Dad heads back into the house, Sophie in one arm and the other wrapped aroundHaley.
But I can’t worry about the way my dad is looking at me and Tyler. I’m thinking of the man who taught me to swim, what the letter Carly has would do tohim.
“We’ll figure this out,” Tyler murmurs as if reading mymind.
He brushes a thumb over my cheek, and my heart presses against myribs.
And that squeeze in my chest gives me hope that I’m not in thisalone.
* * *
“Ihave the answer,”I tell Tyler after English the next morning as we head down the hall to our lockers. “Purplesatin.”
His gaze narrows. “I think we’re asking differentquestions.”
“Last night after dinner, I took Pen prom dress shopping. I didn’t want to kill her buzz with the Carlysituation.”
“Did you try on anydresses?”
I hold out my phone, a picture Pen took. The dress is pale purple, my favorite color, and mermaid cut. We got it at a vintage boutique. It has a bit of an eighties vibe, but someone took off the taffeta from around the skirt, so now it’s more streamlined.Simple.
Tyler’s gaze locks on the screen for a long moment, then his fingers move over thekeyboard.
“What are you doing?” Iask.
“Sending it tosomeone.”
“No!” I protest, reaching for the phone. “If you took me to prom, you could see it yourself, and then I’d get to see you in atux.”
“You’ve seen me in atux.”
“Yeah, and I’d like to see itagain.”
His eyes change color. “I can’t take you to prom. It would be a statement to the entire fuckingworld.”
“What kind ofstatement?”
“That you’re mine.” The possession in his tone makes meshiver.
I want to behis.
It’s not as if I grew up dreaming of big dresses anddates.
Still, the idea of Tyler taking me to prom, of spending the night with him and dressing up and feeling special, sends waves of wanting throughme.
I know I have bigger problems—Carly-shaped problems—and I’m working on solving them, but this would be one hell of a reward in themeantime.
Speak of thedevil.
Carly waltzes down the hall and cuts in onus.
“Hi. Can I talk to you a sec?” she asks Tylersweetly.
As if she’s not a connivingsnake.
Push her away. I want him to do it sobadly.
But if there’s loathing underneath, Tyler hides it better than I evercould.