Page 18 of The Wrong Prom Date

There was only one painting left out of what used to be an extensive collection, and it hung in the foyer entrance. My dad had commissioned the painting on the day I was born. It had been the middle of one of the coldest winters we’d ever seen, and the painting depicted a girl in a red coat in the depths of a snow-covered forest. He often smiled and said I was the girl in the picture. At least, he used to say that back when he lived with us. That was probably why the painting felt so special to me. It was my one remaining connection to a happier time in my life. I wasn’t sure what I would do if it disappeared along with the others, but it was probably only a matter of time.

I think Mom figured it was easier to sell her things than to get a job, but I was beginning to wonder how much longer that would last. The child support checks Dad sent her every month barely lasted two weeks, and it wasn’t because he was being stingy. Mom just refused to settle for cheap vodka.

I was still riling with anger by the time I reached the shops. Admittedly, the local grocery store was only a short walk down the street, but I’d hoped getting out of the house would help. I calmed somewhat as I walked through the front doors and was greeted by Mrs. Maisey.

“Teagan, my dear, how are you?” the old woman said in greeting. Mrs. Maisey had owned and run the store with her husband for as long as I could remember. The prices were slightly higher than the chain supermarket in town, but even though we were struggling for cash, I refused to spend my money elsewhere.

“I’m fine thanks, Mrs. Maisey,” I replied, giving her a warm smile. Something must have been seriously off with my acting skills because she frowned in response.

“What’s wrong?”

I grimaced at the question. I was always so good at pretending things were fine when they most certainly weren’t. But this week, I’d been all over the place. I still couldn’t believe I’d yelled at Liam Black at school today. One of my most important rules in life was to keep my worries suppressed. I’d not only broken that rule—I’d completely shattered it.

“Just having a tough day, I guess.”

“Problems at home?” she prompted.

My gaze flicked to my hands as I considered how to answer. Mrs. Maisey was one of the few people in town who knew about my mom’s problems with alcohol. It was a little hard to cover up when Mom always stumbled into her store either half-drunk or hungover. Funnily enough, Mom wasn’t my biggest problem for once.

“Actually, it’s just stuff with school,” I said. “I’m not doing so well with one of my subjects, and we’re starting rehearsals for the school play. I’m a little overwhelmed, I guess.”

Mrs. Maisey gave me a bright smile. “Well, you’re one of the most dedicated kids I know. If anyone can handle the extra workload, it’s you.”

I wanted to believe she was right, but I just couldn’t seem to manage it. I pasted another smile on my face and nodded. This time, the smile seemed to do the trick, and Mrs. Maisey relaxed.

“I’ll leave you to your shopping,” she said.

I couldn’t escape her quickly enough. I didn’t like opening up to people, but Mrs. Maisey always seemed to see past my fake smiles and false words. It was like some kind of superpower, and she always seemed to know when things weren’t going well for me.

I grabbed a basket and started moving up and down the grocery aisles. I wasn’t planning on buying much, just enough food to get us through the next couple of days. Mom rarely let me borrow her car, so unless I could carry what I bought with me, it was staying in the store.

I was in my own little world as I wandered along the canned goods aisle. The soft sound of music played from the radio by the checkout, and I hummed along to the old Coldplay song that filled the air. I fell quiet though as I heard two people talking in hushed voices in the next aisle. Sometimes, when people tried to talk in quiet voices it only made their words clearer, and this seemed to be the case right now.

“I can’t believe you’ve dragged me to this place,” a guy hissed.

“Well, it’s the only place in town that stocks those protein bars you like, so I didn’t have much choice,” another guy responded. “Besides, it’s close to the house. If it offends you so much, you could have stayed in the car.”

The first guy snorted under his breath. “You know I hate being cooped up,” he said. “And it’s not like there’s anyone in here. This place is dead.”

I kept wandering down the aisle, and the voices moved out of earshot. I was reaching for a packet of pasta when the two guys turned around the corner and started walking toward me. I fumbled the pasta in my hand and dropped it on the floor when I saw the face behind one of the voices.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled as Liam Black walked toward me.

His eyebrows shot up with recognition, and the guy at his side started to smirk as he looked between us. The guy couldn’t have been much older than we were and was very good-looking. He might not have had Liam’s bulk, but he made up for that in height. He practically towered over me.

“Friend of yours?” the guy asked Liam.

I didn’t really want to see his reaction, so I ducked down to grab the pasta I’d dropped on the floor. Thankfully, the bag hadn’t split from the fall.

“She’s just some girl from the high school, I guess,” Liam explained as I placed the pasta in my basket.

I scowled at the way he dismissed me so easily. How he talked about me like I wasn’t even there. This guy really thought the world revolved around him. I knew Liam recognized me. I’d seen it in his eyes when he’d rounded the corner and found me standing in the aisle.

“And does the girl have a name?” his friend asked, coming toward me. He sounded pleasant, and I got the impression he wasn’t nearly as terrible as Liam. In that moment, I decided to show Liam just how unforgettable I really was.

“Teagan,” I said, slowly peering up at him. I’d pasted on my smile once more, and the guy’s eyes widened a little as he took it in. I was giving him what I’d dubbed my “mega watt smile.” I’d practiced a million different expressions in the mirror over the years, but this was the one that made people pay attention to me. The smile exuded warmth, and my eyes sparkled with humor. It was the one I reserved for special occasions, and I knew it transformed my face. Even Liam seemed a little startled by it. Not that I was really focusing on him though.

“What was your name?” I prompted the guy, when the two of them had been staring at me in silence for a few seconds longer than was polite.

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