Leona

I  decided to overcome one of my dreadful fears and have Gracie come home with me on the bus. This was going to be the first time I had someone over since moving in with my Aunt four years ago, so multiple scenarios played through my mind. I nervously played with the hem of my long sleeved shirt, wondering if she'd judge me for where and how I lived.

"Relax, girl." Gracie playfully nudged my shoulder. In response, I lifted the corner of my lip in a half smile and stood up as my bus stop came into view. We both stepped off onto the daunting pavement before I lead us up to the walkway to my front door.

Before pulling on the pollen stained screen for, I took a deep breath.

I entered in first, just in case my aunt was drunk and decided today was the day she decided to walk around topless like a looney.

No Aunt.

We passed by the smoke filled the living room, the trash littered kitchen, before I showed her to my room. It was the only room in the house that didn't smell of smoke and booze. I purposefully had an infuser going with lavender to mask the overwhelming smell of depression.

Once in my room, we sat on my bed and crossed our legs.

"Okay. Spill it!" She said with excited eyes. I proceeded to tell Gracie everything. I showed her countless texts and conversations with Grey and she listened intently. Her curly black hair bouncing in motion with every nod of her perfect head.

"I'm terrified of what will happen if he finds out. I'm not the easy going girl he talks to online."

"I think you are. You just allow your anxiety to hold you back." I shook my head in denial.

"I can't just turn it off."

"I know you can't, but you can't let it ruin your life. What if you and Grey are supposed to be together? He's in love with you... just tell him and if he forgives you, then kiss the crap out of him. All of us girls imagine doing that every day. If he doesn't forgive you, then he really doesn't love you." I laughed at Gracie's ridiculous declaration.

"I'll think about it." She threw her arms around me, causing her hair to practically suffocate me in the process.

"You are strong and beautiful, mama." Her words warmed my hardened heart. As quickly as the hug began it had ended and my new friend took my hands in hers and laughed.

"What!?"

"This is just some situation you're in. What are the chances that he moved here? I think it's fate." I rolled my eyes in distaste.

"I think it's just my luck."

"Call it whatever you want, but let's go find you a dress."



My hands smoothed down dress number fourteen. It wasn't as plain as the rest of the dresses that I had tried on. All of the other dresses were either black or beige. This one was the same color as my eyes; steel blue.

I nervously stepped out of the protection of the changing room that had hidden my new look from the judgmental world. Gracie jumped up and down as her eyes landed on the beautiful steel blue-grey dress with intricately detailed flowers trailing down the front in an almost ombre effect. Tulle flowed to just above my knees in an A-line. It was beautiful and it was the first time I had seen myself in such an outfit.

"Oh. My. God! You are so getting this! He won't know up from down, or left from right! Ugh. I am so jelly right now!" She yanked down my arm to drag me in front of the tall mirror.

"Oh, wow! He's one lucky guy!" The sales associate in red crossed her arms with a friendly smirk. A laugh bubbled out of me, but it was short lived because Gracie smacked my arm.

"You are gorgeous, girl. You're gonna' own it! I'll do your makeup and everything!" Gracie shoved me into the dressing room so I could get out of the beautiful material. Once I had it back onto the hanger, that was when I noticed the price tag. It was two hundred dollars.

I didn't have that kind of money.

I could always pick up more shifts at Lucky's.

Lucky's was a coffee shop that I worked at on and off brewing coffee. My Aunt Eileen had taken a lot of the money that came from my mother's life insurance, but when I needed some extra cash, Tina was always willing to let me pick up a few shifts on the weekends.

I slowly walked out of the dressing room defeated.

"It's a little much, could we put it on hold? I'll be back in a few weeks to buy it." The sales rep nodded after I handed her back the dress and she jotted down my information.





After Leona had run out on me two days ago, I had to decipher what the yes actually meant. I guessed she agreed to go to the dance with me. She had a habit of leaving me in a confused mess in the middle of the hallway. I swear that I saw the back of her running away more than I've actually seen her up close.

I just needed to tell Val about the dance. It was nothing really, we were just going as friends, but I still felt the need to confess. I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text.

Me: Hey Val I just wanted to let you know that im going to Prom with a girl at school. She saved me from some creeper chick and so its really as a thank you.

It was a little bit until she actually responded. I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing... or who she was with.

Val: That's fine.

A few seconds went by when I received another text from her.

Val: So, who is she?

I thought about the question for a moment. I didn't want her to think that I liked Leona or something.

But her eyes... and nervous laugh. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was deep in thought... She was absolutely stunning, but hid her beauty under hoodies and avoided eye contact.

I snapped out of the train of thought that wasn't helping anything at the moment.

Me: The same girl from before. Besides Jay, shes the only one at this school that I actually like. Shes normal. No drama ya know?

Val: Sounds like my kind of gal.

Me: You'd like her actually.

Valeera took a while before she answered again. Meanwhile, I could hear my mother shuffling around downstairs as she prepared for dinner. I tucked my phone into my pocket and headed downstairs.

"Set the table, James." My mother said as she busied herself in front of the stove. Even though we had a maid that cleaned the house, my mother still liked to cook for us. That was about the only normal thing about my family. My father was nowhere to be seen, which was the usual.

"I'm going to Prom," I said before I lost the nerve to do so. My mother's head snapped up at the same time she clasped her newly manicured hands together.

"Oh, that's lovely! Who's the girl?"

"Her name's Leona, she's just a friend." She rolled her eyes before quickly turning around to stir the contents in the pot on the stove.

"Here I thought you were finally getting over that girl on the internet." She mumbled to herself, not helping the doubts I had been feeling.

"I'll meet Valeera someday... just not now. It won't just be online then." I defended.

"So tell me about Leona." She said, changing the subject.

"She's quiet, reserved, and really sweet."

"Is she pretty?" My mom poked at my personal life a little more.

"Yeah... I guess." I lied because she was beautiful.

After we had eaten dinner, my phone buzzed in my pocket, so I fished it out to see what the notification was.

Jay: Dude! Look who's working at Lucky's Coffee house.

I scrolled down to see a picture of Leona wearing a back hat and blue apron. I smiled into my phone when my eyes landed on her concentrated expression. She was focusing on using the espresso machine and it was cute the way she was scrunching her nose.

Since I didn't have anything to do for a few hours, I decided to pay her a little visit at work.

I ran down the stairs towards my brand new Lexus Rx. It was a little flashy for my taste, but it was what my father had brought home for me.

As I drove to Lucky's Cafe, Leona's face flashed through my mind. Her long red-brown hair, her striking blue eyes that could make a man forget his own last name. Her laugh was rare but infectious.

My phone chimed in the console next to me while I sat at a red light.

Val: It seems like you do... so I guess I would too.

Guilt, utter and dreadful guilt ran through my veins.

What was I doing?

I was in my car driving to see a girl that wasn't my Val.

But Val doesn't want to meet me... What if this was going nowhere...

I continued to drive towards the little coffee shop and pushed my own guilty thoughts to the side. It wasn't like I was doing anything wrong. Val and I weren't together.

I arrived and hopped out of the SUV and immediately saw her beautiful silliuoete through the opaque glass window. Her usual flowing hair was now up in a messy bun on top of her head.

I entered through the ringing door and her striking eyes shot up to meet mine as she froze.

"Hey." I grinned at her when she still hadn't moved from her statue-like stance.

"H-hey." She stuttered as she continued to make the customer's coffee. Before I could think about what I was saying, I blurted out the last thing I should have.

"Let's hang out."