Her Dad’s Best Friend

Chapter 21

“Let me do your hair and makeup. You’ll feel like a new woman.” She has a dress on a hanger. “And All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

you’re wearing this tonight.”

It’s a scandalously short red dress with a deep neckline.

“That’s not a dress. That’s an embarrassed towel.”

“You’re wearing it tonight.”

I don’t have the energy to argue with her. She does some kind of complicated twist thing with my hair,

spraying hairspray everywhere.

“Look up.” She does my eyeliner and the rest of my face, occasionally giving me commands when I

need to raise or lower my chin. She worked in a department store selling makeup for a while.

“Look in the mirror.”

I look the prettiest I’ve ever been, but I’m depressed because Link will never see this.

“You can have a fling tonight. One of the boys is going to want to take you home. And you won’t be so

sad.”

“Okay,” I say, even though I still don’t know if I’m up for it.

But Kelly takes 15 minutes to put together her look. She’s wearing a very short skirt and halter top, both

of them pretty shades of pink. She’s wearing sky-high heels. I have on a pair of kitten heels, because if

I’m drinking, I don’t want to fall over.

We take the elevator down, then we’re in a car heading for frat row. I wish that she would just let me

buy some chocolate gelato and watch sad movies.

But it’s party time. It’s not that far away. The party is already in full swing. I can hear the bass out here.

There are some guys smoking out front.

We go in the front door, and Kelly sees some guy who she knows well enough to hug.

And then his tongue is in her mouth, which is my cue to leave. I waver, since we’re right at the front

door. I want to go home, but she has the keys. I decide to catch a taxi. She can have fun, but I’m too

sad to be good company for anybody.

I slip out the front door. The guys smoking out there are heading in, so I wait until they file past me.

The last one in line says, “Why are you sad?”

Just that question is enough to make me feel a little teary.

“I just need to go home, that’s all.”

“Come on outside. I’m a psych major, so I’m a pretty good listener.”

I turn and look at Kelly, who is straddling that guy in a corner. They’re humping each other, but they are

far from the only couple who is getting down and dirty right now.

“Okay.” I’m planning on calling an Uber, but I can wait until I talk it out for a while. My Uber driver will

probably give me a bad star rating if I start blubbering in his backseat.

We sit down on the front steps.

“What’s going on, hon?”

“I just…I got involved with someone I shouldn’t have.”

“A professor?”

My head whips around. “No, nothing like that.”

“A TA?”

“Nah. It’s someone else.”

“Your priest?”