Page 79 of Make Me Pretty

“Hey, rude!”

Gabe smiles at me over my mom’s shoulder. I roll my eyes, but I’m relieved at the distraction. “Thanks, Mom,” he says.

“Of course! You’re gonna have to come by the house soon for dinner. You haven’t been over in months; I’ve missed you.”

Gabe’s eyes dart toward me. “Yeah, sorry. Just been hectic this year. Yanno, senior shit and practice and whatever.”

“I get it; just don’t forget, okay? Invite Thomas and Grady and the rest, too. We’ll have a little grill out.”

“Mom,” I butt in, “it’s the end of November.”

She faces me with a frown. “So?”

I huff out a laugh. “Whatever. I guess I’ll be the one grilling in the cold, anyway.”

“Right, you are. Oh, Abel, honey!” His name being spoken steals every shred of my attention. I turn in the direction Mom’s now facing, watching as Abel sashays toward us.

There’s really no other way to put it—between the sway of his hips and the movement of his skirt with every step, the sliver of exposed, pale skin, braided hair, and black eyelashes.

His dirty Converse stand out from the pristine condition of his uniform, giving off the impression he’s pretending to be something he’s not.

Butfuck me,he really does have the body for it.

“Elise,” he smiles, almost shy as she pulls him in for a hug. Our eyes meet over her shoulder for only a short beat, and then he’s pulling away, gaze back on the floor.

“You look so amazing!” she exclaims. “And your hair—you cut it.” She trails her fingers over the braids and the cut sides that I want to run my fingers through. I frown, watching my mom touch Abel’s hair.

“Uh, yeah.” Our eyes meet. “It was an impulsive decision.”

“Well, I like it. It’s like a mullet, and you totally have the face for it.” She palms his cheek, radiating love. It makes me sick.

What we’re doing.

What I’m feeling.

How, if Ma ever finds out, it’ll break her heart, and I swore I’d never do that again. I’d never lie to her.

And now, here I stand, deception heavy on my shoulders.

“Well…” Gabe trails off, bouncing on his feet. “I’m gonna go.”

Ma smiles. “It was good seeing you, honey. Drive home safe.”

“Oh, I’m not—” I cut Gabe off with a pointed glare, which he returns with a particularly evil grin. “I’m going to the party.”

“Oh, party?” Mom says, posing it like a question. I drop my head back with a drawn-out sigh, which makes Gabe cackle loudly.

“Yep, at the lake house. A little celebration for kicking Southview’s ass.”

“Sounds fun! Be safe, okay?”

He salutes as he walks away, backward. “You got it, Mom.” And then, he whirls around, disappearing into the lingering crowd.

“A party, huh?” Ma drawls, lips curled in to fight the smile I know is fighting to break free.

“Whatever,” I grumble, sighing loudly again.

“I had no idea there was a party,” Abel says confidently. Mom turns to him, finally letting her smile free.