Queen of the Wood ✅

17 - That Night

I stood with my arms wrapped around my middle, just slightly back from Maeve, as she laughed and joked with other girls from our grade. They were on the dance team and, like Maeve, looked as though they had stepped out of a magazine or something. Their makeup was done perfectly, along with their hair. Dresses were the latest fashion.

But it was the confidence that hung in the air around them that I was most jealous of.

What happened to tonight being different?

Oh, right. This was me.

"I love your dress, Aisling! Where did you get it?" a blonde closest to me asked as she turned to include me in the conversation.

Her name was Taylor, and she always said hi or waved whenever she saw me in the halls. I would always give a weak half-wave, never sure if she was directing her attention to me or someone behind me.

I nearly jumped, not expecting to be invited to join them. But this felt... nice. I took a deep breath, hoping my voice came out steady and not shaky.

"Oh... it was this boutique my mom likes in Oklahoma City," I said, dropping my arms and forcing myself to straighten up. "I keep forgetting the name... Gregor-something."

"Gregory's?" another named Ashley nearly shouted, her eyes wide.

Sometimes, people got our names confused, though I'm not sure how. Ashley was a bronze goddess expected to make the OSU dance team. She was also near the top of our class grades-wise, though Maeve was currently sitting in the No. 1 spot.

Ashley then drank in my dress in awe.

"That's amazing," she said, smiling at me. "You know, you should come shopping with us sometime."

"I-"

"Oh, please. Ash hates shopping. Her mother had to drag her to go out for homecoming," Maeve jumped in, cutting me off.

I glanced at her, then smiled sheepishly at Ashley and the others.

"Yeah... I'm not a fan."

Technically, that was true. However, I had actually been excited about homecoming, even if it meant going with Mom. I even invited Maeve to go with us, but she said she had a project to finish up for physics.

I had a feeling it had been a lie. I was an aide for the physics teacher and knew there wasn't any project coming up. Or maybe Maeve was doing something for extra credit. She did that a lot. That made more sense than her not wanting to come. She would have just told me if she didn't. At least, I thought she would have.

"Such a tragedy. I mean, I would kill to shop at Gregory's," Ashley said, tsking at me.

I just shrugged as I wrapped my arms around my waist, once again retreating into my own world. True, I didn't understand the draw of spending hours and hours trying on clothes, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy going with a group of friends.

I hated shopping with Mom, mostly. She would take control—as usual—forcing me to try on things she thought I needed, clothing that made me uncomfortable or stand out. It would always involve a lecture about my diet and how I needed to put more effort into my appearance. How else did I expect to find a man to care for me like she had?

It wasn't as bad when Maeve was there, so I always invited her when possible. And usually, she'd come. But not lately. Maeve was always too busy, which made sense. It was senior year, and like most of us, she was caught up in prepping for college next year.

"So, where did you get yours? It's absolutely gorgeous," Taylor asked Maeve.

My best friend preened, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Oh, I got this at Gregory's, too," she said lightly, obviously enjoying the praise she was quickly surrounded by.

I smiled and gave a confirming nod to the few girls who looked my way, smiling brightly even though I was lying through my teeth.

Maeve did this often, lying about where she got clothes and bags. Not being able to shop at the high-end stores that people like Stephanie, Vanessa, Maggie, and even my own mother and grandmother tended to go to was a sore point for her. I never pushed her on it.

While her family made less than mine, it wasn't like they were destitute or poor. In fact, they were right in the middle, like most people in our town. Like the girls currently surrounding us. Maeve's mother was a nurse at a regional hospital, while her father worked at the large insurance company that Brett's father had started.

"Right, Ash?"

I shook my head and looked over at Maeve with wide eyes. I had been lost in my thoughts again. She gave me a stern look, though her lips were smiling.

"Oh, yeah. Totally," I said, smiling as well, though I had no idea what I was agreeing with.

"Wow... you're going to party tonight?" Ashley asked.

I blinked a few times before nodding.

"Yeah... it's senior year and all," I said in what I hoped was a carefree tone.

My hands started getting sweaty, and I was tempted to wipe them on my beautiful dress but didn't. Even though I was excited about sneaking out, I couldn't stop worrying about what would happen if my family found out.

Dad and Grams would be disappointed, but they would understand. They would only ground me.

It was Mom that scared me.

Just thinking about what she might do had me glancing around the room nervously. I wouldn't put it past Mom to show up. It was a habit of hers, and I didn't always see her when she did.

I wondered if I should back out. One glance at Maeve told me there was no way she would let me. I went over the plan yet again to calm myself down.

My parents thought I was staying at her place, but her parents were staying in the City. They left right after we took pictures before the dance.

Maeve's sister would take us with her and get us back home. It was a perfect plan. None of our parents would find out that we went so long as we kept our cool, mainly because they didn't expect that we would go in the first place. I had never been good at lying, but Maeve assured me they wouldn't even ask.

"It's going to be the best..."