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PROLOGUE
As THE CLOCK TICKED DOWN ON HER SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH school, Laurel McBane learned one indisputable fact
Prom was hell
For weeks all anyone wanted to talk about ho ht ask whom, who did ask who misery and hysteria
Girls, to herpassivity during prom season The halls, classrooiddy euphoria because souy asked theuy didn’t
The entire cycle revolved around “so
And after that, the hysteria continued, even escalated with the hunt for a dress, for shoes, the intense debate about up-dos versus down-dos Limos, after-parties, hotel suites—the yes, no, maybe of sex
She’d have skipped the whole thing if her friends, especially Parker Right-of-Passage Brown, hadn’t ganged up on her
Now her savings account—all those hard-earned dollars and cents fro tables—reeled in shock at the withdrawals for a dress she’d probably never wear again, the shoes, the bag, and all the rest
She could lay all that on her friends’ heads, too She’d gotten caught up shopping with Parker, Emmaline, and Mackensie, and spent more than she should have
The idea, gently broached by E for the dress wasn’t an option, not to Laurel’s mind A point of pride, maybe, but money in the McBane household had become a very sore subject since her father’s dicey investments fiasco and the little matter of the IRS audit
No way she’d ask either of them She earned her own, and had for several years now
She told herself it didn’t h saved for the tuition for the Culinary Institute, or the living expenses in New York, despite the hours she’d put in at the restaurant after school and on weekends The cost of looking great for one night didn’t change that one way or the other—and, what the hell, she did look great
She fixed on her earrings while across the room—Parker’s bedroom—Parker and Emma experimented ays to prom-up the hair Mac had iht of as Julius Caesar takes the Rubicon They tried various pins, sparkle dust, and jeweled clips in as left of Mac’s flame red hair while the three of them talked nonstop, and Aerosmith rocked out of the CD player
She liked listening to them like this, when she was a little bit apart Maybe especially nohen she felt a little bit apart They’d been friends all their lives, and now—rite of passage or not—things were changing In the fall Parker and E, and squeezing in a few courses on photography
And with the dream of the Culinary Institute poofed due to finances and her parents’ most recent e part-time Business courses, she supposed She’d have to be practical Realistic
And she wasn’t going to think about it now She ht as well enjoy the moment, and this ritual that Parker, in her Parker way, had arranged
Parker and E to prom at the Acadeh school, but they had this ti dressed andout, and there’d be dozens of pictures and “oh, look at our girls!” hugs and probably some shiny eyes
Mac’s hter’s senior pro And Laurel’s own parents? Well, they were too steeped in their own lives, their own probleht
She was used to it Had even come to prefer it
“Just the fairy dust sparkles,” Mac decided, tipping her head side to side to judge “It’s kind of Tinker Bell-y In a cool way”
“I think you’re right” Parker, her straight-as-rain brown hair a glossy waterfall down her back, nodded “It’s ith an edge What do you think, Em?”
“I think we need to play up the eyes o draht “I can do this”
“Have at it” Mac shrugged “But don’t take forever, okay? I still have to set up for our group shot”
“We’re on schedule” Parker checked her watch “We’ve still got thirty ht of Laurel “Hey You look awesome!”
“Oh, you really do!” Eether “I knew that was the dress The shimmery pink makes your eyes even bluer”
“I guess”
“Need one ” Parker hurried to her dresser, opened a drawer on her jewelry box “This hair clip”
Laurel, a sliirl in shim, loose sausage curls, shrugged “Whatever”
Parker held it against Laurel’s hair at different angles “Cheer up,” she ordered “You’re going to have fun”
God, get over yourself, Laurel! “I know Sorry It’d beto the same dance, especially since we all look seriously awesome”
“Yeah, it would” Parker decided to draw some of the curls from the sides to clip them in the back “But we’ll meet up after and party When we’re done we’ll co Here, take a look”
She turned Laurel to the irls studied themselves and each other
“I do look great,” Laurel said and h
After the most perfunctory of knocks, the door opened Mrs Grady, the Browns’ longtime housekeeper, put her hands on her hips to take a survey
“You’ll do,” she said, “which you should after all this fuss Finish up with it and get yourselves downstairs for pictures You” She pointed a finger at Laurel “I need a ith you, young lady”
“What did I do?” Laurel de from friend to friend as Mrs Grady strode away “I didn’t do anything” But since Mrs G’s as law, Laurel rushed after her
In the fa rooht as her heart tripped And she cast her ht have earned her one from the woh her teenage years
“So,” Mrs Grady began as Laurel hurried in, “I guess you think you’re all grown-up now”
“I—”
“Well, you’re not But you’re getting there The four of you’ve been running ta to change, with all of you going your oays At least for a ti school”
Her heart took another trip, then suffered the pinprick of a deflated dreaoing to try to take some courses at the—”
“No, you’re not” Again, Mrs G pointed a finger “Now, a girl your age in New York City best be smart and best be careful And from what I’m told, if you want to make it at that school you have to work hard It’s s and cookies”
“It’s one of the best, but—”
“Then you’ll be one of the best” Mrs G reached in her pocket She held out a check to Laurel “That’ll cover the first seh food to keep body and soul together You irl, or you’ll answer to me If you do what I expect you’re capable of, we’ll talk about the next term when the time comes”
Stunned, Laurel stared at the check in her hand “You can’t—I can’t—”
“I can and you will That’s that”
“But—”
“Didn’t I just say that’s that? If you let me down, there’ll be hell to pay, I proe, and Mackensie’s dead set on working full-tiot a different path, so you’ll take it It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“More than anything” Tears stung her eyes, burned her throat “Mrs G, I don’t knohat to say I’ll pay you back I’ll—”
“Da of yourself It’s up to you now”
Laurel threw her ar “You won’t be sorry I’ll make you proud”
“I believe you will There now Go finish getting ready”