Everything Has Changed

by Mia Kayla

  I placed my hand on top of his, feeling my whole body relax and smiled. “Thanks, Daddy.” I bit the inside of my cheek as thoughts of the only grandparents I’d ever known bubbled to the surface, causing an ache in the center of my chest. I reached for him and hugged his waist, resting my head on his shoulder. “I love it.”

  He kissed the top of my forehead and took hold of my hand. “Let me walk you to Jimmy’s.”

  Two white Hummer limos were parked in front of Jimmy’s curved driveway that led up to the palatial mansion while several cars were parked at the edge of the lawn. A few football players were congregated outside, and I inwardly cringed. Of course they were taking pictures at Jimmy’s. He was their star quarterback and the most popular guy in school. And, of course, Jimmy had failed to mention to me that everyone would be meeting at his house before prom because I would have, for sure, declined to go.

  I gripped the diamond on my necklace, wishing I didn’t have to go through with this. I would have been perfectly content with a movie, a blanket, and a bowl of popcorn.

  My mom must have sensed my discomfort as she lightly placed her hand on my arm. “It’ll be fun, Bliss. Enjoy it. High school will be over soon. Live in the moment.” She gave me a small smile as we ambled up their long driveway.

  My father threw his arm around my shoulder which caused me to jump. He pulled me in. “You’ll have fun. Jimmy’s here.”

  My father loved Jimmy as if he were his own son, and I wondered if my dad secretly wanted us to end up together.

  When I’d told my parents I was going to prom, they had both been excited. They always thought I should get out more and enjoy high school. Mom wanted me to meet people and have more friends. That was what she would say at least, but I knew what she really thought. She was thinking I should have more girlfriends, meaning more friends than Jimmy.

  As I glanced at my mother,, I wondered if she felt a tinge of regret because she hadn’t enjoyed high school more. Was that why she wished I would? She’d had a few girlfriends, but other than that, she had been with my dad ever since she turned fifteen.

  I didn’t know how I would feel in the future, but today, I felt perfectly fine in my own skin, doing my own thing—alone. I didn’t crave the attention most teenage girls wanted. I lived completely satisfied without the drama and gossip that followed every girl, especially the popular ones. Who would envy that? Staying off the radar kept my life stress-free.

  As we approached the custom-wooden double doors, my stress-free life slowly faded. My palms began to sweat, and I gripped my diamond necklace a little tighter. I was going to kill Jimmy for this.

  The boys greeted me as they moved to the side in the entryway, so my parents and I could pass.

  “Hi,” I replied with a small wave. I heard the chatter before I even stepped into the house. Once inside, my heart beat so loudly in my ears that it drowned out the chaos.

  Girls I recognized, but who had never said a word to me, stood near the bottom of the stairs, all dressed in their sequins, tulle, or silk dresses. Their eyes followed me into the room, which caused my temperature to rise even though I heard the air conditioner blasting in the background.

  Most of the boys scattered through the foyer in their tuxes, vests, and bow ties. I kept my head down as I concentrated on the newly waxed black marble floor.

  “Bliss! Oh my God. You look amazing.”

  I forced my gaze up when Claire Brason strolled over to greet me. Her skintight white pantsuit accentuated every curve as she sipped a glass of red wine. “You’re so beautiful. Jimmy is going to piss himself.”

  She engulfed me in a hug, pressing her large chest against me, and I squeezed her back, noticing the stares being thrown my way. The beating in my ears intensified as she released me, and I automatically started to chew my bottom lip.

  Claire turned to her next victim of affection as she pulled my mother into an embrace. “Mary, can you believe our babies are all grown-up?” She held my mom at arm’s length. “Before you know it, we’ll have grandbabies.”

  “Hopefully not soon,” my mother said with a warm smile.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at their teasing but that was the last of my worries.

  A little wine from Claire’s glass spilled on the floor, and my mother reached to steady her arm. I lifted an eyebrow, wondering if Claire had consumed a little too much alcohol for this early in the evening.

  “Victor, maybe we’ll finally be related,” she joked, winking at my father.

  “If so, I’d rather it be after college.” He chuckled lightly.

  I made a not-so-cute face in response. “Mrs. Brason,” I said, clearly uncomfortable with her teasing, “Jimmy doesn’t like me like that.”

  It was no secret that Claire had been plotting for us to get together, wishing we already were. I’d told her time and again that Jimmy was my best friend, that I wasn’t his type, nor was he mine, and that our relationship worked effortlessly as friends.

  It was funny how things had changed though—at least on my part. But I’d seen the girls Jimmy dated, and I definitely was not his type.

  “In that dress, I’m sure he’ll have a change of heart.” She whacked me on my bottom, and I jumped. “Let me find my boy.” She tipped back the rest of the wine and strutted toward the family room, her four-inch white heels clicking against the floor. “Jimmy!” she yelled from across the hall. “Bliss is here.”

  A whistle caused me to crane my neck toward the top of the stairs, and I swallowed hard.

  My eyes took in over six feet of masculine goodness. It wasn’t every day that Jimmy dressed up, but when he did, he would knock every guy in the room out of the water, his hotness rising to the millionth power.

  “Damn, Boo. You look good,” Jimmy said, dragging out the last word. He descended the stairs, holding his bow tie in hand. “Everyone, I have the hottest date tonight. Yeah, that’s right.”

  The tips of my ears warmed at his flattery. I loved his confidence but not when it directed attention my way. I blushed as every girl turned toward me, and I offered them an awkward smile. I gripped my necklace again, holding it so hard that I would later have an indentation from the precious stone on my hand.

  I narrowed my eyes at Jimmy. I wanted to kill him, make him suffer a long and slow death for convincing me to come to the stupid prom.

  But looking at his handsome face, I knew there was no way I could. In the process of strangling him, I’d most likely pull him close and kiss him instead.

  Jimmy greeted some of his boys at the bottom of the stairs, gripping their hands and chuckling as he pulled them into half hugs. When he finally made it to me, I gulped when his eyes raked over me in my dress, stopping a few times at the curvature of my breasts.

  He scratched the top of his head, inching closer. “Wow, Bliss. You really look good. Who knew all of that was underneath?”

  His eyes widened, and another blush crept up my cheeks. His words echoed in my head. I wanted him to say it again and again. I wanted to record it, so I could play it on repeat later.

  My stomach did a flip, and my pulse raced from the heat in his eyes, the way they’d flashed when he took in my ensemble. I shied away, feeling the my cheeks warm.

  The chatter had died down, and as I scanned the area, my teeth clenched. Everyone’s eyes were focused on us.

  I snatched the bow tie from his hands, getting this show on the road. “Here, let me try to do this.” I used my hair as a curtain, hiding myself from the spectators around us.

  He leaned into me as I wrapped the bow tie behind his white shirt collar. “You know how to tie this thing?” he asked curiously.

  “Yeah, Dad taught me.” My fingers worked with the stiff material as I tried to control my breathing, still feeling everyone’s eyes on us.

  When I pulled the knot tighter, Jimmy made a face. “It’s kind of snug,” he said.

  “Uh-huh,” I said meaningfully, widening my eyes at him and tightening the bow tie on purpose. I
pulled the bow tie at the ends, making him wiggle in discomfort, as my little secret revenge, getting back at him for coercing me to go to this event called prom.

  Our heads flipped up when the sound of glass breaking echoed behind me. I gasped at the sight of Claire sprawled out on the floor with shattered glass scattered around her. It crunched beneath my mother’s feet as she stepped toward Claire, trying to help her stand. My father slid his feet across the floor, shuffling the bigger pieces to the side, and then he bent over, carefully picking up the glass with his hands.

  “I’m okay,” Claire told the room in a shaky voice, nervously touching her hair, as she used my mother’s arm to steady herself. “Hilda must have just mopped the floor.” She scanned the room, embarrassed and a little disoriented.

  As she straightened, her face turned beet red.

  “Ma, your hand is bleeding.” Jimmy rushed toward his mother and pressed his hand against the blood on her palm. “Don’t move,” he commanded.

  Everyone’s eyes were on Claire. Shamefully, I released a silent sigh of relief that the attention had veered in another direction and was no longer on me. I bent down, the satin of my dress hitting the floor, and helped my father pick up the larger broken pieces.

  “Boo, leave it. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Jimmy pulled me up, plucking the glass shards out of my hand.

  “Yeah, honey, leave it.” My father nodded in agreement and reached for my arm to stop me from bending down to clean up further.

  “Hilda, can you come out here for a second?” Jimmy called, stalking toward the kitchen.

  He returned a moment later with a first-aid kit, and Hilda followed on his heels with a broom. The glass tinkled as she swept them up and threw them in a trash can discreetly hidden under the console table in the foyer.

  Jimmy tended to his mother’s wound, wiping it with an alcohol swab. She looked a little lost with an awkward smile on her face, her eyes flittering around the crowd.

  Everyone knew it wasn’t the floor that had caused Claire to trip over her own feet. People from our neighborhood gossiped about Jimmy’s drunk mother. We lived in the North Shore, so that was what people did — gossip — and they did it well.

  I was proud that my mother and I had always stayed to ourselves and weren’t a part of the normality of having money. I only knew from Jimmy himself that people talked about Claire’s drinking habit. He’d gotten into fights over it a couple of times.

  Scanning everyone’s faces confirmed that was exactly what they were thinking. As they stood there, judging Claire, Jimmy’s only priority was his mother’s injury. His rough large hands wrapped lightly around his mom’s fragile fingers as he bandaged her wound, making me sigh at his sweetness.

  That was the Jimmy I knew and loved. He didn’t care. Other teenage boys would have been annoyed or embarrassed, but Jimmy was simply a boy who loved his mother.

  After he wrapped her hand, he framed her shoulders. “Ma, maybe you should go lie down.” His tone oozed with concern.

  “No, really, I’m fine. I’m fine,” she slurred, touching the bandage on her hand, that awkward smile still on her face.

  “Please, Ma.” His eyebrows pulled together as he peered down at her.

  My heart constricted as I empathized with him.

  “We’re leaving soon. You should rest.”

  She nodded slowly, raising her chin at the crowd of judging eyes. “Hilda, you should mop only in the evenings.” She kept her chin held high as Jimmy led her up the stairs with my mother following.

  As soon as they were out of our vicinity, the hushed gossip intensified, like a swarm of buzzing bees around a hive. I tried not to shoot dirty looks at the group of girls blatantly talking about Jimmy’s mother. It was none of their damn business. They didn’t know the Brasons’ situation and what they’d been through.

  My father tapped my shoulder. “So, you’re going to have fun tonight, right?” He smiled, trying to lighten my mood by using diversion.

  “Of course. It’s prom. Why wouldn’t I have fun?” My voice was laced with sarcasm.

  I planted a forced smile on my face, and he threw one arm over my shoulder and pulled me in.

  “Hey, did I tell you that you’re one beautiful lady tonight?” His eyes showed an inner glow that told me I’d always be beautiful to him, no matter what.

  “Dad”—I chuckled—“were you doubting my ability to transform?” I ran my hands over my satin dress, took a step back, and curtsied for a dramatic effect.

  He shook his head, with fatherly pride on his face. “Bliss, honey, whatever you do, whatever you wear, it doesn’t matter. You can’t make people beautiful. They just are. And you…are beautiful from the inside out.”

  I wrinkled my nose at him. He would always see me as his little princess. But I didn’t argue because I would forever be his little girl..

  “That’s such a dad thing to say,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

  “True.” He pointed a thumb at himself. “But this daddy always tells the truth.”

  Jimmy flew down the stairs, two at a time. “Let’s get this party started!” he yelled, sliding down the banister. He winked at me as if nothing had happened and rested his arm around my neck. “Don’t worry, Mr. Carrington. I’ll take care of our girl.”

  Dad nodded but gave him a stern look. “Just so you know, I’m trusting you with my most prized gem. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “Dad!” I exclaimed, my face burning.

  He went on like I hadn’t spoken, “No curfew tonight, but you come home and sleep in your own bed. We wouldn’t want your mother fussing and overthinking things.”

  “Nothing past twelve thirty, sir. Promise,” Jimmy said, raising his hand as though he were swearing on the Bible. “Plus, this is my most prized possession, too.” He gave me a side shoulder squeeze. “I’ll keep the flock of boys away from our girl.”

  Our eyes locked, and I held my breath. His chocolate-brown eyes consumed me, and for a brief moment, I forgot everyone else in the room. It took all my energy to blink and break our contact as I suddenly remembered my father was standing right next to me.

  With a heavy sigh, I gave my dad a peck on the cheek, took Jimmy’s arm, and headed out the door.

  Past—Prom Day

  We arrived at the Hyatt hotel in Deerfield. I pulled the slit of my dress together as I scooted from the leather seat to exit the limo. When Jimmy extended his hand and interlocked our fingers, a jolt of electricity spread throughout my hand and moved up my arm.

  Right before we entered the hotel, Jimmy’s phone lit up. He led us to the side entrance of the hotel while the rest of his crew strolled inside.

  “Hilda, everything okay?” His features changed from a second ago. The corner of his mouth pulled down as his eyebrows scrunched together, and he shifted from one foot to the other. “Where are you going? All right. She’s fine though? Okay. Thanks, Hilda. I’m sorry again.” He pressed End on the phone and let out a jagged long sigh, running a hand down his face.

  “What happened?” My stomach dropped at his sullen demeanor.

  He shook his head, bringing his hand up almost pulling at the ends of his hair but thought better of it. “Ma kicked Hilda out of the house.”

  “What?” I couldn’t hide the shock in my tone. “Why?”

  “It’s nothing. It’s happened before. Whatever. She’s so beyond drunk that she won’t even remember it tomorrow.”

  A tiredness showed in his eyes, a look I had grown familiar with from whenever his mother drank too much.

  “I’m sorry, Jimmy.”

  I rested my hand on his arm, but he moved away from my touch, too angry to be comforted.

  “I hate seeing her like that, but then who am I to tell her what to do? Dude, I’m eighteen.” He held his hands up, looking helpless. “She’s a grown-ass woman. I guess I’m just used to it.” His jaw tensed as he narrowed his eyes, and with a blank stare, he flickered his focus to the ground.

&
nbsp; I wanted to touch him and make him feel better, so I did the only thing I could do when Jimmy was like this. I wrapped my arms around his middle, bringing him close, and took in the scent of his clean aftershave.

  I hated that he’d been dealt these cards, and he had to be the parent to his own mother, tucking her in at night and cleaning up her drunken messes. But sometimes, life threw us curveballs, and we just had to take them in the gut.

  His voice turned angry and broken. “How can I ever forgive him for this, Boo? I can’t. He ruined her.”

  I held him in silence, feeling his deep breaths through his nose and out of his mouth. After a minute, I felt him relax as he lightly rested his chin on the top of my head.

  I didn’t care that he was probably smashing the curls my mother had carefully pinned. I couldn’t care less that he was probably wrinkling my pretty dress. All I cared about was easing his pain, comforting him in some way.

  I spoke softly against him, “For one night, let’s forget everything and just have fun, okay, Jimmy?” I lifted my chin and grinned up at him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist my suggestion. “Come on.” Cheeriness leaked in my tone as I forced excitement into my voice for his benefit.

  I’d do anything to make him forget for a moment that his life was not perfect. I pulled out of his arms and tugged on his hand.

  He sighed again, lighter this time. With a gentle finger, he brushed an escaping curl away from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. Warmth spread from his touch, and when our eyes locked, I held my breath at the intensity of his look.

  He smiled and reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together. “All right, let’s go, pretty girl. We’ll make this a night to remember.”

  The night progressed as the band played the most recent songs on the radio. Girls were gathered in circles, dancing and singing the lyrics, while the guys congregated around the perimeter of the room, chatting away. People would only acknowledge me after they greeted Jimmy first—story of my life—but he never left my side.