Page 12 of Break

Mina’s head shakes incredulously. “But…”

Leaning forward and settling my hand on her arm, her muscles jump under my fingers. “Come on, it’ll be fun. You can get a pretty dress and meet me over here. We planned to ride together, the four us with our dates.”

“Oh, umm… I’d have to check with my parents.” She bites her lip, nervous and still shocked by my invitation.

“You do that and let me know tomorrow if it’s a no-go. No big deal either way, but I think it’ll be good for you too. Get out and have a little fun for a change.” I see a little spark of excitement light up her face.

“Okay. I’ll ask.” She pauses after standing up and looks down at me. “Thank you, Max, for the invitation.” Then she whirls around and takes off toward her house. Odd girl, but I do feel a little more at ease now. I won’t have to go stag, or worry about going on a real date so soon after Raquel and I broke up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In hindsight, bringing Mina as my prom date probably wasn’t the best idea.

After she left me sitting on Danny’s front porch earlier this week, the guys showed up and when I told them, the response I got was chilly. Ethan didn’t seem to have a problem with it. But hewasconfused by my choice, pointing out that I’ve always acted like I couldn’t stand her.

Vincent just laughed like I was telling him a joke, then sobered up when he saw I was being serious.

Danny. Well, Danny was fucking pissed. The first few days were filled with snide remarks that he played off as teasing. Then the next few, he ignored me and was pissed off with everyone. Finally, yesterday, he snapped out of it and acted like nothing was wrong. It seemed that he got over the fact that she was tagging along until she showed up at the house before we took off in the limo.

I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t shocked to hell when she stepped up to us on the sidewalk. Her dress is a pale blue color that, at first glance, seemed reserved, until you actually took a good look. Hugging her body, the dress flowed down around her feet; long sleeves clinging to her arms. But where the surprise came in was the low scoop-neck, hinting at the swells of her breasts and the delicate curve of her collarbone. Mina has been hiding a woman’s body under those poor excuses of button-up shirts and long, baggy skirts.

After my moment of shock, I noticed the tension emanating from my friends behind me. Pulling Mina up to my side, I turned us to face everyone and saw Ethan and Vincent wearing concerned looks, flicking their eyes toward our friend.

Danny was furious. His eyes weren’t on me or on Mina. He was focused on where my hand was cupping her elbow.

Ignoring him, I led her to the limo parked along the street and got us settled inside. The guys followed with their dates, and we did the ride to prom in an uncomfortable, awkward silence.

Now we’re here. Mina is shuffling on her feet from side to side, visibly distressed by the tension radiating all around us. Glaring at everyone, I finally break. “Guys!” I snap out. “What the hell is everyone’s problem?”

Mina is strung taut, like she’s about to flee from the predators surrounding her.

Vincent clears his throat, tosses an apologetic look toward Mina, then confesses. “Dude, it’s not that we have a problem. It’s just…” He trails off and glances at Danny. “There just may be a bit of a conflict.” Taking a step toward me, he lowers his voice so only I can hear. “I didn’t know about it until right before we left Danny’s place.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, so fucking confused.

Vincent frowns when he looks over my shoulder. A second later, I feel a gentle hand slide over my shoulder from behind.

Looking behind me, my mouth drops open when I see Raquel standing there with a radiant smile. She’s dressed to the nines in an ivory beaded mermaid dress, clinging to her tits and hips. My eyes run down her body and then back up to meet her eyes. “What the hell? What are you doing here?” I ask, turning my back to the guys and giving her my full attention.

Her smile turns to a smirk when spies Mina, then widens even more when she’s looking back at me. “Baby, it’s yourprom!How could I not be here for this?” She steps closer and slides her hands up my chest, then links them behind my neck. Leaning closer, she whispers, “When Danny called me-”

Jerking back, I look back at him. “You called her? When?Why?”

Huffing out an irritated noise, he rolls his eyes. “I called her on Wednesday. You were all bent out of shape over you all breaking up. I thought I’d do you a favor and get you your girl you had planned on bringing here tonight.” I narrow my eyes at Danny, his hands held out like he needs to defend himself. “What? Are you actually pissed at me for doing something nice for you? I thought that’s what you would have wanted.”

Raquel’s hands cup my cheeks and she turns my face toward her. “Did I make a mistake? Do you not want me here?”

My stomach turns over. I’m fucking speechless over this, and I can barely organize my thoughts. But I know for sure that I’m not pissed she’s standing in front of me. It wasn’t me who wanted to break up to begin with, so I’m quick to reassure her. “No!No, I’m not upset you’re here. It was just a really big fucking surprise, is all.”

A small squeak sounds from just behind my shoulder and I try to look back, but Raquel keeps my face planted firmly between her palms. Pressing a light kiss to my lips, she pulls back and looks up at me. “Sweet! We’re gonna have an amazing night, baby.”

Forcing out a smile, I give her a slight nod and let her pull me toward the dance floor as she calls back to everyone, “We’re going to dance!”

We’re only a few feet away when Danny’s voice stops me. “No hard feelings, Mina. It was really nice of you to step in for a bit to help us get him here. You okay getting home?”

Goddamnit. Mina. I’m such a fucking asshole.

Turning back toward her, I try to catch her eyes, but can’t see her clearly because Danny’s put himself between us, blocking her. “Mina,” I call out.

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