Peyton Church is a city girl by anyone's standards. Born and raised in New York City, she grew up wanting for nothing. She attended the most prestigious preparatory schools, shopped on Fifth Avenue, dined with the rich and famous and was adored by...
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SOMEHOW, DESPITE MY protests, I still end up at the prom. It takes a truck load of convincing on Liza and Addy's parts— not to mention Eliza all but dragged me out the door and stuffed me into her car while Addy waited patiently for Ethan to arrive to pick her up.
Addison looks absolutely radiant in her gown, her blonde hair smooth and tucked behind her ears. I only wish I could see Ethan's jaw hit the floor when he sees her, but Eliza and I opted to give them their time together alone. Aside from Addy's mom and siblings, of course.
Eliza is also stunning in a black satin jumpsuit, thin black straps criss-crossing her back and displaying a cute little shoulder tattoo I'd never seen before. She's even curled her hair, an occasion I felt required more than a few pictures to document.
She's flipped me off more times than not.
My last-ditch excuse for not attending with them had been my lack of outfit. It was in no way meant to make Addy feel guilty, and I shut that thought down very quickly. The dress was made for her, and I'd swan dive out of her bedroom window before I let her give it back. So, instead, she'd rummaged through her closet and produced a gorgeous floral blouse and maxi skirt combo that looked relatively new. I had taken the top, loving the light whimsical material, and asked her if she still had that pair of jeans I'd borrowed last time.
Which is how I've come to be standing at the gymnasium entrance with Eliza, handing over twenty dollars to one of the girls on the student council who looks taken aback by my laidback outfit.
The only other people wearing jeans are some of the guys, but at least they've paired them with dress shirts and ties in some effort to look at least semi-formal.
"Enjoy," the girl says– I think her name is Courtney, but frankly I've never actually met her. Eliza and I both hold out our hands and she presses a blue stamp to the backs of them.
"Is Lauren here yet?" I ask Eliza as we step around the folding table and head into the gymnasium.
Eliza nods. "She actually drove in with Cameron and Tayler. Don't ask how they got tickets, I don't even know."
As the prom is for Rock Valley High students, and neither of them actually go here, I'm surprised they managed to get past the doors. What I'm not surprised by is the image of the two of them dancing against each other in the middle of the gymnasium. Cameron is decked out in a powder blue suit straight out of the eighties, Tayler matching in a baby blue dress that clings to her almost as tightly as her boyfriend's hands do. It's like I'm watching that scene from The Vampire Diaries, right down to the Calvin Harris song blaring from the speakers.
A girl in a pretty boho dress rushes over, calling our names over the music. Her mousy brown hair is twisted into a bun on top of her head, and her smile just as infectious as the last time I saw her.
"Hey, Lauren," I say, giving her a quick hug before she hooks her arm through Eliza's.
Lauren gives me a once over, taking in my outfit and smiling. "It's good to see you here, Peyton. I didn't believe Liza when told me you weren't coming."
