Page 88 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
“Oh.” He looked concerned, but he was also half distracted by the teenagers standing in front of him. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys, searching Liz’s gaze. She didn’t look at him directly. She just snatched the keys and muttered a thanks. Then she walked as quickly as she could in heels out of the gymnasium, gasping for air when she finally stepped outside.
What am I doing?Did she actually think she was going to get into Matt’s truck and drive away? Her thoughts were spinning in circles in her mind as she unlocked the driver’s side door and yanked it open. Maybe she’d just cry here and wait for Matt to come back out at the end of the night.
No.He’d eventually come looking for her and then he’d either persuade her to go back inside or offer to take her home. When his commitment was here.So, leave, it is.She jammed the keys in the ignition as tears rolled down her face. Her hands were shaking. Her entire body shook with a force that frightened her. She wasn’t used to driving by herself, especially not in the dark.
Just do it, Liz,she told herself. Then she slammed an open palm on the steering wheel, accidentally honking the horn. The sudden noise startled her enough to dry up her tears momentarily. She straightened and glanced around the parking lot to make sure she hadn’t drawn attention to herself. No one was out there though. Everyone was inside the gymnasium having the time of their lives.
Taking a steadying breath, Liz shook her head as more tears threatened to rise. “I can’t do this. I can’t.” She started to lay her head down on the steering wheel when someone knocked on the passenger side window. Liz startled upright again.
“Let’s get out of here,” Rose said, climbing into the passenger seat and sniffling quietly.
“Why aren’t you inside?” Liz asked. “You’re supposed to be enjoying your prom.”
Rose folded her arms over chest. “Josh is acting like a jerk. He got us a hotel room when I told him in no uncertain terms that this dress was not coming off tonight.”
Liz’s jaw dropped. “He what?” she practically yelled. She’d liked this Josh guy. She’d trusted him.
“I’m so upset.” Rose’s voice quivered. “Please, just take me home.”
Liz understood that home right now was Liz’s guestroom. She sat frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. Encourage Rose to go back inside and have fun or drive when Liz wasn’t sure she was up for it. “Do you, um, want to drive?” she asked.
Rose glanced over, tears rolling off her lashes. “I drank the special punch.”
“The special punch,” Liz repeated. “What was special about it?”
Rose rolled her eyes. Then the tears started falling harder. That was all the motivation Liz needed. She turned the key in the truck’s ignition and cranked the engine. “Buckle your seatbelt,” she ordered. Then she slowly steered Matt’s truck out of the parking lot.
“Josh said that he doesn’t expect us todoanything,” Rose said as she sniffled some more. “He said we would just cuddle.”
“No one books a hotel room and expects to just cuddle.” Liz clutched the steering wheel with both hands.
“That’s what I said,” Rose cried. “I mean, I shouldn’t have to feel like I have to have sex with him if I don’t want to, right?”
Liz kept her eyes pinned to the road ahead. “You should never feel pressured.”
Rose reached for a tissue from a pack in Matt’s center console. “I want my first time to be with someone I love.”
Liz took that information in. So Rose was still a virgin. At least Rose hadn’t lost her virginity on Liz’s watch this summer.
“This night is awful,” Rose said, miserably. “Prom night is the worst.” As if realizing what she’d said, she gasped quietly.
From her peripheral vision, Liz saw Rose looking at her.
“I’m sorry. Your prom night was way worse than mine. I’m so self-absorbed.”
“No, you’re not,” Liz said. “You’re human. You have every right to be upset. I’m upset on your behalf,” Liz said. “But, on the other hand, I do want to point out that most guys consider the possibility of taking their prom date’s dress off. It doesn’t make Josh a bad guy, as long as he respects your boundaries.” They were almost to Liz’s house. Liz relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
Rose pulled in an audible breath. “Prom is a lot of pressure. There’s hair and the dress. The nails. Everything has to be perfect. I guess when Josh told me about the hotel room, I kind of lost it.” Rose dabbed the tissue beneath her eyes. “He probably hates me now.”
Liz reached over and touched Rose’s shoulder. “Well, at least you didn’t steal his ride. I stole Matt’s truck and now he’s stranded at the prom.”
Rose laughed softly. “Why were you sitting in Matt’s truck anyway? Did he book a hotel room too?”
Liz pressed her lips together. “I’m not upset with Matt. It’s Melody.”
“Uh-oh.” Rose angled her body toward Liz’s. “What’d she do this time?”
Liz shook her head. Just thinking about their argument made her want to start crying. “I don’t want to talk about it. All I want to do is climb under my covers and drink a hot cup of tea.”
