SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11TH
Hotel Suite - Connecticut
GRACIE
I’m lying in bed, listening to Keatyn talk to Aiden, pretending I’m still asleep. When she hangs up, I roll over and snuggle into her shoulder. “I don’t have a dress to wear for the dance.”
“You didn’t bring a dress?”
“I did, but it’s a long gown. Baylor was talking about gowns and I thought that’s what they wore, but that was just for Homecoming Court last night. The girls are wearing short dresses for the dance. Really, it’s just like it was in the movie. Short dress for the dance, then club clothes for the after party.”
“You should’ve asked me, Gracie, I would have told you.”
“I decided at the last minute to come.”
“Why?”
I let out a long sigh in lieu of an answer. Because the answer is so complicated.
“Let me guess,” she says. “It has to do with Brady.”
I roll my eyes at the sound of his name. “Sort of.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Gracie, you know you can tell me anything. I won’t freak out like Mom will.”
“That’s for sure. Mom caught Brady and I making out and about had a fit. You’d think it’d be Dad, but Mom’s gotten all uptight lately.”
“Sounds like Ivery is having some trouble, huh?”
“Yeah, she’s being stupid. Some of the girls she models with told her if she wanted to make it big, she needs to be skinnier. Told her cocaine and coffee was the way to do it. That’s why she had the cocaine. She’s not doing it. She thinks it’s stupid. But instead of talking to her, Mom freaked out and assumed she is.”
“A lot of times people lie about doing drugs, Gracie. Cocaine is very dangerous and very addictive. I can see why Mom would freak. And if she wasn’t going to use it ever, why didn’t she throw it away?”
“She says she forgot. Hmm, okay, I see what you’re saying, because now you’re making me wonder. But I believe her, just for the record. Mom threw it away, sat us all down, and threatened to bring in a drug dog. Surely, she knows how easy drugs are to get.”
Keatyn closes her eyes tightly.
“I’m never doing them either. We were taught about healthy lifestyles. I’m vegan, most of the time. You think I want to screw up my body with drugs when I won’t even eat a freaking hamburger?”
Keatyn laughs. “Probably not. So back to Brady, did he cheat on you?”
“He couldn’t cheat on me because technically we weren’t going out.”
“You were together all the time.”
“People call that being friends.”
“So you are friends who kiss?”
“Kissed,” I state emphatically. “I will never, ever kiss him again.” I sit up and cross my legs into a pretzel. “If I tell you, do you swear that you won’t tell anyone? Especially not the triplets. They give me enough shit about him as it is.”
“What do they give you shit about?”
“Maybe not shit, just unwanted advice. Avery feels I’m too young to be tied down to one boy. Ivery told me that if I didn’t sleep with him, he’d sleep with someone else. And Emery said I should make it exclusive.”
“I’m confused about that, because I thought you were exclusive.”
“For the last two years, we’ve been best friends. That’s all. But in the last few months, we started holding hands and kissing and stuff. Then he told me he loved me and that he wanted us to do more. That we should be each other’s firsts. And I love him, I mean loved him, but I just . . .” I can’t stop the tears even though I vowed not to cry one more stupid tear over him.
Keatyn takes my hand and pats it. “Did you do it with him?”
“No, I didn’t. I told him I wasn’t ready.”
“Is that what the fight was about?”
“No, he told me he’d wait until I was ready.” Tears keep rolling down my face, which pisses me off. I quickly brush them away. “But he didn’t.”
Keatyn’s eyes get big. “Did he force you?”
“What?! Oh, gosh no. He wouldn’t.” I cover my face with my hands. “He did it with someone else. Guess who? Kylie.”
“But she’s your best friend!”
“Was my best friend.”