18. Opal
EIGHTEEN
Opal
“ Y ou look so beautiful, O.” My mom leans against the door frame in my room, watching with a smile as I finish curling my hair.
She’s dressed in a white pantsuit and navy heels, her highlighted hair pulled back into a smart bun. She looks every bit as beautiful and professional as ever. Her outfit and mine are kind of a funny juxtaposition next to each other.
I smooth my hand over the long tulle skirt of my baby-blue prom dress. The top part is held up by thin straps that criss-cross in the back. I hardly ever feel pretty, but right now I do.
I turn around to face Mom and she rushes over to me with a smile on her face before wrapping me in a hug. “My baby is so grown.”
“I’m not that grown yet,” I chuckle.
“Have fun tonight. And please be careful. Do not drink and drive. If you need a ride, call Mamaw.”
She kisses me on the cheek one more time before telling me that she’s leaving for work. About a year ago she got hired as a reporter for the 9 O’Clock news out of a big station in Dallas. It changed our lives, giving her the opportunity to rent a house of our own. I do miss living with Mamaw, but I know Mom is happier now being independent.
She may be a bit of a workaholic, okay, more like a massive workaholic, but I can see that she’s glowing. She’s finally doing something that makes her happy, and I’m happy for her. Even if it means we don’t get as much time together.
I briefly imagine what the other girls in my class are doing right now. Their moms are probably taking a hundred photos of them, while their dads proudly hug them and wipe a stray tear before sternly telling their date to have them back by 10:00.
Can’t relate.
I slip my strappy black stilettos onto my feet, wincing at the awkward angle of them. I know I’m not going to want to wear these for very long. There’s a knock at the door and I carefully teeter down the hall to open it, wondering how I’m supposed to dance in these.
I pull the door open and the fresh, citrusy scent of Alex’s cologne invades my senses. His long hair is pushed back out of his face and he’s wearing a classic black tux that hangs perfectly on his tall, lean frame. I can’t believe that he’s so gorgeous, and somehow he’s mine. It still feels like a dream that I’ll wake up from any second.
“Wow,” he mutters.
“What?” I ask.
His eyes slide down my dress and back up. “You look so fucking beautiful, bluebird,” he says with a slight shake of his head.
I know my blush is probably visible everywhere in this low cut dress. “Thanks. You look great, too.”
“You ready?” He holds out his arm for me to grab.
“Yeah, just one second.” I grab my phone and my clutch purse before looping my arm around his and following him out to his dad’s truck.
“Is Maisie gonna be there?” he asks as he backs out of my driveway.
“Of course. She and James are going.” Maisie and James finally started dating about a month ago, it took her a very long time to say yes to his advances, but now that they’re a couple they spend every waking moment together.
I can’t help but notice how fast things are changing. We’re already legally adults, even if it doesn’t feel that way. And I still have no idea what will happen after this summer, because despite how hard I’ve tried to persuade him, Alex still says he has no interest in attending college with me.
He says we’ll make it work, that we’ll visit each other as much as possible, but part of me feels like I’m making the wrong choice. Like he’ll forget about me if I’m not right down the road anymore.
“Hey. You alright?” Alex asks, snapping me out of my anxious thought-loop.
“Mhm,” I paste a smile on my lips and turn up the volume of the radio. Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness blares through the speakers, and I roll my window down just enough so that it won’t mess up my hair. Rays of afternoon sun touch my face, and the smell of fresh cut grass drifts through the air.
After we find a parking spot, we walk into the venue, our hands intertwined. It’s an old barn that’s been gutted and repurposed for weddings and such, but it’s beautiful inside. Fairy lights hang from the ceiling, and it’s open enough for fresh air to breeze through the building.
“Oh my gosh,” I hear Maisie’s unmistakable voice coming from behind us. She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes. “My best friend looks hot.”
I let go of Alex’s hand and turn around to hug her properly. “So does mine,” I laugh. She’s wearing a red, floor-length mermaid gown, and her dark hair is pulled into a curly side ponytail. She looks radiantly gorgeous, almost like her skin is glowing.
“Hi, James!” I offer him a friendly wave, and he unenthusiastically returns it, but doesn’t say anything. He can be quite grumpy at times, I’ve tried to be his friend but it doesn’t seem like he’s too interested in getting to know me.
“Oh I love this song, come on, babe,” she lets me go and pulls James onto the dance floor.
“They’re an unlikely match,” Alex says as we find a table to sit down at. Neither of us seem to be interested in dancing to this obnoxiously loud EDM song.
“Yeah, I guess opposites attract,” I shrug.
One end of his lips twitches upward into a half smile, his eyes traveling over my face. “Are we opposites?”
I think about it for a second, even though I don’t have to. We are definitely opposites. “In some ways. But we’re also a lot alike in other ways.” His expression changes slightly, hinging on nervousness, and it makes me nervous too. “You okay?”
He nods and grabs my hand under the table, squeezing it. “Always.”
We both grab cups of bright red punch that I’m terrified of spilling on my dress, and sit down at the table again. Maisie and James and a couple of their friends fill in the other seats around us. We make small talk and pick at our plates of charcuterie.
I know Alex isn’t the type that would choose to come to prom on his own, but I love that he’s here for me. Mainly, I just wanted to get dressed up, and seeing him in a tux doesn’t hurt either.
The music eventually slows down, and one of my favorites starts to float through the speakers, Adele’s version of Make You Feel My Love.
“You wanna dance?” Alex stands up beside me and offers his hand. It might seem silly considering how long we’ve been dating, but he still gives me butterflies all the time.
I smile and nod, and he leads me to the dance floor. We stand to the side, away from the other couples congregated in the middle. I’m glad because I’m not much of a dancer, and I hate being the center of attention.
He spins me around in a circle, our foreheads pressed together. The last rays of the setting sun filter into the building and reflects off his eyes, turning them a mesmerizing shade of aquamarine.
“I love you,” he says in a hushed tone, staring at me as if we’re the only two people in this room.
“I love you,” I smile.
“Someday I’ll be dancing with you like this on our wedding night.”
My head rears back slightly in surprise. He’s hinted at wanting a future with me, but he’s never come right out and said anything like that. “Yeah?” I ask, my eyes bouncing back and forth between his.
“It’s always gonna be us, Bluebird.” He pulls me tighter against him and tucks my head under his chin. “No matter what, I promise.”