CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - LIZ
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
LIZ
Liz was too angry to cry. She needed space. She needed to get out of this place. “Hand me your keys.” She held out her palm to Matt.
“What?” He was in the middle of a conversation with two students who looked guilt-ridden, as if Matt had just caught them doing something they shouldn’t be.
“Hand me your keys. I need to, um, get something from your truck.”
“Oh.” He looked concerned, but he was also half distracted by the teenagers standing in front of him. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys, searching Liz’s gaze. She didn’t look at him directly. She just snatched the keys and muttered a thanks. Then she walked as quickly as she could in heels out of the gymnasium, gasping for air when she finally stepped outside.
What am I doing?Did she actually think she was going to get into Matt’s truck and drive away? Her thoughts were spinning in circles in her mind as she unlocked the driver’s side door and yanked it open. Maybe she’d just cry here and wait for Matt to come back out at the end of the night.
No.He’d eventually come looking for her and then he’d either persuade her to go back inside or offer to take her home. When his commitment was here. So, leave, it is. She jammed the keys in the ignition as tears rolled down her face. Her hands were shaking. Her entire body shook with a force that frightened her. She wasn’t used to driving by herself, especially not in the dark.
Just do it, Liz,she told herself. Then she slammed an open palm on the steering wheel, accidentally honking the horn. The sudden noise startled her enough to dry up her tears momentarily. She straightened and glanced around the parking lot to make sure she hadn’t drawn attention to herself. No one was out there though. Everyone was inside the gymnasium having the time of their lives.
Taking a steadying breath, Liz shook her head as more tears threatened to rise. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” She started to lay her head down on the steering wheel when someone knocked on the passenger side window. Liz startled upright again.
“Let’s get out of here,” Rose said, climbing into the passenger seat and sniffling quietly.
“Why aren’t you inside?” Liz asked. “You’re supposed to be enjoying your prom.”
Rose folded her arms over chest. “Josh is acting like a jerk. He got us a hotel room when I told him in no uncertain terms that this dress was not coming off tonight.”
Liz’s jaw dropped. “He what?” she practically yelled. She’d liked this Josh guy. She’d trusted him.
“I’m so upset.” Rose’s voice quivered. “Please, just take me home.”
Liz understood that home right now was Liz’s guestroom. She sat frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. Encourage Rose to go back inside and have fun or drive when Liz wasn’t sure she was up for it. “Do you, um, want to drive?” she asked.
Rose glanced over, tears rolling off her lashes. “I drank the special punch.”
“The special punch,” Liz repeated. “What was special about it?”
Rose rolled her eyes. Then the tears started falling harder. That was all the motivation Liz needed. She turned the key in the truck’s ignition and cranked the engine. “Buckle your seatbelt,” she ordered. Then she slowly steered Matt’s truck out of the parking lot.
“Josh said that he doesn’t expect us to do anything,” Rose said as she sniffled some more. “He said we would just cuddle.”
“No one books a hotel room and expects to just cuddle.” Liz clutched the steering wheel with both hands.
“That’s what I said,” Rose cried. “I mean, I shouldn’t have to feel like I have to have sex with him if I don’t want to, right?”
Liz kept her eyes pinned to the road ahead. “You should never feel pressured.”
Rose reached for a tissue from a pack in Matt’s center console. “I want my first time to be with someone I love.”
Liz took that information in. So Rose was still a virgin. At least Rose hadn’t lost her virginity on Liz’s watch this summer.
“This night is awful,” Rose said, miserably. “Prom night is the worst.” As if realizing what she’d said, she gasped quietly.
From her peripheral vision, Liz saw Rose looking at her.
“I’m sorry. Your prom night was way worse than mine. I’m so self-absorbed.”
“No, you’re not,” Liz said. “You’re human. You have every right to be upset. I’m upset on your behalf,” Liz said. “But, on the other hand, I do want to point out that most guys consider the possibility of taking their prom date’s dress off. It doesn’t make Josh a bad guy, as long as he respects your boundaries.” They were almost to Liz’s house. Liz relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
Rose pulled in an audible breath. “Prom is a lot of pressure. There’s hair and the dress. The nails. Everything has to be perfect. I guess when Josh told me about the hotel room, I kind of lost it.” Rose dabbed the tissue beneath her eyes. “He probably hates me now.”
Liz reached over and touched Rose’s shoulder. “Well, at least you didn’t steal his ride. I stole Matt’s truck and now he’s stranded at the prom.”
Rose laughed softly. “Why were you sitting in Matt’s truck anyway? Did he book a hotel room too?”
Liz pressed her lips together. “I’m not upset with Matt. It’s Melody.”
“Uh-oh.” Rose angled her body toward Liz’s. “What’d she do this time?”
Liz shook her head. Just thinking about their argument made her want to start crying. “I don’t want to talk about it. All I want to do is climb under my covers and drink a hot cup of tea.”
Rose was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry, Liz.”
“You can’t apologize for Melody.”
“I’m not. I’m apologizing for myself,” Rose said. “I guess I never really understood all that you went through that night. And after that night. It makes my small dramas seem so stupid.”
Liz glanced over.
“Eyes on the road!” Rose ordered, teasingly.
Liz whipped her gaze back to the front windshield. She pulled up to a STOP sign and then turned onto her street, slowing to turn into her driveway.
“Maybe I overreacted. Josh is a really nice guy.” Rose looked out the front windshield as Liz parked. “Cuddling would have been nice.”
Liz laughed. “I think you could have probably told him how you felt and it would have been fine. You should text him,” Liz said. “Tell him that he can pick you up here and that he can drop you off here no later than midnight. No hotel room.”
Rose looked relieved. “You should text Matt and tell him to catch a ride home with Christopher tonight.”
Liz nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Rose’s phone rang in her lap. She stared down at it. “It’s Josh.”
“Answer it,” Liz said.
Rose hesitated and then connected the call, holding her phone to her ear. “Hey . . . mm-hmm. I know. I believe you.” Rose locked eyes with Liz as she listened to what Josh was saying. “So, um, do you want to come pick me back up at my sister’s house and start the night over?” Rose smiled at whatever he said next. “Okay. I need to be home by midnight though. Are you good with that?”
Liz was happy for her sister. Her disappointment was temporary and could be resolved easily. Liz’s wasn’t.
“Okay. See you soon.” Rose lowered the phone and disconnected the call. “Josh is coming to get me. Unless you need me to stay with you instead.”
Liz was grateful that Rose would be willing to pass on one of the most important nights of her young life. “No need. I’m just going to sleep.”
“I’ll wait here then.”
Liz nodded. Then she pushed the truck door open. “Have fun,” she called over her shoulder. Closing the truck door, Liz headed toward her house. She couldn’t wait to get these heels off. And this dress. She climbed the porch steps, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief. The momentary feeling dissipated when her phone began to ring. First Melody. Then Matt. “Go away,” Liz muttered. She wanted everything to go away right now, especially the slight headache that had begun to throb at her temple. She didn’t respond to Melody, but she owed it to Matt to let him know she was okay. She tapped the screen, sending off a quick text.
Liz: I’m home safe and sound. I’ll call you tomorrow. Right now, I just need to go to bed.
To: Melody Palmer
From: Bri Johnson
Subject: Making memories
Mel,
I won’t lie. I’m a little jealous that you and Liz are at prom tonight—even though it’s not ours. A person can’t turn back time. If they could, everyone would be doing it, and we’d all be in a bigger mess than we are right now. Probably. Anyway, take pictures. I’m sure Liz has that covered. Have fun. And try to remember as much as you forget. I think that’s key in moving on. Fifty-fifty remembering and forgetting. Add in some fun and a whole lot of love. And a few hard-earned charms.
B