Page 83 of Bless My Body

Wes’s best friend.

“That’s different. They knew me when I was a kid. And your parents aren’t like Ezra’s. I’ve only

met them once, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

“Oh, great. Thanks for reassuring me, Oz,” I tell him. I put my face in my hands. “Oh, God. This is

going to be a disaster.”

“Are y’all dating or something?” he asks me.

“No.”

“Then why does it matter?”

“He’s right, Celine. Since when do you care what people think about you?” I can’t believe my

best friend is turning on me right now.

“Since I’m sleeping with their son,” I say, exasperated.

“Yeah, but they don’t know that. I’m sure Ez will tell them you guys are just friends. Plus, who

wouldn’t like you? It doesn’t matter that your family doesn’t have as much money as his.”

“It shouldn’t matter, but it does. Do you think I should try to dress conservatively?” I’ve been

wracking my brain on what I should wear to this thing. I can’t think of a single thing in my closet that

would be appropriate around his family.

“Uh, I don’t think Ezra would like that,” Ozzy tells me.

“What? Why?” I can’t fathom why Ezra wouldn’t want me to fit in with everyone. Why he

wouldn’t want me to impress his parents.

“He probably wants to show you off. I’ve been to one of those events with him, and everyone

looks the same. Boring. He hates it. That’s why he hasn’t wanted to date anyone his mom tries to push

on him. He doesn’t want boring.”

“Well, what does he want?” my best friend asks.

“I haven’t really talked to him recently about his type.” Stella sighs at his response. He continues

with, “As far as I know, he wants Celine.”

I feel my face turn slightly pink. I know he’s always wanted me, but hearing Ozzy say it makes it

feel more real. Like he’s talked to his best friends about me, and I don’t know how to feel about it.

“There you go, Celine. Sounds like you should just be yourself. That’s what Ezra wants. I’m sure

he wouldn’t have asked you to go with him if he thought it would be a problem,” Stella tries to

reassure me. “Should we go shopping? I saw that the boutique down by Jim’s is having a sale this