32: Prom Ready
Scarlett's house couldn't have come any sooner. The silence between my father and I was unbearable. The tension in the air was so thick, I was choking on it.
As he pulled into her driveway, I already had the door swinging open.
"Lyla, I love you," he said. "I always have and I always will."
When I looked at him, I saw the hurt in his eyes. A part of me wanted to believe him and say it back, wanting to let go of all this pain. But the greater part of me wouldn't allow it, holding on to every moment, every heartbreak.
The only reply I could offer him was my silence, which was saying more than my words could.
As soon as Scarlett opened the door I heard my father drive off. My face must have showed the emotions I felt, because Scarlett's eyes widened.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Not really," I said.
"Here, come in," she said, moving aside.
We went straight up to her room and she closed the door behind us.
"What happened?" she asked.
I sat on the edge of her bed, letting out a long breath.
"It's my dad. We had this fight on the way over. And I pretty much told him I hate him," I said, my eyes stinging from a fresh set of tears.
"It's gonna be okay, Lyla. You guys will figure it out. And I'm sure he knows you didn't mean it," she said, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"That's just it though. It's not about what I said. It's about the fact that it's true. I do hate him, Scar. So freaking much," I said, shaking my head.
She was silent for a few moments. I wiped at the tears that had escaped.
Finally, she said, "It's okay to hate him for now. But it won't always be like this. Once you've made peace with your mom being gone, you will be able to make peace with him as well. Trust me, things will change with time."
"I'll never be able to fix things with him. Too much has happened. We'll never have a normal relationship," I said.
"You might not have this great relationship with him, but you have to forgive him and forgive your mom. For your own sake, not theirs."
Her words made more sense to me than anything else that had happened these last few months. I was lost since my mom died, trying to find a way to move on. What I didn't realize was that for me to be okay, I had to forgive them. Not to make them happy. But to make me happy. This burden was too heavy for me to carry. Until I let some of it go, I would never be able to be okay again.
"You're right. There's a lot of fixing that needs to be done," I said, letting out a breath.
"And it'll take longer than a day to get it done so let it go for now. Focus on Mase, and your first prom," Scarlett said.
I nodded. That's exactly what I was going to do. So I stood, I wiping away the last of the tears and pushed away thoughts of my mom and dad, ignoring them for the night.
"What are we doing first? Hair or makeup?" I asked, as her face lit up.
Scarlett started with my hair, curing it piece by piece before twisting them up into an up-do. A few curly strands fell along my face as she hair sprayed the others into place. She moved on to the make up, adding browns to my eyelids, to make my blue-green eyes pop, apparently. I didn't ask many questions as she moved from my eyes, to cheeks, then finally lips. She knew a lot more about all of this then I did, so I let her work her magic.
She rushed me into her closet to change without letting me see the final look.
"First put on your dress then you can see it all put together," she said, shutting the closet door.
I stepped into the dress, which was the color of emeralds. It was silky and smooth, stopping above my knees. The straps were thin, and the neck scooped down, revealing more of myself than what I was used to. When I found the mirror hanging on Scarlett's bedroom wall, I didn't recognize the girl standing in front of me.
"The dress isn't too much?" I asked her, pulling at the silky fabric.
"It's perfect. Trust me," she said. "Now take my car and get home. Mase will be waiting for you."
The thought of Mase seeing me like this made my stomach turn. I felt nervous, a little out of my element. But the excitement was so much that I almost couldn't contain it. I gave Scarlett a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before heading home.
I reached the house and found the driveway empty. I was expecting Mase to be here already, but I figured he was running late. I headed to the front door, going inside to find Ruth and show her my completed look. When I made my way up the walkway to the door, I noticed the rose petals scattered on the floor. And when I stepped inside, I found the lights dimmed in the foyer, and candles lined up against the walls and all along the stairs. I felt my heart thudding in my chest, my fingers trembling as I ran my hands over my dress to smooth it over.
And that's where I saw Mase, standing at the foot of the stairs in his perfect tux and converse, with a bouquet of pearly white roses in his hands. I couldn't help but to smile as his eyes widened, moving over every inch of my body.
"Hi," I said, stopping just in front of him. The nerves were twisting my stomach in a tight knot.
"Hey, beautiful," he said, bringing one hand up to my cheek, rubbing his thumb along side of it.
I felt a blush slowly making it's way to my cheeks. I tucked a lose curl behind my ear, keeping my eyes locked on the roses in front of me.
He set the flowers on the entryway table behind him, bringing his hand to my waist, pulling me closer to him.
"How is this even possible?" he whispered, his hand gently moving my face up so my eyes met his. "How can someone so insanely beautiful be mine?"
He brought his lips close to mine then, his breath mixing with mine. "Mase.." I whispered. I didn't know how to respond, but I didn't have to. His lips moved slowly against mine as my hands gripped the front of his tux.
The kiss didn't last long enough because he pulled back, pressing his forehead against mine.
"You sure you wanna go to prom? I say we skip it and go up to my room instead," he said, and I laughed.
I heard the click of a camera then, a flash filling up the room. I pulled back suddenly, and saw Ruth standing near the hallway with her camera.
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist," she said, smiling. "You look beautiful, Lyla. Absolutely perfect."
It was when she walked over to us that I saw the tears in her eyes. I reached over and hugged her, feeling a familiar lump in my throat. I wished so badly this was my mother. But I felt grateful that I at least had Ruth.
"Thank you," I said. She pulled back, wiping away the few tears that escaped.
"Let's get a few pictures for your father to see then I'll let you two go," she said, pulling out her camera again. "He had to make a late night run to the office."
I felt guilty, knowing my father wasn't here because of our conversation earlier. But then I remembered what Scarlett said and pushed the feeling aside. Just for the moment. Just for the night.
As soon as the pictures were done, we hard the doorbell ring.
"All right, it's time to go. Our ride is here," Mase said, handing me the flowers and taking my hand in his.
We said our goodbyes to Ruth and headed outside where a man in a suit and a top hat stood holding open the door of a limo.
"Welcome, Miss Carter, Mr. Dean," the man said, as we entered the limo. I smiled. I couldn't believe he did this for me.
"Mase, this is all so perfect," I said, running my hand along the leather seats.
"This is just the beginning," he said, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. I laid my head against his chest and we sat in silence for a few moments. I could push away the thoughts of my father, and my mother, but I couldn't quite forget about what was about to happen tonight at prom. Tracy was going to be humiliated. And as much as I knew how much she deserved it, I couldn't push away the uneasy feeling from it all.
I turned towards him. "Mase, I want to think back to this night years from now, and remember these moments. I want to remember this limo ride and the candles and how you make me feel. I want to make memories with you that will be impossible to forget. But I don't want to remember tonight for the wrong reasons," I said. "I want to call off this whole slideshow thing. I know Tracy deserves it. I believe that. But not tonight. And not like this."
I held his hand in two of my own, pressing my fingers against his. I hoped he understood.
He looked away for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. Then, back at me.
"You're right. We'll deal with Tracy some other way. Tonight should just be about me and you," he said.
I let go of the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Thank you for understanding," I said, smiling. I reached over and kissed his cheek.
"Let me text Josh about taking the pictures out of the slideshow then," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. I nodded, feeling relaxed for the first time since we'd come up with this plan. A heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders. I wanted to get back at Tracy. More than anything. But I don't think anyone deserves this. Not even her.
I ran my fingers along the velvety petals of the white roses. I smiled as I buried my nose into the flowers, inhaling their fragrance. I was ready for tonight. I was ready to push aside the thoughts that suffocated me. I was ready to breathe.
Author's Note: For those who have bared with me, and have waited so long for me to update, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you. This story has always meant a lot to me, but I haven't been able to find the words to finish it. Somehow, I was able to work through the writer's block and begin the writing process again. Here's another chapter for my readers. and another one is already written and will be uploaded soon. Thank you again for your support <3