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PROLOGUE
~ Amanda ~
After my fifth attempt, I had my hair pinned the way I wanted it to look. I scanned my reflection with a critical eye, dabbing at the minuscule blemishes left on my skin with a concealer.
Everything needs to be perfect.
After another dousing of perfume, I was ready to go. The pieces of weightless tulle swished about my legs while the intricate beading set into the semi-sheer bodice sparkled in the evening light as I left the house and entered the cab waiting for me outside. I knew the baby blue complimented my eyes, and with the right accessories, I had a princess vibe that I hoped would fool the others into thinking I was one of them.
But I was an outsider. I always was and always will be.
By the time the cab pulled up at the sidewalk, I could feel small beads of sweat forming on my lower back. My nerves were an absolute wreck, and I had to quickly powder my nose before stepping out into public view. There, I was instantly absorbed into the crowd of people pushing into the main hall, waiting to be picked apart after I had received my name sticker.
“Amanda Baird, is that you?”
Earlier than I had anticipated.
Forcing a painfully shallow smile onto my face, I turned to face the former prom queen of our grade. As expected, she was beautifully made up. Everything about her appearance was perfect. At least on the surface.
“Brittany, it’s great to see you after all this time.”
It wasn’t.
“It’s great to see you too. Gosh, do you remember how close we were in school?”
We weren’t.
“Sure,” I said between gritted teeth, “We had so much fun.”
We didn’t.
“I’ve been keeping up with your column. It’s quite the conversation piece at work. Do you think you could slip me into one of your stories some time?”
Never.
Luckily, I was saved from answering as one of her actual cheerleader friends entered the hall, and the shrieking began as they dramatically ran towards each other. I picked up my name sticker and unceremoniously slapped it on my chest before directly heading to the drinks table. Bravely, I poured myself a glass of punch before standing to the side to watch the spectacle of the cheerleading squad reunite, chorused by their shrill squeaks of superficial friendship. It was quite the show they were putting on that evening.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”
I would have recognized that voice from anywhere. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I turned to look at my high school sweetheart, Drew Price. Gone were his gawky looks from his teenage year, replaced with raw, rugged masculinity and muscles evident even underneath his suit.
“You wear a decade well,” he commented, eyeing me up and down, “Although, I preferred you in your goth stage.”
I laughed, the memories of my badly-dyed black hair and thick uneven eyeliner flickering through my mind. It had been a dark half year in my life, trying to fit in with the goth crowd. Any crowd was better than no crowd. But that’s where I ended up. With Drew.
“No need to mock me. The last time I remember, you were a freckled kid with glasses that were too big for your face.”
Now it was Drew’s time to laugh, inevitably recalling his own memories. High school had been a wasteland barren of friendship for both of us, but somehow, we had found each other. And even after all this time, I remembered just how much it meant to have him by my side. Before college split us apart and we forged on with our lives separately.
“What have you been up to?” I asked, “You’ve certainly changed.”
“Turns out my love of numbers came in handy. Made my fortunes on the stock market. Although, I’ve seen that you seem to be surpassing me in success. Your column has certainly been a hit in the city and outside. Your husband is a lucky man.”
I could feel my cheeks warm up as I dug the toe of my shoe into the ground, “Actually, still single. I’ve been focusing on my career and just haven’t found Mr. Right yet.”
Drew’s eyes widened, “Looking like that? Any man would be a fool to pass you up. I’m surprised the love bard is able to retell such beautiful stories without having her own soulmate as a reference. I always knew you’d go far, though. Your writing always had me captivated in my younger years.”
His comment made me feel all girlish inside, and I had to hold back an unusual giggle. Looking to the side, I hid my deep breathing to recover control of my overzealous emotions at his presence. It was weird that after so many years, he still made me weak at the knees.
