Page 24 of Thick & Thin

We had a nice turnout. Some people I had only met a handful of times but who were friends with my dad and Devin. My gift table was loaded down, and the smell of barbecue filled the backyard while Devin manned the grill.

Lilly and Janice, Dad’s new girlfriend, filled the tables with homemade foods. A few women brought casseroles. And by the time I tossed my paper plate in the trash, I felt like I was going to burst. I ran around the yard with Emma, chasing her and playing tag to work off the massive amount of food I put down.

By the time the night was settling over the yard, people were leaving, and the ones who were staying had already popped a bottle and were laughing over old times with my dad.

“Shouldn’t you go in and get dressed? Aren’t you going to a party with Josh tonight?” Lilly asked from the kitchen sink when I went inside.

Six months before, Home Depot had showed up at our door and put in a brand-new high-tech dishwasher. She was loading it.

“Yeah. I’m about to go shower and throw something on now.”

She pressed the button on the dishwasher, starting it, and stood. She moved a hand to her lower back, bringing my eyes down to her pregnant stomach.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He’s just an active little guy.”

I grinned. “Like his daddy.”

“Oh, yeah.” She chuckled. “I’m definitely going to have my hands full.”

“I hate that I’m going to miss so much.”

“I’ll make sure to send you tons of pictures. It will be like you never left.”

“I know you’ll keep me updated, but it still sucks.”

I turned and started toward my room.

“Hey, Jen,” she called out, stopping me.

“Yeah?”

“I might have put something on your bed. Wear it to your party if you want. If you don’t, no hard feelings.”

Then she smiled and went out the back door and into the backyard with everyone else.

I went into my room to find a blue sundress on my bed. It wasn’t fancy, which I appreciated, and the seams were a little frayed on purpose, making it look comfy and used. It was made to look distressed, and I found myself liking it the longer I looked at it.

It was going to be my last night out with high school friends. Everyone was going their own ways. It was time I did something a little different. Fuck the consequences.

I grabbed the dress from my bed and went to the bathroom to wash the heat of the day from my skin. An hour later, I found myself standing in front of the mirror with my hair brushed out and down, a pair of white Converse on my feet, and wearing the cute blue dress Lilly had bought me.

It was different for me, but in a way, I liked it.

I was standing on the front porch when Josh’s black truck pulled into my driveway. I didn’t wait for him to get out. Instead, I went to the truck, pulled the passenger’s side door open, and climbed in.

After I shut the door and put on my seat belt, I turned to face Josh, finding him staring over at me like he had no clue who was.

“What?” I asked, annoyed.

“You look nice,” he said.

“Shut up. I look stupid.”

“You don’t, Jenny. I’m serious. You look really pretty.”

My skin heated. “Whatever. Lilly bought it for me, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. It’s no big deal.”

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