Best Friend's Brother

28.

His eyes graze my face then look down at the ring on my finger.

"Professional help, huh?" His index finger traces his lips. "Like a therapist or something." I nod my head.

"I don't need a therapist. I'm not a crazy person, just someone with a fucked up childhood."

"That doesn't mean you don't need counseling in your life. There are countless people like you who use it as a way to find peace in their life or deal with their problems."

"I don't need it. Whatever it is that's inside of me, we'll find a way to fix it. You're the only help I need."

"That can't be true baby. You need a professional."

"Let me prove it to you then." He says determined.. I raise my eyebrow in confusion. "I'll... I'll. Take you to prom! Yeah. I'll show you I can be a normal boyfriend and if the night ends in disaster then I'll consider your 'professional help'"

I was kind of skeptical about going to prom but it seemed like a good idea and I loved how hard he was trying.

"Deal." I shook his hand.

*******

"I can't believe I'm helping you find a dress for you to go to the senior prom with my brother!" Dayvonn, Bella and I waltzed through the mall looking for a dress.

I wasn't just looking for a dress. I was looking for THE dress. It wasn't just an agreement between us, I also wanted the night to be special. So I needed the right dress.

"I can't believe it either."

"It's late notice because prom is a week and a half away but I think we can pull it off."

She held up a turquoise dress that had lace ruffles across the shoulders and chest.

"I'm going to prom not a quinceañera ." She pursed her lips and threw the fabric aside.

"I'm Mexican so I know that dress is fly for a quince."

"How about this?' Dayvonn held up a gold dress that had a v-neck going dangerously low and also had slots on the sides.

"Too much cleavage."

I searched through multiple racks but still found nothing.

Just when I was about to give up on this store a dress that was displayed on a mannequin caught my eye.

It had a long and elegant look to it. The dress looked like it would stop just above my knees and hug my figure perfectly.

Something about the burgundy colored dress screamed out to me 'BUY ME'.

Just when I was about to reach for it, one of the employees grabbed it off of the shelf.

"We're all out of stock of these. Sorry."

"Well how about I buy the one on the mannequin?" I offered.

"Displays aren't for sale here ma'am. Maybe you could find it online or something."

I found the dress online alright. For $3000.

At this point I was sure I wouldn't find a dress.

"I'm sorry Miah. We'll go to a different mall with you tomorrow." Bella gave me a side hug but it didn't help the disappointment much.

When I got home, I threw my keys on the hook by the door and kicked my shoes off.

The smell of cookies permeated the house. But they weren't just any regular cookies. They were my mother's homemade chocolate chip cookies.