"I wish I was half as pretty as you are." Brianna whined quietly, dropping a warm strand of straightened hair so the warmth brushed against my neck. I very rarely did anything to my hair or face, and when I did, it was after being coaxed by Bri for hours. Before Raya had passed, we'd done it every weekend. Raya was go buy expensive makeup in all three shades for each of us girls and we'd sit around the room giving one another make over as we talked about boys and stuffed our faces with chocolate. Brianna had tried a few times since, but it never felt the same with just the two of us and we both just ended up crying ourselves to sleep.
"Oh, Bri, you're gorgeous." I responded, catching her eye as she grabbed my bangs between her index and middle finger. "Like, you look like a whole goddess right now."
She really did. She was wearing a glittery sea green gown that was so form fitting that it gave her curves even I hadn't knew existed and gave everyone a clear few of her long legs. She'd sat in front of the mirror all afternoon doing her makeup, highlighting her hazel eyes with a dark green and thick coats of mascara and eyeliner. She looked like a live version of Tiana from Disney's The Princess and The Frog.
"Pfft, okay." She rolled her eyes as she unplugged the hair straightener from the bathroom wall and set it on the sink. "So, what's up with Liam. Bryan let it slip that you were in his house when he picked you up last night."
I made a mental note to smack Bryan upside the head as I stood, stretching my arms over my head. I'd been in that chair for the last three hours without being able to move as much as an inch; I was honestly surprised my legs didn't give out the moment I stood. Especially since I'd let Brianna talk me into wearing heels. Reese Taylor attempting to walk in heels was a sight for sore eyes, so much so that it'd only been seen once before. The night of Winter Formal Freshman year.
"Bri, I thought Mom—" Bryan saved swooped in and saved me before Brianna could try and pry any more out of me. He was wearing a black tux, but his tie was a pale blue, a huge contrast against the black. I hadn't heard if he'd asked anyone to Homecoming, and he hadn't mentioned it, but the thought of him riding solo made my heart hurt. It'd always been the three of us, dateless, having the time of our lives at these dances. "You look great, Reese."
I dropped my gaze down to the floor length black dress I was trying not to step on the back of as I crossed the room to fix his tie around his neck. I smiled in return, but Brianna cleared her throat obnoxiously loud, clicking her heel against the hard bathroom tile. Bryan got the hint and bowed in his sister's direction with a lopsided grin.
"You look stunning as well, Queen Bri."
*
The very idea of coming to the Homecoming dance with Jay should have been a red flag. He was on the team and this dance was celebrating exactly that, the team's return and win. He had danced with me for about ten minutes before he dispersed into the crowd of well dressed teenagers that encased us. He'd tried to offer that I join him, but my feet were already throbbing and the idea of walking unnecessarily made me want to throw up. Bryan had promised to dance with me before the end of the night, but him dancing with Shay in the midst of the crowd had been the highlight of the night. She looked gorgeous in the lengthy white dress, her hair done up in a French braid that had been twisted so it look like a crown on her head. She had been smiling since Bryan approached. This big, beautiful smile that made her eyes twinkle and her nose scrunch up in a way I'd never seen it. She liked my best friend and she was everything he could have ever asked for. It made my heart so full seeing Bryan looking so happy; he'd spent years putting me first and his own feelings on the back burner that it was about time he allowed himself to feel.
Brianna and Andy, despite crowds of people around them, were all my eyes wandered too a majority of the night. They looked so lost in one another, in each other's arms and eyes, that it appeared as though they'd forgotten where they were. It was a love right out of one of my books, so undeniably perfect and meant to be that it made everyone around stop and stare.
I'd been here two hours and had yet to see Liam, which shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did. He was recovering from the game last night, he was a mess last night. But somehow, the Quarterback, the guy who had single handedly won the game and got injuried in the process, not being her felt strange. Today was celebrating him and he was nowhere to be found.
Standing, I had less than a minute before I nearly rammed hard into someone's chest. I knew the moment a waft of a fresh, ocean like scent filled the air around me that it was the devil himself. My eyes remained glued to the white button up, still undone at the top, stretched across his broad chest for a moment before I lifted my head with a sheepish smile. He looked ready to apologize, but his mouth parted and nothing left it, eyes widening in surprise.
"Reese?" he breathed, pinching a lock of my straightened hair between his fingers before letting it fall back against my shoulder. "Your glasses are gone. And your hair. . . the waves are gone."
Funny he pointed those things out too, because they'd been the very things Jay had complimented me on the second I climbed into the passenger's seat in his old Buick. With Liam, I couldn't tell if he was trying to subtly let me know how much he didn't like it or if he did.
"That's kind of the point of these dances, Liam." I broke the awkward silence between us. "You get all dolled up a couple times a year and spend every other day dressed like a homeless person."
He didn't answer, but it was in his silence that I got my answer. He definitely didn't like how I looked. Which was odd considering Brianna had done my makeup and had done a pretty decent job, and that was coming from someone who hated the very thought of makeup.
"I didn't think you were going to show, Tin Man." I continued when he just fell back a step and scanned the room. He was extremely on edge, but must have sensed my own curiosity surfacing because he looked back to me with a small smile that didn't come close to meeting his tired eyes.
"I was getting a head start on writing the next play. You know, writing sweet apology letters to all my beautiful exes." He was lying, but I didn't say anything. Not that I would have the chance to anyway, because he grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor with his infamous smirk slowly tugging at the corners of his lips.
"I suck." I confessed.
Just as I opened my mouth to clarify what I meant, he shot me a wink and laughed, "I'm sure you do."
"You're disgusting, Scott." I feigned disgust and pretended to gag as we slowed to a stop. He chuckled, pulling me closer to him. I could feel warmth creeping into my face the second he rested one of his hands on my waist. Luckily his attention wasn't on me, but something over my head.
"I think you secretly like it." He muttered, finally tearing his eyes from behind me and looking into my own, smirking. "Why else would you continue to stick around?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Because you're a decent person?"
"Nah, definitely not that." He scoffed. "You look beautiful tonight, Taylor. But I hate it."
"Because that wasn't the most back handed compliment I've ever received." I replied with a laugh. "I don't know whether to say thanks or flip you off."
He smiled. This time it reached his eyes. "You look beautiful, but you don't look like you. You don't look like my Reese."
My Reese.
"Okay, okay, everyone gather around. I'm sorry for interrupting." Nicola's peppy chirp sounded through the auditorium. But when I dropped my hands back to my sides and looked up at the stage, her eyes were on me. I shifted on my feet as she cleared her throat and continued. "But it's everyone's favorite part of the night. Time to announce our Homecoming King and Queen."
She finally tore her eyes from me and took a blue envelope from a Freshman to the left of the stage, shrinking back into herself under Nicola's intense look. Nicola walked back to the center of the stage, her black stilhetto's echoing through the silent room. Liam straightened, fixing his tie as if he were sure his name would be on the inside of that envelope.
"And our Homecoming King is," she paused for dramatic effect, "Liam Scott!"
I watched Liam's lip curl a little in disgust before his face shifted entirely. His eyes brightened, a grin stretched across his face, there was even a slight bounce in his step as our peers parted like the Red Sea to let him through. All his teammates slapped hands against his back and shoulders as he climbed the three short steps to the stage. Liam kissed Nicola's cheek once he reached her, allowing for a Sophomore boy to rest a plastic crown on his head. With his departure I felt an arm fall over my shoulder and turned to find Andy beside me, a friendly smile on his face.
"He doesn't want to be up there, does he?" I whispered as I leaned against him, relieving my feet of the weight of my body.
Andy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest so his sea green tux was gleaming in the dim light over us. "He used to. Now I think he just wants to stop it all. He does it for his parents. He thinks they'd want him to stay popular, at the top."
I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself as Nicola opened the pink envelope. Her entire face turned upside down into an obvious scowl, "Our Homecoming Queen is Shay Rodriquez."
Bryan stepped aside and bowed, earning a laugh and a playful slap on the shoulder from his date as Shay joined Liam on stage. She leaned into hug him and whispered something that made him laugh. Nicola rambled on for a few more minutes, clearly bitter, before everyone parted ways for the King and Queen to dance. As soon as they started, Andy tore away from me with a small smile and went to find Brianna. Bryan took his place before I could even blink and I rested my head against his chest.
"I want to go home." I said into his chest.
Bryan rubbed my bag, sighing. "I know. Let them finish dancing and I'll let Shay know we're heading out."
"Thank you, Bry."
"Of course." He whispered into my hair. "You're strong for even coming tonight, Reese. I know how hard this must be for you."
I didn't say anything else nor did I move in fear that I'd fall apart without him holding me upright. He tightened his arms around me, but it took me another few minutes for my brain to process that I was crying.
"Liam hasn't taken his eyes off you since he walked in." Bryan breathed, trying to bring me out of my emotional state. "You sure he wasn't your date? Because I don't even think Jay is here anymore."
I heard the music cut out and change and heard the footsteps approaching and I wished so desperately that they'd all turn around and leave us alone.
"Re?" Brianna's hand fell on the small of my back. "Hey, you okay?"
I opened my mouth to respond but all the escaped was a choked sob, muffled by Bryan's chest.
"Bry, we got to get her out of here." I heard Brianna whisper to her brother. "Before she breaks down completely. She'll be so embarrassed."
I felt Bryan shift a bit before he touched his fingers under my chin and brought it up so I was forced to look up at the blurred image of him. "Let's go."
"I don't want you to leave because of me." My voice caught in my throat. "If I had just stayed, had bared through it, Raya would be here and—"
"I'll take her back." Liam's voice startled Bryan. He jumped, head whipping to the left. "She did the same for me last night. No need for you to leave. Shay wanted to bring you to the Afterparty."
I wanted to protest, but when Bryan looked back toward me I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and I whispered, "Go, Bry. If Liam was going to do anything he would have already. Please have fun."
My best friend very hesitantly nodded and pulled me into a hug before allowing his sister to do the same. Brianna lingered a little longer and I felt warmth against my bare shoulder blade. She quickly hid her face against Andy before I could see the tears so obviously staining her cheeks. I didn't even want to see how bad I looked right now; I probably looked like a sad clown.
Shay touched a hand comfortingly to Brianna's back before turning to me with a pitiful look. "Bry kind of filled me in on stuff. You made it longer than I ever could, Reese. Be proud of that. You're so incredibly strong."
She hugged me and for a moment I allowed my arms to wrap around her thin frame. She was friends with Nicola, who for sure had a vendetta out to get me, but she couldn't be more different from the school's Queen Bee. I watched both couples head back into the crowd of people, leaving Liam to my right. I avoided him entirely the entire way out of the school and to his truck. He only buried his hands deep in the pockets of his slacks, lost in his own thoughts as he stopped beside the bed of his truck, sighing.
"I'm sorry you have to miss the first few minutes of the Afterparty because of me." I said. He did the exact opposite of what I thought he'd do; he laughed.
"I should be thanking you. I didn't want to go to that thing. I didn't even want to be here tonight." His shoulder's slumped forward, "But the next Play is to apologize to the girls who's heart I broke and I didn't want to have to add you to that list."
I didn't give the words any time to sink in before I blurted, "I wouldn't have been heart broken if you didn't show up, Liam. It's not like you were my date."
"Reese you're entire face lit up when you turned and saw me." He reached out and touched my forearm. "Jay was a dick and ditched you for God knows what. You were alone. Its okay, you were the only reason I came too."
I thought back to my conversation with Bryan last night. Instead of pushing Liam away as I wanted to, I closed the distance between us and hugged him, my hand trembling as I clenched a fistful of his tux in it. He did as Bryan had done less than ten minutes ago and hugged me against him, but unlike my best friend, he didn't say anything comforting, try to break me out of it. He just held me while I fell apart, knowing very well I'd be walking the halls Monday like none of this had happened.
When I was finally able to get a hold of myself, I looked up at Liam. He was staring down at me, not sympathetically or with a look of pity, but a knowing look. As if the same emotions that were trying to tear the rug from beneath my feet shook his entire world took. And for a moment I allowed myself to do as Bryan said. I let Liam in. Bryan had been right. Because as I stood in the once arrogant jocks arms, I felt as I did when I was with my best friend; protected, an indescribable comfort, and even something a little more.