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“Language!”
Her voice cracked like a whip, silencing me momentarily. She looked furious, and I realized that I’d hit a deeper nerve than I had thought.
She had cheated on my father while he was in prison, but she hadn’t done it for love. She had done it to secure herself some of the creature comforts she missed from when we’d had money. She had done it as a bargaining tool.
Now that my father was back home and we had our wealth and power back, she was by his side again. Maybe she’d even thought they could go back to the way things used to be.
But it was too late. She’d shown her true colors.
She’d shown that she would always put her own self-interests above others. That she would abandon someone the instant that person could no longer help her, and that she didn’t even know the meaning of loyalty.
It’s a shame she and Dad don’t get along anymore. They’re fucking perfect for each other.
That bitter thought filtered through my mind as Mom stepped toward me and thrust the dress into my hands.
“Poppy will help you dress and prepare,” she said stiffly. “Barrett will come pick you up at 7:30. Be ready, or you’ll be grounded until you graduate.”
With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out, leaving Poppy gazing at me with a mixture of awkwardness and pity.
Pick your battles, Cora.
I clenched my jaw, repeating the words over and over in my head. I still had half a mind to shred the dress and tell Mom to go fuck herself. But if I was grounded, I wouldn’t be able to see the boys for weeks. I couldn’t risk that.
“I don’t need your help. I can get ready myself,” I told Poppy, wishing like hell she were Ava. I wanted someone I could trust, someone I could lean on for a little bit of comfort, although not even Ava could’ve helped me out of this mess.
“But, Miss—”
“I’m fine. I’ll tell Mom I sent you away. You won’t get in trouble.”
Indecision warred on her face for a moment, but she finally nodded and slunk out. I tossed the dress on the bed, glaring at the expensive blue fabric with the beaded bodice and ombre skirt. I still had several hours before I needed to put it on, and I wasn’t going to wear it a second longer than necessary.
The dress taunted me all day, and I found myself pacing my room like a trapped animal. I skipped dinner, partly because I had no appetite and partly because I had no desire to see either of my parents. At 7:15, I threw on the dress, piled my hair into a rough updo, and brushed on some lip gloss and mascara. Fuck Mom if she thought I was going to do more than that for this bullshit.
When I couldn’t delay the inevitable anymore, I trotted down the stairs quickly, my heels sounding like gunshots on the polished marble. Barrett was standing in the large entry room talking to my father, and my footsteps slowed at the sight of them. My skin felt cold and clammy, and the soft fabric of my dress suddenly felt scratchy and too-tight.
Keeping my chin raised high, I stalked forward. Barrett was dressed in a bespoke suit that might’ve even made him look handsome—but I couldn’t see any of that anymore. All I saw when I looked at him was the slimy monster underneath.
“Ah, Cordelia. There you are.” My dad turned to me, smiling widely as if any of this was okay. “I hope you two have a wonderful time. Don’t forget to get pictures. And since it’s prom night, I’ll allow you to stay out a bit later.”
I just stared at him, not even able to summon a snarky response to that. Every single word he’d said had been like a dagger in my heart, yet he smiled at me as if expecting the lies he lived by to alter reality.
This wasn’t okay. Nothing would make it okay.
So I didn’t say anything. I just stepped toward the door, not even caring if Barrett followed me or not.
The ride to school was as uncomfortably painful as riding in a hearse—to your own funeral. The driver ignored us, and I ignored Barrett, determined to talk to him as little as possible this evening.
When we arrived at Highland Park, the entire school was lit up, and a red carpet was laid down out front as if this were a movie premiere or something. Girls gathered together in tight groups, exclaiming over each other’s dresses as the guys they’d come with laughed and joked among themselves. We slid fro
m the car, and Barrett tried to take my arm, but I yanked it away.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I hissed.
Irritation flashed in his face, and he looked around quickly to see if we’d drawn any attention. I could see him weighing the pros and cons of forcing the issue, wondering whether it was worth it to make a scene trying to teach me my place.
It wouldn’t be. I’d make sure of that.
The vicious smile that quirked my lips must’ve given away my thoughts, because Barrett let out a low noise of disgust and settled for walking a few inches to one side of me as we entered the school.
