Page 15 of Torn
“When are Mommy and Daddy coming back home?” She tugs on the leg of my jeans and stares up at me.
“Tomorrow.”
She points to the stereo. “Is this my daddy singing?”
“No, Angel. It’s Elvis. Do you like it?”
“Uh-huh. Will you dance me?”
I smile down at her. I did her pigtails lopsided again, but I think it adds to her cuteness. “You wanna dance?”
She raises her arms up to me and I take her hands in mine. “Okay… step on,” I tell her, and she puts her tiny feet on top of mine, and we dance around the kitchen, with her giggling wildly.
“We’re dancin’!” she squeals.
KENZI
Almost my entire family has congregated at our house to see me all dressed up to go to my senior prom. My father, my grandparents,my great-grandmother, Rayne, Sydni, and Toren are all here to gawk at me. I’m so embarrassed with all the attention that I want to fall through the floor. They make Jason and me pose all over the house for pictures, and Jason has actually gained a few points for being so tolerant of the whole embarrassing ordeal.
“Okay, we really have to go or the limo is going to leave,” I finally say when I can’t stand it anymore. “We still have to pick up Chloe and her date.”
“The driver will wait,” my father says, pulling me in for a hug as we walk toward the foyer to make our exit. “You look beautiful. Have a good time. And no drinking. Or drugs.”
“Dad. Please.”
Behind my dad, Tor is glaring at Jason with hisYou better not mess with our girl or I’ll kill youface and I make a warning expression back at him to stop.
“We’re going!” I announce, grabbing my bag. “I love you guys.”
Taking Jason’s hand, we make for the door and practically run to the limo waiting in the driveway.
“My God. I’m so sorry,” I say when we get inside, and the driver closes the door behind us.
“It’s all right. Your family is cool.”
“Yeah. A little overbearing sometimes, though.”
“Be glad my parents are out of town or they’d want to be doing the same thing.”
We stop to pick up Chloe and her boyfriend, Brendan, who’s also good friends with Jason, and she squeals when she sees me, gushing over how beautiful we both look.
I’m not a dress girl at all. I feel completely awkward and, honestly, not very beautiful wearing this purple dress and insanely high heels that Chloe and Rayne talked me into when we went dress shopping a few weeks ago. I really want to go home andthrow on an old faded T-shirt and ripped jeans and curl up on the couch with a book or maybe watch a movie and binge on chocolate and ice cream.
We had a plan to go to the prom, then go to Hampton Beach for the night and spend the day on the beach tomorrow, as most of our graduating class is doing. One of Jason’s friends is supposed to drive us back home tomorrow night. We have two rooms booked, one for Chloe and me and one for the guys. But earlier today, Chloe threw a surprise change at me and made it clear that she and Brendan are taking one room for themselves so they can go at it all night like rabbits. This obviously leaves me alone in a room with Jason, which I’m trying to get myself mentally prepared for because I’m not sure if I’m ready. All day I wanted to call Jason and tell him I was sick and bail out of the prom completely, but I knew that would be unfair to him and then Chloe would get all crazy mad at me. Now it seems like everyone is looking forward to the prom and the beach and a nighttime rendezvous with their date.Except me.
I’ve never been alone in a bedroom with a guy before, let alone a hotel room, which is basically just code for sex room. Even though we’ve fooled around a few times over the past few weeks, I still don’t feel like I want to rip Jason’s clothes off or have him rip mine off. I’ve tried to get in the mood with him and turn my brainoffand my bodyon, but so far my body hasn’t gotten on board with his groping and nipple manhandling. To me it all feels like a really impatient doctor is giving me an examination, and I can tell Jason is getting impatient with me stopping him every time he tries to go further. I’m not sure if him not dumping me by now is due to him actually liking me, or because now I’ve become a conquest for him.
The ballroom of the hotel has been turned into a magical dancefloor surrounded by tables that each have seating for six. We find our table, and just as I’m wishing I was a better dancer, Jason and Brendan are approached by a friend of theirs who flashes a bag of weed and a flask, and they disappear with him.
Chloe shrugs. “Don’t worry. They’ll be back.”
Dinner comes and goes. Then dessert, and the guys still haven’t come back. Our class president starts to announce the winners for things like most likely to succeed, best couple, prom king and queen, and I’m surprised when I hear that I was voted female with the prettiest eyes.
“Way to go, honey,” Chloe cheers.
“Thanks.” I look around the room, wondering if the guys are ever coming back. “This kinda sucks. We haven’t even danced. You and I could have just come together. What did we need the guys for if they were going to ditch us anyway?”
“I’ll dance with you.”