Page 27 of Small Town Sash

They winked at each other, quick smiles passing between them before they both turned to the skee-ball lane. Braden tookhis first shot and, like a professional, landing the ball into a fifty-point pocket.

"Beginner's luck," Hadley called out, her teasing grin evident.

"Sure," Braden shot back with an unconvinced look on his face. Then, leaning in close to her ear, he whispered. "You're going to lose."

With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Hadley prepared for her turn. She inhaled deeply and then threw the ball down the lane. It bounced a few times before landing straight into a hundred-point pocket.

"And that's how it's done," Hadley cried victoriously, punching the air as she turned to a stunned Braden. The spectators erupted into laughter and applause as Braden stood there, dumbfounded.

Hadley's triumphant cheer echoed around the arcade, bouncing off the walls and slot machines. The nervous tension from earlier is now completely forgotten.

"I demand a rematch," Braden declared after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Only if you're ready to lose again," Hadley retorted with a smirk, placing another token into the skee-ball machine.

As their friendly rivalry continued through the night, both of them forgot about everything else. Their laughter rang out in harmony amidst the arcade's chaotic noise—blaring music and chimes of other games—creating lasting memories they would cherish forever.

Their fun time was interrupted, however, by a buzzing of Hadley's phone. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, squinting at the bright screen as she tried to make out the name on the caller ID. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was from her mom.

"Hello?" Hadley answered apprehensively.

"Hadley, there's been an emergency," her mom's voice came through, laced with urgency.

"What? What happened?" Hadley asked, her mind racing with all sorts of worst-case scenarios.

"I accidentally spilled red wine on my dress, and I don't have time to change it before my church meeting. I need you to come home and help me clean it up," her mom explained in a frantic tone.

Hadley let out a breath of relief, feeling slightly annoyed for her night out being interrupted for such a trivial matter. She knew better than to argue with her mom when she was in this state.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," Hadley replied drearily before hanging up and making her excuses to leave.

When she arrived, her mom greeted her at the door. "I'm sorry to disturb your night out, dear. But you know how important this meeting is for me."

"It's fine," Hadley replied through gritted teeth as she followed her mom inside. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened—where Hadley needed to fix some minor issue for her mother that could easily be resolved without involving her. It always seemed like an excuse for her mom to control and manipulate Hadley's life.

She shook off those thoughts as she helped clean up the stain on her mom's dress, trying to push down the anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"Thank you, dear," Her mom said sincerely once the stain was gone. "You're always so helpful and reliable."

Hadley gritted her teeth. "Thanks, Mom, but I'm pretty exhausted. I think I'm going to go lie down."

"Are you sure? You can come with me to the meeting if you like," her mother offered.

The last thing Hadley wanted to do was go to one of her mother's Overeaters Anonymous meetings. Despite what her mother thought, Hadley didn't have a problem with food like her mother did. "I really just want to go rest. I have a big day tomorrow. It's one of the last practices before the pageant begins."

"All right, darling. Good of you to put the pageant first. If you need anything, you can text me while I'm gone."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Have a good meeting, Mom."

In the quiet of the house, Hadley let out a long sigh. She was finally alone, but instead of the relief she expected to feel, all she felt was an exhausting emptiness.

She made her way into her bedroom. Plush cushions and velvety comforters beckoned her, but there was no relief for her.

Collapsing onto the bed, she rolled onto her side. Her eyes fell on her Miss Teen Angel sash hanging neatly from the vanity mirror. The blue satin glimmered under the lights.

A fleeting smile crossed her lips as she traced the embroidered letters with her eyes. It wasn't all bad, she thought. At least there was something in this world that she was genuinely good at. Maybe her mom was right, and she should just focus on that rather than try to be something else.

Her phone buzzed, and her heart leaped as Braden's name flashed onscreen. "Hey," his message read, "just wanted to check in. How's my favorite skee-ball champion doing?"

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