Breaking Dawn Read Free Page B

hair. ‘Can I pretend that Brian is my date too?’
    I laugh. ‘We’re all going together.’
    ‘I know. I just feel like a third wheel.’
    I turn and look at him. ‘Without my third wheel, I couldn’t drive.’
    Yeah, it was kind of corny, but it was true. I had come to depend on Perry a little too much, I guess.
    I stand up and do a quick ‘look at me’ twirl and then Perry offers his arm for me to take. After all, a princess needs an escort, doesn’t she?
    We walk downstairs where Brian is waiting. I watch Brian as I descend the stairs, his eyes open wide as he catches his breath. I am excited and nervous at the same time. The butterflies in my stomach are flying wild and I am feeling a bit light-headed; but oh, Brian looks so good in his tux.
    All three of us have to take a few minutes to pose for Mom’s pictures. I think this is as big a night for her as it is for me. As we bundle up in our coats, Dad is giving us a short safety lecture about drinking and being responsible. Basically, he’s telling us not to do all the stuff he and Mom did on their prom night. But I won’t go into detail about that, because I still can’t face the fact that my parents still have sex. I want to think that adults only have sex to have kids and once the kids arrive, that’s the end of it. I still like to think like that, even though I know different. That night when I caught them in ‘the act’, the night before I started high school, traumatised me.
    When at last we made our escape, we went out into the cold night air to climb into the white stretch limo. Brian’s parents had rented it for the occasion. Inside the limo there was Gary Garrison, Brian’s best friend, and his date Terri Morganstein. We all knew each other. Never spoke to each other, but we co-existed peacefully enough.
    ‘What’s up Perry?’ Gary says, putting his arm around Terri. ‘Where’s your date?’
    Perry looks at me sheepishly, ‘I’m the third wheel tonight.’
    ‘You should hook up with Carla Driver. She’ll be there.’
    Perry and I exchange amused smiles. ‘I don’t think so,’ he says.
    ‘Suit yourself.’ He looks to Brian. ‘Hey man, didn’t you forget something?’ He points to Terri’s corsage.
    ‘Oh.’ Brian leans forward to get into the little refrigerator.
    I look over to Perry and catch him staring fixated on Brian’s bum. For a minute, I got a bit jealous that my best friend was checking out my date. When Brian sits back with the corsage in his hand, Gary speaks up.
    ‘Hey man,’ he says to Perry. ‘Were you checking out Brian’s ass?’
    Perry snaps his head up and looks at Gary. ‘No!’ He feigns disgust.
    Brian looks at Perry. He seems more confused then anything.
    ‘Brian, he was staring at your ass, man.’ Gary insists.
    ‘No, I wasn’t!’ Perry shoots back. ‘I wasn’t looking at anything. I was just daydreaming.’
    ‘Yeah. About Brian’s ass.’
    ‘Knock it off Gary,’ Brian says firmly. ‘Leave him alone.’
    ‘Brian, I wasn’t looking –’
    ‘I know you weren’t bro. He’s just being an asshole.’
    Gary huffs and turns his attention back to Terri, who is giggling through it all. Brian turns to me and takes the pink and white corsage from the plastic box. I put out my hand for him to slip it onto my wrist.
    ‘I can’t believe I almost forgot this,’ Brian says.
    ‘I love it,’ I say and reach over to show Perry, who acknowledges the corsage with a little smile then occupies himself by staring out the window.
    On the drive to the dance, we talk about stuff and Perry keeps watch out the window, deliberately keeping out of any conversation. I can tell that he has been embarrassed. And I know Perry well enough to know that this won’t just pass in a heartbeat. It will eat him up inside for days.
    When the driver pulls up to the gym entrance, we all file out of the limo. I take Brian’s arm and when I reach for Perry as he steps out, he just looks away.
    Actually, that hurt me a