Page 24 of Camera Stays On

“Go hang out with those girls,” I suggested, pointing to the group that had also just been ditched.

She scoffed. “Yeah, right.” A single tear slid down her face, and the girls turned and began to giggle, looking directly at Purdy. She saw them, tightened her lips, and ran off the dance floor, pushing past me on the way. I watched her go through the front doors and quickly followed.

“Purdy! Stop!” I shouted as she trudged through the snow. It was mid-December, and she’d left her coat in my truck.

“Leave me alone, Ash!”

I ran after her, catching her an instant later and spinning her around.

“What’s going on? Why were they laughing at you?”

Tears had ruined her eye makeup, but she didn’t seem to care. She brushed the tears away and sniffled loudly.

“They were making fun of my dress.”

I frowned. Unsure of what to say. Mean-girl things weren’t my expertise.

“Why?”

“Because I got it from the free store.”

“So? The dress looks good on you. You’re gorgeous, Purdy.”

“I look like I stepped out of an eighties movie. It’s so out of style, and it smelled like mothballs when I got it. I had to steam it for two days, and my mom got mad, and she was too drunk to—” She was spiraling, and I quickly put a finger to her lips.

“Shh, it’s okay. You don’t need to explain. Let’s just go back inside. I’ll hang out with you. We can dance if you want. Or get punch.”

“I can’t show my face now. Everyone knows I was ditched.” Her teeth chattered, and I slid my suit jacket off, putting it over her shoulders.

“They said he’s embarrassed of me. That’s what they say, did you know that?” she said as we walked back toward the school. We paused out front, and I brushed snow off a bench for us to sit on.

“Fuck ’em. They’re just losers who are currently peaking and don’t realize it yet. You’re gonna go places, and that makes them mad.”

“Yeah? Like where? If you ask Sawyer, those places are just his bed or a hospital to have his babies.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh wait, or maybe I’ll be in one of his movies someday.”

A laugh escaped me—one of relief. Maybe I wouldn’t have to see them in a church when we got older after all.

She shrugged the jacket tighter, and Sawyer’s pinned corsage fell onto her lap. She raised it and sighed. “This didn’t help. Sawyer got me the cheapest thing the flower shop had. It’s still a gift, which is nice, but all the other girls with boyfriends had big ones on their wrists.”

Steeling myself, I reached into the breast pocket of my jacket, pulling out the corsage I’d bought.

“Like this?” I swallowed nervously.

Purdy’s eyes widened as she took in the white rose with red tips.

“Yes,” she gasped, taking it from me. She turned it in her hands, admiring it. “Who’s this for? Did you have a date?”

I inhaled deeply. “It’s for you. I was worried Sawyer would forget to get you one, so I picked this out. You’d mentioned you were wearing a black dress last week, and the girl at the counter said this dark red would—”

“Oh!” Purdy lunged forward, wrapping her arms around me. “Thank you so much!”

There was a moment of hesitation, and then I put my arms around her as well. She felt perfect there, but I knew it was wrong. She wasn’t mine to hug like this. She was my brother’s. I pulled away and helped her put it on her wrist. She wiped her face again and stood.

“I think I would like to go in and dance. Fuck those bitches. Come on.”

I stood with her and let her walk ahead. I didn’t want to be seen going in with her. Something about our hug had me a little too aware of the closeness.

“Purdy?” I called, and she turned. “Why do you stay with him?”