by McKayla Box
He stands up and pulls his shorts on. “So what the fuck was all that then?”
“That was what I wanted to do,” I tell him. “And apparently you did, too. But it doesn't change anything. And if you're still thinking that I have something to explain to you about Heath, then all of that was a waste of time and you haven't really thought about anything.”
“I don't know what to think,” he says.
“And that's the problem,” I tell him.
I turn and walk out of the bedroom. I find my sandals next to the couch and step into them.
“So that's it?” he says, following me out. “You come over, we fuck, and you leave? Nothing else?”
“I fucking told you I don't feel like talking about anything and I meant it,” I say. “Get that through your head. I am not on your timetable. It's my timetable, and you don't get to tell me what to do now. Just because we had sex, it doesn't mean everything is fine between us. And I'm not saying it's always going to be like that, alright?” I shake my head. “But I am not ready to talk about any of it yet. And if you knew me even a little bit, then you'd get that and respect that.” I point to the bedroom. “That? I needed that. With you. I needed to be with you, to be reminded of what we were. And maybe still can be. But my life is a little fucked up right now, and I'm still sorting everything out, including feeling like I have to explain myself to you when I really fucking shouldn't.” I pause. “I just need some time, and I thought you might understand that better than anyone.”
He folds his arms across his chest. “Whatever. Go home. Have a great night.”
“Don't be like this,” I say.
“I'm not being like anything,” he says. “Go ahead and go. Take all the time you need. Alone.” He turns and walks back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 39
I drive home, sneak back in the house, and am surprised that I pass out as soon as I hit the bed. I was worried that I'd be up all night, thinking about Archer and what just happened, but instead, my body gives up and I sleep as well as I have in weeks.
I sleep so late that my grandmother has to wake me at noon.
“Nola,” she says, her hand on my shoulder. “I hate to wake you, but it's nearly lunchtime. And I thought I should make sure you were okay.”
I roll onto my back and force my eyes open. “I'm okay.”
She smiles. “I was worried that you might have trouble sleeping, but I don't think that was an issue.”
I yawn. “Yeah. I slept good.”
After I got home.
“Apparently so,” she says. “I didn't know if you might want to spend the day together. We could get some lunch, maybe go shopping. Just something to...keep your mind off of things.”
I sit up. “I'm okay.”
She nods. “I just thought today, in particular, might be tough.”
“Because of the prom?”
She nods.
I shrug. “I don't know. I've just sort of accepted it and I can't change it. I'll be okay.”
“You've had a long week,” she says. “A very long week.”
That was an understatement.
“So if I can do anything to lighten the load, I’m happy to do that,” she says. “Your grandfather is off playing tennis, but I'm happy to spend the day with you if you'd like.”
I smile. “That might be nice. Okay.”
The doorbell chimes in the distance and she gets up. “Alright. You get yourself up and ready and I will go see who is at the door. In the meantime, think about where you might like to have lunch and what you'd like to do. Your choice.” She smiles and hustles out of the room.
I lay back in the bed. The truth is, I'd be happy to stay in bed all day and shut out the world. But I know she worries about me and is trying to be nice, so I don't want to turn her down. And maybe spending the day with her will be good for me. Maybe it will keep my mind off of everything.
I get out of bed and I'm heading for the shower when she knocks on my door.
“Nola?”
“Yeah, Gram. I was gonna take a quick shower before we go, if that's alright?”
“Well, hold off on that for a second,” she says. She opens the door. “Oh good. You haven't gotten in yet.”
“What?”
“I think you may have a better offer,” she says.
“A better offer than what?” I ask, confused.
“A better offer than lunch and spending the afternoon with your grandmother,” she says, then turns around. “Come on back, girls.”
“Girls?” I say. “Who's here?”
My grandmother steps aside and Mercy comes through the door, followed by Dylan and Brooke. They are loaded down with bags and packages and I can't even tell what else.
“Hi,” Mercy says.
The other two wave at me, grinning.
“What is this?” I say, looking at each of them, then my grandmother. “What's going on?”
My grandmother holds up her hands like she has had no involvement in any of it. “Don't ask me. I had no idea they were coming over.”
“We figured you'd tell us not to bother if we called,” Mercy says. “So we settled on a surprise attack.”
“A surprise attack?” I say. “For what?”
My grandmother just smiles.
Mercy puts her arm around me. “We're taking you to the prom.”
Chapter 40
“What?” I say, more confused then ever.
Dylan sets a shopping bag and a small roller suitcase on my bed. “That's right. You get not one date, but three.”
“Without having to talk to a dumb boy all night,” Brooke says, setting her bags down.
“I'm going to let you girls sort all of this out,” my grandmother says. “If you need anything, just yell for me.” She winks at me. “Have fun.” She leaves and closes the door behind her.
“What are you guys talking about?” I ask. “You all have dates.”
“Not anymore,” Mercy says. “We canceled 'em. We choose you instead.”
“So you better put out,” Dylan says. “Because I have always planned on getting laid on prom night.”
They all laugh, but I'm still too shocked to join in.
“Wait,” I say, shaking my head. “What are you guys seriously doing?”
“I told you,” Mercy says. “We're talking you to prom?”
“But...why? How?”
“We told the boys we found a better option,” Brooke says, walking several long bags on hangers toward my closet. “I'm gonna hang these in here.”
“Yeah,” Dylan says. “You're way hotter than those three clowns.”
“All three of you canceled?” I ask.
“Yep,” Mercy says, nodding.
“Aren't they pissed?”
“Not really,” she answers. “We told them to meet us there.”
“Nick is fine with it,” Brooke says, coming back from the closet.
“Jake is, too,” Mercy says.
“I had to promise Aiden a blowjob,” Dylan says. “But I don't mind. If he's cool about it, he'll get more than that.”
They laugh and this time I laugh with them.
“I don't have a dress,” I tell them. “Or a ticket.”
Brooke holds up a finger and goes back to the closet. She returns with one of the hangers draped in plastic.
“We got your ticket for you,” Mercy says. “And we picked out a dress for you last night.”
Brooke carefully lifts up the plastic and there's a strapless, baby blue gown underneath it.
“You bought that for me?” I ask, incredulous.
“We needed to make sure our date looked hot,” Dylan says.
I don't know what to say because I'm overwhelmed. I cup my hands over my nose and mouth and feel tears form in the corners of my eyes. I was planning on a day with my grandmother.
Now they're telling me I'm going to the prom.
“I don't know what to say,” I finally manage. “You guys didn't hav
e to do all of this. And I feel guilty that you ditched the guys.”
“Please,” Dylan says, frowning. “They'll be fine. They only want one thing on prom night anyway and, if they behave themselves, they'll still get it.”
“We know we didn't have to do this,” Brooke says. “We wanted to. It was Mercy's idea and we were all on board. And Dylan's right. The guys will be fine. They'll be there. They can drink more beforehand now.”
I look at Mercy. “It was your idea?”
She nodded. “Yeah. After we talked about...everything...I don't know. I just didn't like the idea of you missing out on this. The last few months have sucked, and I didn't want this to be one more thing that the four of us didn't do together. So I asked these two and they were in. We bought you a ticket, went shopping and found the dress, then told the boys. Then we showed up today and hoped you wouldn't tell us no.” She smiles. “So I guess all we need to know now is this. Will you go to prom with us?”
“We didn't have time to come up with some lame promposal,” Dylan says. “Sorry about that.”
I laugh and wipe at my eyes. “That's okay. I don't need one. I just need you guys.” I smile. “Yes, I will absolutely go to prom will the three of you.”
Chapter 41
We spend the rest of the afternoon getting ready at my house.
And it feels so normal.
It amazes me how easily we all slide back into being friends. The conversation is relaxed and fun. We share makeup and curling irons and brushes. We joke around and make fun of one another. It's like the pause button was hit on our friendship and now we've pressed the button to unpause it and we're picking up where we left off.
I haven't laughed this much in months. I’ve almost forgotten everything that has happened in the last few days.
Almost.
“Someone should send a pic of Nola to Archer,” Dylan says. “Show the dumbass what he's missing.”
I lean toward the mirror and fix my eyeliner, my stomach jumping a little at the mention of his name. “Not worth the effort. And I saw him last night. Nothing's changed.”
The three of them stop moving and stare at me.
“Excuse me?” Mercy says. “You saw him last night?”
I dab at the corner of my eye, trying to get it just right. “Uh huh. We might've had sex.”
“The FUCK?” Dylan yells, then covers her mouth. “I hope your grandma didn't hear that. But...what the fuck?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I know. It was a mistake. I shouldn't have gone.”
“It was a booty call?” Mercy asks.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It wasn't like that. It was me that wanted it. He wanted to talk about all of the other shit, but I didn't and...we just ended up in bed. And then it ended on a bad note. So, I doubt he would care about anything you sent him.”
“Damn,” Mercy says. “Alright then.”
“All the more reason to send him a pic,” Brooke says. “Remind him that he keeps fucking up.”
I shake my head and pull back from the mirror. “No. I don't want to play games. There's been so much bullshit in my life over the last few months. I don't want anymore. I just want to have a good time tonight.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Dylan says, reaching for a duffel bag. She pulls out a bottle of Fireball and some small plastic cups. “You said good time and I immediately remembered that I had booze in my bag.” She sets the cups on the counter and fills each of them, then pushes one toward each of us. She sets the bottle on the counter and holds up her cup. “A toast.”
We each lift our cups up.
“To my favorite bitches,” she says. “We're back together. And we're gonna have a kick-ass time tonight.”
I think about my mom and her battle with alcohol.
I think about how long I avoided drinking.
I think about the vodka I downed last night.
And I remind myself that I am not my mother.
Her choices and her mistakes do not define me.
I down the fiery booze and it lights a fire down my throat.
But I don't care.
I'm with my friends.
And I'm determined to have a good time tonight.
Chapter 42
The prom is kind of amazing.
Brooke drives us to The Veranda, where the dance is being held. As weird as it is to be here again for the second time in twenty-four hours, it feels completely different. For one, I’m in the ballroom, not Archer’s family suite. The grand room is decorated in a nautical theme, with sailboats and life preservers and surfboards on the walls. There are tiny cruise ships on each of the tables. The DJ is loud and there's an energy in the room that I haven't felt in forever. Everyone is dressed up to the point that I feel like I don't recognize half of the people.
We get our pictures taken and we find a table to set our things down. We dance for a little bit and I'm not sure if I'm buzzed from the Fireball or the excitement of just being out with my friends. When we grab drinks and sit down to cool off, I'm still undecided.
And then I see Aiden and Nick heading in our direction.
“Ladies,” Aiden says, grinning. He's wearing a white tuxedo with tie and cummerbund that match Dylan's dress. “We finally meet.”
She stands up, grabs his face, and kisses him, then whispers something in his ear that makes him blush.
Nick lifts his chin in Brooke's direction. “Hey.”
She smiles. “Hey.”
“You wanna get some air?”
She stands. “Yeah.” She looks at us. “We'll be back.”
I see Jake come up behind Mercy and tap her on the shoulder.
She turns around. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he says. “You look great.” He holds up a hand. “Hi, Nola.”
“Hi Jake.”
He looks at Mercy. “You wanna dance with me?”
She looks at me. “Do you mind?”
“Go,” I say, smiling. “Please.”
She gives me a quick hug then heads to the dance floor with him.
Just like that, I'm alone at the table and suddenly I feel like I'm on an island again. I'm so grateful for the day and night they've given me, but now I feel guilty, like I've kept them from having the night they really wanted to have.
I'm thinking about that when I see him.
Archer.
He's standing near the entrance in this black suit that looks tailored to him. Cut in all the right places. He's wearing a white shirt and a navy blue tie. Just like him to be slightly different in what he wears. His hear is slicked back and he's clean-shaven. He looks incredible.
He's looking around the room and then his eyes settle on me.
I feel like the girls would've told me if this was part of the plan, to meet him there. I don't think they would surprise me, especially after what I told them happened between us. So he's not there for me.
His hands are in his pockets and for a moment, I think he's going to wave at me.
But he keeps his hands in his pockets and moves into the crowd where I can't see him anymore.
I look down at the table. I can't say I'm not disappointed. Part of me wants him to come over and tell me everything is okay and he understands and we'll figure it out. Because that would be a perfect ending to the night.
But not everything can be perfect.
I look for him again in the crowd, but can't find him.
I look back toward the door.
And my heart stops.
Reese McClure is standing there.
With Ricky.
Chapter 43
Reese is in a neon pink, floor-length dress, with a slit nearly up to her waist. I hate her, but she looks incredible. Ricky is in a standard black tux and his tie and cummerbund match her dress.
They are together.
An icy cold feeling of dread washes through me.
And it becomes a tidal wave as they head in my direction.
“How quaint,” Reese says as she gets to the table. “I he
ard you might be showing up. Not surprised to see you alone, though.”
I look from her to Ricky. It's weird to see him without his hat. He's staring at me, and he gives me this little nod that I'm not sure what to make of.
Reese links her arm with his. “Yes, Ricky and I have teamed up once again. I saw you two spending all of that time together and I just had to know what the story was.” She glances at Ricky with a grin. “I made him an offer he couldn't refuse.”
My heart drops as my worst fears are confirmed.
He's sold me out again. He's told her about Jay Rogers and she's going to do it all to me again.
I can't believe I trusted him. I feel so incredibly stupid.
So, so stupid.
“Don't you have anything to say?” she asks. “Some smart-ass comment for me? I love those so much.”
But I don't have any words. I should've known this night was too good to be true. It doesn't matter that I've made peace with who my father is and I won't be embarrassed to tell my friends. All that matters is that I won't get the chance to do it myself.
Because she's going to do it.
She leans down toward me. “And it's gonna be extra special this time, bitch. Because our pal Ricky turned this whole thing into a little multimedia spectacular for everyone to see. Didn't you, Ricky?”
He keeps his eyes on me, but he nods.
I stand up. “I don't need this.” I look at him. “And I should've known. I should've known.”
“Should've known what?” Reese asks. “That I'd always end up winning? That I'd be able to tell the whole world how you've been after Heath this whole time? And that I'd get proof and be so happy to show it to the whole world?” She smiles. “Yeah. You probably should've. When Ricky told me he had proof about you and Heath, I couldn't resist. It was worth the date to prom.”
I look from her to Ricky.
And he gives me this weird little head shake.
“There's no fucking proof,” I tell her. “Whatever you think you have proof of, it's not what you think it is.”
She frowns at me. “You're so pathetic. You really are. You can't even admit it when I've caught you in a lie.” She shrugs. “Oh well. Have it your way then.” She looks at Ricky. “Can you do it now?”