Page 125 of Let's Pretend I'm Okay

Mama sighs. “I knew you’d ask me about that again.”

I reach for a couple washcloths and fold them too. “I owe Annie.”

Mama shakes her head. “You don’t owe anyone anything.”

“I need to do this,” I say. “I know Annie was supposed to learn a lesson, but you and I both know she won’t run off again.”

Mama is quiet, but that’s good. It means she’s thinking. It’s not an immediate no. “I’ll have to talk to Papa.”

I rush to hug her. “Thank you!”

“I didn’t say you could go.”

I squeeze her tighter. “You know Papa is going to say yes.”

She laughs. “You have us all wrapped around your finger, don’t you.”

I let go and race to the door.

“Wait, take your clothes with you,” Mama says.

I circle back and pick up my pile of clean clothes. I can’t hide my grin, and my body bounces with every step back to my room.

Annie is back and going through my collection of earrings, trying to find a pair that matches the dress.

“Guess what,” I say.

“What?”

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure we will get to go to the Broken Sage concert.”

She gasps and her jaw drops. She covers her mouth. “No!”

“Yes!” I say, throwing my clothes down and wrapping my arms around her. We jump up and down like two little kids. Annie is smiling. The corners of her eyes crinkle, and she’s blushing.

I turn on Broken Sage’s latest album, and we sing and dance until we’re falling over from laughing.

This is us.

This is how I want us to be remembered.

Annie drops me off at the restaurant at five. My dress flutters in the wind as I walk inside with a white clutch in my hands. It’s a beautiful restaurant, one with tall ceilings and cloth napkins folded around each set of silverware. There’s a soft glow coming from the lights, but nothing too bright.

“Do you have a reservation?” The hostess asks me.

I nod. “I’m with Daniel Hansen.”

She looks down at the guestbook. “He’s here. Let me show you where you’ll be sitting.”

I follow her into the seating area. Daniel is in the center of the room and stands when he sees me. “Hey,” he says.

“Hello,” I say, smiling brightly.

His hair is brushed back, and he’s wearing a blazer with a button-up shirt and jeans. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

So I smile bigger, hoping that my happiness will rub off on him. I give him a hug and kiss his cheek.

He pulls out my chair for me and then sits across from me. He opens his menu, but he isn’t reading it. He’s staring at the same item for too long.

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