Chapter 39 - A Million Rainbows

Kyle was at my locker before lunch. Ever since he was permitted to be seen with me at school, he would find me during the day between classes to say hi. It was my favorite thing.

He held a piece of paper out to me. “This is what we’re doing for my birthday.”

I took the paper and lifted a smile. “I think you’re supposed to ask me.”

He squinted playfully. Regretfully. “Wait, was that not the proper way to ask?” He moved in, taking the books I was holding. He placed them on the shelf in my locker and reached for my hands. “Brianna Dover, would you please do me the honor of going to prom with me?”

The smile plastered on my face was too big and too ridiculous for school, but I was past caring about that. “Yes, I would love to.”

“Yeah?” He wrapped me in a hug, kissing my cheek.

“Yeah, you were never going to let me say no to that,” I said with a laugh.

Kyle let go. “You didn’t look like you wanted to say no.”

I glanced down at the flyer again, feeling a little apprehensive. I didn’t want to tell Kyle what I was worried about. I knew what he would say. I knew what he would do.

He closed my locker and put an arm around my shoulder, and we headed toward the cafeteria. “Dover, don’t for one second worry about the dress.”

I slumped. “Kyle, you can’t buy me a dress. I’ll go to the thrift store.”

He laughed. “Nope. I’m not going to buy you a dress. And you are not going to the thrift store.”

I was in the guest bedroom at Kyle’s house, staring at my reflection in the floor-length mirror Sue had propped against the wall.

I was hardly recognizable. I kept putting my glasses back on to check if it was just my blurry eyes distorting things, but with better vision, I looked even more amazing.

Emily had done my makeup. I had advised her to go light on the contouring, so it was a little more natural and a little more my style. But she had still worked some kind of fairy godmother magic on me.

And the dress I was wearing was also something out of a fairy tale.

Sue had let me borrow a dress from her bridal shop. It was two floors full of gorgeous, fancy, way-too-expensive-for-me-to-even-be-looking-at dresses, and she told me to pick any one I wanted without worrying about the money. It had been a dream.

The dress I chose was a beautiful sleeveless bridesmaid’s gown. The bodice was covered in pretty lace appliques, and the fabric was sheer and see-through where it touched my shoulders. The bottom flowed out into a soft, layered tulle skirt that swept the floor with my every move.

I smiled at Charlie, who was standing beside me. She had on her Elsa dress and we both looked like princesses today. “What do you think? Do you like the color?” I had picked the soft rose color I was wearing just because of Charlie.

“I love it!” she exclaimed with a big, toothy grin.

“Can you zip it for me?”

I moved to the bed and Charlie climbed up so she could reach the back closure of my dress.

“Thank you, Charlie.” I turned to give her a hug, then stepped back, admiring my beautiful little sister, who was all sweet with smiles. “Do you know how incredibly lucky I am to have you as a sister?” I asked.

Charlie beamed.

“I love you, Charlie,” I said, wrapping her in another hug.

She squeezed her small arms around me. “I love you, Bree.”

“Can we come in?” Sue called. She and Mom were waiting outside the door.

“Yeah, come in.”

“Oh Lord, don’t you look beautiful!” cried Sue. She had a camera around her neck, and she snapped a few candid photos of me.

Mom put her hands to her face and cried.

I twirled, letting the dress bloom out a little. “What do you think, Mom?”

She nodded and cried some more. “You look beautiful, Brianna.”

“Mom, you have to stop crying. I’m going to ruin my makeup.” It was a futile request, impossible for both of us. I reached for a box of tissues on the dresser, handing one to Mom.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a “Can I come in?” from Kyle.

“Kyle, you go wait downstairs,” said Sue.

I twisted to her with a frown, completely opposed to that idea. “Wait, no. I want to see him.”

“All right,” said Sue with a quiet chuckle. “I suppose we’ll wait for your wedding day to worry about such superstitions. Kyle, you’ve been authorized to enter.”

Kyle stepped in. He was wearing a crisp, tailored, black tuxedo with a pocket square and bow tie matching the same rose color as my dress.

I already had a tissue at my eyes because of Mom, and upon seeing Kyle, I just held it there, letting it soak up the tears that fell.

Kyle was a vision. A strikingly gorgeous, dapper Prince Charming, adding yet another layer of magic to this fairy-tale dream I was in. And the way his eyes sparkled when he saw me left me wondering how I ever got here.

“Wow,” he said breathlessly, scanning me with a look of awe. He stretched out his hand to me.

Kyle spun me around, my dress flowering out at my ankles. With a slight tug on my arm, he pulled me into him. “Why don’t we just skip prom and take the limo to a hotel instead?” he said, nuzzling a kiss near my ear.

“Oh my god, Kyle. Our moms are in here.” A flush of heat traversed my cheeks.

He kept kissing me, undeterred. I laughed and pushed out of his arms because I definitely wasn’t comfortable being this brazen right in front of our mothers.

“Can I give you your birthday gift before we go?” I asked Kyle.

“We’ll wait downstairs,” said Sue. “But don’t be too long. I want pictures.”

Mom gave me another quick hug before leaving. Charlie was a step behind her, and Kyle playfully ruffled her copper curls as she passed by, making her giggle.

“God, you look gorgeous,” he said once they had gone.

I smiled and sat down on the bed, Kyle following me. “It’s trickery,” I said, waving a hand over my face and dress.

“Ah, so she’s bewitched me?”

I laughed. “Someone certainly has.” I reached for Kyle’s present on the nightstand beside me and handed it to him. “Happy eighteenth birthday, Kyle. I’m sorry. This isn’t much. The day you were born should be a national holiday, as far as I’m concerned. And this should be gold, but …”

He nudged me with his elbow. “Bree, you don’t have to apologize every time you give me a gift.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said, making a note of that because he sounded serious about it. “Well, it’s better than the scarf, at least. I bought this.”

“Fuck that. I love that scarf. I want a collection of your scarves.” He kissed me before opening the small jewelry box.

I had gotten him a bracelet. There were two matching ones in the box. They were thin, brown, leather strap bracelets with bronze closures.

“Turn it over,” I instructed. I had spent way too much money on them, getting them personalized and everything.

Kyle picked one up. The underside of the leather band was inscribed with a secret message: Now and Forever, K & B

“The other one’s for me,” I said, leaving it in the box to put on later since it wouldn’t go with my dress.

“Now and forever,” muttered Kyle. He picked up the bracelet, and I helped him get it on. With the clasp secure, he took my hands in his. “This is going to be true, you know that?”

I smiled. “Yeah, I want to believe that. I kind of have to believe it.” I pulled in a shaky breath. “Otherwise, I might have to use some of this fairy-tale magic that’s been bestowed upon me tonight and whisk you away. Lock you in a secret tower, so I can keep you forever.”

“Let’s do that,” said Kyle, with a playful flicker of his eyebrows and a cute pinch of his dimples. His expression sobered. “The world will be our fairy tale, Bree. I can at least promise you I will try to make that happen.”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding in solidarity. “I can promise that too.”

He kissed me and got up, offering me his hand. “Your carriage awaits, my lady.”

We did the whole photo session thing with Kyle’s mom and dad, and with Mom and Charlie, too.

Since meeting her at the hospital, Sue had been making efforts to befriend Mom. It wasn’t easy. I knew Mom was hesitant and more than a little intimidated by the beautiful, successful Sue Roberts.

But that natural ability Kyle had at making people feel like they were good enough, well, he had gotten that wonderful trait from his mother, and Mom was starting to relax around her a little.

Plus, Mom knew she had to put in some effort and try to be friendly toward this lovely family. Because I told her they were the reason we never saw a single bill from Charlie’s hospital stay, even for the stuff our insurance didn’t cover.

Kyle’s mom and dad rented us a huge stretch limo, and we went around and picked up as many of Kyle’s friends that would fit. Thankfully, Emily and Jason were included in that group.

Emily was a mix of sexy and classy in a red dress with spaghetti straps and a thigh-high slit, showcasing her porcelain legs. She had done my makeup earlier in the day, but we both squealed with happiness when we saw each other’s dresses for the first time.

The limo was loud with music and laughter. The prom was even louder, with more of the same. I was being quiet, taking it all in, trying to hang onto every minute, every memory.

The Starry Night theme that was chosen for prom was a magical scene. A dreamy moonlight glow flooded the banquet hall. The room was all stars and glitter, with a twinkle of starlight covering the ceiling and a spray of sparkles on the dance floor.

Jason was off somewhere with a friend, and Emily and I were sitting together at our table.

I kept losing Kyle to everyone else in the school who also loved him. But Kyle was the type of person you felt like you had to share. A life with Kyle was a life of accepting that fact. He wasn’t meant for just me; he was meant for the world.

But I got him all to myself for every couple’s dance. In fact, he insisted that we danced to each and every one and was pulling me onto the floor every time a slow song played.

Emily was chatting away about Jason. They were making plans for each other, too. They were both staying in town. She was going to beauty school and Jason was going into a trade school. And they were hoping to get an apartment together this summer. I was a little jealous of how easy and simple she was making it all seem.

Lyndsay was a few tables over from us, sitting with some friends, Taylor among them. Since the boxing match at Christmas, they hadn’t tried to get physical again. It had been a few weeks since I’d heard from them at all. And with such a substantial portion of the school in attendance tonight I figured it would be safe.

I blew out my nerves and got up.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” I said to Emily.

I crossed the room, a little wary because of the hot darts Taylor was firing from her beady eyes, but I pressed on.

Lyndsay looked absolutely gorgeous. Her dress was two pieces. The top, a rhinestone-studded silver bralette. The bottom, navy satin splashed with specks of silver glitter. Her whole look was a starlit night like she had planned to match the theme of the evening, which I was sure she had.

I was glad our school didn’t do prom king and queen because the beautiful, perfect Lyndsay and the beautiful, perfect Kyle would have been paired up for sure.

She didn’t say anything when I pulled out the chair beside her, but her big sparkly, gorgeously long-lashed eyes rolled to the back of her head and were saying, What the fuck do you want?

I ignored her inner dialogue and sat down. “Hey, congratulations on being named Valedictorian.”

She rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, you too.” That was said without an ounce of sincerity—just what I expected from Lyndsay.

The school had split the honor between us, giving the title to both Lyndsay and me.

It wasn’t exactly fair, and I knew it.

Because, besides being head cheerleader, Lyndsay was on countless teams and clubs at school. And I knew she had taken just as many AP classes as I had. I also knew how much work it was to keep up my GPA. It would have been impossible if I had tried to fit in all the extra stuff she had.

“It should have been you,” I said.

She gave me a bored look.

“Really. I mean that. You take on way more than I could ever handle. I do jack shit but study.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she said. And this time I heard just a smidge of candor in her voice.

“Yeah, so. I think you should be the one to give the speech at graduation.”

She rolled her eyes over to me. They were expectant. Hopeful.

Lyndsay wanted this title more than I did. The title wasn’t important to me. I had been reaching for the stars, just for the off chance I might land on a few puffy white clouds. That had been my only goal.

“Yeah?” she asked with a small smile that almost touched her eyes, and I realized, with a lot of regret, it might have been the first smile I’d seen on Lyndsay all year.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s yours.”

She had been slumped in her chair, and she sat a little straighter. “Hey, if you want to help write the speech …” She shrugged. “I’m not so sure I’ll be able to pull off a positive, life-affirming message right now.”

“Ha, well, I might be the wrong person to ask there. But yeah, sure, I would love to help.”

I had a good idea about who I could draw inspiration from if I needed help with a motivational, uplifting speech about living life and being happy.

A slow song played around us, and I knew that same person would be somewhere nearby.

And he was.

Kyle touched my shoulder. “Lyndsay, you look beautiful tonight,” he said.

Lyndsay rolled her eyes again, but she blushed and smiled a little. “Thanks, Kyle. And happy birthday.”

He nodded, and they briefly shared a sad, personal moment together, making me a little jealous, but the ever-present tinge of guilt was worse.

“I’ll text you with a draft in a couple of days,” I said to Lyndsay, getting up. “I hope you have a good night.”

Kyle led me to the dance floor, deep into the sea of couples, far and out of range of Lyndsay’s table, and I was okay that he had done that on purpose.

He put his arms around me and hugged me to him, stepping with the music. “Have I told you how incredible you are?”

I happily leaned into the kiss he was pressing at the side of my neck. “Not within the last ten minutes, so thanks for the reminder.”

“I want you to believe me when I say it.”

I looked into Kyle’s eyes. “I believe you believe it. I also believe you’re delusional.”

He gave me a frumpy, disappointed frown. “You know what I can’t wait for?”

“I don’t know. What?”

“I can’t wait for the day when you’re killing it at your job. When you’re raking in the dough. Buying your own diamond earrings. That not-too-distant future, where you don’t feel the need to say stuff like that anymore.”

“Diamonds,” I muttered, pretty positive there was no future where I would be wasting money on diamonds, but I was sure Kyle would oblige.

I searched his eyes for doubt; it wasn’t there. “I love how you say that with so much certainty.”

“Well, I am certain. I’m certain about a lot of things when it comes to you, Dover.”

“Me too,” I said. “You’re kind of amazing, Kyle.”

Kyle’s dimples pinched. “I am?”

“Yeah, you are.” I wiped at the corners of my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m crying because I feel so hopeful. So hopeful, yet so sad. What’s up with that?”

“I think that’s your level,” said Kyle with a small wink. “Because I don’t feel sad.”

I was amazed by that. “No? Not even a little?”

Kyle looked confused. “Why would I be sad? The most beautiful girl in this room is dancing with me, and I think I might be able to persuade her to go home with me tonight.”

I took that compliment with a small shake of my head.

“Tonight feels like the beginning of the end,” I said. “It’s funny because I’ve been waiting my whole life for this end. And now I just want to stop time, so it’ll go on forever.”

“No, you don’t,” said Kyle. He shook his head and stared into my eyes. “Because nothing about tonight is the end. And me and you have an amazing future ahead of us. A future that I’m pretty excited about.”

I wiped a speck of glitter from Kyle’s shoulder, my mind replaying the past few months I’d spent with him, getting to know him, falling in love with him. Every moment, recalled with absolute joy. “Yeah, a future with Kyle Roberts has got to be an amazing thing.”

“It will be,” he said with a sure nod.

I smiled. “Yeah, it will be.”