Black Dress Wedding

Chapter 8

I spent every moment that I was not at school or asleep with Beth; we all did. Sometimes, I could even convince myself everything was fine. Beth would hide her diminishing frame beneath a blanket as we watched a movie, and I could forget that life as I knew it was ending.

Jake would lean on me more. In the quiet moments, when his mind would wander to thoughts he didn't want to ponder, he would squeeze my hand as a plea to pull him back. It was an appeal for me to murmur something, anything to send his mind on a different course.

Beth's favorite pastime was planning my prom attire; dress, shoes, hair, and makeup. We would spread magazines out over her lap and the couch circling inspiration. Then we would scour the internet for an affordable facsimile.

There was only one problem; I had no date. My most recent boyfriend, Ty, and I had broken up earlier in the Spring. The daunting idea of a long-distant relationship had spoiled many high school relationships, and mine was no different. Ari was keeping close ties on if he asked anyone, but he was still unattached. I just assumed he would eventually ask me, for old-time sake. But then, on a random Tuesday, Ari approached with a mournful look.

"What?" Panic coursed through me as my mind immediately flickered to Beth.

"Ty asked Julie Simmons," she blurted out.

"Oh, thank goodness," I sighed, relieved that it was not Beth.

"What? Why are you so relieved? Whom are you going to go with?" Ari's voice filled with outrage.

I honestly didn't care. I would rather spend the night watching movies with Beth and Jake than some stuffy dance.

"It's fine. Maybe I'll skip it."

"Skip it? Jen, this is our senior prom. You can't 'just skip it.'"

I knew she was right, but it was hard to care about anything other than every moment I could get with Beth.

"I don't know, Ari. I'll think about it tomorrow." It was the only answer I could muster; my mind was already halfway home.

"Jen," Ari called after me as I pushed out the front door of the school.

I didn't bother going to my house when I got home. I had made a habit of going straight to Beth's; my mom was usually there anyway.

"Hey, there's my girl," Beth's voice had a mix of cheer and exhaustion that rubbed against each other.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?" I said as I flopped down on the couch opposite her.

"Nope, I am good. How was your day?"

"Good," I said absently.

"I bet the whole school is buzzing about prom," her eyes gleamed just like Ari's at the topic.

"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged as my mind momentarily flickered to Ty.

"You guess?" Beth's face clouded with surprise before she chased it away. "Why don't you pick out a movie for this afternoon."

I was lost in the mindless scrolling of movies on the TV when Jake flopped down next to me.

"Hey, Nif," he murmured. He always sounded sleepy lately.

"Jen, could you go get me a glass of iced tea?" Beth asked without looking up from her crossword.

"Yeah, sure," I tossed the remote onto Jake's lap as I got up.

My mom was in the kitchen making dinner. I watched her from the doorway for a moment. She looked as tired as Jake, as tired as I felt.

"Hey, mom," I tried to keep my voice quiet so I didn't startle her.