Chapter 19
Summer
I’m a little nervous as I take my seat Monday morning in AP English. As Miss Miller calls the class to order, she instructs my group to stand for our presentation. “You got this, Sunshine,” Seb encourages me with a hand squeeze as I stand.
I take a spot between Nick and Holly as Oliver starts us off.
I am third in our group, with Nick following me.
His presentation points are great, but his speech is short, which isn't really surprising.
Miss Miller opens the floor to questions until the end of class.
We get a few interesting questions, but Miss Miller leads most of the discussion.
Seb brings my backpack over to me at the end of class and gives me a hug. “Good job,” he says.
“Thanks, Hurry,” I smile. Standing up in front of the entire class was stressful, and I felt like a goldfish in a fishbowl. Nick stepped as close as he could to me following the presentation, which helped settle my nerves, but I’m glad it’s over.
During lunch, E tells us that Mr. MacLeod is drawing up emancipation papers today and that he is having dinner with his grandparents tomorrow evening. “That’s good, E. Hopefully by tomorrow evening you’ll have things settled.”
“I hope so, but I don’t have high expectations,” he says.
Seb wraps his arm around E’s waist in comfort. I ask Reesa if she's found a dress for prom yet. She responds with a soft yes before looking back down at her lunch. I don’t think I’m ever going to get her into a conversation.
I find E waiting by Bay’s Honda after practice. “Hey. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I need to ask a favor,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. It’s not like E to be nervous.
“Sure. What do you need?”
“My grandmother informed me I’m expected to take a dinner date tomorrow, and she made it clear it should be a girl.”
“I’ll go with you if Seb doesn’t mind.”
“He doesn’t. We've already discussed it, and thank you. I need to warn you; it won’t be a fun situation. My grandparents aren’t the nicest of people.”
“It’s okay, E. I’m happy to support you,” I smile. “What do I need to wear?”
“I was thinking we could get you a dress tonight. I couldn’t care less what you wear, but it may make it easier if you’re dressed the way they expect.”
“We can do that. I don’t mind putting on a dress for dinner if it makes your life easier.”
E seems relieved. “Thank you. You’re the best. Do you want to go straight to the store or go home first?”
“It depends. Will this be a long process?”
“I can have two or three appropriate dresses waiting for you at Reesa’s chosen store in Charleston if you wish,” Alex offers.
I look at E. “Yes, thanks if that’s okay, Summer?”
“It’s fine, E.”
Alex pulls out his phone and calls the store. I can’t hear the other side of the conversation, but it’s a quick call. “They’ll be ready in 20 minutes,” he tells us.
“Let’s go, E,” I smile. “Thanks, Alex. Bye, Bay,” I wave.
E helps me up into his truck, then we leave for Charleston. I call Zander to update him on my plans, and E tells me what to expect from his grandparents tomorrow. Given Alex’s opinion and E’s nervousness about the dinner, I’m not expecting a pleasant experience.
As soon as we enter the boutique, someone greets us. “Hello. Are you Summer?” The lady asks.
“Yes, hi,” I wave awkwardly.
“Right this way,” she gestures. We follow her to the changing rooms at the back of the store.
She points to the room on the left and tells me to call if I need any help.
Entering, I see three dresses hanging on the wall.
Two are green and one is blue. All are knee-length with short sleeves.
One in particular catches my eye. It’s light green with little white flowers all over.
I grab it first and pull it on. It’s beautiful and light, and fits me perfectly.
I pull the curtain back to show E. “Does this work?”
“Yes. You look very pretty,” E gives me a big smile as his cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink.
“Sold,” I smile back, pulling the curtain back over. I change back into my gym clothes and place the dress on the hanger. E takes the dress from me as we walk towards the cash register.
“Good choice,” the saleswoman smiles. She pulls out a cream-colored wrap, a gold necklace, and a shoebox from behind the counter. She opens the box to show me a pair of slip-on flats in a cream color to match the wrap. “Will these work? I was told no heels.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The sales associate packages the dress and accessories in a box. E insists on paying since I’m going to support him. I thank him and the sales associate before we walk back outside to the truck.
“That was quick and painless,” I say to E. “Alex knows the right way to shop.”
“Fastest shopping trip ever,” he agrees. We talk about prom, school, and Zander’s upcoming trip to Savannah as he drives me home. E hands me my backpack and new dress after giving me a hug goodbye.
I find Zander in the kitchen making a stir-fry. “Hi Zander.”
“Hello Summer,” he greets. “Did you find a dress already?”
“Yeah. Alex called ahead, so they had some choices waiting for me,” I tell him as I pull out the dress for him to see.
“Beautiful. What time is dinner tomorrow?”
“At 7pm, so I won’t have much time to shower. E is going to pick me up after class.”
“Alright. How are self-defense classes going?”
“Pretty good. Oh, Alex booked the lab for this Sunday so I can do the makeup labs for biology and chemistry. Is that okay?”
“Of course, darling. I’d like to see you Sunday evening, though, before I have to leave for Savannah for a few days.”
“Absolutely. I’ll come straight home after we’re done,” I smile.
We enjoy dinner, then I shower and do homework on the couch beside Zander.