Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(43)

My eyes ached, but it was nothing compared to the burn in my chest. “Stop it.”

“Never. I’ve always been there, and I always will be. Who cares if I’m a little conceited? A little too honest? I show up for you because you’re one of the only people I care about. Isn’t that enough?”

“We’re friends, Dash. Don’t ruin that.” My voice was scratched, breaking. “Please. You don’t want me; you just want me because you feel threatened.”

His hand slammed into the locker beside my head, making me jump. “That’s it. Continue lying to yourself, and then maybe you won’t want me just as much as I want you, right?” He shook his head, searching, waiting for my response, but I kept my mouth shut. “Right.”

He stalked off, leaving me limp against the cool metal with my heart pounding a bruising beat and sucking back tears.





Peggy



The limo pulled up to the curb, and Mom quickly ushered us into position in front of the small hydrangea bush in our front yard.

Byron’s parents weren’t here. He said his dad was away on business, and well, his mom was still working some stuff out.

I didn’t pry. Partly because I knew Byron would talk to me about his mom when he felt comfortable, and partly because Dash, even though he wasn’t here, kept invading my every breath.

“Okay, a little closer,” Mom said. “That’s it. Cheese!”

We grinned, and I barely felt Byron’s arm around me as Mom took shot after shot, and when he shifted to lay a kiss on my forehead, Mom cooing behind her phone, I fought back a wave of exhaustion.

Daphne and Willa arrived a few minutes later, and I grabbed the layers of bubblegum tulle, my boots scuffing over the grass as I joined them and took in their dresses.

They’d decided upon matching cocktail attire, seeing as they’d decided to forgo dates and attend together. In shimmering bronze and plum, their skirts puffed out around their thighs as if they were wearing hoops beneath them.

I lifted the hem of Willa’s, discovering an abundance of tulle, and almost regretted not going shopping with them last Sunday. “These are amazing.”

“Check out the back,” Daphne said, spinning to display a large bow with tails draped over the sides of the skirt, ending right at the hem. “Cute, huh?”

“You girls look like sexy Easter princesses,” Mom said, snapping photo after photo.

“Easter?” Daphne questioned, her red lips thinning.

“Ignore her. You look incredible.” I reached out to touch one of Willa’s long curls.

They were both wearing fake lashes, and though I wished I’d done the same, I’d curled and applied a dozen layers of mascara to mine instead.

“Group photo.” Mom gestured for us to huddle.

Just as we smiled, another car pulled up. I heard doors shut and watched Mom’s face drain of color. “May?”

“Good evening, Peony.”

We spun around and saw Dash and his mother walking over the driveway toward us.

May sniffed, her chin rising as she surveyed our small house. “Good grief. It’s worse than I thought.”

“Great to see you too. You can go now,” Mom said, her hands moving to her hips.

“Sorry, Peeny.” Dash tugged at his sleeves. “She insisted on being here to take some pictures of her own.”

“Well, it’s my son’s last year of school. I’d think it perfectly understandable.” She opened her handbag, pulling out a camera the size of my head. “Now, how do I work this thing?”

Dash sighed, pulling at the lapels of his slate gray tux, then snatched the camera from her and clicked a few buttons.

Slowly, I shut my mouth, swallowing to rid the dryness that’d infested it.

Byron cleared his throat. “Um, Pegs? What’s he doing here?”

“Taking Peggy to homecoming,” Dash said.

My hands twitched when I saw he was wearing a bow tie. A bow tie the same color as my dress. Byron had decided against it when I’d offered the idea, saying he wasn’t a fan of pink. Dash definitely wasn’t a fan of pink, yet … I shook my head, blinking rapidly. “Dash, we spoke about this.”

“You spoke; I chose not to listen. Selfish, remember?” He winked, but he was anything but happy as his eyes settled on me, then moved to Byron.

May slapped at her arm. “Damn mosquitos. Let’s hurry this up before I catch malaria or something.”

“Catch malaria?” Mom asked, incredulous.

Knowing this couldn’t end any other way unless we all dived into the limo idling by the curb and left, I trudged over to Dash. “Make it snappy.”

May frowned, holding the camera up. “I don’t remember you being so snotty, Peggy Sue.”

“Probably because you paid no attention to anyone but yourself.” Mom was beside her, phone already poised. The sight of them together for the first time in years was startling. So different yet almost as if nothing had changed.

“Haven’t you got enough photos?” May grumbled, taking her twentieth or thirtieth as Byron stood with Willa and Daphne, scrolling through his phone. “Don’t be such a damn hog.”

“I can’t believe you actually just said that.”

May lowered the camera, turning to Mom. “Believe it, hog.”