Page 131 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

Tonight is the fall dance!

I spend about an hour doing my hair and makeup, and then dress into my hot pink poofy dress that reaches just slightly below my knees.

Mom’s in the living room, watching a reality show. Her eyes fill with love and pride when she takes me in. “I can’t believe how grown up you are,” she says as she gathers me in her arms, though she’s careful not to ruin my hair or makeup.

“You say that every time I go to a dance,” I tell her with a laugh.

She laughs, too, as she presses her lips to my temple. “I know. It’s because you grow more beautiful every day.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

I settle down next to her on the couch and watch the show with her until Finn honks outside. Mom wishes me to have a wonderful time at the dance, and then I leave and get in the passenger seat of the van. The guys look handsome and dashing in their dress shirts. It’s not the first time I’ve seen them dressed like this because we’ve gone to every single high school dance, but we’re older now and I guess they look more…manly? More mature. It’s weird to think that after next year, we won’t hang out as much as we do now. Who knows what will happen after college? I doubt we’ll all live in Edenbury. Especially me because I might be away at sea for long periods of time.

“What’s wrong?” Dean asks.

I blink and laugh sheepishly. “Sorry. I was just thinking how much it’ll suck once high school is over and we have to go our separate ways.”

We’ve spoken about this before, and I know I shouldn’t be sad about it because that’s just part of life, but it’s hard not to worry about it.

“We’ll all stay in touch, Lexi.” Gael leans over to pat my arm. “We’ll never forget our queen.”

“Never,” Theo agrees. “Be prepared for daily video calls.”

“Daily?” Coop exclaims. “Maybe weekly.”

“With your track record? More like monthly,” Nate says with a chuckle.

Their words make me smile. They’re right—no matter what happens in life, we’ll always make sure to keep in touch. We’ll be best friends forever.

“Can we get the show on the road?” Cooper asks as he leans back in his seat. “I’m still hoping I’ll meet a girl at the dance and spend the whole night dancing with her under the beautiful fake snow.”

“Fake leaves,” Finn corrects. “It’s the fall dance, remember? Geez, Coop, do you even know what season we’re in?”

“And who says ‘Get the show on the road?’” Nate asks. “You’ve been hanging out with your grandparents too much.”

As the guys in the back continue to tease him and each other, I cross my eyes at Finn, which has him laughing. I’m glad everything has gotten back to normal between us over this week. He called me a few days ago to gush about the new comics he bought, and he admitted that he felt so much more comfortable as friends. There was no pressure and we were able to joke around with each other without worrying about hurting each other’s feelings. He told me he’ll always care deeply about me, but he now understands that we’re better off as friends.

As Finn pulls away from my house, the guys get rowdier. “Guys, guys!” he calls. “I can’t think straight when you’re so noisy.”

Of course they don’t hear him. Or they pretend not to.

“Guys!” I say. “The driver asked you to shut the heck up!”

Do they even hear us?

Finn scowls, “If I crash because they don’t know how to shut up, it’s on them. And if I die and they don’t, I swear I’ll haunt them from my grave. There’s no way in heck I’m dying before I have my first kiss.”

“I have an idea,” I say and reach for the radio. I sift through the stations, hoping I’ll find what I’m looking for. Aha!

Music from a genre none of us like fills the car.

Finn gapes at me in horror. “Heck no.”

I put my finger on my lips and nod toward the back of the car. The guys are just as loud as before, but after a few seconds, their voices die down.

“What the heck is that?” Coop demands.

“Oh my gosh, my mom listens to that kind of music,” Gael mutters.