Chapter
Thirty-nine
Guess
what?
The next morning Paige woke early. She’d
made up her mind to buy a prom dress with or without a partner. There was no
shame in going with friends and she wasn’t going to miss her junior prom. Her
younger sisters also wanted a lift to Third Street Promenade. Rebel and Sia wanted
to come too. Senta had elected to stay home and practice piano, she didn’t
enjoy frivolity. Rebel rolled her eyes and wondered what planet Senta was
living on.
The younger girls kept whispering and
giggling in the back seat and Paige arranged to meet them at a café for lunch
after their commercial casting, since she didn’t trust them to spend the day
all alone.
Paige was extremely proud of the second hand
car she’d bought – she’d saved all her money since she’d started working on
Saturdays to buy it.
Shiloh was dropped off first and Coco was
meeting her as well as Mackenzie. Paige had arranged to go to the library to do
some research after she’d picked up her dress.
Shiloh was the first to arrive back at the
café.
Mackenzie gave fake air kisses and acted
all sorry before she’d even spoken.
“Guess what? My brother can’t come. The
boys are… they have another appointment they couldn’t change.”
“Oh.”
“What are they doing?” Coco asked, quite
rudely, Mackenzie thought.
“Well, Darcy’s father is in town and the
boys are going to lunch at the golf club with him. But never mind,” Mackenzie took Shiloh’s arm, “I know all the
best brands, I’ve been doing my research and one of my fave designers from Sydney
has just opened a store here and we get to pick out anything we like. I love
shopping, don’t you? We need to move on. Perhaps Jesus has a different plan for
us. Maybe we’re not meant to go to the prom with Darcy and Ryan…” she looked at
Coco disparagingly, adding, “and whoever you’re going with.”
Coco shrugged and tried to pretend she
didn’t care.
Shiloh pretended she didn’t care either.
But she did. In the middle of her mani-pedi, Shiloh burst into tears. She excused
herself and decided to go home early. If Ryan was going to ask her to the
dance, he had hardly any days left to do it. Shiloh knew Mackenzie was
right. Ryan was never going to ask her
to prom.
Proof stood right in front of her.
As she waited for the bus, she saw Ryan
and Darcy crossing the road, and they were not alone. They were with two other
girls – girls who wore designer heels. Ryan’s father was nowhere in sight.
When Paige arrived home later that
afternoon, after going to the library, she found Shiloh lying on her bed in
tears.
“What’s the matter?” Paige asked. “Did
Mackenzie say something? We never should have let that girl into our group.
Coco and Wednesday warned us, remember?”
“It’s not Mackenzie’s fault.”
“It’s always Mackenzie’s fault…”
“No… it’s just that Ryan was supposed to
turn up today and he kept us waiting for an hour then he texted to say he
wasn’t coming. He had some meeting to do with his father. Then, after Mackenzie
and I already bought our dresses, I saw Ryan and Darcy walking down the street,
laughing and talking with two girls. Two girls who don’t even go to our school!
They were rushing across the street and holding hands with Darcy and Ryan. How
could I have been so stupid? They’re never going to ask us to prom now.”
“Oh, Shiloh, it’s their loss. It makes no
sense, he’s been so… into you. You are the prettiest, kindest, most wonderful
girl I know. Darcy on the other hand, was never a sure thing. I have to be
realistic about that. He always thought he was too good for me.”
“That couldn’t be true.”
“It is.”
“You are the best, most wonderful sister…”
Shiloh was just as upset for Paige as she hugged
her sister. When Shiloh cried some more, Paige hugged her in return.
