Seventeen-year-old Hazel never saw having a sick mom in her future. And the last thing she expected was for her new next-door neighbor to give her a checklist that would change everything.
*****
After Hazel Winter's mom got sick, all emotion vanishe...
Oops! Această imagine nu respectă Ghidul de Conținut. Pentru a continua publicarea, te rugăm să înlături imaginea sau să încarci o altă imagine.
"I'm so excited you decided to come with me," Joy gushes. She's currently pushing hangers one at a time on the racks, moving so quickly that I can hardly keep up with her. "So, who asked who to the dance again? You never told me."
My arms are killing me from all the dresses Joy picked out for me for the impending dance just a week away. I readjust them on my arm and sigh before saying, "Um, me, I guess?"
I won't go into detail as to why I changed my mind. I'm not as close with her yet as I am with River, so there are some things she's better off not knowing.
She seems surprised by my confession, but then her expression fades into impressment. "Wow," she muses, "I'm proud of you, girl! Way to have some guts."
Joy leads the way around the store, flinging a pink dress over my shoulder. Our arms are full as we try to find our way to the dressing room. The employee narrows her eyes at all the items in our hands, undeniably rolling them as she lets us into our rooms.
It's funny because seeing us together, I wouldn't peg us to be friends. For example, Joy is wearing a bright pink turtleneck and tightly fitted jeans, whereas I'm in a grey hoodie and sweats with a pair of air forces on my feet. It's my go-to look, which is sad. Joy would try to be nice and call it a laid-back style, but I'm lazy. I need more energy to put in as much time to look good as she does.
"Let me know when your first one is on!" Joy shouts over the music.
Going shopping is like pulling teeth for me, but I slide on the first option and stare at myself in the mirror. It's pretty—a sweetheart neckline and black chiffon fabric that flows at the waist, but it's not catching my eye in a way that makes me want to buy it. Plus, I keep hearing River's voice in the back of my head.
Should I dare say, a pop of color?
I know I shouldn't be basing my decision on a man on the dress I buy, but lately, I've been feeling like less of a brooding bitch, and I'm more than certain it's because of River. Straying from black doesn't sound bad anymore, so I grab the pink dress that Joy picked out and sigh as I try to tug it up my thighs.
This one is very form-fitting. It hugs every bit of my curves, showcasing the legs I always choose to hide, and the sweetheart neckline gives an impressive view of my breasts. I don't even look like myself. It's been so long since I've dressed up that I catch myself smiling, running my fingers over the satin material.
"Um, hello?" Joy whines from the other side of the door. "Do you have one on? I want to show you my first pick!"
I open the door for her to see, and as soon as she turns around, she clasps her hands together and starts to jump up and down like a lunatic. She claimed not to be a cheerleader, but she should consider it. "You look so hot!" she exclaims. "River is going to lose his mind."
Grasping onto the sides of her dress, she does a twirl that causes the empire bottom to flare up around her. It's red and strapless, but she doesn't seem fond of it. "I'm not sure about this one. What do you think?"
