clovers. My fingers tingle with the need to pull my new necklace out from under my shirt. I want to remind myself it’s real and maybe let myself pretend this isn’t, but I can’t draw anyone’s attention to my new charm. It would lead to questions that I can’t answer honestly without causing myself and Linc loads of trouble. So I ignore the tingle and I hold my hand up high so the room can take in my new ring.
“We have so much to do before May.” My mom squeals from behind us, causing me to turn around to face her.
“Dad, what about school?” I ask as quietly as I can in a room full of people.
“I told you that you can finish. Your last class is the week before the wedding, so you’ll have time to do the last minute things the week of the wedding.” He smiles down at me.
“But graduation is the day of the wedding.” I protest.
“You have better things to do then go to that sad excuse of a celebration.” He grumbles.
“But…”
Tipping my chin up with the scarred up knuckles of his left hand, he warns. “Arwyn Elizabeth, don’t try me on this. I’m letting you finish when I don’t have to. You’ll have much more important things to do on that day, so let it go.”
“Ok, Daddy.” I whisper my defeat, wanting nothing more than to get away from everyone so I can release the tears that are threatening to fall, but knowing that I’ll be stuck with these people till late in the night. And because of Shay Dawson and his stupid “proposal”, I’m forced to be the center of all of their attention.
Sensing the tension, Shay places his hand at the small of my back and proceeds to guide me away. “Let’s go show Dani and Adam your ring, Winnie.”
I wait till we’re a decent distance away from my parents before I pull away from Shay’s touch and turn to scowl at him. “Only Adam is allowed to call me that, Shay, and you know it.”
Running his fingers through his perfectly tousled, blonde hair in frustration, he says. “Sorry, I know that. I’m just as flustered as you. I didn’t want to do it.” He throws his arms wide to indicate the crowded room around us and continues. “Not this way.”
“Why did you want to do this at all?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air in my own frustration.
Shay looks around the room to make sure no one is watching us. Thankfully, they’ve all focused their attention on my parents, who are loudly discussing wedding plans with anyone who will listen. Seeing that the coast is clear, he grabs my hand and guides me out of the house and into the back yard.
“Why do you think I did this?” He asks, releasing my hand to pace back and forth in front of me.
“Because you’ve started taking drugs and they’re causing you to slowly go insane.”
He stops his pacing and looks at me earnestly. “I’m being serious here.”
“So am I!”
“Jesus, don’t you know that I love you.”
All I can do is stare at him in shock, wondering when he officially lost his mind or if he’s always been like this and I’m only now seeing it.
“I have since we were kids. Why do you think I’m always around?”
“Because you’re friends with my brothers, not because you have some ill-advised crush on me!” I yell, coming out of my shocked state.
“Damn it, Wyn. This isn’t a crush. I love you and we’re getting married!”
Chapter 9 – Linc
~Try Your Best~
I stop my pacing in front of the Challenger and look at my watch for the fifth time. She’s late. It’s New Year’s Eve and I haven’t seen her since Christmas. We’ve exchanged numerous texts, but something didn’t feel right. It was either she found a way to meet me tonight, or I was going to go barging over to her house to make sure she’s alright. Thankfully, she talked her parents into letting her have a night out with “Dani” alone. But now I’m thinking she stood me up, or they found out about us and are stopping her from meeting me.
I pull out my phone to
Virginia Higgins
Jayne Rylon
Dana Marie Bell
Penelope Wilcock
Sami Lee
Theresa Tomlinson
Jonathon King
Total Recall
Violette Dubrinsky
Kimberly Witherspoon, Andrew Friedman