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I stand and turn my head from one side to the other, admiring the soft curls that now frame my face. Dylan comes in to pout some more and pauses when he sees me. “Whoa,” he says, stopping short.
I smile.
“Looks like someone is finally making an effort to fit in.”
I slap his arm and he jumps out of the way, laughing. “Let’s go,” he says.
Mom hugs me and tells me to have fun.
People, crowds, mingling…fun? I’m not so sure.
When we pull in front of Tessa’s house, Dylan opens his door. “Move,” he says.
Now that I’m sitting in the back of my brother’s car, thinking about the party, my chest feels tight and my mouth is dry. I have a few minutes to try and calm my breathing while he runs up to Tessa’s front door.
I close my eyes. I wish Stephanie was here. She’d make the night more bearable.
I watch as Tessa hugs my brother. Then he takes her by the hand and they walk towards me. She moves gracefully, likeshe’s floating to the car. I would probably look like a drunk baby giraffe. How do these girls do it?
I’m proud of Dylan as I watch him open Tessa’s door first. She climbs in just as gracefully as she moved down the sidewalk. She turns in her chair.
“Hi Emma.”
“Hey Tessa,” I say. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act around her. Technically we’re competition. Are we supposed to be at war with each other?
“That’s a really cute top,” she says. “Where’d you get it?”
“I’m not sure exactly, my mom actually picked it out.”
“Your mom has great taste.”
I smile politely. I guess that answers that question. It seems to be okay for us to be friendly towards each other.
“You must be the luckiest girl ever,” she says.
I choke on absolutely nothing and cough. “What?”
“Your mom is so cool. To have a mom who can help with makeup and clothing decisions and have you look stunning and not like a twelve-year-old is pretty awesome. I think if my mom ever picked out my clothes, it would be a baseball cap, a sports sweatshirt, and old jeans. She wouldn’t know the first thing about style. Your mom is always fun, and perky, too. I just can’t imagine what your home life must be like.”
I’m not sure how to respond. I never thought of myself as lucky. I’ve only ever wished Mom was more like other moms. Thankfully I don’t have to answer. Dylan asks Tessa a question and her attention is drawn back to him. I sit back and watch the trees blur past the car.
We pull up to Henry’s house and park by the curb in front, behind several other cars. After Dylan gets out, Tessa turns around in her seat again.
“I know it bugs Dylan, but you’re welcome to hang out with us tonight, if you want,” she says.
Maybe I underestimated Tessa. She seems really nice. I smile, and it’s genuine, not forced. “Thanks Tessa, but I don’t want to crash his date. You guys seem to be vibing and I don’t want to mess that up.” I don’t add that he would probably murder me if I hung around them all night.
Dylan opens her door and she takes his offered hand. I take one more deep breath and climb out. Dylan gives me a pleading look.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a five-minute head start,” I say. “No one has to know you’re here with your sister.”
“Thank you,” he mouths. He puts his arm around Tessa’s shoulder and they walk in together. I stand outside and begin counting. When I get to two hundred, I feel like it’s been long enough.
I tentatively walk up the four porch steps and push open the front door. Music is blaring and people are everywhere. I can start to feel the panic rising again, but I force it back down. I can’t see any sign of Dylan and Tessa anywhere. I must have given them a good head start. I look around for anyone I know. Most of the faces look familiar to me. I know their names and that we’ve gone to school together forever, but I don’t really know them. I realize I don’t really know anyone at the school other than Stephanie, Austin, and Dylan. I even had Tessa pegged wrong. Maybe I need to give these other kids another chance.
Then I hear Taylor’s voice, louder than necessary, cutting through the music and the crowds.
“Ugh! What isshedoing here? She’s disgracing the title of prom queen.”
