Page 43 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

16

Shannon

“You look beautiful in that dress,” Austin said, pulling me in for a kiss. I turned my head at the last minute, and his lips landed on my cheek instead.

The dress he was referring to was the prom dress I’d bought with the gift card Ryker had given me. I wore an aqua dress with tiny white leaves stitched into the bodice that trailed down into the full tulle skirt. It was everything I’d ever dreamed a prom dress could be. It was just too bad I was with the wrong guy.

When Austin found me crying in the park after my trip to California, he’d acted so supportive and kind that I’d wondered if maybe I’d been wrong about him all along. That was in a moment of weakness. I saw that now. Austin hadn’t changed at all. He was the same guy he’d always been.

He hadn’t even bothered to pick me up for prom. He suggested that we just meet there. So we were standing in the parking lot in our nice clothes—no nice pictures where my mom fussed over us. I told myself it was okay because we’d get the professional pictures done inside, but I was definitely irritated. And this voice in the back of my mind kept telling me that Ryker would have never treated me like this. But I wasn’t willing to listen to that voice.

Listening to that voice was dangerous. Because it would mean he was right that Austin wasn’t good for me, and that I deserved better. I couldn’t admit that right now. Too much was at stake. And I needed the safety of normalcy right now. A simple guy and girl going to prom after dating all through high school. So I allowed Austin to take my hand as we walked into the building.

I’d expected prom to be this magical night. Every girl looked forward to her chance to go to prom. She curled her hair and put on a dress that made her feel like Cinderella heading to the ball. But nothing about this night felt magical. The music seemed a little too loud, and the colors a bit too dull.

No one came up to us to greet us as we entered the room. All around us were couples, busy being happy together. Harper and Luke slow danced in the middle of the room, looking completely in love. Bella and Logan stood at the refreshment table, getting food together. Kate and Miller were getting their picture taken by the professional photographer. Everywhere I looked, people were laughing and having fun.

Should I want to join in on their fun? That was the thing. I didn’t want to. I wanted to go home and put on my sweats and climb into my bed with the covers pulled over my head. I would have rather spent the night writing my fan fiction. With Ryker. That was really what my sour attitude came down to tonight. I missed him. He was my best friend. Even the colors weren’t as bright without him in my life. But it couldn't be helped.

I stopped myself. Why couldn’t it be helped? I couldn’t even remember what convoluted argument I’d fed myself to make me want to be in this situation. Spending the best night of high school with the wrong guy. I couldn’t think of an argument that made this moment worth it. This wasted opportunity. I had to make it right with Ryker. I was officially the biggest idiot alive.

A ripple of excitement moved through the room, and I turned to see what the commotion was about. The room was too crowded to see what everyone was so worked up about.

“Is that actually her?” Dale Odom asked his girlfriend, Lindsey Beck. I couldn’t hear Lindsey’s response, but out of curiosity, I pushed through the crowd to investigate. Surrounded by security personnel and looking like a power couple, Ryker and Gabi stood in the middle of the crowd with a halo of empty floor surrounding them thanks to the burly men in suits keeping the school from mobbing poor Gabi.

“Gabi’s here to enjoy the prom. She’s not signing any autographs tonight,” Ryker announced to the mob.

“Is he dating her now?” Austin said, coming up beside me.

“I don’t know.” I’d worried in the beginning that Ryker had been interested in Gabi, but he put those fears to rest right away. As far as I knew, they were still just friends. But they looked so natural together I began to question what I’d been assuming all along. Had I ruined everything? I’d had my chance with Ryker, and now I might have lost it forever. Gabi was charming and sweet and a famous actress. Like I’d said from the beginning, I would never be able to compete with that. And now my worst fear looked like it very well might be coming true. But I’d chosen this road. And now I had to deal with the consequences. I had Austin. I might as well make the best of the relationship I’d worked hard to build for the past four years.

“They sure look like they’re together now,” Austin said.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “They do.”

“Well, he sure moved on fast,” Austin said. “I guess it wasn’t that serious between you two, after all. Not that it matters now. Because you have me.” He took my hand and kissed my fingertips. It would have been a sweet, romantic gesture from the right guy, but when Austin did it, it just gave me the creeps.

Ryker and Gabi moved to the middle of the room. He spun her around, her sparkling white gown fanning out around her. They really did look like Cinderella and Prince Charming at the ball. The scene was something straight from a Disney movie.

I thought I would be sick. I had to get away from the dance floor.

I migrated over to the refreshment table. I had to weave around several couples to get there. I got a glass of lemon water and sipped on it, taking deep breaths. Slowly, the ill feeling in my tummy subsided, and I felt my shoulders relaxing a bit. I leaned against the wall next to a decorative tree strung with twinkle lights. How was I supposed to survive much more of this night? At least the crowd was so thick I couldn’t see Ryker and Gabi anymore. I felt safer hiding behind this tree. I knew I was being a coward, but I needed this moment to escape.

“You clean up well,” Austin said.

I was tempted to crane my neck to see who he was talking to. Why was he flirting with someone when he’d promised that he only had eyes for me this time? And why had I been stupid enough to believe him?

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” a female voice said. This time I did crane my neck and spotted Austin smiling at Tabby like she was the most beautiful woman alive. She put a hand on the lapel of his suit jacket and ran it down his chest, caressing him. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Who was I to deny them that? By all means, they could have each other. Because I was done being their source of entertainment.

“Shannon, are you okay?”

I turned to see Ryker standing before me in his tux, and yummy didn’t even begin to describe how good he looked. My heart jumped in my chest at his nearness and begged me to allow myself to be with him. But my heart didn’t have a brain. Ryker looked like he was very much with another girl tonight.

“What are you doing against the wall by yourself?”

Even after the terrible way I’d treated him, he still cared about me? Tears sprung to my eyes. I hardly deserved any kindness Ryker had to offer.

Tabby let loose a shrill laugh, and I looked over to see her still touching Austin. This time she was standing much closer to him, and he had his hand around her waist.

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