“Say cheese!” Alice’s mom says.
“Cheese!” Travis and Mom cry.
“Come on, this is for the family wall. We gotta make it good.” Kayla grabs my hand.
My heart fluttering, I imagine our picture on the wall and channel my best smile.
“Cheese!” we say loudly to the delight of the adults.
My phone buzzes in my clutch. I pull it out and see Deanna’sname on the screen. “Okay, we gotta go,” I say, taking Kayla’s hand again.
My mom waves us off. “Okay, go on and be safe! Love you both!”
“Love you, too,” we say in unison, then quickly make our way up the stairs between groups of kids preparing for their big entrances.
Kayla and I weave through the crowd, past some boys who are talking about an after-party. Any nerves I have turn into excitement. This is my first homecoming and already the most special one. This is going to be the best night. We follow signs that point us toward a huge tent in the back garden, overlooking the river that runs straight through Tinsley. The entrance to the tent is covered in fairy lights and roses. Kayla and I snap selfies and then head inside to find the other girls.
I spot Deanna on the dance floor and make a beeline for her. I tap her on the shoulder and she turns, a wide smile spreading across her face.
“Wow,” she says, twirling me around, “you look freaking amazing!”
My words get caught in my throat as the dark green sequins on her dress glisten under the fairy lights.
“S-so do you,” I stutter when they finally come out. I take Deanna’s hand and place a small velvet bag in her palm.
“No way, Jasmine!” she shrieks when she pulls the earrings from the bag. “And they’re the same ones! Thank you so much.”
“Of course. I know they meant a lot to you,” I say.
I think back to the day I met up with Amari. I was determined not to let her have the final say on how my day went, so I headed to the mall to look for Deanna’s earrings. Seeing how excited she is right now, it was all worth it.
“You mean a lot to me too,” she whispers, and then peeks over my shoulder.
“And damnnn, Kayla!” she shrieks at Kayla, who’s posing like she’s at a photo shoot.
Kayla laughs and pulls us toward a table where Kenny, Mel, and Alice are sitting. Somehow we all look like different versions of Carrie fromSex and the City, with our assortments of sequins, satin, and tulle. Like, really glamorous.
I notice Alice’s hair is back to its usual red. She must’ve gone to the salon and gotten it fixed after all.
“Ohhhh Jasmine!!” Kenny and Mel yell excitedly when they see me. I blush. “Kayla!! Yes!!” they scream at her. She twirls and blows them kisses.
Kayla laughs. “And you don’t look like a zebra anymore, Alice!”
Alice touches her waves. “Yeah, my mom was pissed but she took me to her hairdresser anyway, thank god.”
“You guys look amazing too,” I say. “I love your hair up, Kenny.”
“Stop. Really?” Kenny touches her updo very lightly.
Mel makes a face. “What am I, the ugly stepsister? Damn, Jasmine, I thought we were cool!”
“She said ‘you guys,’” Deanna says.
“Yes, defend your girlfriend!” Mel says. She leans in closer to us. “That’s what this is, right?!”
“And don’t even think about lying, we basically already know,” Alice adds.
“You guys are so nosy,” Deanna says. “But I’m actually happy to answer that.”
