He Says He's Just A Friend

Chapter 53 - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

"We just had this discussion about that stupid flag. You can't join groups like that. I'm not ready for people to know."

"It's a private group. Only the other members know I'm in it, and you can only get in by invite."

"Who invited you?" Dad asked, with a nonchalant curiosity, crunching on a handful of popcorn.

"Barbara Noble."

I groaned. "Whatever."

I fled to my room before they could rethink their decision—or add more conditions—and started my search for a decent restaurant for tonight. I could find a job tomorrow. This was a bit more pressing.

About an hour later, with my plans all set, Emmett sent a photo of an outfit laid out on his bed—dark gray trousers, a black dress shirt and a blue blazer with a splattered paint print. I could never pull off a look like that. Nor would I ever dream of trying.

EMMETT: I know you said fancy, but is this too much?

I chewed on my lip, picturing Emmett in the ensemble.

CLAY: You're gonna be so hot in that.

EMMETT: 😘

I frowned, looking over his outfit again. I had nothing to compare to that. I had planned to wear a nice shirt and a tie with the slacks I got for my cousin's wedding last year.

"Hey, Mom!" I jumped off the bed and jogged into the living room. My parents still sat on the sofa, cuddled up.

"Mom," I repeated.

She paused their movie and looked up. "Yeah, sweetheart?"

"I need to go shopping."

"Okay," she said, absentmindedly. "I'll take you tomorrow. We'll make a day of it."

I shook my head. "I need to go right now. I need something to wear for my date." I pulled up the image Emmett sent and showed her. "I can't be so basic with him wearing this."

"I've got plenty of sport coats if you want to borrow one."

I suspected Dad's coats would be too big on me. I was much thinner than him. But I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I said, "I want something special that'll really wow him."

It wasn't a lie. I wanted to impress Emmett. I'd never given much thought to what I would wear on a daily basis, but since getting into a relationship with Emmett, I found myself wanting to always look good for him. To make him take notice of me.

Mom groaned as she stood up, stretching her arms out wide, rolling her neck. "Alright." She pulled the band out of her sandy hair, slipping it over her wrist before she shook her hand through her hair.

I ran back to my room and opened the lockbox coin bank on my desk, pulling out all the extra allowance and birthday money I had saved up. Determined to find something great. I didn't care about the cost. Emmett was worth it.

When I returned to the living room, Rachel came loping down the stairs. "Where are you going?" she asked, seeing our mom with her purse hanging on her arm.

Mom explained what was going on.

"I want to come. Give me two seconds." Rachel turned and raced back upstairs.

"Hurry up!" I yelled after her. "I only have a couple hours to do this."

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We ended up at the strip mall on the posh side of town. It had a giant fountain in the center of the roundabout at the entrance. Sculpted shrubbery and an array of multicolored flowers lined the pristine sidewalks. Beneath the covered walkway, each store had a fancy placard hanging above the entrance.