I wait until Tria has been gone for a full two minutes, and then I unleash my embarrassing happy dance and my squeals. Despite my appearance and my bumbled attempt to ask him out, Dale Sterling is taking me to prom.
I feel like Cinde-freaking-rella.
Chapter 2
Then …
DALE
"Lydia Perkins is planning to ask you to prom," Kode says while dropping against the lockers, winking at a group of girls walking by.
My head is clogged with the ungodly amount of shit I need to do today, so I absently answer him without thinking first. "Already have a date. And why are so many girls asking us to prom? Aren't we supposed to be asking them?"
"Wait … back up. Who are you going with?"
And this is where Kode turns into mega ass, but it's better to get it out of the way now. Harley is the only girl who won't insist I go with her to five dress shops, watch her try on countless dresses, spend hours looking over plans for one damn night, and have me shaving my head completely bald so that I don't have to pull my hair out. And she's cool-well, when she's not freaking out and being a nervous wreck.
She's also into me, and she's not into any of my cousins. Which is a feat. I'm not a gateway to her.
"Harley Hayden."
He chokes on his chewing gum, and I smirk when he pounds his chest, trying his best to dislodge it. I was counting on that reaction.
"Gnarly Harley? You shittin' me? Why the fuck why?"
Groaning, I turn to glare at him. "Don't call her that. And don't start shit. She's a sweet girl, and I won't be wishing I could blow my own brains out before prom even happens."
He gives me an incredulous look. "Dude, she can't even form a sentence without turning twenty shades of red. And Perkins! Who doesn't want to get inside that? But Harley? Has anyone ever even been in that? Cherry picking is dangerous, my friend. Very dangerous. Clingy dangerous."
"You're such a fucking dick," I grumble, grabbing my shit and preparing to leave. I don't bother telling him that I don't plan on pulling up anyone's dress for prom.
"You're a saint, Dale. We all know it, but I'm just honest. Not a dick. Well, I guess I'm both. But seriously, Harley Hayden is not the girl you want to spend prom night with. Epic-prom is going to be epic. She's not epic material. And, not trying to dog her weight, since not even I'm that much of an ass, but Lydia's body is banging. Harley's body … not so much."
Harley isn't that big. Sure she's a little chunky, but at least I won't have to listen to her sift through the menu and spend forty minutes talking to the waiters about how many calories are in what dish before ordering sparkling water and a bowl of lettuce. Not to mention, she has a fucking beautiful face, when she's not being insecure.
"She's nice, she's cute, and she's not a train wreck in training. No offense, but I don't need that high maintenance shit. I've got enough going on between college and Dad's master plan for my future. Harley will be my date, and you'll suck it up and play nice."
Rain walks up, and Kode's eyes immediately go to her. In less than an instant, he loses all interest in me and my date that he finds unacceptable. Rain props up against him, and I swear Kode almost dissolves. Two brothers in love with one girl … That shit can only cause problems. Especially since Rain is completely oblivious and only in love with one of them.
"I'm getting a ride with one of you. I rode with Dane, but he has to-"
"Take you home," Dane interrupts, tugging Rain away from Kode and into his arms before dropping a kiss to her forehead.
She beams up at him, yet he has no clue she's head-over-heels in love. I swear I have stupid cousins and friends.
"Get this," Kode pipes up. "Dale is taking Gnarly Harley to prom."
I'll end up killing him if he says that in front of her.
****
"We're skipping prom," Kode announces as he meets me at the limo. My brow furrows.
"Why?"
"Dane called to say Rain is a mess, and he's going over there. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's bad."
Without hesitation, I join him in the limo. Maverick and Corbin are already in there, typing away on their phones.
"It's possible we'll just be late," Maverick says. "It might not be anything serious."
The driver has apparently already been informed of our new destination, because he starts taking us toward Rain's house instead of Dane's.
Shit. I need to text Harley.
Quickly, I type out a message, cringing at how bad this is going to look. She had one request-don't stand her up.
Me: Sorry, but something has come up. I might be late, but I'll let you know.
I put my phone away as Kode shakes his head. "No," he says, reading something on his phone. "Dane says it's really bad. Whatever is going on, we need to be there for her. She's our best friend."
"Dane grabbed a movie that Rain loves," Maverick says, reading his phone now.
My phone buzzes, and I smile down at the screen. Dane is definitely on top of things.
"Dane wants us to order a pizza," I announce, putting my phone back down. "Rain always says that pizza cures everything."
Corbin chuckles while grabbing a bag from his side. "I bought a few other movie-night goodies."
"I got popcorn," Kode says, pulling the box out of a grocery bag. "And milk-duds."
"I'm ordering the pizza now," Maverick says, his phone already against his ear.
Am I really the only one who didn't know Rain needed someone? Shit. My phone. My new messages don't always show up, and sometimes I have to hunt them down.
Sure enough, several missed messages from Dane, all of them reporting that Rain needs us, but that we don't have to come. Damn. I really dropped the ball tonight.
Dane is getting out of his car as soon as we arrive. After going in, I see my best friend in tears, and my heart sinks. Rain rarely ever cries. It takes a hell of a lot to bring her to tears.
No way in hell am I leaving her like this. None of us will.
After we've all taken turns promising we're here for the night, Dane climbs in behind her and pulls her to him.
Her stepmother shows up in the same tears, and that surprises me almost as much as Rain crying.
It doesn't take long before we find out why we're not going to prom. My best friend is on the high-risk column for breast cancer.
It's as though the world stops turning in one direction and starts spinning backwards. Just a few seconds ago, we were kids with nothing but superficial problems in our laps. Now … damn. Reality is one cold bitch.
Eleanor-Rain's stepmother-starts talking about preventative surgeries, and I grow sick. Rain will have to go through hell just to keep from ending up with cancer. And that's if it even works.
Everyone starts doing all we can to help, but nothing feels like enough. Maverick is standing in the kitchen when I join him, and he coughs to clear his throat while wiping away his tears quickly, probably hoping I didn't see them.
I'm on the verge of breaking down myself, so I'm sure as hell not going to give him a hard time.
"I suck at comforting people," Kode whisper-groans as he joins us.
"I don't think any of us are equipped to handle something of this magnitude at eighteen," I tell him, still trying to wrap my head around things.
"She doesn't want anyone to know about it," Corbin says as he joins us in our private hideaway, all of us trying to regroup before we go out there again. Thank God for Dane. He's a rock right now, and I'm glad he is, because I'm nothing but a shaking tree like everyone else.
"Then we make sure no one knows until she's ready to tell them herself," Maverick says with pure determination, clearing his throat as though he's struggling to rid himself of the emotion.
We go back in the living room as Rain flips the TV to some girly romance. For once, none of us argue about letting her pick the movie. This is her night.
Then I remember Harley. I did cancel, right?
Checking my phone, I realize I only told her I'd be late. Shit. It's already ten at night, but she never sent anything back. Never mind. She did send something back. A few things.
Harley: I hope everything is okay. I'll just wait at the house.
Harley: Are you okay? I'm getting worried.
Harley: Hope everything is alright.
I don't even know what to send her back. This is a nightmare. But right now, Rain needs me, and she deserves my attention. I'll apologize to Harley face-to-face.
Chapter 3
Then …
HARLEY
I knew better. I knew Dale Sterling never really wanted to go to prom with me, but I stupidly dared to dream that he did. That's the last time I feel like a fool. Never again.
Instead of going to prom with my dream date, I sat at home crying when I finally realized I had been stood up. It didn't take long to find out all the Sterlings and Rain Noles had ditched prom. Even Tria Noles-who hates the Sterlings-ditched prom and her date. Apparently I didn't get the memo. Then again, it's possible they spent the night playing pranks, and she was likely a target.
"Harley!" Dale yells out over the sea of students between us, and I roll my eyes that are probably still bloodshot from crying so much since Saturday night. I almost skipped school today. Now I wish I had.
He hustles through the crowd, trying to reach me, but I turn and walk away. He can't make this okay. I don't want to speak to him. Ever again.