by Sara Daniell
“Because my break is over, and I need to go back in before the manager comes to find me. Tell everyone I’m fine. I’ll call her when I get off.”
“Who is he, Ellie?”
He has always been able to see right through me.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “I need to go back to work.” I started to walk off, but he moved in front of me.
“Is it the guy that was at the movies that night with you?”
“You have no right to any information about me. You screwed things up! You are the one responsible for ripping yourself from my life. You’re not a part of it anymore, Channing. You never will be again.”
He grabbed my shoulders and bent his neck so his eyes were level with mine. “I love you. I can’t keep going every day acting like I’m okay because I’m not without you. I was stupid. I fucked up, and I’m sorry. Mistakes happen.”
“You had sex with my best friend!” I screamed. My whole body started shaking.
“I know what I did! And I want to work this out! People screw up, and then they realize what’s really important! You’re my forever, Ellie! I loved you and still do! I’m ready to be in the relationship fully.”
I forced my hands onto his chest and pushed with all of my strength. “Get away from me!”
I ran into the store and to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and tried to calm myself down before returning to work. It didn’t work. I was a mess the rest of the night. I rang up things twice, I dropped a pack of a dozen eggs, and I couldn’t remember not a single code for produce. My manager ended up letting me off work early.
I DROVE TO MEET Finn at his uncle’s shop, since he was still working. I parked and walked inside, where Finn was changing the oil on an old pickup. I sat on a bench and waited. When he saw me, he smiled and wiped his hands on a towel from his back pocket.
He came over and leaned down to kiss me. “Hey, beautiful.”
I smiled, but it faltered quickly. A deep frown set in, and I couldn’t reverse it. I knew I had to tell him about Channing, but I didn’t know how. He would get upset, and it would just ruin our night.
“What’s wrong?” He sat beside me on the bench.
I hid my face against his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. “Bad night.”
“How so?”
I sat up straighter and looked around the shop. “Are you the only one here?”
“Yes, and stop changing the subject. What happened?”
“Channing happened.”
His forehead creased, and his face turned red. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving me and going back with him.”
“What?” I shook my head adamantly. “No! That’s not it at all. Why would you even think that?”
He shrugged. “Just making sure.”
“Never. Don’t ever worry about that.”
“So, what is it? What happened with him?”
I swallowed hard and ran my fingers through my hair. “He found out where I work. He showed up while I was on break. Alyssa is the only one who knows where I work that would’ve told him. I’m going to kill her.”
His jaw tensed. “And what happened when he showed up?”
“I was on break behind the store smoking. He found me and started begging me to forgive him. Somehow he knows I’m with someone new, so he was grilling me about you. I shoved him away when he grabbed my shoulders, trying to keep me from running away from him. I couldn’t focus the rest of the night, so my manager let me off early.”
Finn looked at the clock on the wall and then at me again. He adjusted his ball cap and stood. He didn’t say anything else; instead he went back to finish up the truck. I was so confused. I expected him to yell or something. I walked over to him. When I put my hand on his shoulder, he flinched and shrugged away from me.
“Finn?”
He dropped his wrench and gripped the hood of the truck. He slammed it shut before looking at me. “Do you still love him?”
“No, I thought I made that clear.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Ellie! I’m pouring my whole self into this relationship, and if you want out, tell me now.”
“Finn! Stop it! You know I’m over him!”
“But he’s not over you! How many other attempts has he made? When will he stop? What if one day you cave, and you decide to give him another shot? You were in a serious relationship with this guy, Elena. Do you honestly think I’m going to believe that there aren’t still feelings there?”
Tears started to pool in my eyes. “There aren’t! Where is this coming from? I loved him, Finn. Loved, not love. He screwed up, and I’m glad he did! Because now I have you, and I like where this is going, you and me. I’m all in too. Please, don’t turn this is into something it isn’t!”
He took a few calming breaths, and without another word, he wrapped me in his arms.
“I’ve dated a lot of girls, but none even came close to how I feel about you. I’m just scared to lose you to someone else.”
“You won’t,” I whispered against his shoulder. “I promise.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
I laughed. “No, you’re not.”
“He better not do it again.”
That I couldn’t guarantee. I moved my arms until they were wrapped tightly around Finn.
“I hope he doesn’t.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll finish up here, and then we can go get something to eat.”
“Can we get something and hide while we eat it? I don’t feel like dealing with my dad if he finds out I’m out with you.”
“Of course.” He kissed my cheek and went back to work.
ELENA, IT’S ONLY GETTING worse. It’s time you go see him.” Dad was being civil, but only because he was talking to me about Grandpa.
“I’m scared to see him so sick.”
“I know, but he really wants to see you. I bought plane tickets, and you’re flying out first thing in the morning.”
I nodded, and Dad walked into the kitchen. I looked at my closet. I needed to pack, but first I wanted to tell Finn what was going on. I dialed his number and held the phone to my ear while I looked for my suitcase in my closet.
“Hey, I just got off work. Is your dad working late tonight?”
“No. He’s home.”
I heard his truck door shut. “Oh. Well, damn. So I guess I still won’t see you until Monday then?”
“Actually…”
He sighed. “Don’t tell me he pulled you from school too!”
“No. Remember I told you my grandpa was sick with lung cancer?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s getting worse, and the doctors are only giving him a year, if that, to live. Dad wants me to go see him before he gets any worse than he is now.”
“How long?”
“Two weeks. He already got it approved by school and my job. I’ll just be finishing up assignments while I’m there.”
“Oh. When you get back, it’ll be prom. Are we going?”
I laughed a little. “You never asked me.”
“Seriously?” He laughed. “I thought it was obvious.”
I found my suitcase and laid it on my bed. I unzipped it and then sat down beside it.
“Of course, we can still go! I’ll find a dress while I’m up there and make some phone calls to get a hair and makeup appointment scheduled. I’ll tell you the color of my dress, so you can get the same color tie or whatever.”
I smiled thinking about Finn in a tux. He was a rough-around-the-edges type of guy. His attire consisted of worn-out jeans, a t-shirt, and his old ballcap on backwards. It’d be nice to see him all cleaned up.
“Okay. And that’d be a good time to officially meet my parents.”
“I guess you could officially meet my dad and Nancy then too.”
“Yuck. Don’t know if I want to.”
I laughed and went to my drawer to start getting clothes to put in my bag. “Well, at some point you have to, and that would probably
be the best time.”
“I thought your dad grounded you from me?”
“He can’t keep me from prom, Finn. And he’s never home; he can’t really ground me from you or anyone else.”
“He’s your dad. Yeah, he can.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
I could hear Tryston talking in the background. “Ellie, I gotta go. If you need anything, call or text me. I’ll miss you.”
“Miss you too. You and Tryston behave.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
I THOUGHT SEEING GRANDPA would be the hardest thing I had to do this year, but it wasn’t. He was happy and enjoying every second of what was left of his life on Earth. It was refreshing almost. It was crazy seeing someone on the last leg of his life forgetting about all of the negativity and just living. It was inspiring.
My brother and I even got to hang out a little bit, which was nice until I tried to bring up all the bullshit happening back home. Every time I tried to talk to him about it, he’d change the subject or straight up tell me to talk about something else. I guess we were a lot alike in that category. We liked to just sweep shit under the rug and hope it’d eventually disappear forever. However, I was learning that was completely false.
Leaving Grandpa was hard because I wasn’t sure if it’d be the last time I’d see him or not, but he told me not to think like that. He said to think of it as a see ya later type of thing. I cried the whole flight back to Texas.
I picked out a dress while visiting Grandpa. It was silver and black. It was a sparkly, strapless crop top that was tight, and showed just a tiny bit of skin between the bottom of my top and the fluffy skirt, which was shiny and had silver layers of tulle. It flowed just past my feet, but with my clear Cinderella heels, it was the perfect length. Not only did I adore the dress, but I also thought Finn would appreciate just wearing a black or silver tie and not a pink or purple one.
Tonight, after two weeks of being gone, I’d get to see Finn. We didn’t talk much while I was visiting Grandpa. I was so busy spending every second of my time with him, but Finn understood.
I was a little nervous about tonight. The butterflies in my stomach were making me sick. Not only was it prom, but I was also meeting his mom—officially. I’d never asked Finn what she said after I came over bawling that night. I didn’t want to know. I’m sure she told him to run fast.
My phone dinged.
Finn: What time do you want me to pick you up from your house?
Me: I’m still at the salon getting my hair fixed. I think 5:30 will still be good though.
Finn: I can’t wait to see you.
Me: I can’t wait to see you. :)
I looked in the mirror and smiled at Wendy, my hairdresser.
“I love it!” I squealed and then looked over at Jane who’d just finished as well.
She looked amazing. Her hair was curled and pinned perfectly on top of her head. Purple and silver eyeliner made her green eyes stand out. Tryston was going to love it. My hair was slightly curled and down. Wendy pinned it all on one side, so it swooped over my right shoulder. It was so simple but perfect. I pulled my lip gloss from my purse and looked in the mirror to put it on.
Jane stood beside me and smiled. “We should go get our dresses on. The guys will be at your house in 45 minutes.”
I paid Wendy, and then we left.
I was freaking out. What if Finn hated the dress I picked out? Dad was already giving me the death glare for the amount of skin I was showing. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. It met all of the school’s dress requirements. Jane, on the other hand, wore a dress that was skin-tight and showed an embarrassing amount of cleavage. Her parents were at my house, and like my dad, were about to have a panic attack.
We looked out the window when we heard the roar of the guys’ trucks. My hands were shaking. Finn would meet my dad and Nancy for the first time. I didn’t know how any of them would react, but so far, Nancy was on her best behavior. Dad, on the other hand, was still freaking out that I had boobs and skin.
Jane and I went outside.
“I’m nervous,” I admitted as we sat down on the patio furniture.
“Why? Are you gonna let him go all the way?”
I burst into laughter. “What? No. Maybe. I don’t know.” My cheeks were on fire.
“Tryston and I have already had sex.”
“I didn’t need to know that.”
We both laughed.
Most girls were worried about giving it up tonight. Jane said all of the girls started birth control a month ago just to get ready for tonight. I thought it was crazy. Finn and I never discussed the whole sex thing and how I wanted to wait until marriage, but I didn’t feel like we had to right now. He respected me, and I respected him.
My smile grew ridiculously large when I saw Finn. He came toward me, looking sexy as hell in his all-black suit. His blond hair was combed neatly. He looked perfect.
His jaw dropped when he saw me. All of my nerves left when I saw his approving cocky-grin. Just before I could give him a hug, Dad emerged from the front door and stepped between us. I frowned and rolled my eyes.
“Steven Johnson, Elena’s dad.” Dad held his hand out to Finn.
“Finn Kerr. Is nice to meet you, sir. Elena talks a lot about you.”
I couldn’t see Finn’s face, because Dad was blocking him. I was hoping he’d give Dad a fake smile or something instead of the scowl he wore when I talked about Dad treating me like shit. He promised me he’d put all the bullshit behind him tonight and be respectful of my dad.
Tryston and Jane were already in Tryston’s truck. I was jealous that they’d gotten away from her parents so quickly. I moved around my dad and looped my arm in Finn’s.
“Okay, Dad. It’s been fun, but—”
“Wait, he needs to meet Nancy. She wanted to take pictures too.” Dad turned and waved Nancy over.
Of course she wanted to take pictures. She wanted to act like everything was great, so I could look like a crazy person in front of my dad and Finn. She had to know I’d told Finn everything.
After fake smiles and goodbyes, we left.
I laughed as Finn drove. I was surrounded by tulle. I was trying to push it down, but it kept fluffing itself back up. I looked at him and bit my bottom lip. He cracked up and fished through the layers of tulle until he could find my hand to hold.
“You’re adorable, you know that? You look so amazing, Ellie. I knew you would, but damn.”
I smiled. “Thanks, you do too, Finn. Very sexy.”
WE MADE IT TO his mom’s, and I felt like I might get sick. I adored her son, and her rejection would kill me. Finn was a momma’s boy, and she meant the world to him. I got out of the truck with Finn’s help, and we made our way up his back porch after he helped me straighten out all of the tulle. We were cracking up about the glitter all over his tux when his mom opened the door. She smiled widely, and tears filled her eyes when she looked at Finn.
“Stop growing up so fast, would ya?” She hugged him then looked at me and held the same huge smile. “Wow, Finn, she’s gorgeous!” She hugged me too, which shocked me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly as she pulled away.
“Pictures! Let me run inside and grab my camera. Oh, and the corsage!”
I looked at Finn and raised a brow.
He laughed. “I had Mom pick it up because I had no idea what I was doing.”
I smiled. “You didn’t even have to get one.”
“Did too.”
She came back out with her camera in one hand and a clear box with a beautiful corsage of white daisies in the other. My favorite flowers. I smiled when Finn put it on. His hands were shaking, and it was so cute that he was nervous. I was glad I wasn’t the only one.
After pictures and a few more hugs from his mom, we headed to the school.
I COULDN’T FIND FINN ANYWHERE. He said he was going outside with Tryston and a few of his other friends for a bit, but that had been over an hour
ago. Jane and I hung out with a few of our classmates, but I started getting worried.
“I’m going to look for Tryston. He should’ve been back by now.”
“I’ll come with you. I’m sure wherever he is, Finn will be too,” I said, then followed Jane outside.
After walking for fifteen minutes, I had to take off my heels. Blisters had started forming, and by the looks of it, we’d be walking all night to find the guys. After texting Finn for the billionth time with no answer, my phone died.
“I’m gonna kill him,” I said through clenched teeth.
Jane was frustrated beyond belief. She stomped around in her bare feet, and we both finally gave up after we had searched the entire inside and outside of the school. She sat down on a bench outside of the cafeteria where prom was going on and huffed loudly, resting her chin on her hand.
“Should we just find a ride home and leave?” I was on the verge of tears. Why would Finn ditch me like this? I hadn’t seen him for two weeks, and this was our prom night.
“I guess so. I could call my parents. Do you just want to stay the night at my place tonight?” I could tell Jane was on the verge of tears too.
I shrugged. “I guess.” I wiped away a falling tear and looked down at my dead cell phone. “Call your mom, and I’ll meet you back out here in a second. I need to go to the bathroom.”
I went inside and made my way through the crowd. The bathrooms were all the way on the other side of the dance floor. I was almost there when I froze.
God, please no! Please tell me that’s not him. With her! Dancing so close… His hands on her hips… His lips on her neck…
I felt dizzy. I stumbled a little but caught my balance on a nearby chair. Nausea set in, and my heart ached. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn’t form words. Finn’s glazed-over eyes met mine, and I knew he was drunk. I looked around for Tryston, figuring he’d be close, but he was nowhere to be found. Pure shame washed over Finn’s face the second he figured out what was happening. I had caught him. I wondered just how long this had been going on. I was a stupid girl for believing his lies. He was just like Channing.
