Page 17 of The Prom Queen Project
I sprinted out of my room and jogged down the stairs. At the entryway of the house, I saw Elliot and my dad locked in a standoff. Gripping the door frame, my dad blocked Elliot’s path with his arm, preventing him from coming inside. Elliot’s lips tugged upward as his eyes connected with mine. Peeking his hand above my dad’s head, he greeted me in the worst way possible.
“Sup, Princess.”
Five
“Uh, Dad.” I walked over and gently nudged his arm aside. “This is Elliot. I forgot to mention that he was coming over to study today.”
My dad’s eyes were filled with skepticism as he glared at Elliot, clearly still upset that this strange boy referred to his daughter as a Princess.
“Elliot,” he repeated, seething his words. “Come in.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Elliot greeted him with an outstretched hand.
Ignoring the gesture, my dad flicked his gaze between the two of us. The air in my lungs became lodged in my throat, preventing me from uttering a single breath as I stood silently watching their awkward exchange. You could cut the tension with a knife.
“Are you two…?”
Elliot’s eyes went wide. “No.”
“Never.”
“Well, that’s a strong reaction,” Elliot muttered, shooting a glance in my direction.
“We are just studying. We’re barely even friends. I promise.”
My dad squinted at me. “If you two aren’t friends, then why are you studying together?”
“Uhhh…we just…we were...” I stammered, stumbling over my words as my brain struggled to form a coherent sentence. “The teacher assigned us as project partners in AP Lit. It wasn’t really our choice.”
Elliot smiled as he held up a copy ofInvisible Man, its cover torn and battered despite having received it only a few days earlier.
My dad nodded cautiously, his feet pulling him toward Elliot as he narrowed his eyes. “Try anything with my daughter and I’ll—”
“Dad!” I interrupted. “We’re just gonna go into the library and study.”
I grabbed Elliot’s arm, digging my nails into the fabric of his hoodie as I dragged him up the stairs, pulling him away from my father.
“You have a library?” Elliot murmured, his footsteps thudding up the steps behind me.
My dad anchored himself at the bottom of the stairs, tracing our every move before shouting, “She’s on her period, so don’t even think about having sex!”
“Dad, stop!” I cried out, my face turning as red as a ripe tomato. “Oh my God.”
I tugged on Elliot’s arm, my feet moving hastily as I scurried out of my father’s sight. There might as well have been a bear chasing us; I fled so fast. When we reached the top of the stairs, I let out a sigh of relief.
“So…are you actually on your—”
I halted abruptly, jabbing my finger against his chest, causing him to freeze.
“I’m gonna stop you right there, Abercrombie. That’s none of your business.”
A smirk gradually formed on his lips. “Abercrombie?”
“Shut up,” I growled as I spun around, frustrated with myself for allowing the secret nickname I had given him to slip out.
Walking over to my bedroom door, Elliot followed closely behind.
I glared up at him. “I’m going to grab my book from my room. Just…stay.”
