Chapter 25

The bell rang, vibrating against my ear drums as Mr. Richter called out for everyone to stop their writing and to put their pencils down. "The test is now over. On your way out, please leave your exams on my desk."

I stood up from my desk, handing in my final exam before stepping out the classroom to find Cooper waiting for me by the doorway. "Hey," he grinned, "so how do you think you did?"

"I think I did pretty well," I smirked, "all thanks to you."

Cooper chuckled, smiling down at me sheepishly. "Well, I want to thank you too for helping me study. I'm pretty sure I got at least a passing grade because of you."

"Well, it's been my pleasure." I joked.

Cooper grinned, biting his lip as the hallways cleared. "So, prom is tonight."

I nodded, gesturing towards one of the many prom posters that were taped on the walls of our school. "So I've heard."

"Where do you want me to pick you up?" Cooper asked, suddenly taking a step closer to me.

I felt my heart beat picking up, but it wasn't because I was nervous. It was because I was scared- I had no idea what Cooper's intentions were.

"Um, well I'm going to get ready with Julianne, so you could meet me at her house and we could all go to prom together." I said.

Cooper smiled, taking a strand of hair and tucking it behind my ear before he allowed for his fingers to brush gently against my cheek.

I couldn't help but think of how Jace used to do the exact same gesture to me.

"Great, then I'll see you tonight."

Cooper departed down the hall, as I watched his figure grower smaller and smaller with each step he took.

Stepping out from around the corner of the hall was Jace, who wore a dejected expression as he strode past me.

For the past few months, I've mastered the ability to not be affected by Jace's presence. However, it was different this time. I felt my heart strings being tugged at as I came to the realization that whatever relationship Jace and I shared was now gone.

*

"Everly, what's taking so long in there?" Julianne knocked against the bathroom door as I struggled to secure the strap of my silver heels. "You better not be messing up your hair! That took me an hour to do!"

"I'm not!" I ensured. I took a step back from the full-length mirror Julianne kept in her bathroom, and eyed myself from head to toe. The emerald color of my floor length dress seemed even richer against my pale skin. The strapless gown was adorned with golden, crystal specks all over the bodice, cinching at the waistline. From there on, the silky, green fabric of the dress flowed effortlessly past my feet.

Needless to say, I was very thankful that I found such a fitting dress a week before the prom.

"I am seriously going to bust this door open if you don't come out in ten seconds." Julianne threatened. "I need to pee!"

I chuckled, twisting the doorknob to find Julianne slumped against the wall, still in her pajamas. With the time I took to get dressed in her bathroom, Julianne had curled her hair and twisted it into a low side bun.

Without saying a word Julianne rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. "You look really pretty in that dress, by the way!" she hollered.

Laughing, I approached her vanity and picked out a cherry red lipstick. "Thanks, Jules."

The sound of the toilet flushing and the sink running filled my ears before I saw my best friend come out of the bathroom from the reflection of the mirror. Her eyes widened once she saw the red lipstick I dabbed on my lips. "Hey, what are you doing, Everly?" she shook her head, grabbing a wad of tissues and feverishly rubbing my lipstick off. "Red lipstick with your green dress? Are you trying to go to a high school dance or a Christmas party?"

I frowned, watching as Julianne rummaged through her drawers to find my lips a substitute shade. "I thought it looked decent." I murmured as Julianne snatched out a neutral pink lipstick and swiped it over my lips.

Stepping back and examining my features, Julianne grinned. "You looked decent before, but now, you look gorgeous." I turned around so that I was facing the mirror, and indeed, the pink lipstick looked much better on me than the red one did. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have ten minutes to get dressed before the guys show up with the limo. Ask Cooper where he is while I'm changing."

I nodded, grabbing my phone off of the nightstand. Unlocking the screen, I noticed that Cooper already texted me a few minutes ago, saying that he was on his way to Julianne's house.

There was a sudden knock on Julianne's door as Ms. Hart peered through the crack. "Wow honey, you look stunning. That shade of green is amazing." Mrs. Hart grinned. "Is Julianne getting dressed now?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Hart, and yeah, she should be done in a few minutes." I smiled graciously.

Mrs. Hart beamed. "Oh great! The boys have just arrived, so I'll go get my camera ready!"

I grimaced, knowing that Mrs. Hart would take at least a hundred photos before releasing us.

"I heard voices," Julianne stepped out of the bathroom, "was that my mom?"

I gasped at Julianne's appearance, bewildered, but not surprised at how beautiful she looked. Julianne had on a strapless lilac purple dress with a sweetheart neckline. Fabric wrapped around Julianne's bust, tightening at the waist before cascading down to her feet. The gown was long enough just so that a hint of her glistening silver heels were revealed. Her golden blonde locks contrasted against the pastel purple perfectly.

"Damn," I cursed, "you look so good."

The sound of a fist pounding against the door filled our ears again. Julianne and I faced the door, expecting to find Mrs. Hart on the other side with a camera in her hands. However, unexpectedly, it was Ryan.

The second Ryan saw Julianne, his eyes widened as his jaw dropped. I couldn't help but smile as I stared back and forth between the couple. Julianne's cheeks were turning bright red under Ryan's stare. "W-Wow," Ryan stuttered, clearing his throat, "y-you look beautiful, Julianne."

"Thanks." Julianne smiled shyly. "You look really nice, too."

Cringing, I wondered if this was how all third-wheelers out there felt like. I cleared my throat, raising an eyebrow at the two as they finally stopped drooling over each other. "I hate to be the one to break up this love fest," I paused, holding back a smirk, "but Ryan, why are you up here?"

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly. "To be honest, I wanted to be the first one to see Julianne in her dress."

Throwing him a sideways glance, I joked, "Too bad I beat you to it."

"Anyways," Julianne interfered, grabbing her clutch from the dresser, "we should go downstairs now. I'm pretty sure Cooper is waiting for Everly."

As we descended the staircase, the three of us spotted Mrs. Hart already taking pictures of Christiana and Jace. I felt my stomach churning uncomfortably as the two posed for a picture by the front entrance. Jace's eyes shifted towards me as his entire body stiffened.

"Honey, you forgot to smile in that shot!" Mrs. Hart noted, viewing the picture on her camera.

Time seemed to stand still as Jace and I gazed at one another. I could feel his eyes examining every inch of me as I unintentionally did the same. I couldn't help but notice the little things, like how his hair was slightly more pushed back than usual, or how his tuxedo seemed to fit him just perfectly, tightening in all the right places. Jace looked undeniably handsome.

I also couldn't help but notice that Jace and Christiana were matching. Jace's sported an iridescent gold tie and a sleek black tuxedo, while Christiana wore a flashy gold, mermaid styled dress with crystals embroidering the entire garment. Christiana, no doubt about it, definitely had a perfect figure and the confidence to be able to wear such a flamboyant dress. I envied her beauty and boldness.

"Everly and Julianne," Christiana greeted, her cherry red lips sculpting into a perfect smile, "you two look adorable."

I smiled back, trying to hide my insecurities when it came to being near Christiana. "Thank you. You look gorgeous."

Christiana flipped her pin straight, blonde locks over one shoulder and grinned. "I know."

Stepping out of the Hart's bathroom, Cooper came into the room greeting the front door and noticed me immediately. Smiling broadly, he approached me and took my hand in his. "Everly, wow. You're beautiful." Cooper commented, fastening a rose corsage on my wrist. "I don't know if you like roses or not, but this was the only corsage I could find on such a short notice."

I bit back a smile, shaking my head. "No, no, it's fine. I think it's perfect."

Jace suddenly cleared his throat, adverting his gaze away from mine. "Are you two done flirting yet? The limo is waiting outside."

I narrowed my eyes, frustrated over his bad attitude. "Yeah, we can go now."

"Wait kids! Let me get a few more shots!" Mrs. Hart interrupted.

*

The prom theme this year couldn't have gotten any more cliché than 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

Prom was held in our town's botanical garden, where the entire place was covered in beautiful greens and vibrant colored flowers. Tiny lanterns and string lights illuminated the garden from the dimming sky. The DJ sat on the center of the dance floor, which revolved around a lighted fountain. Under a large pergola, which was decorated with leaves and vines, sat all of the tables for the prom-goers.

"Ryan!" Julianne squealed, noticing that prom photos were being taken by the entrance. "Let's get our pictures taken before the line gets long!"

Once Cooper and I were left alone, he reached for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "What do you want to do first? Do you want to get something to drink?"

A smiled up at him, nodding. "Sure."

Hand in hand, Cooper and I made our ways toward the bar. Before we got our drinks, however, one of Cooper's friends approached us with a grin, and an arm around his date. "Cooper! Man, who is your date tonight?" he winked. "She's a solid ten."

His date looked at with me narrowed glare before rolling her eyes. "Tyler, she's not even that pretty." She seethed. "Besides, you said I was a solid ten an hour ago!"

Tyler smirked, pecking his date on the cheek. "Relax, Janet."

'Janet' clenched her jaw, turning her glare from me to Tyler. "My name is Jacqueline."

"Same shit." Tyler shrugged, before turning back to Cooper and me. "So, Cooper, how come you didn't tell me you had such a hot date tonight? I thought you told the boys that you weren't even going to prom because Ashley dumped you two weeks ago."

I froze, turning to Cooper as his face paled immediately. Unlocking our intertwined hands, I crossed my arms over my chest with a sudden disturbance.

Why didn't Cooper tell me that his ex-girlfriend broke up with him a week before he asked me out to prom?

Was I just a replacement to him?

"Tyler," Cooper warned, "stop it."

Tyler smirked, winking at me before he left with Jacqueline. "Find me if you decide to ditch Cooper later."

"You won't be hearing from me, jackass." I snapped.

Tyler licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Feisty is my favorite type, babe."

Before I got to utter another word, Jacqueline was already dragging Tyler away from us. Once the two were out of the view, I turned away from Cooper, refusing the look at him. Although we barely knew one another, we've spent a lot of time together this past week, studying for our test. If he was going to take me to prom, he should've at least been honest about using me as a replacement for his ex.

"Listen, Everly, I know what Tyler just said sounds really bad, but I am in no way trying to use you as a rebound for Ashley." Cooper held onto my arm.

The night was just starting, and I was already in a foul mood. "Can you please explain then?" I tried to sound civilized while shrugging his hand away.

Cooper stared down at his black dress shoes, rubbing the back of his neck. "I only asked you out at first to get Ashley off of my mind, but once I got to know you more, I started liking you." He admitted.

I remained silent, trying to process all of this information. Looking up, I met eyes with Jace, who was on the dance floor with Christiana. The song was slow paced, and Christiana had the side of her head pressed into the crook of Jace's neck.

I took in a deep breath, unsure if I was more upset over Cooper's situation, or the fact that Jace was slow dancing with someone who was not me.

"Everly?" Cooper rested his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

I forced a smile, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine." I muttered. "I'm going to take a walk. I'll meet you back here later."

Cooper latched onto my wrist just as I turned away, a concerned expression on his face. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Immediately, I shook my head. "No, it's fine." My gaze wandered back to Jace, wondering why the hell he still had the ability to affect me emotionally. "I just need to think."

Cooper released my arm as I disappeared from the crowd. I strayed towards a secluded area of the garden, where the music was fainter and the lights were dimmer.

Taking a seat on a wooden bench, I closed my eyes.

I realized that the anger I had for Cooper faded so quickly because I was using him as well. Cooper initially asked me to prom in order to move on from his ex-girlfriend. I said yes to him because I was trying to move on from Jace.

When I heard that Christiana was coming to prom with him, I felt pain and jealousy. However, through many months of practice, I managed to conceal those emotions.

The sound of footsteps approached as I groaned internally. "Cooper, I told you that I wanted to be alone."

Opening my eyes, I looked up and found Jace standing before me.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, Jace gave me a weak smile. "I'm not Cooper."

My lips parted with surprise, my heart rate picking up by the second. Nodding slowly, I bit the insides of my cheeks. "I'm aware of that." I mumbled. "Why are you here?"

Jace kicked a pebble that was by his foot. "I just wanted to check up on you. You and Cooper seemed pretty heated back there."

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine." I said, trying to hide the disappointment that was lingering in my tone. "We should both go back to our dates now."

Jace shook his head, taking the empty space beside me on the bench. "No," he paused, "I think we should stay here for a little bit."

Frowning, I turned to him. "Why?"

Jace shrugged. "I don't know." He spoke casually. "I guess I just miss you."