Page 1 of The One for Forever

PROLOGUE

Ten Years Ago

The cab driver pulled up to the curb, took one look at me, and his jaw dropped. His window buzzed down. “Are you Quinn?”

“Yep. That’s me.”

“You okay?”

“I’m…not great.”

I imagined this moment from his perspective. We were in front of a swanky Ocean Lane hotel. I was wearing a tulle ballgown with my hair swept into an updo that had taken me two hours to perfect. And mascara had left black streaks down my cheeks. I’d seen in the bathroom when I’d been trying and failing to stop crying. Rookie mistake. Should’ve worn waterproof.

But I’d made a lot of rookie mistakes tonight.

“Prom night?” he asked.

“How’d you guess?”

I opened the back door of his Honda and stuffed myself and my tulle skirt inside. It wasn’t easy. We’d taken a limo on theway here, me and my date and all my friends, and the skirt had seemed far more manageable then.

The driver eyed me in the rearview mirror. “You’re not drunk, are you? Not going to make a mess of my upholstery?”

“One hundred percent sober.” Every part of me was dry now, including my eyes. “Just wanna go home.”

He drove away from the curb. “Night didn’t go as you’d hoped?”

I huffed a laugh. “That’s the understatement of my senior year.”

I kept glancing at the automatic doors to the hotel lobby, wondering if one of my friends would dash out to join me. But they didn’t know I’d left. And I’d been way too mortified to tell them what had happened. How stupid I’d been.

I was known for being an overachiever. But getting dumped by my date for another girl in the middle of prom? That had to be worthy of a superlative.Most Clueless Prom Date.Most Likely to Never Have a Boyfriend.

Halfway home, my phone started to ding. I pulled it from my tiny clutch purse. My friends had realized I’d disappeared and that Landon was dancing with someone else. Our group chat exploded with concerned messages.

Q where r u?

what happened with landon?

wtf whrd u go?

Long story. I’m okay.

Then Cliff broke out of the group and texted me separately.

Hey for real, r u ok? Do u want me to come home?

Ugh. The truth was, I kinda did want my best friend right now. But Cliff didn’t deserve to have his prom night ruined, too. Plus, his girlfriend would’ve maimed me if I told Cliff to leave the dance.

I promise I’m fine! Just not feeling well! Have fun with Tori!!!!!

Cliff didn’t call me on my excessive punctuation or my fake cheerfulness. He texted back that he’d see me tomorrow. I locked my screen, turned the volume to silent, and stuffed my phone back in my clutch.

I was over prom night. Over senior year, and over high school. I wanted my real life to start so everything could stop sucking.

The cabbie pulled up in front of my house. “Hope your night gets better,” the driver said.

“Thanks. I hope so too.”Even though it won’t.

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