Lead Me Astray - Updated Every Monday

Chapter Thirty Seven ~ Frankie

Momma raved over my dress.

Livie had her lip poked out. "It's not fair! I want to go to prom!"

"Livie." Momma side-eyed her. "You're a freshman."

"Frankie was a freshman and she got invited to go!"

I shuddered as I remembered that. "But I didn't go."

"That's not fair!"

"Girl, stop that. Stop tryna grow up so fast."

She sat on my bed.

"She's trying to save your life, little girl." Momma threatened.

Livie flopped backwards.

I flattened my hands against the blue dress I wore. It didn't even look like a prom dress (which it shouldn't cuz it wasn't one). It was formal enough for prom but relaxed that I could wear it somewhere else. I paired it with blue Chuck Taylor converses.

My hair was in a curly ponytail and Momma did my eyes in blues and blacks. I did my own mouth in a deep wine. Luckily I'd been toying with the idea to go to prom with my friends a few weeks ago and bought this dress off Amazon.

I felt a flutter in my stomach as I thought about prom but I forced myself to be calm. Bean was counting on me to get on the same page as his father.

Marc knocked on my open door. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." I decided I was done primping. Here went nothing.

≠

"What's the theme this year?"

"Ya know? I don't know." I looked at Marc as we pulled up to Beaumont High.

"What if you're not matching?"

I laughed. "Get away from me!"

"Momma told me about this dude." He spoke quietly.

"What-? Oh." I stopped from turning to him and watched the dashboard.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." I spoke as quietly as he did.

"Then why aren't you together?"

"He has a girlfriend."

"He has a baby. With you."

"You know as well as I do that blood doesn't stop anything but a sentence."

He gave me a dry look at purposely misspeaking that quote. "Little Man needs his parents together."

"Because two parent homes create the most stable of humans?" I gave him a dry look back.

"When both parents aren't shit, yeah."

"Stop cursing around Bean. He has ears now." I rubbed my stomach like Hunt used to do.

"He's going to hear a lot when you push him out. Girls don't seem to be nice when pushing."

"Pushing anything out of an orange will hurt, Marc."

He shuddered. "I'm so glad I'm a dude."

"Lucky bastard..."

"Yup!"

I shook my head. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Always being there for me."

"I wasn't there when that bastard raped you."

"You were a little busy being asleep and 16 years old. I forgive you." I stated dryly. "Besides, that's what family therapy is for. It's beyond time."