AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“One minute to spare. I’m impressed,” Dad says, walking toward us.
He shakes hands with Jaron. Then he looks at me.
“How was your night?”
“It was a lot of fun,” I say, breathless.
Dad nods. “Good.” Then he looks at Jaron again. “Everything worked out okay?”
“Yes, sir. Thanks for the tips.” Jaron winks at me. “Bye, Emma. Thank you for a wonderful evening,” he says, before slipping out the door.
Dad flips the deadbolt and looks at me. “He’s a really good guy.”
I shuffle my feet toward the stairs. “I know he is.”
“I hope you know he’s liked you for a long time.”
I suck in a breath. How is that possible when a month ago no one knew who I was?
“Don’t try and sway her opinion toward Jaron,” Mom says, coming into the room. “Let her decide on her own that Ethan is the best choice.”
Dylan comes down the stairs, holding hands with Tessa. He sees our parents arguing and steps in. “Are we really doing this again?” he asks. “Austin is the best fit for Emma. They have the most in common and he’s been in love with her since they were nine. It’s a no-brainer.”
I look at Tessa, still standing on the bottom step and she offers me a smile. This must be awkward for her. I force a smile in return. Then I slip past her and move quickly up the stairs. I can hear my family trying to decide my fate for me until I push my door closed, and drown them all out. I scoop Sirius out of his crate and fall onto my bed.
I post the pictures of Jaron and I tonight and watch as the poll shifts in his direction. Then I close my phone and drop it on the bed. I don’t need to be influenced by outside sources right now. Ultimately, I know I have to make this decision myself. And unfortunately, it’s time.
I close my eyes for a minute. I can picture a future with Jaron. Going to movies on the weekends, eating out at his parent’s restaurant, playing with his little sisters at the park. But if I replace Jaron with Austin, I can see a future there too. Studying at the library, going out for ice cream, sitting up in our tree together and talking for hours.
Ethan would be a lot of fun, too. And there’s no added pressure that saying yes to the prom means saying yes to a relationship. I could go to the prom in style with all his popular friends, be treated like royalty, and I know without a doubt I’d have a fun night. Then I could go off to college and not have to worry about balancing school and my boyfriend from back home. I bury my face in Sirius’s warm back. His soft, curly fur caresses my cheek. I have a lot of thinking to do.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sirius begins whining in his crate. I toss the covers back and peek over at him. It’s Saturday morning. I do not want to get out of bed. I groan. He whines again. I decide I’d rather take him outside than clean up a mess in his crate. I roll out of bed and grudgingly get to my feet. I take him downstairs and set him in the dew-soaked grass. He sniffs around while I try to distract my mind with outside thoughts. But I keep coming back to the same thought. It’s like a siren blaring through my mind. I have to make a decision today. I’ve been on all three dates. The dance is next weekend. No more excuses.
I lift the now damp puppy into my arms and carry him inside. I let him sniff around my room while I crash back onto the bed. I don’t even know where to start. Do I make a pro/con list? I pull out a piece of paper and begin scribbling all the things I like about each of the guys. My random thoughts and doodles quickly turn into a jumbled mess on the page. Math I can do. There’s a formula, you follow it, and you come to the same conclusion every time. It’s simple really. But dating is way more complicated. There are too many factors to consider. I can’t even come up with a decent formula. And I’m afraid the outcome will be different every time anyway.
“Ugh!” I crumple the paper and throw it across the room. Sirius chases it and brings it back to me, tail wagging with delight. I try again, but the next paper turns into a twisted mess of my incohesive mind as well. I toss the wadded ball onto the floor. Sirius picks it up and methodically shreds it into tiny bits.
I open my phone and make a new post.
“Hey Steve, the day is here. Last night was my final of the three dates. Prom is in one week. And I’m going dress shopping with my mom and a few friends in two hours. As much as I wantto follow the poll, and let you all make this decision for me, I can’t. It’s time for me to finally be a big girl and take charge of the next chapter in my life. I have a lot of thinking to do, so I’m going to keep this short. But I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the encouraging words. And thank you for pulling me out of the darkest days of my life. I genuinely appreciate everyone’s support. Tune in next Saturday night at 7pm and I will reveal live who my prom date will be. Bye, Steve.”
I turn my phone off and sigh again. I fall back on my bed and Sirius immediately jumps on my face.
I think back to my date with Ethan. The fun dinner with my first Hibachi experience and my first time trying sushi, which I’ve been craving ever since. Frank and his wife telling us how great we are together. Catching the shrimp in my mouth. Ethan pushes me in the best way possible. I’ve always been scared to try new things, but Ethan encourages me to be more decisive and to be more spontaneous, like he is. He’s just fun to be around. He lights up any room he walks into. I like that he pushes my boundaries and forces me to stretch and grow.
The Improv show Ethan took me to was hilarious, even though it was a little embarrassing. Then the puppy. I look down at Sirius, who has now settled onto my chest. I rub his ears between my thumb and fingers. Sirius puts a paw under his chin and falls asleep. The guy gave me a puppy. Most definitely the best gift I’ve ever received in my entire life. Going to prom with Ethan would be such a fun, casual night. I know I would laugh all night long. And when the prom is over, there would be no pressure for anything else. One and done.
My phone dings and I glance at it. It’s a text from Austin.
Do you want to come over tomorrow?
We can study for the Academic Decathlon meet
we’ve got coming up. And maybe order pizza?
You know…brain food.
