Change of Plans

Chapter Fourteen

On my way home from Luke’s, I sent Noah a quick text asking if I could bring a plus-1 to the party, to which he’d happily agreed.

Audrey was lounging on the couch when I got home watching Friends re-runs. I sat down on the adjacent couch and watched with her in silence. It was one of my favourite episodes, The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs. It was only when I laughed at something Joey had said when she looked over at me. “Whoa, totally didn’t see you come in,” Audrey said.

“I wasn’t exactly trying to keep it a secret. I said hi,” I retorted.

She shrugged and looked back at the TV.

“Shouldn’t you be at a party? You’re in your senior year of high school. Go have fun.”

Audrey shrugged again. “As I recall, you spent your entire senior year holed up in your room studying.”

“That’s because I didn’t have any friends,” I muttered.

“Exactly. Because you were always studying.”

I stuck my tongue out and chucked a throw pillow at her. She quickly raised her foot to intercept it. Audrey was dressed in her snowman button-up pyjamas, hair tossed up in a messy bun. There was a chocolate smudge on the corner of her lips, which I suspected was because of the open jar of Nutella sitting on the side table.

“I’m going to Times Square with Heather in an hour,” she told me. “Then we’re going clubbing.”

I raised my eyebrows at that. “Clubbing?” Audrey was only 18.

She chuckled. “The less you know, the better, dear sweet sister.” I pursed my lips, not liking the idea of Audrey and clubs. Or rather, what goes on inside them. “Don’t worry about me, Beth.”

“I can’t not worry, baby sister. But I also can’t stop you. If anything goes wrong, you call me straight away, understood?”

“Yes, Mom,” she mocked.

I rushed to my room and slipped into my dress. It was a tight dull-sparkly gold dress that cut off at my thighs. The collar was boat-neck and the sleeves were three-quarter length, which I thought added a nice touch. I pinned my hair up in a chignon—simple yet elegant.

I spun in my spot in front of the mirror and admired my reflection. It wasn’t often that I got dolled up, especially not for a man.

Hobbling out of my room in my heels, I headed straight for the door, narrowly avoiding Audrey.

“Well, well.” She shot out of her horizontal position and ran to me.

“Don’t,” I warned.

She smirked and cocked her head to the side. “I thought you told Mom you were staying in.”

“That’s because I don’t want her interrogating me about my date.”

I made a move toward the door, but Audrey quickly stepped around me and blocked it. “Don’t you think it’ll happen anyway when he tries to walk-of-shame out of the apartment tomorrow morning and she catches him?”

“First of all, he’s not coming home. Secondly, a passionate night with me is no shame at all,” I boasted.

“I’ll make you a deal. If Mom calls and asks where I am while she’s at Barb’s, tell her I’m at home watching Friends. In return, I’ll have your back.” She stuck her hand out. “It’s a win-win,” she reasoned.

I caved and shook her hand quickly. I kissed her on the cheek and left to meet Noah.