Page 106 of Romeo

Excitement.

Hope, maybe.

That one I didn’t trust.

The last dance I’d been supposed to attend had started with hope too.

I’d had a new dress that night. Nothing fancy, but Granny had bought it for me, and I’d felt pretty when I looked in the mirror.

Joseph had asked me.

I’d believed that meant something.

I’d driven to the school after he never showed, still making excuses for him right up until I saw him walking inside with Amy on his arm.

That image had stayed with me longer than I wanted to admit.

Not because Joseph mattered now.

He didn’t.

What mattered was how easily I’d believed I finally belonged somewhere, only to discover I’d been wrong.

“Fiona?” Sugar’s voice pulled me back.

I met her eyes in the mirror.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t look convinced.

Neither was I.

She squeezed my shoulder. “You’re going to have a good time.”

I wanted to believe her.

The strange thing was, when I remembered that awful night now, Joseph wasn’t the first person who came to mind anymore.

Jasper was.

Sitting on that couch at the ski resort while I tried not to cry. Making me laugh. Telling me some boy’s stupid choice didn’t decide whether I deserved a happily ever after.

That was the part of the night I wanted to remember.

Maybe it always would be.

By the time Josie and Sugar finished, I barely recognized the girl in the mirror.

My hair fell in soft waves around my shoulders, the light catching warmer streaks of brown I normally never noticed. Sugar had kept my makeup subtle except around my eyes, where silver shadow made them look almost too pale against my skin.

Then there was the dress.

It fit as though Sugar had somehow known my measurements without asking. The bodice hugged my waist before the skirt spilled softly around my legs, the silver fabric catching the light whenever I moved.

For a long moment, I just stared.