Page 18 of The Prom Queen Project
“What am I? Your dog?”
“Well, if the shoe fits…”
“Seriously?”
“Just stay.”
He raised his hands in defeat. “Woof.”
If I roll my eyes one more time today, I think they’ll get stuck like this.
Brushing aside my thoughts, I opened my bedroom door and softly closed it behind me. I stared at what essentially resembled the cover of a 2000s magazine if it had thrown up everywhere.
My walls were painted a dusty rose, accented by white and pink furniture throughout the room. In one corner stood an antique desk I had pleaded for when I was thirteen. My typewriter rested on it, surrounded by stacks of journals. A massive bookshelf loomed from floor to ceiling, overflowing with books. Funny thing was that the collection represented barely half of what I had read in my life, with many others stored away in boxes.
Across the room, pinned to a large bulletin board, were several of my favorite poems and excerpts from books I had typed and cut into small scraps. Against the back wall, directly opposite my bed, was a large flat-screen TV decorated with fairy lights.
I exhaled deeply as I looked around at the unconventional room I had managed to decorate. Quite unusual for your typicaleighteen-year-old, which was why I had never invited anyone inside.Ever. Sure, people had come over, but they had never gone into my room. I mean, when you had a massive living room, a snug library, a home theater larger than most nearby cinemas, and a backyard pool…hanging out in a bedroom didn’t seem all that appealing.
“Whoa.” I heard Elliot’s voice behind me. I turned around and saw him step through the door, his eyes widening as he took in the scene.
Why the hell didn’t I lock the door?
“I told you to stay!”
“Yeah, I don’t roll over so easily,” he said, his eyes still fixated on everything but me. “Your room…”
I picked at my nails. “What about it?”
“I figured you’d have, like, pom-poms and glitter in here or something. This is way cooler.”
My heartbeat settled into a steady rhythm as I exhaled in relief. A faint smile tugged at his lips. I watched as he spun around, taking it all in with awe. Keeping my head low, I walked over to my bag and pulled out my book.
“Let’s go.” I opened the door and motioned for him to leave. “Now.”
He stepped closer, his eyes piercing straight through me. Calling it vulnerability would be an understatement. Why couldn’t he just listen and stay in the hall?
I glared at him, my expression twisting into a sneer as his face hovered just inches from mine.
“Woof.” He smirked.
And just like that, he had left. I closed my eyes, trying to regain my sanity. Pushing aside my pride and mustering up the last bit of dignity I had, I followed behind him and closed my bedroom door, hoping that now that we had left, any memory of what just happened would drift away. I led the two of us over to thelibrary, and when we stepped inside, Elliot’s eyes popped out of his head. The reading room had a sleek, modern design, with gray bookshelves lining every wall except for one corner, where a desk and an iMac sat. At the center of the space, a large table commanded most of the attention—it was the first thing people noticed when they walked in. I pulled out a chair and sat down, with Elliot following suit.
An awkward silence settled between us as we opened our books, burying ourselves in the text. I knew I should have said something, but my pride was still too wounded to let me. So instead, I bit my tongue and quietly annotated my book. Every so often, I glanced up at Elliot, only to catch him already looking at me.
“Are you reading the book at all?”
“I’m trying to read your mind and absorb your smarts.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“And you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”
“Just focus on the book. I want to compare notes after each chapter to make sure you actually understand everything.”
He rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated yawn, stretching his arms above his head. Being with Elliot felt like having every single tooth ripped from my mouth without anesthesia. A few minutes later, my eyes flicked up from the book, and again I locked eyes with Elliot.
“Dude, seriously. Did you lose something over here?”
