Page 26 of Perfect Tragedy
“When I’m not here next year, promise me you’ll be careful. Smart.”
Here he goes again with the big brother stuff. Just once I’d like to pretend that isn’t all he feels for me. That he saw me tonight and regretted his date choice of Hailey instead of me. That after seeing me, he realized he has feelings for me, that he wants to be with me. I almost laugh out loud. All the fantasies of a stupid girl.
“I promise, Blake. The thing that happened with Todd, I’m moving past that; Ihaveto get past that. You and Jack have to let me or I’ll live in fear and seclusion all the time. And that would not be the way I’d prefer to spend my senior year.”
“I get that, but you still need to be cautious.”
“I will. I’ll be fine.”
Pulling away from him, heart aching at the big brother bit, I smile up at him, but it feels forced. “Thank you for the dance,” I tell him before spinning around and walking away. I can’t help it, I turn to glimpse at him over my shoulder and find him watching me walk away with a conflicted look on his face.
I make a beeline for the refreshment table, needing a drink again to cool off again. A teacher that’s chaperoning smiles at me and pours my drink. I thank her and take a few steps to the side, knowing I may need a refill soon and stay close.
“You’re only managing to look pathetic, you know.”
Jumping a little in surprise at the person suddenly next to me, I feel a look of annoyance cross my face. “What are you talking about, Hailey?”
“Everyone knows you’re hard up for Blake. When you look at him, you look at him the way a fat virgin looks at the last dude in a bar on her twenty-first birthday.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means that you can keep wishing all you want, but Blake is never going to look at you as anything other than a little sister.”
“I’mnothis sister.”
“You may as well be. You’re nothing more to him. No matter what you wish were true.”
“If that’s the only way he looks at me, why are you so worried and warning me off of him?” I ask bravely. I know she’s right, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let her harass me or tell me what to do. Not anymore.
Her nostrils flare and her eyes narrow, “Stay away from him,” she says before purposefully bumping her shoulder into mine and spilling her drink down the front of my dress.
I gasp and squeal, shaking my arms at my side to try and get some of the liquid off of me.
“You bitch!” I say looking at Hailey’s smug and stupid face.
“Don’t you forget it,” she sneers.
Vanessa appears out of nowhere with napkins, “Oh my gosh, come on,” she says and drags me out of the ballroom.
“I hate her,” I tell Vanessa, tears coming to my eyes.
“I know. She’s just jealous. It’s okay. We’ll take care of this.”
She escorts me into the bathroom and I stand there while Vanessa takes care of my dress. I watch silently, trying to hold the tears at bay the whole time.
“Did you see the way Blake is looking at you tonight? How his attention has been on you constantly, following you around the room?”
“No,” I whisper.
She stops and makes eye contact with me, “Well, it has been.”
“So what? He sees me in a pretty dress and all the sudden it’s like oh wow, she has boobs. She’s a girl. I should pay attention to her? Whatever.”
“I don’t think that’s what’s going on,” Vanessa says. “There. All better.”
I look down and though it still feels damp, there’s no red at all. She saved my dress, but I have no idea how.
“Thank you,” I tell her, lip quivering before I bite it to gain control.
