Beautifully Broken

he shoe section of the store and returns with two other silver heels to try on. One a chunky shoe, the other a lower but still skinny heel. Both look like they’ll sprain my ankle. I nix all heels and go with a silver pair of ballet flats. Pretty and practical.

“Well, “Jenny says with an amused look on her face. “If you’re not going to wear heels at the dance, you at least need to wear them at the hotel. Pack them in your overnight bag with some killer lingerie. Do you have any? If not, I saw a huge Victoria’s Secret near where we parked.”

Mamma T’s eyes bulge out her head. I’d laugh, if this wasn’t such an awkward situation. Jenny, however, does laugh. The girl’s like a freaking bobble head doll. Only instead of bobbling, she’s giggling. “What? It’s a well-known fact that everyone has sex at prom. Better to go into the night prepared than end up pregnant because you weren’t ready."

28

Piper

Jenny squeezes my arm, her gaze locked onto the boys who have yet to notice us. She leans closer, whispering, “Isn’t he dreamy?”

I’m not sure which man she’s talking about, Cooper or Rex, because they both look good. But Rex looks like he walked out of an Armani catalogue. He’s wearing black dress pants, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a black tie. No jacket. Hair lightly gelled and styled to perfection. I smile, my insides melting because he is beautiful. I’m gonna miss him.

Jenny links her arm through mine and we cross the living room to the kitchen. Needles travel up my flesh, they’re not as bad as they usually are but they’re still uncomfortable. I fight the urge to flinch away because I don’t want to offend her. Jenny’s not at all what I thought she was. While she curled and pinned my hair into place, she told me what’s been going on in her life. Like me, she’s a poor kid on a scholarship, unwanted in a school full of rich bitches. The only difference, she used to be rich, which kind of makes her worse off than me. I never had friends in school. All but one of Jenny’s abandoned her, ridicule and torment her. I fully understand why she didn’t want to go to her own senior prom.

Rex holds his hand out for me, the corners of his lips lifting as his eyes trail over my body. I take it, letting him spin me once before pulling me into his chest. Both arms wrap around my waist the moment his lips meet mine sending fireworks ablaze. The kiss is quick, not even coming close to satisfying the ache burning through me.

“Who is this model, and where did my Piper go?” he whispers in my ear, fingers tracing small circles on my lower back. I giggle and shrug. I dip my head, resting it against his shoulder, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I love your hair.” He fingers one of the long barrel curls. “Especially the blue tips. It matches your dress.”

“That was Jenny’s idea. She has some magic powers when it comes to hair.”

“What was my idea?” Jenny asks coming closer with Cooper. They make a cute couple. Jenny’s dress, a pink sequined halter with matching knee length feathers, pairs perfectly with Cooper’s tie. They stand close to each other, but not touching. Not yet at least.

I rest my cheek on Rex’s soft shirt so I can see them better. He smells like heaven. I’ll probably spend the rest of my life sniffing fragrances in department stores searching for the cologne Rex wears. This sucks! I don’t want to leave you! “The blue and the curls and well, everything.”

Jenny giggles. “Glad I finally won you over.”

“You two didn’t like each other?” Rex asks, a hint of concern in his tone.

Jenny shrugs then leans into Cooper. “She thought I was a gold-digging bitch. We’re good now.”

“Alright kids,” Mamma T says coming into the kitchen taping the screen of her phone. “I need a million pictures to document this night.”

“Mooom,” Cooper complains. “Seriously? You get one and that’s it.”

Mamma T dismisses him and starts snapping candids. After posing us each separately, as couples, and then as a group, she’s finally satisfied. She sends a group text with the best of each of us in it and then disappears in the house, probably figuring out which ones to upload to her Facebook profile.

I walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water while everyone talks about the photos, waiting for the limo to arrive. My heart’s in my throat. There’s so much riding on tonight—it’s our last weekend together, my first school dance, the night could lose my virginity—I think I need something stronger than water.

Logan sneaks up behind me and whispers, “You look beautiful.”

I turn and throw my arms around him because I think I’m starting to become that person—a hugger. Sure I still get the needle pricks down my spine, but the strangling feeling of my lungs about to explode isn’t there anymore. It’s a little uncomfortable, but the discomfort is manageable and almost enjoyable. Also, I know how hard tonight is for him.

Logan freezes, but soon wraps his arms around me. We pull away after a second and stare at each other. There's a dark cloud brewing behind his eyes. Everyone thinks he’s not going to prom out of rebellion, but I know the truth.

“You can still come,” I tell him because it’s true. Rex ordered a Hummer limousine, completely over the top for just the four of us.

Logan shakes his head. “A promise is a promise.”

I squeeze his shoulder and give him an I’m-sorry-smile because I don’t know what else to do. Logan’s misery is his own fault. I’ve never lost someone the way he did, so I don’t even know what to say.“

You look like you’re ready for a funeral,” Cooper says clapping his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Logan forces a smile that almost looks genuine. I feel bad for him, wondering how much of his high school persona is nothing more than a tough guy act. If I hadn’t just witnessed this vulnerable moment, I would never have known he was suffering. “Maybe, but at least I’m not dressed for one.” Logan then pauses to look at his brother some more. “Actually, you look like a waiter in that shit. Fetch me a drink.”

I leave them to their brotherly burns because growing up this used to last for hours. Besides, maybe Cooper will see through Logan’s tough guy act and offer up some advice. As conceited as it sounds, he lost me. He went through a similar pain and might know what to say. My phone dings again. I grab it off the counter and glance at the screen.

Bane: It’s time.