Chapter 2
Hailey
Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Anna Lapeyrouse request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Rose Lapeyrouse, to Will Thibodaux.
THE INVITATION WENT ON TO explain the essential details. The wedding was scheduled for this Saturday in Bourg, Louisiana. I couldn’t believe my sister was getting married, and no one had the decency to pick up the phone and dial my number.
I wasn’t innocent in this and knew it. As much as I wanted to call home and have discussions about what everyone had been up to, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
When I left my hometown; I wanted to leave for good, especially since that historic night.
The night of prom. It was the one evening everyone, both girls and boys, had the chance to dress up and bring a date to school.
It was also known as the night when most teenagers lost their V-card.
That wasn’t my type of thing, but I looked forward to attending.
What I wouldn’t have given to have a guy dote on me as if I was the only girl in the world for him.
Unfortunately, once the week before prom rolled around, I wasn’t any closer to finding a date.
I wasn’t popular. Everyone at school knew my family came from nothing.
I wore hand-me-down clothes, which never fit right, and used sneakers that looked like they were falling apart.
Puberty wasn’t kind to many teenagers in school, but it was as if I got hit the worse.
I wore makeup to cover the imperfections, which was no help whatsoever.
I was so embarrassed by how I looked that I would wear my dark brown hair down.
It was positioned where it covered more than half my face.
I wasn’t a catch and knew it, but I yearned for a date on the biggest night of my teenage life.
I even knew who I wanted to be my date, but not once had he allowed me the opportunity to make conversation with him.
Well, there was an instance where I dropped my books, and he handed them to me.
But that was it; no words were spoken, but I felt as if the air in the room had disappeared as if time stood still.
He was always surrounded by his friends, the football team members.
Yes, I knew that was typical of the poor girl being attracted to the high school popular jock, but I couldn’t help my attraction toward him.
In the end, I was never asked by anyone to attend the prom, and it pained me at the time, thinking my life was surely over.
Finally, Zayne had followed through with our pact, to go together if none of us obtained a date.
However, that wasn’t entirely why I chose to leave my hometown, but it was the tipping point.
I left because of my feelings for the one person I trusted my entire life, Zayne Gros.
Puberty didn’t hit him well either. His face was covered in acne, and he was the epitome of nerd central, loving all things involving Nintendo and Pokémon.
He even attended card games where he sometimes won money.
Throughout high school, he wore braces, which didn’t improve his appearance.
None of those things mattered because, above all else, he was my best friend in the whole world.
At least I thought he was until prom night.
Anyway, before that horrible night, we were inseparable, unless he attended his card games.
Sometimes I would go just to support him.
Other times I would stay home because I hated being away from my books.
Delving into fictional stories helped me through the rest of high school.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’d been a reader.
Shaking my head as if helping me clear past thoughts, I headed inside my apartment and placed the cream-colored stock paper on the kitchen counter.
I didn’t want to remember that night. It’s why I left so abruptly after graduation.
My family had no clue what was wrong with me, and other than a phone call a few times a month, we didn’t really keep in touch.
Not once had they questioned my distance.
I figured they assumed I left to spend more time on my acting career, which was partially true.
I had wanted to be an actress for as long as I could remember.
I would envision myself as the main character in every book I’d read.
Unfortunately, even though I loved everything to do with acting, I wasn’t part of the Performing Arts club in school.
However, according to the students trying to recruit for the club, I should’ve been a member.
Oh, how I wanted to be, but I had a difficult time getting past my fear of looking horrible in front of the school if I messed up.
I was already a wreck to the other students and didn’t want to be the center of attention.
I’d end up getting picked on any more so than usual.
Becoming an actress had always been my secret and the one of many I shared with my best friend, Zayne.
Not once in the years we were close did he ever reveal my secret.
I wouldn’t care if he told anyone now because I left Bourg to work on my acting skills.
In such a small town, there weren’t many opportunities for me, and so, I had to leave.
It helped that it was also an excuse to get away from the crap.
Both my mind and heart were perplexed. Distance was the only option.
So, I took control of my life and my future and left.
Now, it seemed it was time to pack a bag and head on home to witness my sister’s marriage.
Thankfully, it wouldn’t be more than a few days before I was back in New Orleans, working on my acting once again.