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Chapter Thirty Four

"And you're sure you aren't going with a boy?" Papa asked, a flicker of possessiveness in his eyes.

I put my hand out, my pinky in front of him. "Just Ryan. We're going as friends. I promise."

Today was unfortunately when prom was occurring. Recently, I didn't have a lot of time to prepare for it, mentally and physically, after discussing the game Parallel with my parents. Mom was excited for me, because she'd never gone to her high school prom herself. She let me wear one of her fancy white dresses, which made me a little more excited for the dance than I usually was. The white dress was apparently what she wore almost every time whenever she wanted to commit suicide (and fortunately, Papa saved her every time). She said she wanted me to wear it as proof to herself that she really is living the life Papa saved.

The white dress was almost simple, yet eye catching. It had long sleeves, though the hems were larger in terms of diameter, almost making the dress fun to swing my arms around in as I pretended to be a bird. The shoulders were cut off, letting some attention go to the black choker on my neck, and a black belt was wrapped around my waist to match it. Below it, the skirt reached down to the middle of my shins, and a pair of black flats rested on my feet. It wasn't too fancy for a prom dress, but it would stand out against all the extra dresses with sequins, glitter, and color. Mom handed me a black cardigan for cases of when it was cold.

Papa wrapped his pinky around mine with an unsure but small smile, "Alright then. I trust you, Meredith."

Mom ran out from the kitchen, handing me two croissant sandwiches in Ziplock bags with a bright smile on her face. "Here! Eat these in the car when Ryan drives you two over there. I don't want you to pay for the food."

"Thanks, Mom," I giggled, hugging her tightly. Turning to Papa, I hugged him just as tight and let go, running out the door. Ryan's car was out in the driveway, and he waved from the window. I looked over my shoulder and waved to my parents, "Bye guys! I'll be back before midnight! Promise!"

"Bye, Meredith!" Mom exclaimed excitedly.

Papa spared a wave, and I opened the car door to the passenger side, slipping into the vehicle. Peering at Ryan, I laughed lightly. He had on a suit, which made him appear for professional, except for the fact that his tie was all mangled and his hair wasn't even combed straight.

"Whaaat? Why're you laughing at me?" Ryan asked, a pout on his face. "I don't know how to tie a fucking tie."

"O-Oh my god," I stuttered out, a hand to my mouth so that I could muffle my laughter. My arm clutched my stomach as I continued laughing, "Just take off the tie then, you idiot!"

"But I look hot with it on," Ryan replied with confidence, pounding his chest with a fist as he drove off to the school.

I snickered quietly, "Not when it looks like a three year old tried to braid something."

"Hey! I tried! Really!"

I laughed a little more, throwing him one of the croissant sandwiches. "Here's a snack from my mom so we don't waste our money on the trash ass food at school."

"Oh, sweet!" Ryan exclaimed, ogling to croissant in his lap.

I snickered again and said, "But you can't eat it until we park somewhere. Outside food isn't allowed in the gym, and eating while driving is bad."

Ryan's mouth hung agape, and he peered at me for a second before saying, "You little— you're gonna taunt me while eating in the car, huh?"

"Yup," I responded smugly, opening up the Ziplock bag.