"Dad," I shouted, only to realize I'd shouted at an empty house.
The living room echoed. The wooden floors creaked. Nothing else responded. I shifted my weight from foot to foot and felt the hairspray in my hair scrape against my bare shoulders.
I had been dressed up for the homecoming party for more than an hour, and the angst was beginning to eat at me. All I wanted was a quick distraction, a chat with my father, a normal chat, but he wasn't home. He was out of the State again. I sighed.
"Dad?" I spoke up one last time, knowing that he wouldn't respond, but then I heard footsteps, and my heart skipped. "Hey," I started, excited that he was running late. "I wanted to talk to you about—"
I halted in the doorway as my eyes landed on the owner of the stepping sounds. Argos, my protective elkhound, stood in front of me with a wagging tail. He yawned.
"Hey, Argos," I whispered. My father hadn't even left a note.
I began to run a hand through my hair when the hairspray prevented me. I laid my hand on the tough curls and sighed dramatically once again. Argos plopped down, curiously blinking at me. "What are you looking at?" I said, and he groaned before he slid to the floor for another nap. I couldn't help but smile before I walked away.
I made my way through the entry hallway and refused to stare at myself in the mirror we hung up only a year prior. The makeover Lily had forced upon me over an hour ago felt unnatural.
My normally frizzy, out-of-control curls were smoothed into perfect ringlets. My eyelashes were longer and darker, and my usually gray eyes appeared blue against the navy dress I wore. Lily had wanted me to buy a backless ruby red one that draped all the way to the floor, but I refused.
"You never want to show off," she'd said, before showing me the latest issue of Show Me magazine. Toned backs were all the rage, which wasn't the only reason I didn't want mine to be highlighted.
"I'll stick with my legs, thanks," I'd joked. Truth was, I was a big sweater, loose sweat pants sort of a girl, but those types of dresses didn't exist this season. Choices were always limited. The State claimed it was for unity, but everyone knew it had to do with the amount of supplies gathered that spring. This year, supplies had obviously been short. Every dress had little to no fabric, and only came in three colors: ruby red, navy blue, and banana yellow. I chose my A-line, long-sleeved turtleneck proudly. But my legs were freezing. The skirt was practically non-existent. Worse, Lily had given me a pair of six-inch high heels. She told me they were an old pair of hers, but I couldn't help but suspect she had bought them specifically for me. It was hard to imagine her wearing something so neutral. The shoes were simple. Lily sparkled with dramatic colors and sequins any time she had the chance. It was one of the reasons she constantly complained about our school uniforms.
Now I wondered what adjustments she'd made to her dress. One year she'd torn off the sleeves and sewn on see-through lace. Another year she'd bought a long dress only to tear it into pieces and fill in the gaps with sequins. My favorite year, she'd sewn her own dress from her mother's bedroom curtains, so that she was the only girl wearing purple—and she almost got in trouble for it too. Not just from her mother, but the school board. Clothes remained the only way she rebelled, but between the shopping and the shoes, I had a feeling she was living vicariously through me this season. I could even feel the makeup she had been splattered onto my complexion, though it didn't look like how it felt. I looked amazing. Ifelt amazing. And—Lily promised—tonight would be amazing.
I shook my head, trying to stop my mind from racing. I didn't want to think about how I looked or about the boy Lily was introducing me to. I had enough to think about, but Anthony's name played on repeat. Much to my dismay, so did Noah's. And Broden. What were they up to now?
I held my mother's silver necklace, and leaned back to look at the clock over the sink. It was nine. The sun was setting, and my skin tingled with anticipation. It was one night that curfew didn't matter and, even though I had broken curfew recently, the rush of nighttime excited me. For once, I was honestly thrilled for Homecoming. I was ready to go out, meet new people, and ignore all of the recent drama that had happened the past couple of days.
I was ready to forget.
When I opened the front door, the cold night rushed over my exposed skin. I shivered, goose bumps crawled up my legs, and I wrapped my arms around myself, adjusting to the weather. I closed my eyes and grasped the doorknob behind me. Lyn would be returning from work any moment to drive me. I would jump into the Jeep and play with Falo until I arrived at the party. Then, I would have a fantastic night.
The ringing phone shattered my fantasy.
I jumped at the sudden sound as headlights flew over the front yard. Lyn's Jeep rolled up the long driveway, and I held my breath as the answering machine picked up the last-minute phone call.
Music pumped through the static noise. "Sophia," a male shouted over the chaos, and nerves twisted my stomach. He sounded frantic. "Sophia, it's Broden. I really need you to pick up. You better be home." He paused as I dug my fingernails into the wooden door frame. "Please, be home."
The betrayal from Tuesday boiled inside me. Broden had chosen Noah over me, and all I wanted to do was ignore him. In fact, I hadn't spoken to him in three days, and I had left school early to avoid any contact with Broden, Miles, or Noah.
Broden sighed as if he sensed me on the other line, and I glanced over as Lyn parked in front of me. "Listen, Sophia," Broden continued quickly. "If you haven't left for the party yet, stay home." He waited again. "Please, stay home." He hung up.
I swallowed. Stay home? Stay home from Lily's homecoming party? How could Broden expect me to do that? Lily was counting on my attendance, and Broden knew it. Even worse, the music insinuated that he was already there, despite not being allowed to go. Military students did have some restrictions, especially ones who had been enrolled due to disciplinary reasons.
Lyn honked the horn. "Sophia," she shouted out of the passenger window, her smile beaming through the murky darkness. "Are you coming? You look great."
I stared at the telephone one last time as the message beeped relentlessly, and then I turned away from it. "Coming!" I said, ignoring the warning as I ran to the Jeep, ready to arrive at the party.