“Are you sure your parents weren’t given the wrong baby at the hospital?” Colin asked. “I find it really hard to believe you two are related.”
“If only,” I muttered.
“And are you really just going to let him walk all over you like this?”
I blew out a breath and shrugged. “He’s already taken the one thing I care about. What’s the point in fighting back?”
“Ah, because you deserve to be happy?”
I slowly turned away from my brother’s retreating figure to look at Colin. “Even if I fight, I won’t be happy,” I replied. “I’ve already told Hayley the truth about Owen, but she either didn’t care or didn’t believe me. There’s nothing more I can do.”
* * *
It took Isla three days to finally corner me. I’d done my best to avoid her at school, but it was a little harder to do when she turned up at our band practice in Colin’s garage.
“Why have you been avoiding me!” Isla exclaimed, as she stormed through the garage door. It was the first time I’d seen her enter the room without immediately running and throwing herself into Dex’s arms, so I knew I was in trouble.
Colin and Dex both shared a smirk. Did they have to enjoy my pain quite so much?
“Ethan Immanuel Beck. I asked you a question!”
My gaze jolted back toward Isla, who now had both hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. She’d used my middle name, so I knew she was really unimpressed with me.
“I wasn’t avoiding you, Isla.”
“Yes, you were. You’ve been coming in late to homeroom all week and hiding away in the practice rooms at lunch. And, as if that’s not bad enough, you didn’t even tell me that you and Hayley broke up! I had to hear the news from some stoner kid.”
A small laugh escaped Dex, and Isla turned her hard eyes on him. “Dexter. Colin. Will the two of you please give us a moment?”
The amused expressions on their faces dropped, and they quickly nodded before disappearing from the room. This was exactly the reason why I tended to avoid giving Isla bad news. She could be really scary when she wanted to be, and right now, I was terrified.
Her hard expression softened once we were alone though. “Why haven’t you talked to me? With all the rumors swirling around, I’ve been really worried about you.”
Her words were like a stake pushed right into my chest. I hated upsetting Isla more than anything. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what happened on the weekend. I just didn’t know how to explain it all to you.”
“You explained it fine to Colin.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that there were some things I hadn’t told you about, and I wasn’t sure you’d understand.”
Confusion clouded Isla’s eyes. “What things?”
I took in a deep breath and finally told Isla the truth. The whole truth, including every detail of the arrangement I had with Hayley. She stayed silent through the whole story, her expression never changing from the confused look she’d given me before I started to explain.
When I finally finished, she was shaking her head. “None of this makes any sense.” At least, she didn’t sound angry.
“Well, I’ve told you everything now.”
“Which you should have done from the very start,” she snapped back before her expression softened again. “But, seriously, I don’t think Hayley would break up with you to go to prom with Owen. I think she really likes you.”
I shook my head though. “She said going to prom with Owen was what she wanted.”
“I don’t believe that,” Isla immediately replied. “Seriously, you should have seen her when she told me about you guys. She was really upset that you were over, and her voice practically broke when she talked about you liking someone else.”
“It was all just pretend, Isla.”
She didn’t seem convinced. “There are some things you can’t fake. And though your relationship might not have been real at the beginning, I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I definitely think it was by the end.”
Her words made me pause, and for a brief hopeful second I wondered if she were right. “Why would she go to prom with Owen if she really liked me?”
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? If you told her you liked someone else, of course, she was going to step aside and let you go with that girl.”
“But, the girl I like is Hayley.”
“And have you told her that?”
“Well, no…”
“Then, she has absolutely no idea that you’re not in love with someone else.” Isla shook her head. “You boys are useless. You know that, right?”
My eyes widened as I realized she was right. Hayley would never keep me in a fake relationship any longer than she had to. Now that Owen had asked her to prom, there was no reason for her to continue with the plan, especially if she thought I loved someone else. She thought she was giving me my chance with my dream girl, but in reality, she was the one I wanted to be with.
“What am I going to do?”
Isla started to grin. “You’re going to tell her how you really feel.”
“And what if she doesn’t like me back? What if she still likes Owen?”
“Then, you can keep sulking, just like you are now, but if you don’t take a chance and tell her the truth, then, you’ll lose her forever.”
I slowly nodded, knowing Isla was right. “So, how do I do this?”
Isla smiled. “We’ll come up with a brilliant plan with my help this time, of course.”
“Thank you, Isla.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “And this is why you should always include me in any covert ops. Remember that for next time, okay.”
She turned and walked from the garage, waving a hand at both Dex and Colin, who had apparently been listening from the door the whole time.
“So, you’re going to try and win Hayley back?” Colin asked with a grin, as he stepped back into the garage.
I couldn’t stop a smile from stretching across my lips in response. “It looks like it. I just hope it works.”
22
Hayley
Prom was one of those things you spent a whole year getting excited for, and when it came to school dances, I usually went overboard in my enthusiasm. Tonight, my usual happy feelings were nowhere to be found, and my stomach pooled with dread as I considered the night ahead.
I usually got ready for all the dances with Madi, but I’d made some lame excuse to avoid going to her house. I was glad she’d so easily bought my lie because I wasn’t sure I could fake any enthusiasm tonight. I couldn’t even bring myself to start getting ready. Instead, I sat on my bed simply staring at the beautiful blue prom dress hanging over the back of my door.
My bedroom window was shut, and my blinds had been firmly closed for the past week. Tonight was the first time I was tempted to peek out of it and take a look into Ethan’s bedroom. I wanted to see him dressed up in a tux even though I knew he wouldn’t be dressed up for me. My heart still flinched every time I thought about the amazing girl he liked, and my stomach clenched with longing as I wished that girl was me.
A gentle knock sounded at my door, and I looked up as Mom entered the room. Her face held a look of expectation, which quickly dropped when she caught sight of me. “You’re not dressed,” she said. “Why aren’t you dressed? Prom starts in twenty minutes.”
“I’m not sure if I want to go anymore,” I replied.
“Why not?” She walked over and sat on my bed, glancing around the room with a look of concern on her face. There wasn’t a single piece of clothing on the floor, and I’d spent the entire day cleaning to distract my mind. She must have thought there was something severely wrong with me. She wouldn’t be wrong.
I let out a long sigh. “The boy I wanted to go with likes someone else.”
“I thought you were going with Ethan. That you two were dating.” I hadn’t told her as much, so I was guessing Kitty had opened her big mouth and blabbed.
�
�We broke up,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sorry, honey.”
I gave her a sad smile. “It’s no big deal. We only dated for a couple of weeks.”
“Still, breakups are never easy.”
“It’s not so bad.” I was such a little liar. Breaking up with Ethan had been the worst experience, and even though our relationship hadn’t been real, I’d spent every minute of the past week missing him. I don’t know why I decided to act the saint and let him be free so he could go after his mystery girl. I should have just left things as they were. Perhaps, he would have grown to like me in the way I liked him?
“So, is that why you’re not going to prom?” Mom asked. “Because you don’t have a date?”
“I guess,” I replied.
She slowly started to smile. “Well, what if I told you there was a very handsome young man waiting on our front porch for you?”
I jerked upright on the bed. “What?”
Her smile broadened into an all-out grin as she nodded. I jumped from the bed and sprinted from the room. My heart was beating at a million miles per second, and I wondered if I had been wrong about Ethan. Did he really like me after all? I didn’t hesitate as I grabbed the front door and yanked it open before I stumbled out onto the front porch.
My racing heart jerked to a screeching halt as I saw who was waiting for me. “Owen?”
He was looking out over my front yard and slowly turned to face me. He was dressed in an expensive suit that fit him perfectly, and he held a beautiful red rose corsage in his hands. His hair was slicked back with gel, and he looked incredibly handsome. It wasn’t the handsome face I was hoping to see at my front door though.
The corners of his eyes crinkled with distaste as he took me in. “Are you really wearing that to prom?”
I glanced down and realized I was still wearing my sweats, my hair was in a messy bun, and I didn’t have any makeup on. I wasn’t even wearing shoes.
I blushed as I looked up at him. Yes, I looked like I’d dressed myself in the dark, but did he have to look at me like I was a piece of trash that had gotten stuck to his shoe? He was staring at me like he wanted nothing more than to brush me off.
I folded my arms over my chest. “What are you doing here, Owen?”
“Taking you to prom, of course.” He didn’t look so sure that was a good idea though, and his eyes flicked toward my sweatpants again.
“I never agreed to go with you.”
He responded with a scoff. “You broke up with my brother. I figured that meant you’d thought about it and had come to your senses.”
“You figured wrong,” I growled.
His lips slowly lifted in an ugly sneer. “So what? You’re just going to slum it at home tonight?”
“Better than going to prom with you.”
He shook his head at me. “Don’t be stupid. Go upstairs, put some makeup and a dress on. I can wait out here for five minutes.”
“You’ll be waiting a lot longer than five minutes. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He glanced down at his watch, and his eyes narrowed as he looked back up at me. “You know, I don’t have all night to be waiting on some brat. You’re either coming with me or you’re not. I’m giving you one final chance.”
“Wow, you really are a piece of work.” I turned to walk back inside.
“So, you’re not coming with me?”
I didn’t spare him a glance as I opened the front door and slammed it behind me. That was all the answer he needed.
Mom was standing on the stairs with a worried look on her face. “I take it that didn’t go well.”
“Oh, no, it went perfectly,” I replied. “I made it quite clear I wasn’t going to prom.”
“But, I thought you weren’t going because you didn’t have a date.”
“No, I’m not going because I don’t have a date with the right guy.”
Another knock sounded on the door behind me, and I started to growl. “I swear to all of the cheerleading gods, Owen. I’m going to smack you over the back of the head with that corsage if you don’t…” My voice dropped away as I opened the door and found Isla and Madi standing there.
The two of them burst into giggles.
“The cheerleading gods, really?” Isla asked.
“Yes, really.” I shook my head at the two of them, but I stopped when I realized they were both all glammed up and dressed for prom. Madi was wearing the beautiful sequined dress I’d helped her pick out, while Isla was wearing a long deep-purple skirt that had a matching cropped bodice. There was a split in the skirt that revealed a set of army boots, and I immediately felt jealous of how easily she pulled off the look. “Wow, you guys both look amazing.”
“And you’re not even slightly ready.” Madi tutted.
I glanced down at my sweats and grimaced when I caught sight of an ice cream stain across one of the legs. I was a mess. The outfit was perfect for the night I had planned though—not that I wanted to tell either of my friends that I’d decided to bail on prom. I couldn’t imagine it would go down well, and it seemed far safer to avoid the subject altogether.
“What was Owen doing here?” Madi continued. “I thought you weren’t going to prom with him.”
“I’m not!” My face scrunched up with disgust. I couldn’t believe I ever had a crush on the guy. I was beginning to wonder if he’d stolen that poem from seventh grade off the internet because I was pretty sure he wasn’t hiding any beautiful soul beneath his confident façade; he was just a dick. “He apparently didn’t get the memo though.”
“Looks like he has now,” Isla replied. “We passed him in your driveway, and he looked furious.”
“Well, he has no right to be. I never agreed to go to prom with him,” I replied. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”
“You never showed up at my house to get ready,” Madi said. “So, I called Isla to see if she knew what was going on. She had no idea either, so here we are.” She glanced at Isla, and she gave a little shrug, but when she looked back at me, she folded her arms across her chest. “I hate to break it to you, Hayley, but I was never going to believe you couldn’t make it because your Mom had an interior design emergency that you just had to help with.”
“It wasn’t that unbelievable…” I grumbled.
Madi shook her head. “It was a terrible excuse, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I guess it was pretty lame.”
“It was totally lame,” Isla agreed. “But, lameness aside, why aren’t you dressed for prom yet?”
I let out a long sigh. It seemed there was no avoiding this question. “Because I’m not going to prom.”
“Don’t be stupid. Of course, you are,” Isla scoffed.
“She’s right,” Madi added. “You love school dances, and this is prom. You can’t miss it.”
“I don’t know, you guys. I’m just not feeling it.”
“Well, that’s too bad.” Madi moved past me and stepped into the house. She grabbed me by the elbow and started guiding me up the stairs.
“What are you doing?” I protested.
“Following the best friend rules,” she replied. “And rule number three is to always ignore your best friend when she’s being stubborn and do what’s in her best interest even if she hates you for it.”
“I’m pretty sure rule number three is to always tell each other if you have food in your teeth…”
Madi rolled her eyes at me and smiled. “Come on, we’ll help you get ready. Tonight is going to be amazing. Don’t you trust me?”
I blew out a breath, knowing I couldn’t refuse Madi when she brought out the trust card. “Yeah, I trust you,” I murmured.
“Good,” she replied with a grin. “Because if you don’t go, then I’m not going, and I’d feel really bad about standing up Cole.”
“Yeah, I don’t think Dex would understand either,” Isla added, following us into my room. “He’s not even in high school anymore.”
I stared at the two o
f them in shock. “You guys would ditch the prom for me?”
“Well, we’re not leaving you here to mope alone,” Isla said. “So, are you coming?”
It took me a moment to respond. I wasn’t so surprised that Madi would miss the prom for me, because I’d do the same for her in a heartbeat. But Isla and I had only just become friends, and I couldn’t believe she’d give up going to prom too.
“Hayley?” Madi prompted.
“Okay, okay, you guys win. I’m going.”
The two of them jumped on me and pulled me into a group hug.
“You’re not going to regret this!”
“Tonight is going to be so great!” They were both squealing with excitement, and it was contagious. I was completely squished between my two friends, but I was grinning so much you’d have no idea my ribs were one squeeze away from being crushed. Boys were thoroughly overrated when you had friends like these two.
Isla and Madi didn’t waste any time getting started on my hair and makeup. Madi wasn’t big on makeup, so she left my face in Isla’s hands. We’d done each other’s hair countless times at sleepovers though, so she decided to style it for me.
They worked quickly and efficiently, and I was surprised when they both announced they had finished within only twenty minutes. It normally took me at least double that length of time to get ready to go out, but they seemed to make the most of every second we had. We were running late, after all.
“Okay, now, put your dress on,” Madi said, hurrying me with her hands. I laughed and quickly moved to do as she said. It felt strange to have our roles reversed. Normally, Madi was the one desperate to stay home while I had to heavily encourage her to get dressed up and go out.
Once I was dressed, Isla whistled. “Damn, girl, you look amazing.”
I turned to the mirror to take a look. I’d forgotten how perfectly my prom dress fit, and I’d matched it with a pair of clear heels my mom had found for me. My feet almost looked like they were encased in glass, and combined with the blue dress, I felt a little like Cinderella on her way to the ball. My makeup was much more subtle than I normally wore it, but I was surprised to find I preferred the more natural look. Madi had done an amazing job styling my hair too, and now that I was ready, I couldn’t believe I had ever considered not going to prom. This outfit deserved to be seen.
The Wrong Prom Date Page 21
