The Price of a Gift (The Price of Secrets Series)

by Ashley Drake

  "Shhh, it's ok sweetie." Kayla soothed.

  After a few silent minutes, Phoebe sat up and used her shirt sleeve to wipe her face. "No it's not. When it was over he took me straight home. He leaned over and kissed me goodbye and he drove away. Yesterday I text him but he never text me back. So then I started calling him. I kept leaving him messages but he never called me back. Then this morning I text him that I was worried about him and that I was going to go by his house to make sure he was ok. That was when he finally text me back. It said, and I quote, 'it's just not working out between us but we could still be friends'." She let out a scream. "I gave him the one thing I can't take back, that I can't replace, and he texts me that! Why didn't I just listen to you Hannah? I just can't believe I fell for his crap and now nobody is gonna want to be with me. I've ruined myself."

  I grabbed her hands. "You listen to me right now. First of all, any guy would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. And second of all, nobody ever has to find out. This will stay between us. Phebs, you have not ruined yourself. You made a mistake. Everyone makes them. You will not allow that scum to define who you are. We don't look at you any differently and you shouldn't either. You are one of the strongest people I know. You will get through this and we are going to help you."

  I looked over at Jaycee expecting to see her getting ready to chime in. Instead, she was sitting there shaking. She got to her feet and started pacing. "That bastard! Who does he think he is?" She took a deep breath. "He must pay. Hear my words, hear ..."

  I never even saw Daniel get up, but there he was standing behind Jaycee with his hand on her shoulder. "Jaycee stop. You need to calm down." He relaxed his tone. "I just mean that Phoebe needs your energy to be positive and focused on her."

  Without a word Jaycee went to Phoebe and sat down beside her and hugged her. After she calmed down she said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. Nobody will ever know that you were out in public in a sweatshirt and no makeup on." Jaycee was back to normal. But what ever happened between her and Daniel was crazy weird.

  .......So when Samantha came to me pleading that I help Phoebe she must have known this was going to happen. I can't help but feel guilty. If I had been honest with Phoebe and trusted her with my secret maybe none of this would have happened. Because then I would've been able to just tell her what I saw that day at my pool party instead of sounding judgy and accusing. Jaycee tried to make me feel better by reminding me that it's not just my secret, but my family's too. Which is true, but I still feel like I let both Phoebe and Samantha down. At least Phebs is doing better now and is starting to act like herself. It took a while to convince her that her life wasn't over, that she can't take back what happened but she can learn from it. Next time she meets a creep she will see the warning signs quicker. She's still not sure if she is going to tell her mom or not. I hope she does. Moms seem to always know how to make things better and say the right things. (I think it's because they have already went through their teens and either had the same problems or had a friend that did.) The four of us even went dress shopping together today. I must say we are going to be the hottest girls at my birthday party. Phebs needs this distraction, heck, all four of us do. We even talked Phoebe into letting Chase be her date for the party. I know it will be as friends but it will help her get back to normal. And she trusts Chase. When I gave Daniel his invitation he promised he would be there. He said he wouldn't miss it for the world. He even asked me if I would be his date. I said yes. Shocker, I know. I can't wait until he sees me in my dress. Or better yet, I can't wait to see him see me in my dress.

  Chapter 17

  "Today is the big day!" I said to myself as I got out of bed. I looked over at my alarm clock. It's only eight so I must be excited to be up at this hour on a Saturday. I have so much to do today before the party. Tracey, my mom's friend and our hair stylist, is fixing mine and Jaycee's hair after lunch. Then we are going to the rec center and are getting dressed there. So I have to take a shower and pack up my makeup bag and bring my dress and stuff with me. I checked in with Kayla and Phoebe last night and invited them to come early so they could get ready with us. Kayla, Jaycee and I have been treating Phoebe like she is gonna break or something. She finally got sick of it and told us to knock it off, which was a good sign that she's doing much better. I'm supposed to call Jaycee at nine to make sure she is awake. Mike got his license last week so he is dropping her off at the salon to meet me. Thinking of Jaycee's boyfriend makes me think of my almost boyfriend. Even though Daniel assured me he will be there tonight, I'm worried. He has been gone for the past three days visiting his grandparents in Oklahoma. He is supposed to be back home sometime this morning. And let me just say that the last three days have been torture for me. I can't express how much I have missed him, school just wasn't the same without him. If I sat down and gave myself time to think about it I would probably be freaked out because of how attached I am to him already. I literally feel like half of me has been missing since Daniel left. Oh my gosh, how pathetic do I sound right now. Go get yourself some breakfast Hannah and snap out of it.

  "Good morning, my almost sixteen year old daughter." Mom was already in the kitchen making breakfast.

  "Good morning my almost..." My smart remark was interrupted.

  "If you finish that sentence there will be no pancakes for you." Mom pretended to take my plate away. "Are you ready for your party?"

  "Yes, I can't wait. I have my whole day planned out."

  "Good. Jaycee's mom and I are going to finish decorating the rec center while you girls get ready. Your dad is going to meet us there later. He didn't get home until after one o'clock this morning and I'm going to let him get his rest." Mom looked up and saw Dad walk into the kitchen. "Well, speak of the devil. What are you doing up?"

  Dad walked over and kissed me on top of my head then walked over to kiss Mom good morning. "I woke up when you got out of bed and I couldn't go back to sleep. I figured you would need my help today."

  I heard Dad leave last night while I was on the phone with Kayla but I didn't think anything more about it. "Why were you out so late?" I asked.

  "I started group counseling for a family recently. Last night the father called me and wanted me to meet him at the hospital. His son tried to commit suicide by taking a handful of pills." Dad poured himself a cup of coffee. "I stayed with them for support. The frustrating thing is that I felt that this boy was falling into a deep depression. I tried to tell the parents my concerns, but they were too involved with their own problems to heed my warnings. So last night they got to watch their child have his stomach pumped."

  "That's terrible." I wanted to ask more questions, but with patient confidentiality, I knew that was all the information I was going to get out of him. It made me think of myself doubts about the way I handled Phoebe's situation. I knew Dad was feeling the same type of guilt. "I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe this had to happen to prevent something worse."

  Dad smiled. "You're a smart kid. Maybe you should take your own advice." He had picked up on my fears about Phoebe. No fair. Just when I thought I had this whole mind blocking thing figured out. Being his daughter makes it very difficult to get away with anything.

  We drove into downtown Hudson, which to be honest, is a short drive. Mom dropped me off at Martin & Co., the salon where Tracey works, and left to go pick up the cake and appetizers while I get my hair done. Mike pulled into the parking lot before I walked inside, so I waited on Jaycee. She got out of the car and blew Mike a kiss. "Barf." I teased.

  "Oh hush." She said in an uncharacteristically happy tone. "This is our day Hannah. Tonight is gonna be epic. There's magic in the air, I can feel it. And no, it is not because it's Halloween." She entwined her arm with mine. "Let's go get gorgeous."

  "Whatever you're taking, you need to take it every day."

  "Haven't heard from Daniel yet huh?" She asked.

  I shook my head. I hate being that transparent, even to Jaycee
.

  "Don't worry. He'll be there tonight." We went inside, ready for Tracey to work her own form of magic. Which included tweezers, scissors, combs, brushes, hair spray, gels and more.

  After we were done, and had promised to send pictures of our dresses to Tracey, Mom drove us to the rec center. It was unrecognizable. The transformation was astonishing. The first thing I saw was white strands of light all over the ceiling. Silver, black and white decorations were everywhere. There was a disco ball hanging in the center of the dance floor. Each table was set up with black tablecloths, white silk rose petals and silver battery operated candelabra centerpieces. Mom said using real candles would be a fire hazard, but these were just as pretty. Mom even put a basket at the front door with a few extra masks just in case someone needs one. I saw Dad over in the corner setting up a smoke machine. It will be just enough to cover the concrete floor and give the illusion of walking on a cloud. Our parents have worked really hard on this place. Now I feel bad for asking them to stay in the kitchen area when the party starts. Well, almost.

  Mom walked in carrying my dress. I ran over and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much. It's better than I imagined it. This is the best birthday gift ever."

  I could tell that my PDA caught her off guard but she quickly recovered. "You are very welcome my baby girl."

  Jaycee's mom, Carol, came out of the kitchen with cups and plates. I went over to hug and thank her too.

  Jaycee came up behind me. "Don't be doing that. You're gonna make her start expecting that mushy stuff from me. Then she's going to get all disappointed and it will be all your fault."

  Unfazed by her daughter's remark, Carol hugged Jaycee. "You're welcome too." Carol told her.

  "It's beautiful, Mom." That was the extent of Jaycee's mushiness. But it was the way she said it, not the words, that had brought tears to Carol's eyes. Not wanting anyone to see, just like Jaycee, she walked away before they fell. "Ok," Jaycee turned to me, "if we are done with this greeting card commercial, let's go get ready."

  Jaycee and I took our stuff to the office that we had dedicated as our dressing room. A few moments later, Kayla and Phoebe showed up with dresses in hand. Just like me, they were in awe over the decorations. They were all ready and just needed to put on their dresses. So I took the chair behind the desk and opened my makeup bag. Jaycee sat at the table beside the window.

  Phoebe watched me through the mirror while I put on foundation. "Hannah, let me do your eye shadow."

  "I don't wear eye shadow." I answered.

  "I know. That's why I want to do it." I hesitated. "Just turn around and hush." She said.

  I sighed. "Ok, but don't make me look like I'm planning on standing at a street corner tonight." After she was finished, she let me see myself in the mirror. I was shocked. Not only did she put eye shadow on me, but she talked me into blush too. She did an awesome job. My cheeks only showed just a hint of pink and my eye shadow was layers of shimmery white to silvery pale blue to match my dress, topped off with eyeliner and mascara. "Phoebe, you should do this for a living. This looks professionally done.” Jaycee took one look at me and asked Phebs to do her makeup too.

  While they were doing that, I stripped down to my panties and strapless bra and started lotioning my legs and worked my way up. I picked this lotion because it smells so good, but also because it has glitter in it. Since I have to wait for it to dry before I can put my dress on, I helped Kayla into hers. She chose a spaghetti strap, royal blue, tea length dress. The color showed off her pale porcelain skin. "Kayla, you're beautiful!"

  "Thank you. Will you help me with my mask?" She wore her hair up, making it easy to tie the mask around the back of her neck.

  "Come zip us up so we can be beautiful too." Phoebe teased. She, of course, chose a form fitting bright green mini dress with a matching mask.

  "You look fierce." Jaycee complemented.

  "So do you." I told Jaycee. She too went for a form fitting dress, except hers was a little bit longer and was the color of lipstick red. "Mike is gonna flip."

  "Daniel will too if that's all you're planning on wearing."

  I looked down at myself and realized I was still just in my underwear. "It's a good look for me. Don't cha think?"

  After putting on my dress, I examined myself in the mirror. I really liked the dress when I tried it on in the store. But with my hair and makeup fixed, I loved it. It was a pale blue, strapless dress that stopped above my knee. The beaded top was tight and heart shaped. Then at the waist, it poofed out a bit. Tracey had curled my hair, yes curly hair can be curled, and pinned the side up with white baby's breath on the combs. It went perfectly with the dress. I topped it off with Mom's diamond earrings.

  "You look like a princess." Jaycee said. "Where's your mask? I'll put it on for you."

  "No worries." I picked up my mask. "I wanted one that's on a stick so it won't mess up my hair." It was pale blue like my dress, and had silver feathers on the side.

  "Cheater." She said.

  "Come in." Phoebe answered the knock at the door.

  It was my mom. "I was just checking to see if you girls needed any help." Her words died off when she saw us. "Oh my goodness. The four of you are just gorgeous. Stand together so I can take pictures. Carol, John, come look!" Mom yelled out the door for Jaycee’s parents.

  By 7:30 the party was in full swing. I couldn't believe how many people came. The place was packed. Jaycee's dad surprised us by showing up with a DJ, and he had everyone on the dance floor. The smoke machine was so cool. It made the whole place look like a dream. I was dancing with Luke and trying not to think about the fact that Daniel hasn't shown up yet. I left my phone with Mom and strict orders to come get me if it rang or buzzed. But like Jaycee said, this is our night and I'm going to have fun with or without him. Speaking of Jaycee, I spotted her and Mike dancing over in the corner. She had already taken her mask off. It must have been preventing her from stealing kisses from Mike. When the song was over I went over to the refreshment table and poured myself a drink. I stood there and just watched. I enjoyed seeing everyone having a great time. Ashley and Josh were cozied up at one of the tables. They really do seem happy. Jacob had Kayla on the dance floor trying to get her to loosen up. Even Phoebe looked to be having a good time. Chase had her laughing about something.

  I was perfectly content with my people watching. That is until I was pulled, kicking and screaming, from my happy place by an announcement from the DJ. "Jaycee and Hannah, will you please come to the center of the dance floor and honor us with a father daughter dance." Half the crowd turned to me while the other half looked for Jaycee. I've already been seen so I couldn't run and hide. So I pushed myself toward the dance floor where my Dad was waiting for me. Seeing him took the dread away. This was my Daddy and I was going to dance with him. Some old slow song about turning sixteen came on and the four of us started dancing.

  "Happy Birthday Hannah Banana. On a scale of one to ten, how mortified are you?" He asked.

  "Ummm, I'd say a solid four." I smiled.

  "Just a four?" He acted disappointed. "Are you having a good time?"

  "The best time. I'm loving it." The song faded away to a current fast song. When Dad tried to leave I grabbed his arm. "Oh no you don't, now it's time for you to give me a number from one to ten."

  I don't think I have laughed so hard or enjoyed myself more than watching my Dad dance. And I danced right along with him. Truth be told, he was actually pretty good.

  After the song was over, Dad kissed me on the cheek. "Have fun. I'm going back to the dungeon, I mean kitchen." He said with a smile.

  I squeezed his hand. "Thanks Dad."

  I headed for the restroom to touch up my makeup and ran into Phoebe. She was doing the same thing. "Hey are you having fun? Is Daniel here?" She asked.

  "No, he hasn't showed up, but yes I'm having a great time. How bout you?"

  "I’m having a ball. Chase is keeping me entertained. He's a sweetheart. Here, let me fix
your makeup." She had such a knack for this. Within seconds she had me looking good as new. She even touched up my hair for me.

  "You really should do this for a living." I told her.

  "We'll see. I plan on marrying rich, but if that falls through this could be my backup." We laughed and went back out to join the party.

  I barely had time to take a few sips of my drink before the DJ made another announcement. This one was worse. "Ok, if Hannah and Jaycee would join us back on the dance floor with their escorts, we have a special song for them." That means its 9 o'clock and Daniel's not coming. My heart fell and my eyes started to sting. I had to push the tears back along with the huge knot in my throat, because I had no clue who I was taking to the dance floor.

  I think Jaycee must have sent Luke over because he showed up out of nowhere. "Come on." He held out his arm. "I'm a good dancer and I make a pretty hot arm candy." He joked.

  I held my mask up to my eyes then took his offered arm and let him lead us to the dance floor. "Thanks." I whispered.

  As soon as we met up with Jaycee and Mike, the DJ started playing Something About the Way You Look Tonight. Within just a few notes into the song, I knew. I felt his eyes searching for me the minute he walked in. Once they found me I could feel the heat boring into my skin. I nonchalantly turned Luke into a slow circle so I could search the crowd for him.

  There he was, coming this way, with the cloud-like smoke as his backdrop. His walk was confident and had him looking like he was on a mission. Just like the first time I saw him, he took my breath away. He was wearing black dress pants and a silky white button up shirt that clung to him in all the right places. His black hair was long and tousled, like he had been running his fingers through it. What lucky fingers. Covering those eyes that he has yet to take off of me, was a simple black mask. It was all I could do to keep my own mask to my eyes because my hands were shaking so bad.