AllFreeNovel
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I shake my head. “Not going to happen.”
“Just talk to him tonight. Ask him to dance. Kiss him, if there’s a moment. You never know what might happen.”
My fingers tighten around the tube of lip gloss. “Ican’t, Cassie.”
She tilts her head. “Why not?”
“Because he told me he was in love with me, on the senior trip, and I didn’t say it back.”
Cassie drops the makeup brush she’s holding. I wait. One second. Two. Three. Still, she’s just staring.
“Things are bad between us. Talking will only make things worse. He’s leaving the day after graduation, so I just have to make it until then.”
“Lennon. Back way the fuck up. Caleb Winters told you he’sin love with you?” The end of the question comes out like a squeal. “What didyousay?”
I exhale. “Honestly, I don’t totally remember. I was…shocked. He was already annoyed I didn’t tell him I was staying in Landry for college. We were arguing, he just said it, and then I said I didn’t want a long-distance relationship.”
“Oh myGod.” Cassie leans against the edge of the vanity, still looking stunned.
Theringof the doorbell suddenly echoes through the house. Cassie straightens. “That must be everyone else.”
I reach out and grab her arm before she leaves to answer the door.
“Don’t say anything about this, to them. Please.”
She nods. A couple minutes later, she returns, with Shannon and Eliza right behind her.
“—some sort of shoe crisis,” Eliza is saying. “She said she’d be here soon.” Since Tina’s the one missing, I assume they’re talking about her.
Both Eliza and Shannon say hi to me. Cassie starts on Eliza’s make-up. Shannon offers to curl my hair. Since it’s something I’ve never had the time or patience to do myself, I agree.
It’s a long process as Shannon winds section after section around the hot barrel, letting each spiral fall after a couple dozen seconds. After she’s finished with the iron, she brushes through the curls and coats my hair in a spray that smells like coconut.
Tina arrives just as Shannon is finishing my hair. “Hot damn, Lennon.” She whistles. “You’re going to need to walk in after me, okay?”
I laugh off her compliment, but secretly I’m pleased. I rarely put any effort into my appearance. The horses don’t care what I look like, and until recently there was no one I was trying to impress. Gramps isn’t full of fashion tips and I’ve spent most of high school with no female friends. After years of messy buns and ripped jeans, the fanciness is fun.
Everyone else finishes their hair and makeup, and then it’s time for dresses. I change into Cassie’s blue dress in her attached bathroom. The tiled floor is cold against my bare feet, but I barely notice after I get a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Between the dress, the curls, and the makeup, I hardly recognize myself.
After gushing over my appearance, Cassie talks me into wearing a pair of heels. They’re too small on me, but at least it makes them a little easier to walk in.
Once everyone has changed, we head downstairs as a giggling, glittery group. Cassie’s parents are waiting in the living room. They take a series of photos of us striking ridiculous poses. I send three of them to Gramps, though I know I’ll have to remind him how to look at them tomorrow morning.
We walk outside, and there’s a shiny black limousine sitting in the front drive. I’m the only one who falters; everyone else seems to be expecting it.
Cassie, Tina, Eliza, and Shannon all clamber inside. I follow after them, glancing around the plush interior in awe. The nerves that have been swirling in my stomach all day make a rapid return, mingling with the anticipation that’s lingered ever since I saw my full reflection.
Following years of taunts about my worn jeans and jokes about hay in my hair, it will be satisfying to see what my classmates say about my formal attire. But truthfully, there’s one person in particular I want to see react to Cassie and Shannon’s handiwork.
We’ve barely made it to the end of her street when Cassie pulls a bottle of champagne out of the chiller hidden beneath her seat. Tina produces flutes from some other secret compartment. After popping the cork with a shriek, Cassie pours the frothy liquid from glass to glass until the bottle is empty.
Once we’re all clutching the thin glass stems, Cassie raises hers in a toast. “To…”
“Prom?” Eliza finishes.
“The rest of our lives?” is Tina’s suggestion.
“The Ladies of Landry!” Shannon trills, barely making it through without laughing.
