"Do you want to go to prom with me?"

The partially chewed french fry lodged in my throat as I choked on both an answer to the question and the fry.

Wesley moved to pat my back, but I roughly pulled away, taking a sip from my water bottle. "You okay, Charlotte?" he asked, stealing a fry from my lunch tray.

We had moved past the millisecond kiss the other night in an attempt to not be alone.

"You want me to go to prom with you?" I asked for clarification to which Wesley nodded. "I don't understand."

"I had already bought Lyla and myself tickets before everything happened."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Wesley."

He sighed and grabbed another fry. "Come on, Charlotte, please?"

"I don't even have a dress," I thought of an excuse, anything to get out of going.

That was a lie.

"Let me see, Charlie!" I nervously unfastened the lock on the dressing room door, bracing myself to see the hot mess in the mirror. Taking a deep breath I stepped in front of the silver frame encased floor length mirror.

"Holy shit," Lyla's mouth fell as looked at the dark forest green dress. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I smoothed my hands over my stomach, flattening the silk material. My tattoo showed above the off the shoulder neckline. My waist was cinched with a faux diamond belt chain. "I love it! You have to get it, Charlie!"

I shook my head and turned on the platform to look at the back of the dress. "Lyla, I don't even have a date nor do I really want to go." Lyla dramatically sighed and collapsed into the plush armchair of the dressing room lobby.

"Who do you want to go with?" she asked, pulling out her phone, scrolling through her contacts. "There's Trevor, he's tall which is good for photos, or Marcus, his parents are loaded. Maybe Dylan, he throws great parties."

"Ly, I don't want or need a date." She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and stood up. "Go try on your dress," I shooed her into her dressing room and changed back into my clothes from school. Five minutes later, Lyla came out of the dressing room, a pale pink mermaid dress hugged her curves and made her look five years older.

"What do you think?" she asked, spinning around on the platform, slightly lifting the bottom making it look like a pattern of waves.

"Ten out of ten, Lyla," I said, giving her a thumbs up.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into getting that dress," I laughed, swinging my shopping bag against hers as we fell in step walking to her car.

"Trust me, you'll thank me one day."

"You know what? Nevermind. Let's go," I agreed and Wesley smiled widely. "And stop eating my fries," I scolded, smacking his hand as he targeted another one.

"Can I pick you up at six or so? Or you can ride your bike to prom if you want," he teased, pulling the tickets out of his backpack and I rolled my eyes. "We can go get dinner beforehand or something."

I nodded and took the ticket from him, then gathered my things from the lunch table. "My dress is a dark green. Don't be late."

The headlights of Wesley's car shone through the curtains of my bedroom window. I finished applying a coat of mascara Lyla left me and grabbed my silver clutch, checking for my monogrammed flask.

"Merry Christmas, Charlie." I opened the poorly wrapped gift in front of me.

Lyla and I were in our normal booth at the local Dine & Dash, a place named after the dick move of eating and leaving without paying. The owner, Bobby, believed naming it Dine & Dash would cut down on the actual practice of dining and dashing. He was right.

I ripped the red and green striped paper off the present tossing the remains into the empty fry basket on the table. The silver brush texture of the flask felt nice under my fingers.

"Flip it over," Lyla instructed. When I did, I smiled. A cursive CBY covered the front of the flask.

"Thank you, Ly," I said, opening it up and smelling a bourbon inside. Lyla reached in her purse and grabbed her matching one. We knocked the flasks together and sipped the bitter alcohol inside.

"Through thick and thin," she promised before taking another sip.

"I'll see you later, Mom," I yelled as I opened the front door.

She appeared from the living room and gasped. "Oh, sweetie, you look beautiful."

"Thank you, but I should get going. Love you," I said, which she repeated back to me. I picked up the bottom of my dress and speedwalked to Wesley's car. He had just stepped out of his car when I reached it and motioned for him to get back inside.

"I wanted to meet your mom, Charlotte," he complained, but put the car in reverse, heading down the cracked concrete driveway.

"No, you don't," I said before turning on the radio. "Thanks for taking me."

"Thank you for going with me," Wesley countered. "Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"Dine & Dash?" I suggested to which he nodded and turned onto the highway.

Five minutes later, we pulled into the crowded parking lot of Dine & Dash. Wesley opened the door and ushered me into the restaurant. I made a beeline to Lyla's and my booth. After taking our seats, Wesley chuckled.

"What?" I asked, looking over the menu even though I knew exactly what I was getting.

"I think we're a bit overdressed."

Despite being a sit down restaurant, the dress code of Dine and Dash was casual. I glanced around the room, seeing most people in t-shirts and flip flops, then to Wesley, wearing a black tux and a dark green bowtie. Before I could say anything, Bobby appeared beside us.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," he said and I stood from the booth, wrapping my arms around him. "She'll be missed around here. She always did tip better than you," he joked, but told the truth.

"Whatever, Bobby," I responded, sitting back down. "This is Wesley," I introduced the both of them. "Wesley, this is Bobby, a crappy person but a wonderful chef."

Bobby mock saluted. "Nice to meet you, son." He shook Wesley's hand. "You got quite the gal on your hands."

"Trust me, I know," Wesley answered Bobby, but stared at me.

"What can I get you to drink?"

Wesley nodded for me to order first. "Coke, please." Despite having the memory of a goldfish, Bobby didn't write the order down.

"I'll have one as well, please."

Bobby nodded and walked to the kitchen, appearing moments later with three-quarter filled glasses of Coke.

"Are you ready to order, Wesley?" I asked, after he closed his menu.

He nodded and ordered a cheeseburger with onion rings.

"I'll have a hamburger with cheese and fries, Bobby."

"That'll be out in a few, kiddos."

Once he left, Wesley smiled. "Hamburger with cheese? Why not just a cheeseburger?"

"He puts it in as a hamburger with cheese and it confuses everyone in the kitchen," I explained to which Wesley smiled. He reached for his glass but I stopped him, pulling out my flask, filling the rest of the glass with Jack Daniels then repeated it with my own drink. "A little something to get us through tonight." I raised my drink and held it towards him. "To Lyla," I said and he repeated, clinking our glasses together.

Before we left Dine & Dash, I pulled out a twenty dollar Canadian bill from my clutch and set it on top of the check. Wesley quirked his eyebrows in question.

"It bothers the hell out of Bobby, he has to go get it exchanged."

He chuckled and held the door as we left D&D.

"Can we stop somewhere before prom?" I asked and he agreed. "The cemetery?"

He reservedly nodded and drove toward St. Dominic's Cemetery.

"Can I have a few minutes alone?"

"Of course, I'll just be in car," he said as we arrived in the parking lot of the cemetery.

I hiked up my dress and carefully walked across the grass in my heels. Her grave was still decorated with the flowers I had placed there earlier that week. I took of my heels and sat on the stone bench in front of the grave.

"Hey, Ly," I whispered, looking at the picture on her tombstone. It was a photo I had taken a few months before her death. Her smile as big as ever and I imagined hearing her voice and closed my eyes.

"Charlie," she greeted me. "Oh, how I miss you, PIC," she used our nickname for each other.

Partner in Crime.

We had managed to live up to the name a few times.

"I miss you, too." Just saying the words took a weight off my shoulders. "Thank you for convincing me to get this dress."

"I wish I was there with you. "

"Why aren't you?" I questioned, feeling myself become overwhelmed.

"I couldn't take it anymore, Charlie." In an instant, I knew what she was talking about. "My parents expected too much of me. I expected too much of me. I could never live up to their expectations. After what I did, I couldn't speak to Wesley about it anymore."

"Why didn't you talk to me about it?"

"I wanted to, Charlie. I needed to, but I couldn't bring myself to do it." My heart felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer, cracked but not broken, which was somehow worse. "I wasn't strong like you and I knew you would try to help me. But there was no helping me. I thought that if you didn't know and couldn't try, you wouldn't blame yourself for what I did."

"So much for that," I laughed dryly and imagined her rolling her blue eyes.

"It's okay, you know? You and Wesley."

"There's nothing going on, Ly," I said, telling the truth. Or, at least, what I wanted to be the truth.

"Whatever you say, Char. But if there is something between you guys, don't wimp out. You have my blessing."

"Alright, Marlon Brando, relax." Her spicy honey laughter flowed in one ear and out the other. "How do I even know I have your blessing? You're a figment of my imagination."

"Exactly. I'm just a part of your imagination now. If I say I give you my blessing, you need to accept it." I nodded and accepted her blessing.

Her hand touched my shoulder and I shivered.

"Sorry, Charlotte. I was going to give you time, but it's almost eight thirty. We should get going if you want to be there for crowning." Wesley stood above me, his hand still on my shoulder.

Silently, I followed him back to his car.