Zoe's life is turned upside down when a devastating house fire leaves her and her family homeless. Forced to move into a tiny one-bedroom apartment that is barely big enough for one person, let alone four, Zoe is certain that things couldn't possibl...
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Bella came over the following night to help me get ready for my date, carting her makeup bag and a red dress that she swore would look perfect on me. It was pretty sexy; showing only a hint of cleavage at the front, but dipping very low in the back.
"I'm not sure," I said, looking down at my legs. The dress was very very short. "Doesn't it make me look a bit too tall?"
"It makes you look like the supermodel you could have been," she argued, and I rolled my eyes. God, I'd forgotten all about that. I was scouted once years ago. Mom had nixed the idea immediately, and in any case, the scout, who'd thought I was a lot older, hadn't been interested after learning I was only fourteen. That had been the start, and the end, of that short career opportunity. Bella had never stopped lamenting it. She waggled her eyebrows at me now. "In that dress you'll draw every eye in the restaurant."
"I don't want to draw every eye," I said, but the fight drained out of me. Bella was as stubborn as a mule. And she was usually right about what looked good on me. "Just one eye will do. Or two. One pair of eyes."
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Don't move while I put on your lipstick." She carefully applied the crimson red color to my lips, while I tried to stay as still as possible. She was also dressed up for a date with Finn tonight, though her mom believed she was spending the evening here working on a school project. She'd been grounded for two months after last Friday's fiasco.
Mom was outside, puttering around in the living room. She was not at all happy about tonight, but she had - reluctantly - relented on me going out. Kane had texted me yesterday - not even an hour after we'd left the coffee shop - about tonight, and I'd agreed, not remembering that I was still technically in the dog house. That's how dismal my social life was; I hadn't gone anywhere since the party, so Mom hadn't had cause to bring up my grounding. The only reason she'd agreed to tonight was because she'd been feeling guilty over how much I had on my plate.
"Do you think he'll invite you back to his apartment afterwards?" Bella asked, her eyes gleaming wickedly.
I shrugged, my stomach fluttering at the thought. "I don't know. He lives just down the corridor. I have no idea what the protocol is in this kind of situation."
"You'll figure it out," Bella said.
"I just wish there was a way to put off introducing him to Mom. She wasn't exactly thrilled the first he came up in conversation, remember? What if she starts giving him the third degree?"
"Make sure you beat her to the door," Bella suggested. "I'll help distract her."
"It's a plan," I said, hoping it worked. While Bella finished getting ready herself, I stood up and stepped into my shoes. I was thrilled to wear heels. I'd never been able to previously; I'd have ended up being taller than my date. That wasn't a remote possibility with Kane.
At seven, Bella and I decided to move into the living room. Thankfully, Mom was in the kitchen. Otherwise, I was sure she'd have started in on the questions about tonight. Barely a minute later, there was a knock on the front. I shared a glance with Bella, who nodded back at me.
