Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) (15 page)

Grant was the first one to speak. “Hell of a dress, Adrian.”

His words broke the silence because by then her father found his voice. “Good God, Adrian.” He waved vaguely in her direction. “Don’t you think you’ll get cold? Maybe you should change into something else.”

Alex’s mother came to her rescue. “Now, now,” Karen soothed, taking his arm and leading him away. “She looks beautiful …”

Quentin beat Justin to Adrian’s side. “Baby, if that’s not the ultimate fuck-me dress, it should be,” he whispered. Not even he was stupid enough to use his normal voice in her father’s presence. “I’ll keep you warm.”

She shook her head. “I’m not your date. Remember that.”

“What if I don’t want to remember?”

“I’ll remind you forcefully.”

She didn’t know which dismayed her more: the fact that Quentin would inevitably be hitting on her all night long or the fact that he’d brought Vaughn Mackintosh as his date.

Vaughn’s laugh rang out. She’d been standing in the back, but now she came forward. “Oh, honey, don’t you think you’re being unfair to our poor, widdle Quentin? With a dress like that …” She shook her head and tsk-tsked. “I think we’ll be seeing collective amnesia from the male population tonight.”

Adrian inclined her head. “I like your dress,” she said politely. She thought Vaughn had complimented her, but it was hard to tell.

Vaughn did a little whirl that flared out her skirt. “Why, thank you.” She’d gone with a short strapless dress that bared most of her long legs. The bodice was heart-shaped and sequined and the skirt made of light purple tulle with a dark purple underlayer. A bow completed the outfit, but it was the tiny tiara she’d worn that was the crowning touch. All the female Homecoming Court nominees were required to wear these tiaras, and like Adrian, she’d been one of the five chosen. “But next to you, I’m just the bridesmaid.”

“Hardly.” Adrian glanced at Bri Latimer who was listening. “We’re both her bridesmaids.”

That won a smile from Justin’s twin sister. “Oh please. We know I won only because I’m Alex’s date tonight,” Bri said.

What she said was true. She had made it onto the top five female candidates, along with Adrian and Vaughn, but she wouldn’t have been Adrian’s top choice. But that’s what had happened anyway. Only yesterday had Alex been crowned Homecoming King at the football game with Bri as his queen. Surprisingly, Alex wasn’t on the team, though Grant was a tight end and Justin a receiver.

“At least you’ll have the yearbook memories,” Adrian said.

Bri smiled. “I guess so.”

Adrian glanced at Justin, but Quentin had dragged him off to a corner. If Justin’s guilty grin was anything to judge by, Quentin was undoubtedly making lewd suggestions involving Adrian and a flat surface.

Against her will, her eyes strayed to Alex. He’d been standing off to the side, so quietly that she’d almost forgotten that he was there.

“You look great,” Alex said to Bri. He said something else, his voice so low that Adrian couldn’t overhear, but whatever it was, it made Bri smile.

Bri was
glowing.

Something in Adrian’s stomach twisted as she watched them. Alex had opted for a classic black suit, one that hugged his athletic frame and one that complemented Bri’s green dress. They just seemed to fit together. She was Justin’s twin sister, and Justin was one of Alex’s best friends. So why had they never dated before?

Then Adrian froze when Alex glanced in her direction.

He dipped his head briefly. “Nice.” He turned back to Bri at his side, before Adrian could even acknowledge his comment. “Ready for the pictures?”

Justin was now saying something and holding out the corsage he’d purchased, but Adrian stood there as if in a daze.

Is that all you’re going to say, Alex? Nice? Nice?

She’d shopped for the perfect dress. She’d gone to a professional salon to get her hair and nails done, and as a treat, she’d even paid for Nicky’s manicure. She’d nearly made herself sick with anticipation, and all for what? Earlier, when she’d been in the bathroom, she’d heard Alex complimenting Nicky and telling her that she looked like a princess. But for her, he could spare only one freaking word.

The night hadn’t even begun, but already, it tasted like ashes. Suddenly, she just wanted to get out of here. She’d feign some kind of sickness or something.

Vaughn’s gaze met hers. Instead of the amused malice Adrian had expected to see in those brown eyes, there was only a bemused surprise. Then the blonde stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Justin’s waist.

“I feel so left out,” Vaughn said. “Quentin’s still drooling over Adrian, and I don’t think he remembers I’m his date. Now I don’t even have a lousy corsage. You might have to be my date too, Justin.”

He grinned back at her. “Aw, you can’t blame Q, but, sure, I’ll be your backup. I’ll be the luckiest guy at the dance tonight.”

Adrian drew a careful breath. She owed Vaughn for that save. If not for the blonde, she might have actually picked up her skirts and bolted from the room. And the hell of it was that she didn’t even know why she wanted to cry.

While Vaughn bantered with Justin, Adrian checked on her sister. Nicky was wide-eyed and flushed with pleasure as Grant brought out a corsage. The pale pink flowers were a perfect fit for Nicky’s dress—not too daring, but not dowdy either.

“This is for you,” Grant said.

“Really?” Nicky said breathlessly. “Just for me? Thank you!”

Adrian let Justin help her with her own corsage and she deliberately leaned against him, as they walked outside. “Will your parents be here to take pictures of you and Bri?” she asked. “It’s just the two of you, right? No other sibling?”

“Yeah, it’s just me and Bri.”

She kept the conversation going, so he’d forget she’d ignored him only a few minutes ago. Fortunately for her, his parents had indeed arrived, along with Vaughn’s parents and Grant’s father. No one from Quentin’s family had shown up to take pictures, but his parents had lent him the family limousine for the night. Not only had they loaned him the vehicle, they’d also sent their chauffeur, a man named Bartholomew.

The pictures didn’t take that long. The adults snapped a few and turned them loose. Adrian let Justin guide her to the limousine and help her inside.

“You look seriously gorgeous,” Justin whispered into her ear once they were seated. “Don’t be surprised if Quentin tries to kidnap you. He thinks you should have been his date.”

She had to smile. “I’d rather go with you instead,” she whispered back.

His smile was shy. “Thanks. I’m just glad we’re going together.”

There was a hint of something in his tone that made her do a double take. Did he have a crush on her? She knew she wasn’t ugly or anything, but back at her old school, no guy had ever really chased after her.

Frowning slightly, she shook her head. She’d just think about it later. Right now, she had to get through the night first.

When the limousine pulled into the school entrance, she leaned forward. A thin sliver of excitement sliced through the shell she’d built around herself. It was just a dance for God’s sake, but the school had put up strings of tiny, twinkling lights outside.

“It’s so pretty,” Nicky blurted. She’d glued herself to the car window, trying to contain her happiness, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her. “It looks like an enchanted fairyland.”

Adrian linked arms with her sister. “It does,” she said warmly.

It didn’t even matter that the main gym still had that underlying scent of sweat and old clothes when Justin escorted her inside. Music was being piped through the speakers, and girls milled around in gorgeous dresses. People were coming up to greet her and Justin. Or rather, they exchanged backslaps and hugs with him and then did a double take when they saw her dress.

That’s right. Stare at me all you want. I’m not going anywhere.

She was causing quite a stir, she realized with some amusement. Alex and Bri had entered the gym, but people were greeting her first before drifting over to them.

Justin had noticed the same thing because he turned to her with a grin. “They all can’t take their eyes off you, Adrian. I’m the luckiest guy here tonight.”

She resisted the urge to giggle. Oh, he was definitely interested.

They went over to the refreshment table. Much to her dismay, Mr. Melbourne was manning the table. “Ms. Blake,” he said shortly, as he poured her a cup of fruit punch. “You don’t have to report to detention anymore.”

Her lips parted in astonishment. It was too early for April Fools’ Day, but had he suddenly jumped out and shouted “boo!” the effect would have been the same.

“Thank you?” she stammered.

His nod was as curt as his voice. “Have a good time with Mr. Latimer.”

She still wasn’t sure if it was a hideous joke. As Justin took her arm and led her away from the table, she resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder. What had gotten into the man? Was he on his deathbed?

Justin was laughing. “You look as if someone’s slapped you, Adrian. Was it that shocking?”

“Actually, yes, it was.” Shaking her head, she sipped her fruit punch. “I just thought I’d be in detention forever. He hates me.”

“Maybe not anymore. Maybe he finally realized he was being an asshole.” Justin lifted a shoulder. “He used to be pretty nice.”

“Since when?”

“I know, right? But considering what happened last year …” Now it was his turn to shake his head. “I think that if he could have killed Alex, he would have.”

It was a good thing that she’d had a little time to pull herself together because otherwise she’d have made a face. She was on the other side of the gym, away from Alex, but he was here all the same.

“What did Alex do?”

Justin hesitated. “It’s an ugly story, Adrian,” he said, looking faintly embarrassed. “Alex slept with Lindsay Melbourne.”

“Was this Lindsay Mr. Melbourne’s daughter?”

“Yeah. She was a junior—well, we all were. Lindsay knew her father didn’t approve of Alex’s reputation, so she went after him. And, well, Alex didn’t say no.”

“I see.”

And she did. How could she have forgotten it was Alex they were talking about? He slept his way through the willing female population. To him, she was only one of the great, unwashed masses.

The principal’s voice boomed from the makeshift stage up in front. “It is now time to begin the dance! Will our King and Queen do the honors?”

Alex and Bri took their places in the middle of the gym. Bri’s dress shimmered under the lights. Every time she moved in Alex’s arms, it shot off tiny refractions. The contrast was striking, especially against his black suit.

Adrian deliberately looked away from them. She had an empty cup to throw in trash, but Quentin and Vaughn sidled up to her and Justin.

“We thought we’d lend Justin some moral support,” Vaughn said. “And stop him from strangling Alex, if we can.”

“Why would I strangle him?” Justin wanted to know.

Quentin smirked. “He has his hands all over your sister, and you aren’t doing anything about it? What kind of brother are you?” He pretended to squint at the dance floor. “Vaughn, baby, don’t you think Alex’s hands are a little too low on Bri’s hips?”

Justin studied the couple. “Damn it. I’ll kill him.”

Grant and Nicky also wandered over. They’d clearly heard the end of the conversation because they both looked amused. “I can hold Alex’s arms while you punch him,” Grant said to Justin. “Or maybe you should just stop giving Justin a hard time, Q. It’s not like Alex can have sex with Bri right there.”

“Hey, it’s Alex,” Quentin put in. “We should protect Bri’s virtue.”

That made Adrian laugh. “You?” She shared a knowing glance with Vaughn. “And who’ll protect her virtue from you?”

“I never said when I’d start my protection.”

The interplay distracted Justin long enough, so that he punched Quentin’s shoulder. “That’s my sister you’re talking about, pervert.”

After what seemed like an eternity, the song came to an end. Alex and Bri parted with applause from everyone. Most of the kids swarmed the floor while some others remained on the sidelines talking and drinking fruit punch.

Justin’s brow cleared. “Adrian, do you want to dance?”

Smiling, Adrian took his hand. She’d danced with him at that fateful party, teasing him out of his senses, and when he smiled down at her, she knew he was remembering that night too.

“I’m really glad you came with me,” he said. “We never see you at parties.”

Her chuckle held no mirth. It was rather hard to forget what’d happened last time. God, how many times had she flogged herself?

“I don’t feel too welcome,” she parried.

The light faded from his friendly face. “We didn’t make you feel too welcome, did we? I’m sorry about that.”

Was that actual pity in his voice? Not again! And not here! She would never love Arizona, but at least, people here didn’t pat her on the head and mouth platitudes before rushing off to gossip about her scandalous mother. No one knew. And that was just exactly how she wanted it.

Marissa Adrian Blake was never to be a figure of pity ever again.

“All in the past,” she said.

Justin’s smile was uncertain. “Seriously. I admire you for how you’ve put up with it. The sneers, the whispers … you just carried on. And the way you dealt with Mr. Melbourne …” His smile was still unsure. “I mean, even Alex was impressed.”

She fought the urge to stiffen in his arms. “Oh?” she murmured.

“Yeah, Quentin said you wouldn’t last a week.”

“Well, it’s longer than that now.”

“Oh yeah. Everyone respects you, Adrian.”

He’d meant it as a compliment, but it felt as if he’d kicked her in the jaw. They had wanted to see her break down? Cry and curl up in a fetal position, just as she’d done in that grocery store’s parking lot? Oh, thank God for Travis. He’d been the only one to see her, and he would take it to his grave.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Travis turned up. He’d dressed in a gray suit that looked good, but his tie was a screaming polka-dot affair. It was, however, so like him that Adrian hugged him with unfeigned enthusiasm.