Then she turned toward them. "He's my prom date. And no, I'm not blind."
She was the head cheerleader, the prettiest girl in school.
One of the boys looked at the floor. Another found his shoelace interesting.
I felt tears sting my eyes.
Charlotte squeezed my hands once. "Pick me up Saturday at seven."
I nodded like my life depended on it.
***
On the drive home, my aunt and uncle looked at my face and knew before I opened my mouth.
We found the best suit we could afford. Uncle Ray ironed his own shirt three times, even though he wasn't the one going to prom.
We found the best suit we could afford.
On Saturday night, when Charlotte opened her door in a pale blue dress, every practiced sentence left my body.
She smiled. "You look really good, Tyler."
"You do too," I said, which was nowhere near enough.
