The next morning when I walked into the kitchen, all ready for my shopping excursion with Ash, I found Mom and Dad in the middle of a serious conversation.

"Hey, " I said, tentatively. "Good morning."

"Good morning, " My dad said and they both gave me a bright smile.

"You're up early." My mom shot me a confused look. "I thought you didn't have any classes today."

"Blame Ashley, " I grumbled. "She's been calling me non-stop."

"What for?" Mom asked.

"She wants to go shopping for the homecoming dance, " I answered, as I poured myself a glass of milk.

I heard Mom gasp and I looked up at her, alarmed. Her eyes were wide when she said, "Oh my God, how could I forget? I'm the worst mother ever!"

I rolled my eyes at her and my Dad chuckled. "It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal!" She exclaimed. "Is Tyler going to be your date?"

I nodded and my Dad frowned at me. "Who's Tyler?"

"A really charming boy who likes this little grumpy pants." Mom grinned and I rolled my eyes at her.

"You've met him?" Dad shot Mom a confused look, before looking at me.

"Yeah, he stayed here for a night." My Mom answered nonchalantly and I cursed under my breath.

"He did what!?" Dad looked at me then back at my mom. "Jen, how can you be okay with this?"

"Relax. He was trying to help her through something, and they slept in separate bedrooms." Mom put a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Besides, he is a really nice boy."

Dad just grunted in response, clearly not very happy.

I quickly jumped in to change the topic. "So did you guys talk about the restaurant?"

"Yeah, but we haven't been able to come to any firm decision about it." Mom sighed.

"It's okay. Take your time, it is a big deal," I answered, grabbing a granola bar.

"Hey, Victor asked you to come and meet him sometime. Maybe you both can work together and brush up your training again," Dad said and I nodded.

"Also, he invited us to use this little cabin he has, out of town, for a few days if we want. I think it's a great idea, we all need a little vacation." Dad looked at the both of us.

"Hey!" I suddenly said as a thought occurred to me. "Why don't you guys go there and spend some alone time?"

"Without you?" Mom frowned.

"Yeah...you know with everything that's happened, it'll be nice to rekindle the romance." I wiggled my eyebrow suggestively and my mom snorted.

"We're not leaving you alone." Dad shook his head.

"Dad, I'm eighteen! Besides, I can ask Ashley to come over and stay with me for a couple of days." I said. "C'mon, I think it's a great idea! Also, I can't miss school. So I won't be able to go anyway."

"I don't really like the idea of leaving you alone," Dad said and looked at Mom. "What do you think?"

"As long as she'll be safe, and responsible, I don't have a problem with it." Mom smiled.

"Awesome!" I grinned. My phone started buzzing with Ash's call again and I rolled my eyes. "Alright I gotta go, Ash is here."

"Wait!" Dad got up and hurried over to his bedroom. He came back after a minute, holding his credit card. "Here, take this. Buy the prettiest dress you find." He kissed my forehead.

"Thanks, Dad." I smiled. "And please think about the trip, I really think you guys should go."

He nodded and I scurried out of the house, and over to Ash's car.

"You're late, " she muttered, just as I got in.

"I'm here. So let's be thankful for that." I shot her a smile and she sighed.

★★★

Shopping with Ash was intense. She made it an event. We ended up going to the mall and she dragged me around to almost every store in a very impressive time frame.

"No way! I'm not buying this." I shook my head furiously.

We were in one of Ash's favorite boutiques. It was too classy and expensive for me, but Ash promised me that it'll be worth it.

"C'mon! You look hot." Ash grinned, looking at my reflection in the full-length mirror.

I was wearing a black gown with a halter neckline that left most of my back bare. The form-fitting dress made my boobs look bigger, but it also made it really hard for me to breathe.

"It's just not me. I feel like I'm wearing a costume." I shook my head.

"Alright, we'll find another one. No worries." Ash pouted and turned around to walk out of the changing room.

After a lot of shuffling around, Ash had finally liked a dress for herself. It was an off-shoulder, baby blue mermaid dress, and it fit her like a dream.

But we were still struggling to find a suitable and comfortable dress for me. After trying about six different dresses, I forced myself to really look and pay attention. Within a few minutes, I found a dark crimson red dress, that looked promising.

"Hey, did you find something?" I heard Ash come up behind me.

I held up the dress in front of me. "What do you think? I think I like it."

"When the dress speaks to you, you have to listen." She pushed me towards the changing rooms. "Try it on!"

After I tried it on, both of us studied my reflection in the mirror. The dress had a snug fit right up to my waist then the soft satin fell around me in loose waves. It had a thigh-high slit at one side, spaghetti straps with a neckline that showed just the right amount of cleavage.

It was simple but captivating.

"You look beautiful," Ash whispered.

I nodded. "This is the one."

"You're gonna look so damn pretty tomorrow!" She clapped her hands, excitedly and I just laughed at her.

"Just wait until Tyler sees you, the poor guy is gonna lose his mind!" She grinned.

"Yeah...I doubt that."

"Trust me, everyone's eyes will be on you tomorrow."

"How can you be so sure?" The question was both obvious and reasonable to me, but it only seemed to frustrate her.

"How do you explain to an attractive person that they are attractive?" She shook her head and sighed. "They don't teach this shit at school."

Sometimes I forgot that I had a personal cheerleader for a best friend.

"Alright," I chuckled. "Now get out and let me change."

We paid for our dresses and got out of the store.

"Where to miss?" I raised my brows at her. "Are we done?"

She looked up from her phone and smiled at me. "Not yet."

"Oh C'mon! I'm so exhausted."

"I know. That's why we're gonna sit down and try on some shoes." She winked and started dragging me over to our next stop.

"How about we sit down and try out some food instead?" I suggested, but she only chuckled.

"Can you at least pretend to be a little more excited?" she said, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Yaay! So excited! Clear out some space and I'll do some backflips." I shot her a bright smile and she chuckled.

"Hey, is it okay if we drop by the school on our way back?" she asked.

"Sure. Why?"

"I don't know. Ryan asked me to meet him there."

"Oh my, you guys are making some progress huh?" I teased and she blushed.

"I don't know. I guess? Anyway, Avi and Neil will also be there." She shrugged and then shot me a sly smile. "And...maybe Tyler too? They must be practicing for their game tomorrow, right?"

"Maybe." I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, while my heartbeat picked up a faster pace at the thought of seeing him.

Just then, my phone buzzed, indicating a text. I fished it out of my pocket and was surprised to see that it was from Tyler.

Speak of the handsome devil.

What color tie am I wearing tomorrow?

I smiled and wrote: Crimson red.

Can I have a sneak peek?

I chuckled. Absolutely not!

I can't wait to see you.

God, this guy could make me feel woozy, even when he wasn't around.
I bit my lip and texted back: I'll be coming by in some time. Are you done with your practice?

Yep, almost done, he replied.

I'll see you soon.

A few seconds passed before he responded: Not soon enough...