The Secret Life of Emily Blu

Chapter Twenty-Six

"You look beautiful, Emily," Joanne says, giving me a once-over. "I'm so happy that you're actually going to a school dance!"

I try not to roll my eyes at her enthusiasm. She means well, even if she places far more value on me going to the Homecoming Dance than I do.

"The only thing bigger than this is Prom!" Joanne says. "You and Jonas are going to look so cute together! Now, let's get you over to Jonas's house."

She chatters off the entire way to Jonas's place, and I let her words wash over me. I think I should be more excited about the whole dance, but I can't help but feel bittersweet. I wish my parents were the ones taking me to my boyfriend's house. But at the same time, I'm incredibly grateful for everything Joanne has done for me. She's been my support system since she was paired with me, even when I was less than pleasant to be around.

When we park outside of the house, I turn to Joanne. I don't know why I need to say it right now, but I do. "Joanne?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Thank you. For still being here with me."

Joanne freezes for a moment and then smiles at me, but I can tell she's close to tears. "Of course, Sarah." She reaches across the space between us and pulls me into a hug as best she can. "Now, are you ready to go see how handsome your boyfriend is?"

I nod and slide out of the car, straightening my dress. It's a simple black cocktail dress with capped sleeves, but it has delicately beaded white flowers all across the bodice. I felt awkward having my arms exposed, but Joanne assured me my scars weren't nearly as noticeable as I think they are.

The front door swings open, and Ms. Levy greets us. "You must be Emily's mom! I'm so happy to meet you! I'm Mae!"

Joanne smiles. "I'm Joanne. It's nice to meet you finally!"

"Mom! Are they here?" Jonas calls from somewhere else in the house.

"Yes!" Mae calls back. She turns back to us. "I'm obviously biased because I'm Jonas' mom, but he looks quite dashing tonight."

I can see Jonas round the corner behind her, and my breath hitches. He looks like he's straight out of one of the romance novels we read. His hair is swept back from his face, and he's wearing a dress shirt that is tucked into his black pants. Bright red suspenders add a pop of color.

He stops behind his mom, and his eyes light up as they take me in. "You look beautiful, Emily."

"Thank you."

"Okay, before you two leave, we need to take some pictures!" Mae directs, pointing us towards her roses in the front yard.

"Mom," Jonas sighs, but he moves to where she's directing us.

"Let us have our moment," Mae says, and Joanne nods her head.

Jonas stands where his mother points and wraps an arm around my waist. For a brief moment, it feels like I'm back in Hollywood on a red carpet, and I pose accordingly,

"You are so photogenic, Emily!" Mae says, inspecting the photos when she's done.

"Thank you."

"You two go have fun," Joanne says, waving us off.

I follow Jonas to his mother's SUV as we can't take his bike dressed like this. Well, he could, but I definitely can't.

When we get into the car, Jonas reaches across the console and grabs my hand, twinning our fingers together. "Are you excited?"

I shrug. "I don't know what to expect. I've never been to a school dance before."

"Really?" Jonas asks, casting a quick glance my way. "I would have thought someone as pretty as you would be asked by just about everyone."