Part 11 (1/2)

I rubbed my palms on my dress and smiled at Dad who was smiling at me, the look in his eyes conveying, ”my little girl's all grown up.” And I was. At least, I felt like it.

Cameron whistled, low and slow. ”Lane, you look-”

”Overdressed,” Lucas cut in.

My dad's eyes snapped to his.

”Not in a bad way,” Luke said, hands up in surrender. ”I just mean... I feel underdressed is all.”

I quickly forgave him for his earlier comment.

That was mistake number two.

Luke wore khaki shorts and a white polo. He looked nice, even if he didn't work at it.

”Be good, kids,” Dad said as he closed the door behind us.

”I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean you were overdressed. It's just...” Luke paused as he opened the door of the minivan for me. ”You're dressed like this is a date or something, and I told you it wasn't.”

I dropped my gaze, revealed my disappointment.

Mistake number three.

I sat in the last row of seats in the van, between the twins' booster seats, because I didn't want him sitting next to me. I was hurt. His words hurt, and I felt stupid. Pathetic.

He didn't speak on the way to the movie theater where I'd later find my first place of employment. He didn't glance in my direction. Not even when Lucy said, ”You look so pretty, Lane. Doesn't she look nice, Luke?”

He shrugged, mumbled, ”I guess,” and kept looking out the window.

It was the first time I physically felt my heart sink. Felt it crack.

I wanted to cry but doing so in the car on the way to our non-date would make the actual non-date unbearable, so I kept it together. I should've faked sick and asked Cam to take me home. I didn't.

Mistake number four.

I paid for my own ticket even though Luke offered.

I paid for my own snacks, too, just to reiterate to myself that it was not a date.

I wanted to sit on my own, or at least on the other side of Cameron and Lucy and away from him, but I thought that might be taking it too far. I didn't hate him. He told me how it was, but my own wants and fantasies turned it into something it wasn't.

Yep. Mistake number five.

I said I needed to use the bathroom and that I'd catch up with them. That way they could choose the seating arrangements, and yeah, I realized even then that I was overthinking everything, and as I stared at myself in the mirror, my eyes getting redder from my withheld tears, I realized how pathetic I was being. Hurt, but still, pathetic. I yanked a square of paper towel from the dispenser, ran it under warm water and removed what little ”fake” make-up I wore, which was just grape flavored Lip-Smacker that turned my lips a light shade of purple to match the dress that was apparently too ”overdressed.”

When I got into the theater, Cameron waved at me even though the room was practically empty and the lights hadn't been dimmed yet. They were sitting in the middle of the last row. It was Cam on the left, Lucy next to him, empty seat, then Luke. I a.s.sumed the empty spot was for me. Luke stood when I approached so I could get past him and take my seat. I looked at my watch. We were ten minutes early. I had to sit in silence with the light on for ten whole minutes. A group of girls sat a few rows in front of us, their ages ranging from mine to Lucy's. They turned around often, giggled to each other, then whispered words I couldn't hear.

”Are you wearing perfume?” Luke asked.

I should've scrubbed the perfume off me when I was removing the purple from my stupid lips. ”Yeah. My grandmother gave it to me. I don't really have anywhere else to wear it so...”

”It's nice,” he said. ”It suits you.”

”It's not really me,” I admitted, choking on a sob. I whispered, ”This really isn't me at all. I look stupid.”

He didn't respond for a long time, and I felt that twisting ache in my chest again. ”I liked your slogan tees,” he said. ”And your crazy colored flip-flops.”

I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling, all so my tears wouldn't fall.

He hated my outfit, and I hated that it bothered me so much.

Mistake number six.

The girls giggled again.

”If they do that through the entire movie I'm going to take a rusty chainsaw to all their heads,” Lucy snapped. ”Why do they keep looking this way?”

”Leave it alone, babe,” Cam said, trying to settle her. ”If they do it while the movie's on, I'll talk to them.”

”Sure,” Lucy said. ”You talk to them, babe, and if they so much as even try to hit on you, I'll stab them in the eye with this straw.”

”You're very death-to-the-world today,” Cam said.

Lucy giggled. ”I'll strangle them with my Red Vines.”

Cameron laughed. ”Stone them to death with your Whoppers?”

Lucy said, ”Shove my hot dog up their-”

”Okay, that's enough,” Cam cut in just in time.

Another round of giggles.

”What do you b.i.t.c.hes want?” Lucy shouted, her arm raised, hand full of popcorn.

Cameron grasped her wrist, stopping her.

One of the girls, brunette and beautiful, pointed to Luke. ”Come here,” she said, laughing with her friends.