The Difference

Chapter 28

"Are you ready?" Troy questions me, pulling the car into his garage.

"Of course. I have a bag for overnight and makeup remover and-"

He cuts me off. "No, I mean, there's going to be a lot of press here. To talk to me, I mean, us, probably."

I look at him as my heart beats nervously. "Oh?"

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to freak you out. I think it's going to be televised in Ceralita."

"Well, I'll try not to do anything embarrassing," I say, yet again annoyed at his lack of communication.

"Hey hey hey, stop." He says, as I try to get out of the car by myself, which is nearly impossible in my dress which weighs half of me. He grabs my hand and helps me out, holding the train of the dress as we walk up to the front doors of the mansion in silence. He stops at the front door and pulls me into a long kiss, saying sorry. I smile at him and decide to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright, here goes nothing!" He says, opening the door. We walk in and immediately cameras begin to flash. I quickly lose him in the crowd and start to walk toward the ballroom, nervous someone is going to step on my dress. The ballroom is mostly empty, but I spot Eric in a corner with Ava.

"Hey!" I say and Eric starts to laugh. I do a twirl, nearly falling, and he laughs even harder.

"Holy shit!" He exclaims. "You look like a completely different person. That's so weird!" He says and I roll my eyes at his inability to give a compliment.

"Where's your date?" I ask Ava.

"Oh, Mrs. Marigold wanted him to find Troy when he got here," she says hastily. She turns to get a drink without another remark, and hangs by the bar instead of with Eric and I. I shake my head, confused.

"And where's Isabel?" I question Eric.

"Oh, Mrs. Marigold stole her, too. Pictures?" He guesses. I nod my head, remembering that Isabel was a family friend of theirs, and try to rationalize my anger in my head. "I'm gonna get a drink," I say and Eric follows.

"You okay?" I ask Ava, sneaking up behind her at the bar.

"Yeah. Well, I think maybe we should talk," she says, pulling me away before I can retrieve my drink.

"What's up?" I say, nervously.

"Oh my god, don't look so scared. You're making me nervous."

"Oh, sorry. The way you're acting is making me nervous," I say honestly.

"Well, it's probably nothing, but I overheard Mrs. Marigold talking to Ellen about Troy marrying Isabel, and I wanted to know if you had heard anything about it?"

I shake my head, confused, tears filling my eyes. I pause and think for a minute to my conversation with Troy the day in his bedroom. He said that's the kind of girl his Grandma would want him to marry, but he said that it's not her choice. I tell Ava this and she nods her head and lets out a laugh.

"I don't know, Rosemary. Maybe you should talk to him about it?" She suggests. As she does, Troy walks into the ballroom and photographers come out of the woodwork, rushing to him ... and Isabel. They walk in hand and hand. Ava looks at me and I have no words other than "what the hell is going on?"