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But I was grinning.
The red dress won their votes, too.
I glanced at the dress and then the phone. Then I tabbed to Ian’s message thread.
Ghost silent.
Me:I found a dress. It’s red.
I hit send,then waited.
Not even a read receipt.
Sighing, I clicked the screen off and got dressed. The whole time, I argued with myself over the dress. Why would I spend that much on a dress for a dance?
There were others that I’d kind of liked, and they were less expensive. But I kept looking at the dress. It was my first school dance with a date. It was the first thing Ian told me he was going to ask me out to, and he said he would still take me, even if…even if we were only going to be friends.
I lifted the dress off the hook as I popped open the door. Cheryl stood there, grinning. Then she gave me a hug. It startled me, but I hugged her back.
“Thank you,” she said with a wider smile.
“For?”
“For coming out tonight and doing this. I had fun, and I know you thought I was crazy, but girl, that dress was waiting for you. You’re going to look like a million bucks.” Her blazingly bright smile encouraged me to believe her. “That said, you want to go to Mini’s or the Shoe Factory, they have the most comfortable heels, and they can color match if you can’t find the right ones. So if scheduling is a thing, I want you to know where to go. The Drop Shop also has really great accessories you can pick up, and I’ll text you my hair stylist. She does magical things. We should plan a day of pampering before the dance.”
Um. No. But I smiled. Cheryl was exhausting me just talking about it, and that was allbeforethe dance. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Sorry I’m not more enthusiastic.”
“It’s okay,” she told me. “I know shopping seems like a boring thing, but it is exhausting. So, get your dress and go eat. We’ll talk on Monday, okay?”
Coop took the dress from me as we followed Cheryl up to the counter. All the way there, I argued with myself, and Coop didn’t say a word. Cheryl paid for hers and then waited for me to take my turn.
Fuck it.
I took the dress and went up there. It was expensive, but gorgeous, and I felt good in it. Coop’s face had been worth it. I wanted to go to the dance, and I wanted to feel pretty.
I sucked it up and paid for the dress. Then it was time for another hug. As we left the store, the late hour seemed to hit all at once. I hadn’t really slowed down today. I had chores and work the next day. And homework.
Weariness swept through me again. But before we parted… “Cheryl?”
She glanced over as she set her dress inside her little mini cooper. “Yeah?”
“Thank you,” I told her. “Seriously. I had—fun.”
“You bet. Night, Coop, thanks for being an honorary girl!”
“My pleasure,” he said dryly, hooking an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into him. “Next time, we should do our nails.”
Cheryl laughed as she went to slide into the driver’s seat. “Oh, my mom usually does the mum the weekend before, so if you want to, I’ll give you her number to give your mom so she can show her how to make it—you know, if she needs help.”
Oh.
The Homecoming mum. I hadn’t even thought about that.
“I’ll text it to you,” Cheryl said, then waved. “Mitch is waiting for me, so I need to get over there. He’s been grumbling for the last two hours since he found out Coop tagged along.” She rolled her eyes. “Boys. Bye!”
Then she was out of there.
“Shopping,” Coop said. “Sucks.”
