Unhinged by Timberlyn Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

afraid to tell you that you’re
just not my type.”
    I laughed, releasing
the breath I’d been holding.
    “What time will you be
home?” Chloe asked. “And yes, I’ve got something that’ll work, you just have to
trust me.”
    “I won’t leave here
until six or so.”
    “Well, grab dinner on
your way home and I’ll work my magic.”
    “What do I do about a
date?” I asked. It was one thing to find a dress, something else entirely to
conjure up a date on such short notice.
    “What about Aaron?”
    Hmm… That wasn’t a bad
idea actually. He was my best friend, and I hadn’t asked him for any favors lately.
“I’ll call him.”
    “Text me and tell me
what he says. I’ll see you at home tonight.”
    I hung up without
saying goodbye, my stomach suddenly churning with nerves. I wasn’t worried that
Aaron would tell me no if I asked him to accompany me. The worry came from the
fact that he was so busy lately and I didn’t know what his plans were for
tomorrow night.
    But, I wasn’t going to
know until I tried.
    Pulling up the contact
list on my phone, I scrolled until I found Aaron’s number and hit dial .
    “What’s up, Buttercup?”
Aaron greeted on the second ring, a smile in his always cheerful voice.
    “I need a date,” I
blurted. I followed my little outburst with a nervous giggle. I could feel my
face heat. Thank goodness he wasn’t there to see me. He’d laugh.
    “What? Like to prom?”
he asked deadpan, and just like that all of my tension drained.
    Resting my forehead on
my palm, my elbow on my desk, I held the phone to my ear and took a deep
breath.
    “Yes, to prom,” I said
sweetly. “I need a date to prom.”
    “Awesome. Count me in.
When and where?”
    “I’m being serious,
Aaron.”
    “I know, doll. If you
weren’t serious, you wouldn’t’ve called me.”
    “That’s not true and
you know it,” I answered defensively.
    Aaron responded with a
snort.
    He was truly my best
friend. He understood me in ways even Chloe couldn’t. We had a long history
together and it started back when I met him in seventh grade. He was a new kid
at my school. A hot new kid at my school. I remember noticing him for
the first time. He’d been standing outside the principal’s office and I had
been going there for who knows what. As I passed, he tossed me a smirk and a
muttered hello. Needless to say, Aaron was the first boy I ever noticed .
Tall and gorgeous, I’d been in love at the first hello.
    Me and the rest of the
seventh-grade female population.
    It wasn’t until high
school when Aaron came out of the closet that I realized we’d been destined to
be friends. He admitted that he’d known that all along, but he hadn’t wanted to
hurt my feelings. Being rejected by a guy was mortifying, especially in high
school, and Aaron had made sure never to do that to me. So, when he told me he
was gay, I can’t say that I was shocked. Relieved, maybe. Although I had
reprimanded him for not telling me sooner. I had spent the better part of
junior high thinking there was something wrong with me.
    And from that moment
on, my attraction to him fizzled and turned into a love that I’d never known
for another person who was not my mother or father. Aaron was my best friend, I
loved him like a brother and I would do anything for him. I considered myself
lucky, because I knew he’d do the same for me.
    “What shall I wear?” he
asked.
    “A tux.”
    “Seriously, Payton? You
can’t just invite me to a cool party, can you? Always makin’ me dress up and
shit.”
    “I know. I’m sorry.”
The last time we’d gone out had been our senior prom, so he wasn’t joking.
    “No worries. It’s about
time I donned a tux again. Mark won’t know what hit him when he sees me.”
    There was so much truth
in that statement. Aaron was an attractive guy, there was no doubt about that.
But when he dressed up… he was irresistible.
    But again, not the
point. “You don’t even know when the party is,” I told