“Yes.”
“He just appeared at your locker out of nowhere.”
“Yes.”
“Hannah.” Megan lowered her voice. “People like Caleb don’t just decide things like that. There’s always a reason. Please be careful.”
Hannah pushed her tray to the side. The cafeteria noise pressed in from all directions. A part of her had known this was coming from the moment Caleb walked away. A bigger part of her did not want Megan to be right.
That afternoon, Hannah went into the second-floor bathroom to splash water on her face and spend two minutes in a space where nobody was looking at her. She had barely turned on the faucet when the door opened behind her.
Brittany walked in with the particular energy of someone arriving rather than entering. Her perfume reached Hannah first. She stopped behind her, looking at both their reflections in the mirror.
“So. Prom with Caleb.”
Click here to read the full story
Hannah kept her eyes on the sink.
“Enjoy your one night, sweetie,” Brittany said. “Make it count.”
She smiled at Hannah in the mirror — warm, practiced, completely without warmth — and then walked out.
Hannah stood at the sink for another thirty seconds, cold water running over her hands.
What Her Mother Did With the Old Dress, and What Hannah Noticed About Caleb’s Hands
Her mother came home that night smelling like the diner. Hannah sat on the edge of her bed and told her everything — the invitation, Megan’s concern, Brittany’s comment in the bathroom. Her mother listened through all of it.
