Everyone in the small town of Hull knows two things. One: Jill Williams doesn't date, and two: Carson Blue is addicted to drugs.
When Carson decides to clean up his act and apply at Jill's family restaurant, she's less than enthused. Between school...
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THREE WEEKS SPEED BY in a blur of anxiety, hope, and everything in between.
Week one: Carson was on top of work, and he was the same boy he was at the beginning: a hard-worker who busted his ass to show he's worth it.
Week two: I dared to hope, even kissed him on the cheek after a hard shift.
Week three: he started acting weird again.
Last night: he didn't show up for work at all.
I didn't call him, didn't even send a text. At this point, I'm too tired. I almost believed in him. I wanted to hope. But after Dad recovered from his OD, he took off on his motorcycle into the sunset, and the truth is now I don't expect much from anyone at all.
"Damn, you look good," Val says, and I snap to the present.
"You don't think it's too much? I feel stupid."
"No, idiot, it looks killer."
In the reflection of Val's bedroom mirror, I smooth the pale blue fabric of my prom dress over my stomach. My fingers get caught in the lacy net adorned with a faint butterfly pattern.
This isn't something I'd normally be caught dead in. When Mom, Val, and I went dress shopping (dragging Matias along), I'd looked for the plainest dress I could find. But then Val found this one, and I tried it on, and... I guess I do feel pretty. Pretty, and overdone.
"I don't think 'killer' is the right word," I say. "I look like a stupid princess."
"You're a twiggy blonde chick, Jill. Princess suits you."
I laugh. "Shut up. Your dress is actually killer, by the way."
Long black silk hugs Val's curves with silver material lining the chest that gives off some sort of ice queen vibe. She smirks. "I know."
It's hard to believe prom is here already; the past three weeks have sped by at rocket speed. Hell, now that I'm here, the past four years of my life all seem like a blur.
"I'm just saying, you look gorgeous," Val says and flattens her bangs with her straightener. "Blue's nuts if he doesn't show. He should be grateful you even gave him a second chance."
When I look at myself in the mirror, a tiny flame of hope struggles to stay alive. I can't just forget everything Carson and I did together; the way he made me feel so special, beautiful, and seen. The way I felt like I knew him, like we were made to be with each other.
"I've been wanting to see you in your prom dress since we started high school."
Well, here I am. He hasn't even texted, but if he wants to be my prom date, he can text first. I'm never chasing him again.
As I'm straightening my hair, my phone lights up on Val's bed.
