Breaking Her Rules

Chapter 47

If there's one thing that can bring my mother back from the depths of her despair – at losing her license, at going to court, at her fine, her loss of freedom, her humiliation – it is her daughter's graduation formal dinner. For the first time in weeks, Mum is alive, doing my makeup and hair, and helping me zip up my dress, reliving memories of her own senior formal. She's not even drinking.

It's four o'clock and we're almost ready to go. I go to my room to grab my phone off the charger and get my white clutch, and have one last look in the mirror. I'm wearing a backless navy dress. It's a delectably soft material that clings to my figure, with a sweetheart neckline, and it's so simple. There's no cinching or bedazzlement, it's just plain navy all over, and I'm wearing it with very minimal gold jewellery and curled hair. All over it looks simple but sophisticated and effortless, and I'm really happy. My shoes are slim white heels with a thin white and gold strap around my ankle, but they're covered by my dress unless I'm walking. It's actually pretty tricky to walk in these shoes, so I may spend a lot of the night holding onto Lucas's arm, worried about falling over.

I check my phone, thinking of Lucas. We've been messaging each other every day and seeing each other almost as much. We're in this strange limbo before being in a relationship, because we haven't really told anyone about us, and we're not really sure what's happened. Neither of us has said the "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" words, and yet we're acting like we are. Mostly all we do is cuddle in bed and watch movies and swim in the pool and kiss, a lot. Once I started kissing Lucas I just can't stop. That first day at his house we spent hours in bed, lying in his arms and watching movies, before his Dad came home. At night before I go to sleep all I can do is relive those sweet memories, wanting them to last longer than they possibly can.

I don't have any new messages, so I slip my phone into my clutch and walk out to where my parents and brother are waiting.

Dad is driving us to the Shepherds house, where a big group of us is getting together to take photos before the graduation dinner in the city. Dad and Dan are both wearing white dress shirts tucked into dark jeans, while Mum is wearing a knee length red dress, and her hair and make up is just as immaculate as mine is tonight.

'Ready?' Mum asks, putting on another coat of lipstick in front of the mirror in the hall.

I follow my parents out the front door and towards the car. Dan piles into the back seat behind me, all limbs, looking too big for the back seat of Dad's car, while I do my best to make sure my dress doesn't get wrinkled on the drive.

There are fairy lights strung all over Ainsley's back deck, and the jacaranda in the backyard lets in dappled afternoon sunlight through its vibrant purple flowers. The light frames four girls standing on the back deck. Ainsley, Beatrice, Josie and Kate are leaning against the rail, looking out across the yard and down the hill. When Ainsley turns and sees me she runs over and hugs me. I pull back to see her dress. She's wearing a pale pink, almost creamy dress with a lace bodice. Her blonde hair is in a messy braid that is pulled up into a bun, and her makeup is very minimal. She looks like a petite ballerina.

I say hi to Josie, Kate and Beatrice, and follow Ainsley back inside, where the boys are sitting in the lounge room. Julian and Harrison are wearing suits and sitting on the floor in front of the TV playing a videogame, while Lucas talks to Gabriel and Chester. Findlay and Violet are sitting on the opposite couch, talking.

Violet waves and smiles at me when I walk in. I walk over to Watson first and hug him, and tell him he looks good. He's wearing a dark grey suit with a pale pink vest.

'You look amazing, Em,' Watson tells me. I've never had this many compliments in one night and it's starting to make the blood rush to my head.

Julian waves at me from the floor, but Lucas approaches me first. He takes both of my hands in his and grins. He is wearing a sharp black suit with a white shirt, and his hair is combed neatly, which is a first.