitchen, baking cupcakes while my phone played Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” We danced around the kitchen, swinging our butts side to side and singing into a couple of wooden spoons while Blake wore oven mitts and was doing something he called “Vogueing.” We were having so much fun that no one heard the front door slam or see my father storm into the house. At least, until Blake caught sight of him and screamed.
We all turned to see what had him clutching his oven-mitted hands to his chest, and my gaze landed on the familiar form of my dad.