Hard to Get by Emma Carlson Berne Read Free Book Online Page B

bodice was high-necked, with more black lace around the collar. Long sleeves with giant puffy shoulders finished it off.
    â€œI got it at the thrift store for last year’s Halloween but I wound up going as Dana Torres, remember?”
    â€œVaguely,” I replied, my eyes still fixed on the dress. It was so breathtakingly hideous, I just couldn’t look away. “Are you saying … ?”
    Kelly nodded. “Exactly. Not only doesthe winner wear the diamonds to prom but the loser wears this.”
    I let the dress crumple back onto the bed.
    â€œAnd these shoes.” She threw a pair of matching bright-purple fake leather pumps onto the bed.
    â€œWait, what happens if Becca and I lose?” I asked. “There’s only one dress.”
    Kelly frowned. “Yessss, that is a problem.” She thought for a minute, tapping her finger on her cheek. Then her face lit up. “I’ve got it. One of you wears the dress for the first half of prom, and one of you for the second.”
    â€œThis is serious,” Becca said, prodding the taffeta mass with one finger.
    â€œIsn’t that the point?” Kelly had that challenging note in her voice again. She looked over at me.
    I got to my feet. “You’re on,” I said immediately.
    â€œYeah!” she cried and held up her hands for us to slap.
    Just then the doorbell rang downstairs. “Oh, hey, it’s the pizza.” Kelly started toward the door.
    â€œI’ll get it,” I said, elbowing her out ofthe way. “Last time, you ate half of it before it got to the kitchen.”
    Kelly’s mom was weaving down the hallway, her usual martini in her hand. She smiled vaguely through her heavy black mascara. “Having a good time, girls?” she asked, looking past my left shoulder. A trickle of gin dripped onto the thick, cream-colored carpet.
    I looked around in case some other girls had materialized behind me. “Yeah, great, Mrs. Meade.” But she was already heading down the hallway, humming to herself, the martini glass tilting dangerously in her hand.
    I paid the pizza guy and, balancing the half dozen hot boxes on my hands, headed for the kitchen. On the way back, I cut through the den. Kelly’s older brother, Joseph, and a bunch of his friends were sunken deeply into the brown suede couches, playing Halo. The flickering blue and gray lights reflected off their intent faces in the darkened room. Joseph glanced up as I brushed by him.
    â€œHey, Val!” he greeted me enthusiastically. He slapped the cushion by his side. “There’s a controller here waiting for you.”
    I took a deep breath. Here was a chanceto practice the GNBP before the official start. I always hung out with Joseph and the guys at Kelly’s. He was pretty cute and we’d always had a little back-and-forth flirty thing going on, so this was perfect. With visions of the diamonds glittering from my ears, I arranged my face in a bland, neutral expression.
    â€œHey,” I muttered. My voice sounded a little strangled. I tried to nod seriously as I edged toward the door.
    The other guys glanced up. Curtis, Fuller, Laurence—all seniors, all the sexy soccer types, lean, blond, not too hairy. “Val!” Curtis yelled. “Get over here!” He reached out to pull me down on the couch next to him. I leapt back as if he was covered in lice.
    â€œWhoa! Uh, hi, Curtis!” I backed away. “I mean, hi, Curtis,” I said in a low voice. Did that sound flirty? I stood in front of them awkwardly, my hands dangling at my side. This was hard.
    Joseph stared at me curiously. “Hey, is everything okay?” he asked. “You seem kind of …weird.”
    â€œWhat? No! Weird? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered, tryingto keep my face set in the serious, bland expression. I could feel my left eyelid beginning to twitch.
    Now all the guys had stopped playing and were