Staring in the mirror, I watched, entranced as the soft material of my dress rose and fell with my breathing.
The girl - no, the woman in the glass stared back at me with amazement in her eyes.
"Wow... honey, you look stunning."
Mom stood in the doorway of my room, a proud smile on her face.
Turning my head, I looked to her for reassurance, "You think so?"
She walked up to me, nodding as her quick fingers picked off a few tiny specks of lint. "I am so happy that this all worked out so well."
"I mean," I stalled, smoothing my hands over my abdomen, "None of this would have happened without you and Grandma."
"And we were happy to help, but you're the one who's making it look so good."
"Well," I felt myself blushing from the praise, "thank you."
"Your date's going to be lucky to have you on his arm."
I froze, Mom's words throwing a bucket of ice water on my happiness.
Right, Nate.
Not the guy I'd been thinking of...
"Mom, I told you, he's not exactly my date, more like the only other single person in our friend group."
She smiled, sly, "If you say so." Then, her eyes brightened, "That reminds me - wait right here."
As she stepped out of the room, my thoughts returned to the man I actually wanted to impress - the one I wished I could be spending the night with.
Jason.
Nerves coiled in my gut as I thought about our last exchange, a handful of rushed words about Nate and the whole prom situation.
His last message, "Okay," haunted my thoughts, torturing me with its ambiguity.
You could have just asked him what he meant...
But I felt my anxiety spiking at the mere suggestion of it. Inhaling slowly, I shook my head. It was better to live in uncertainty than to risk a dismal certainty.
Right?
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Mom returned carrying a small plastic container.
"What's-" My voice cut off as I recognized the object inside.
"Here. I wasn't sure it your 'not a date' would remember to get one of these. I hope red's okay?"
I nodded, too choked up to speak as she pulled out a rose corsage and began pinning it to my shoulder strap.
"I figured something classic would be safe and work with whatever else you were wearing." Adjusting the angle, she stepped away and gestured to the mirror. "There, what do you think?"
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I fought them back, not willing to redo my makeup. "It's wonderful, thank you." Sniffling, I turned and pulled her into a hug.
Her arms enveloped me, and she murmured softly, "I love you, Baby; never forget that."
Parting, she placed her hands on my shoulders, "Now, you're sure Faith's going to drive you home in the morning?"
Shrugging, I answered, "If she doesn't, Amanda will."
"Okay, 'cause if that falls through, and you need a ride at any time for any reason-"
"I know, I know," I smiled, reciting her oft repeated promise, "'You'll be there - no questions asked'."
"That's not an exaggeration – I mean it, okay?"
"Okay."
She sighed, looking around the room, "Well, I guess that covers it. Ready to go?"
Picking up my purse and my overnight bag, I nodded.
Ready as I'll ever be.
The limo wasn't outside yet when Mom pulled up to Amanda and Paul's suburban McMansion. Parking, she rounded the car to help me out, offering a hand and then carrying my bag. As we walked up the sidewalk to their front door, we passed Sierra's parents' car and Jason's grey Mercedes.
I swallowed, despite my suddenly dry mouth, my pulse skyrocketing within me.
Be cool, be cool.
Pressing the doorbell led to a shouted, "Come in!" from somewhere inside.
Mom reached forward, turning the knob and holding it open for me.
Past the gaudy entryway, the high-ceilinged living room held Sierra's parents, Zane and Amanda.
I tried to stop myself from looking for Jason, unsuccessfully.
Once greetings were dispensed with, I felt the weight of the coming silence. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Let me guess; Faith isn't ready yet?"
Amanda chuckled, shaking her head.
Sierra's parents looked less amused.
Figures.
Sighing, I asked Mom for my overnight bag. "Here, I'll go see what the holdup is."
As I walked away, I saw Amanda patting the space next to her on the green suede loveseat.
Mom's going to love that.
Steady despite my strappy heels, I took hold of my skirt and climbed the stairs, heading toward the sounds of distress coming from Faith's excessively large bathroom.
But, as I neared the top, a tall shadow blocked my path.
"Hey, Hailey; you look great!"
Oh, fuck.
Fighting back a grimace, I replied, "Thanks, Mr. Murphy."
"Now, I've told you a million times - call me Paul."
Bile rose in the back of my throat at the slick, sleazy tone of Faith's stepfather's voice.
Glancing up, I did my best to ignore his leering eyes, openly staring at the way the tight bodice of my dress accentuated my tits.
"Right, sorry." Desperate to change the subject, I looked behind him, "Anyway, I'm going to check on Faith, so if you'll excuse me..."
Hugging the wall, I tried to scoot past him, but he managed to bump his hip against mine, knocking me off of my feet. As I stumbled, he reached out to catch me.
Time slowed to a crawl and horror filled my mind, dragging out the seconds as treacherous gravity sent my body falling into Paul's waiting arms.
"Watch out!"
I landed roughly against his chest - and then his hands were on me.
To an observer, it would have looked like he was bracing me, supporting me after my stumble, but his fingers told a different story. I shuddered as I felt them squeeze, pressing into the sensitive flesh of my thighs and ass, exploring-
Grabbing the handrail, I pulled myself away from him. "Sorry about that," I muttered, rushing up the rest of the stairs, my bag bouncing against my leg, "Excuse me."
Violent disgust hastened my steps, and I all but raced toward Faith's room.
"Hailey-"
I didn't look back - I couldn't look back. I knew that if I saw the undisguised lust in his eyes, I would rip them out of his skull.