Before starting, I just wanna do my first dedication in this book. This chapter is dedicated to @susjoyfully because even if it doesn't look like it, she has lived in the 60s, and she's always there to answer my annoying and weird questions about those years! So thank you for your help and sweetness to help me make this book as realistic as possible 😘💕

'But I don't care what they say

I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing

You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love.'

Today was the best birthday.

And every minute kept making it better, from half of the night where I'd talked with Spencer and we'd looked at the stars from our windows to the breakfast with my mom's famous birthday waffles—a tradition in the Duncan family, just like our names all starting with a D—and to the weather that was extraordinary sunny and warm again.

I could almost have jumped and danced in joy as I was walking to the park, except that it wouldn't have been ladylike, especially in my other new dress.

This one was larger and white with a pale green bow at my waist, and a round neckline that framed perfectly my new pendant. It was not the outfit to run in the grass and play football, although I was still passing the blue fence that led to the park, the largest area of grass more exactly, where Spencer had told me to meet him.

I knew by heart each corner of this place, each washed-out white bench, each tree planted in an order that was still a mystery for the population of Subrose nowadays, but those ancients must have thought of the perfect hiding places for kids and young lovers. In short, I could have followed the pathway lined with tulips and bushes of lilac starting to blossom with my eyes closed. Yet they were wide open, looking for Spencer or any hint of our 'training' date.

If I knew him well, it should have been near the shady part of the weeping willows after that turn...

"Happy birthday!!"

I knew him well, yet I still jumped at all the voices coming from everywhere.

I'd been expecting something, though certainly not all these balloons, flowers, and ribbons, nor all the tables scattered between the trees and the people. People whom I didn't get to make out the faces when a familiar pair of eyes outshone everything around.

"Happy birthday, DD!" Spencer wrapped his arms around me, adding in a whisper above my ear, "Again."

Indeed, he had repeated it a hundred times since midnight, along with about fifty 'You're 18 now!'. Yet I still giggled at the sweet sound of it, never getting tired of the way his lips almost always found mine after, even if at this instant, they barely brushed mine in a chaste peck because of all the people around. Well, at least until my hands instinctively pulled him back to me.

I needed to thank him properly, after all, and it was my birthday; 'I was 18 now'. So I deserved all the flying butterflies and confetti his lips created on mine.

I was still reasonable though, and I leaned away before getting drunk on his sweet taste because I wasn't 21 yet.

I would have more birthday kisses then, and all the ones after. His promise was still echoing in my chest, as softly as his whisper above my lips.

"You're beautiful." His gaze flicked down my neck and lower to the white dress, which the warm shades of my cheeks must have enhanced. "But I don't think it's really appropriate to play football?"

"Because we're gonna play football?" I imitated his playful lifted eyebrow.

"Was I really that obvious?" he laughed, peering at my eyes, even if he already knew the answer.

"You can't trick me, Spen. I know you too well."

"Ahem, your other guests are waiting to wish you too." My mom's voice stopped me before I could lean in for another celebration, and with the rush of blood to my head, I remembered we weren't alone.

"Sorry, it's my fault. I'm monopolizing her." Spencer stepped away after a brush on my warm cheeks, leaving me to the many other arms that wanted to hug me.

It was then that I realized how big the party was, with all the thank yous and courtesy I had to exchange, even more than with the appetizers I didn't get to try or the colorful decorations around.

And when I finally managed to sneak away and take a breath, and also a bite of the delicious food displayed on a lonely table, I was interrupted again.

"Dorothy, did you greet your cousin Diane?"

I swore my mom had a sixth sense for this. There was no other explanation, and frozen with a large piece of melon halfway through my mouth, I had a second of internal dilemma, my growling stomach now emptied of butterflies winning easily.

But of course, I regretted it when I lifted my head, and she and Diane were already standing with wide smiles in front of me.

"Dodo, happy birthday!"

With both Diane's hazel eyes and my mom's green ones expectantly fixed on me for an answer, I tried to swallow in vain the large bits of melon, before resigning myself to smile back with my mouth still full. "Thank you."

"Oh... always so ladylike, Dodo..."

As if there weren't rumors going around the whole school about Diane's 'ladylike' ways with boys...

I chose to ignore the light twitch of her smile though, and I let her hug me quickly because, as my mom would always say—and her hawk gaze was reminding me as loudly—Diane was family.

Besides, even if we were different, our personalities as opposite as her brown straight hair and my bright red curls or as the generous curves her bright dress was highlighting and my boyish flat silhouette, we were still friends and teammates, which was like family too.

So when I finally gulped my melon, I added, "I'm glad you came."

"Of course, it's a beautiful party."

"It is." I finally took a second to breathe in the warm air filled with a mix of blossoming flowers, various sugary scents, and even a faraway hint of something salty roasting somewhere.

My appetite was growing, as well as my curiosity as I glanced around.

"I hope you're enjoying it because it was a lot of work to organize." My mom smiled, kissing my forehead and brushing an unruly lock away from my face.

"I do, thank you."

In all the thanks I had given today, it was the first one directed to my mom, and I knew she had played a big part in it just by looking at the perfect plates of fruits and sweets arranged in a color order.

"Oh, you can thank Spencer too! It was his idea, and it's only because he insisted a lot that we decided to not do the party at the function room."

This, I had already guessed. The bugs, the grass, and all the dirt of nature weren't really my mom's things, and I imagined Spencer had used all his charms to convince her.

And just like that, the butterflies in my stomach and the foolish grin on my face were back.

"Isn't she lucky?" my mom asked Diane, who was eyeing my wide smile, or maybe my red cheeks, while eating graciously a muffin. "A boy respectable, and a future sheriff."

Here we were again... My mom boasting to anyone that would hear about her daughter dating the sheriff's son, and like always, she would add a 'they're forming the perfect couple'.

I wondered sometimes if she hadn't liked the idea that we were together more because I could become the wife of a future sheriff than because Spencer treated me right or because he was my best friend.

And like every time she rambled about it, the awkwardness was rushing as fast to the bottom of my stomach as to my warm cheeks.

Despite all her enthusiasm, I couldn't envision the picture-perfect she had for our future, maybe because I didn't imagine Spencer as a ruthless sheriff, or myself as an ideal housewife.

I still knew, however, that Spencer and I were forever.

"Yes, almost too perfect to be true..."

I was zoning out in a future that appeared unclear yet full of possibilities when Diane's honeyed voice brought me back to earth and to the present time, something in her eyes making my smile come down with it

They shone with the same glint of assurance my mom had in her gaze talking about our future, mixed with a darker shade I couldn't decipher, and before I could open my mouth, she glanced away.

"Oh, there's the rest of the cheer team! I haven't greeted them yet. If you excuse me." She almost ran away, leaving me with my frown to stare at the empty spot, and of course, my mom who continued with her idea that I was 'so lucky'.

I was. That, I didn't doubt it.

Yet as she tugged on my arm and led me away before I could reach for another appetizer, I couldn't help the hollowness in my insides, and it wasn't only about the piece of melon I couldn't have.

'Too perfect to be true...'

Diane's words were echoing louder than my mom's rambling, digging a disagreeable pit, and I couldn't understand why. They were just words, and what did they even mean?

It was perfect because it was true. Diane had no idea what she talked about, and she didn't know Spencer like I did.

My fingers instinctively wrapped around my pendant upon this thought, my eyes searching for him in the hope of pushing away this impression, or more exactly filling my stomach with butterflies.

And as always, I spotted him easily, my gaze attracted by an invisible connection to his chestnut mop and his strong shoulders, which were today wrapped in a white shirt, making him stand out even more.

However, the butterflies got lost in the pit of my stomach when I caught another silhouette near, a silhouette in an unmistakable yellow dress heading in his direction, while there was no trace of any other cheerleader, or anyone actually, in the shady area.

'Too perfect to be—

"Dorothea Duncan."

Stronger than Diane's insinuations, the sound of my full name made me and all my insides jump back to my mom's raised eyebrows.

"Are you listening to your dad?"

My dad, I hadn't seen him. Admittedly, he wasn't particularly tall, but I should have noticed him with his straw fedora hat.

"Um, sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was giving you this." He handed me a white envelope, my fingers already reaching for the seal as he added, "It's from your grandparents. They insisted that I give it to you in person because they couldn't find you, and you know they don't trust to leave it on the gift table."

'Because anyone could steal it since delinquents were everywhere nowadays.' I could almost hear Grandpa David's voice, and from my dad's knowing smile, he did too, along with the rest of their preaching about the 'old ways'.

The Duncan grandparents and their old—and odd—ways... They were something else, just a little paranoid, and not ready at the moment for awkward conversations and criticisms about the 'decadent youth', I replied I would thank them later.

"You better because they have done a long road just for you. Everyone actually is here, and just for you," my mom pointed out with a gesture of her hand around, and before her words could bring an emptiness again, this one well-known in a deep part inside my chest, I diverted the conversation.

"Except Daisy."

"You know your sister couldn't come. I already told you Ernest has an important business dinner."

I didn't even try to argue with her because my sister's duties as a faithful housewife were indisputable for my mom, and to be honest, I didn't mind. I preferred to not have her husband's haughty gaze around, even if I missed my little nephews.

"So what are you gonna do with this money?" My dad nodded to the envelope I had forgotten in my hand, and my head lifted faster than a ferret on the lookout, the same excitement traveling to my flipping stomach when we passed by the table with some gift bags, and...

"And all the other envelopes you've got today." My mom read easily my stare at the simple box in the middle of the gifts, though she surely didn't guess my answer.

"If there is enough money, I'm gonna buy a telescope."

"A telescope?!" she gasped as loud as if I'd said a motorbike or a tattoo, yet it didn't alter my assured smile.

I was 18, and I had dreamed of this for so long.

"And what would you do with a telescope?" The answer was obvious, and she didn't wait for it, her hand already brushing the smooth fabric of my skirt like it could convince me as she added, "You could buy jewelry, pretty dresses... or even one of those new dishwashers for your future house, something useful down on earth."

"A telescope is useful too."

"Surely, for the specialists, but not for a young woman like you. It is a lot of money for an occasional hobby," my dad spoke in with his perfectly phrased and well-thought arguments. It was his specialty... and I had to be as convincing.

"Um... about that..." My determined smile turned into a wince as I peered between my parents.

This was the perfect opportunity. The subject that I had tried to come up to all week was just here, and all their attention was on me. Well, it was through wide eyes, but still.

Besides, it was my day, so there was no better occasion as I took a deep breath and let the words I had prepared carefully,

"You remember my A++ in astronomy, and how I got the best mark of the whole grade for the semester?"

"Yes, of course. We extended your curfew to half-past ten."

"Yes, thank you, it was really nice, dad." I offered them a shy smile, glancing down at my fingers that were slowly ripping the piece of paper. "But about the mark... The teacher said that I'm really talented, and he offered to write me a recommendation letter for an astronomy college course."

It wasn't exactly the words I had rehearsed, though the idea was there, and now, I could only wait for their reactions, which I'd prepared for too.

From the best to the worst, I'd considered every possibility, except... the silence and blank stares I was met with.

Even the hubbub of the party going around seemed to quiet down, the thuds of my heart drowning it out as I added in the hope of bringing them out of their daze,

"So that's why the telescope could be really useful for me too."

"Astronomy?! Why would you want that?"

Maybe no reaction was better than the loud gasp of my mom, who was quick to glance around and straighten up to make sure no one had heard her.

And then, my dad's reaction followed, with a more controlled tone, of course. "I thought we had agreed that if you continue your studies, it's in social science, like most girls."

"But that's not what I like," I pleaded, my voice quieter too, though the quavers weren't controlled as I was losing my arguments.

"Astronomy is a men's field. It wouldn't be wise. It's hard, and I won't pay just for a whim one of your professors has put in your head." He put his fists over his hips, glancing away before I could even try my innocent puppy eyes.

"But it isn't! You know I—"

"What's the use anyway? You'll have to take care of your house and family after."

I didn't know if my mom was trying to comfort me or argue, but all it did was extend the pit of my stomach until I couldn't find any of my arguments in there. I could barely find my voice.

"I..."

Not that it changed much as my dad's attention had already switched somewhere else, a large smile replacing his severe frown. "Oh, the mayor Thornton has arrived. We have to go greet him and his family."

"You too, young lady. It's your birthday." My mom pulled me by the arm, as I wasn't following their steps, still not over the previous conversation and slowed down by the heavy weight of their refusal.

"But about..." I tried, the words dragging as much as my feet on the gravel, although when out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Spencer, a strong urge to run away in his arms was taking over, especially as he was heading toward the green hut.

He would lighten my mood, if I managed to extricate myself from my mom's hold on my arm.

"I think it was clear." My dad threw me a quick glance, his smile falling even faster in an inflexible expression.

"But can we talk about it later?" Maybe then I would have found back my solid arguments, surely with Spencer's help.

"No, the discussion is over."

Fortunately, we had arrived in front of the mayor because my dad's last words knocked me out, and I couldn't take another step, my feet weighing like a thousand bricks as my dreams of stars were burying into the ground.

"Behave." I remembered where we were with my mom's whisper and her discreet pull on my arm.

My birthday. As all eyes turned to me, I searched desperately for the confetti, excitement, and freedom I had minutes ago because I had this habit—well, flaw, according to my mom—to show my emotions too easily when I was upset, and it could be offending to the people around. Though Grandpa Al would have said it was because my eyes were pure and transparent like a gem.

If they really were, they probably were letting glimpse various curse words while I tried my best to smile.

"Thank you for coming to my birthday. I'm honored."

"What a lovely young lady," Mrs. Thornton commented, so I guessed I was getting better at covering my emotions like my mom had taught me, or this woman was blind.

"You already know my wife Virginia, but I don't know if you remember my youngest son, Douglas? He just came back with his college diploma, and he's ready to learn the real lessons in the field to take over from me," the mayor Thornton continued the introductions, which I had missed a half.

I wouldn't overlook his part, however, with his loud voice and confident tone, calling everyone's attention, especially as he patted proudly his son's shoulder, and when I lifted my gaze to the man in front of me, I was sure my emotions were written all over me.

If it wasn't in my eyes, it was in the blood draining from my face.

The man from the diner, the piercing dark gaze from yesterday. I'd known I'd already seen it. Douglas Thornton, of course.

He was older than me, probably around Daisy's age. That was why I hadn't remembered him. I'd had other preoccupations at the time they had been in high school, though I had seen him at every game we'd had to attempt as religiously as the Sunday's Mass, and he must have been a quarterback, using a few low blows that had never got a referee's whistle, if I remembered well.

"Indeed, you've grown into a lovely young lady..."

It was already my turn to shake his hand, and as those same cold shivers were back, I was sure I wouldn't forget him again.

"So I heard you want to run for the governorship?" My dad had his typical business gaze, his hazel eyes lighter and wider as he already pictured the next profit, and today, they were particularly bright.

That was surely why there were so many unfamiliar faces at my party.

"You heard right, Dale! And of course, I want the best to write my campaign!" The mayor now put his hand over my dad's shoulder, and I didn't even listen to the rest.

I already knew the mayor would win, and all my attention was going back to those shivers as my mom was chatting about her favorite caterer with Mrs. Thornton, and I was left with the same gaze staring at me.

From closer, I noticed his irises were a dark brown color, almost black, and I concluded it was the reason why I couldn't decipher his look or what he was thinking.

The uneasy shudders it caused were less intense though. As Douglas ever so slightly leaned closer, I wasn't frozen, surely because I was surrounded by my parents, and also because the pit of my stomach was sucking any sensation in my body, except the need to flee, which pushed the words out.

"I have to go thank my grandparents, if you excuse me?"

I was surely less graceful than Diane as I left him with his mouth open, my legs almost stumbling with their heaviness, and even if I could already hear my mom's sermon waiting for me after that, I didn't look back.

My gaze was only on the path shadowed by the largest trees as I ignored the center of the park with all the benches, where my grandparents were undoubtedly, and I only slowed down when the brouhaha of the party dimmed into a quiet humming, and the light laughs of the children hiding around replaced it. Unless it was just the ones from my memories as my feet threaded the familiar fresh grass near the green hut?

If I knew Spencer well, he would be there, and from the glimpse I had caught of him and his nervous glance over his shoulder, he must have been sneakily heading there to prepare my gift.

This hut was one of our special places, and at this moment, I was more than thankful that he had chosen and insisted on the park to host my birthday party.

A warm tickling was already coming back into my body as I wondered what his gift would be.

Whatever it was, it would be perfect. I didn't doubt it, but most importantly, it was him I needed. Just him.

He was the only one who could fill any emptiness with warmth and butterflies, and as my hand reached for the handle of the small wobbly door, the rush I felt was more to find his arms and bury my head into his strong chest than the curiosity to uncover any birthday surprise.

Though it didn't matter when I passed the doorsill, and everything froze.

If my parents' refusal was a hard knock, this, before me, was a bullet straight into my heart, and I realized it wasn't the best day of my life; it was the worst.

CLIFFHANGER!! 😱😱😬😬 I warned you! You better get your little hearts ready for this story 😏😈

So what is this bullet into her heart? 🤔 Let me know your suppositions!

Also, tell me what you think about Diane? And Douglas Thornton? And her parents? Isn't it so unfair that she can't choose the studies she wants? Like I told you before, this story will have many important themes that are sadly still too often true nowadays, and sexism and inequalities between girls and boys is one of them 💔

Anyways, don't forget to vote ⭐ and comment if you liked this chapter and can't wait for the next one 😏

Finally, we just reached 100 votes today, and I wanna thank you from the bottom of my little heart because we're just starting and it already means the world to me 💕🥰😘