25 MADDY
MADDY
Oh yeah. That’s the one
Friday evening arrives quietly. Around five, the whole house already smells like grilled onions and melted cheese. Noah and I wander into the kitchen, where Dad is flipping mini hamburgers on the stove.
“There’s my prom crew,” he says without looking up.
Noah makes a beeline for the tray, reaching for a slider.
“Ah-ah,” Dad warns, swatting Noah’s hand with a spatula. “These are for tonight. You want one now, you wait until I burn one.”
“Torture,” Noah mutters.
And then right on cue, the doorbell rings. I open the door, and in walks Liam, arms full of a drawstring bag clearly stuffed to the brim.
“Snacks have arrived,” he announces, holding it up like a trophy.
I raise a brow. “That’s all you brought?”
“Yes,” he says, stepping inside and pulling me into a quick hug and strolls confidently into the hallway.
Mel walks in right behind him, elegant and calm as ever, her tote bag slung over one shoulder. She gives me a quick smile as she passes, then leans in and whispers, “I packed an outfit for him. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
I snort. “Genius.”
Dad comes around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “There’s my favourite duo.”
Liam grins. “Evening, Chef Luke.”
Mel gives Dad a big hug.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rings again. I swing it open to find Kiara standing there—with not one, not two, but three bags.
“Is the sleepover here?” I ask, grinning.
“Don’t judge me,” she says, brushing past me. “Three emergency outfits, backup shoes, hair tools, accessories—oh, and I brought a dress that would look amazing on you.”
“I already have a dress.”
“Sure,” she says, nodding seriously, “but this one would fit you perfectly.”
I roll my eyes as she walks past me. She dumps her bags onto the couch and calls out, “Luke!”
Dad peeks out from the kitchen. “Ah. The glitter tornado has arrived.”
“I promise not to make your house a glitter bomb like last year.”
Then there’s a knock. I open the door, and Ryan stands there with one bag slung over his shoulder. He glances past me at the chaos inside. “Is it safe to come in?”
I step aside. “Can’t promise it.”
He nods solemnly. “Good to know.”
With everyone finally here, the house feels full and loud and alive and the real fun is just about to begin.
Dad sets down the last tray of mini burgers on the kitchen table while Mel, Kiara and I grab our bags and each steal a mini burger before heading for the stairs.
“Okay, new rule,” I say, turning around halfway up. “Boys stay downstairs. The upstairs floor is officially a no-man’s-land.”
The boys give us a quick thumbs up, already buried in the mini burger tray.
The moment we enter my room, it’s chaos in the best way. Dresses are pulled from garment bags, makeup spills across my desk, and hair tools tangle together. It has officially become a war zone.
“Mel, hand me the glitter liner—no, the other glitter liner!”
“I have a bobby pin in my bra and I’m still missing one earring,” Mel announces.
We manage to get our hair and makeup done in less than an hour—which is very impressive. Between passing around mascara, trading lip glosses, Kiara attacking my hair with a curling iron, and me helping Mel with her makeup, we somehow pull it together.
Just as I’m about to reach for my dress—a simple brown one I bought a couple years ago—Kiara snatches it from my hand. “No.”
I raise my eyebrows. “What do you mean no?”
She throws my dress on my bed and suddenly pulls something out of her bag.
“This,” she announces, holding it up dramatically, “is what you’re wearing.”
My eyes widen immediately. “Kiara—this is gorgeous.”
The dress is way too pretty to belong anywhere near my clumsy hands.
“I can’t wear that,” I protest. “What if I ruin it?”
She rolls her eyes like I’ve just said the dumbest thing imaginable. “You’re wearing it.”
Before I can argue again, she presses the dress into my hands and practically shoves me toward the bathroom.
A few minutes later, after some help with the back, I step out again. Both of them freeze and gasp at the same time. Mel, who’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly nods in approval. “You look unreal.”
Kiara claps her hands together, grinning like we’re in Say Yes To The Dress and we just picked out my wedding gown. “Oh yeah,” she says. “That’s the one.”