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Except Jake. Jake noticed me a lot. His hand was always in mine or on my back. Once he even sort of tickled his fingers across my neck and over my shoulder before giving me a squeeze. Every time he touched me I felt gorgeous and like I was the only girl in the room. Nothing else that had happened for the past ten months mattered at all. Jake and I were together.
But every now and then, I’d look at Chloe and feel a twist of guilt in my stomach. She was being so nice tonight. And acting relieved. As if this was the night she’d been waiting for as much as I had. What was she going to do if she ever found out what I’d done?
I decided to try not to think about it tonight. Tonight was supposed to be fun—a new begi
Finally, after what seemed like an hour at the table making small talk and munching on appetizers, the DJ flipped on a slow song. Jake leaned back in his chair and eyed me tentatively.
“You wa
I felt a pleasant stirring throughout my chest and all the way down to my toes.
“Sure.”
We got up, and he followed me to the dance floor. Everyone was either pairing off or vacating the area. I saw Sha
“I’m probably going to have to dance with Sha
I swallowed hard, trying not to blush at his closeness, but my heart was pounding in every pore, reverberating through every tiny hair on my arms and along the back of my neck. “She is the birthday girl,” I agreed.
“So you don’t mind?” he asked.
“Nah,” I said casually.
Jake titled his head. “Huh. I was kind of hoping you were the possessive type.”
I laughed as we turned in a tight circle. “Okay then,” I said, tightening my grip on his neck. “No dancing with anyone else. Tonight you’re all mine.”
Jake smiled but looked me dead in the eye. “No. From now on.”
My heart skipped. “What?”
“Yours,” he said simply, “from now on.”
ally
“All right, everyone, if I can have your attention, please!” the DJ a
A big screen scrolled down from the ceiling as Sha
“I hope she still has the naked cowgirl picture in there,” Trevor said excitedly, crunching on some ice cubes.
“And the naked firefighter one,” Todd added.
“Sha
“Is there anything the birthday girl would like to say before we get started?” the DJ teased, holding the microphone out to Sha
She took it with a smile and looked over at our table. “Just . . . enjoy the show!”
Everyone applauded, and someone in the back of the room let out a sharp whistle. The lights dimmed and the screen flickered to life. Jake slipped his arm around the back of my chair, and I cuddled into his side. He was all warm and smelled of spicy crisp soap. In that moment I felt entirely safe and was filled with a buoyant sense of possibility.
Yours, Jake had said. From now on. Every time I thought about it, my skin tingled.
The video started with a close-up shot of a white tiled floor and a wet leather boot. Then, suddenly, the camera swung upward and I was looking at a gleaming deli counter, fluorescent lights, and what appeared to be Faith’s back. I glanced at Faith in confusion. She was frozen, staring up at the screen, her eyes wide.
“Mr. Ryan? Oh my God! Is that you?” the Faith on the screen said.
My stomach completely dropped out of my body.
“Oh my God,” Jake said, sitting forward, sliding his arm away from my shoulders.
I barely even noticed, though. Because up on the screen, larger than life, was my father. He was standing behind some deli counter in an apron, looking scared. He said something, but I couldn’t make it out. The blood was rushing too loudly in my ears.
“What is this?” I mumbled.
Jake looked back at me. “Ally—”
Behind him, on the screen, my dad looked at the camera. “Are you—is that a camera phone?” he said.
“No,” Sha
“What the fuck is this?” Hammond said from across the table.
People were starting to turn around and stare at me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might actually pass out. Where was this taken? When? Why was my father working at a deli?
I looked over at the parents’ table, trying to find my mom, but she wasn’t there. At least, I couldn’t see her. Then there was a commotion on the dance floor. It was Sha
“Hi, Mr. Ryan,” Hammond said on the video. He walked into view and shot the camera an a
My face burned and tears stung my eyes. I looked at Hammond—the real Hammond—sitting across from me at the table. He turned his back to the screen, made a tent with his hands, and covered his nose and mouth, gazing back at me guiltily. My heart felt like it was melting under a hot iron. He knew where my father was. They all knew. Why hadn’t they told me? Were they all too busy laughing at poor Ally Ryan behind her back?
“What? I didn’t know he worked here,” Sha
God, she was so condescending. So awful.
“Well . . . yes. I do. I have . . . for about a year now,” my dad said. “Chloe’s father was kind enough to give me a job while I get back on my feet. I’ve been trying to get my old job back.”
I pushed back from my chair. I was going to throw up. I could feel the bile rising in my throat. On the dance floor, Mrs. Moore was accosting the DJ, trying to get him to stop the video.
“Yeah? And how’s that working out for ya?” Sha
A wave of laughter quickly shot through the room, then petered out. I pushed myself out of my chair.
“I have to get out of here,” I said to Jake.
“Ally, wait—”
“It . . . it wasn’t like that,” my dad said. “It’s complicated. You kids couldn’t understand—”
“Well, why don’t you try explaining it to us?” Faith shot back.
“How could you do this to me?” I said to Faith. “What’s the matter with you?”
Faith opened her mouth. She actually looked remorseful. On the screen behind her, my dad rubbed at his brow. “I . . . I didn’t . . . I never meant to . . .”