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“12:33,” I warbled. “But I was home on time. I was literally in the driveway.”
“Letting some boy you hardly know suck your face off!” she screeched.
Sothatwas what this was really about. She didn’t care about the time. She just wanted an excuse to lay into me about kissing my date.
What had happened between when I’d left this house a few hours ago and now to sour her good mood? I was going to get whiplash with her mood swings.
“First of all, he wasn’t sucking my face off. He was kissing me goodnight. Second, Ian was mydate,” I snapped. “What did you think was going to happen at the end of the night? We’d all hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’ together? And third, you’re going to have to get used to him being around more, because he asked me to be his girlfriend tonight.”
My mom’s eyes narrowed and darkened. “I didnotagree to you having a boyfriend, missy! I agreed to allowing you to have the boy escort you to this dance! That doesnotmean the rules in this house have changed!”
“And I haven’t broken them. Last I checked, I’m a senior now. The rule you gave me was that I couldn’t date until I was a senior,” I reminded her. “Or was that just because I’ve never shown any interest in the Neanderthals that attend Old Settlers High School before now and you didn’t think you’d ever have to worry about it? Because ifthatwas the case, you should have just come out and said I wasn’t allowed to date, not told me I could date when I was a senior and then reneged on it when I actually met a boy I liked enough to go out with.”
She didn’t say anything, and I could practicallyseethe steam coming out of her ears, but I could tell I’d won this round. Because she couldn’t argue with me throwing her own words back in her face.
“I’m not a little girl anymore, Mom. I’ll be a legal adult in less than a month, and I’m abiding by the rules thatyoupreviously established. If you wanted to revisit those rules, you should have done itbeforeI went out with Ian, not after you decided that you didn’t like the idea of me dating him after all. Oh, and by the way, we’re going to lunch and a movie tomorrow while you’re at work,” I said firmly as I turned and headed toward my bedroom.
As soon as I closed the door behind me, my phone buzzed in my purse, and I sighed as I pulled it out and checked the text message.
Ian: I’d say I’m sorry that we got run out of the dance, but it would be a lie. Dancing under the stars with you was so much better. Sweet dreams, gorgeous.
Despite the alarm that was still ringing in my head, warning me of possible danger and heartbreak, I couldn’t help the smile that crept across my face.
Maybe this was a good thing after all.
* * *
I woke up with a knot in my stomach.
What the hell had I gotten myself into last night? Had I actually agreed to date a football player? I must have temporarily lost my mind.
I needed my best friend to weigh in on this. Grabbing my phone, I hit Melissa’s number on my speed dial.
“Ky! What happened to you last night?” she answered.
“Max happened. He came up to me and Ian and said that if I wanted to be reminded of what a real man was like when I was done with Ian, that I should come to him,” I said, my voice breaking. “Why can’t he just leave me the hell alone, Liss? He’s already ruined my life. What more does he want?”
“I don’t know, Ky,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry. So Ian took you home?”
“Nope,” I chuckled, sniffling. “He took me to Quivira Glen Park and then he put music on in his car and we danced in the parking lot. It was actually really sweet.”
“Oh, my God. That’s so cute.”
“It was. And, um, he might have kissed me,” I admitted. “More than once. And I might have let it happen. Maybe even liked it.”
“Oh, my God, Ky!” she exclaimed. “That’s amazing. I’m proud of you.”
“He asked me to be his girlfriend, Liss,” I said in a small voice. “I told him yes, but now I’m freaking out about it. I just can’t help wondering if Max put him up to it or something. If it’s some sick joke.”
She sighed. “Ky, I know better than anyone else where you’re coming from. But I also know how Ian was looking at you last night, and I don’t think he’s doing this for laughs. I think he really likes you.”
“Or maybe he’s just a really good actor. I thought Drew really liked me too. Until he led me out of that house so he and his two best friends could have their way with me.”
“I wish I could kill those fuckers,” she muttered. “All three of them. I know why you’re not telling anyone else, but maybe you should at least tell the administration about the bullying. If you don’t tell someone, they win.”
“They’ve already won, Liss,” I sniffled quietly. “Can’t you see that? They destroyed my life. I’ll never be the same again.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to let them keep winning,” she insisted. “Take the power back from them, Ky. They could go to jail if you report it.”
