Looking down, I brushed at the skirt of my dress, wondering if I had missed a stain or a tear. Seeing nothing, I looked at Max who shrugged his shoulders, equally puzzled. I patted my hair uncomfortably, wondering if they suspected we had been making out since my hair was now down, although there was no way they could know it was braided originally.
Max grabbed my hand as we approached our friends who slowly began to talk again, recovering from whatever had triggered their silence.
“You look nice,” Rebecca said, coming over to give me a brief hug.
“Thanks,” I said, still feeling uncomfortable.
Rebecca’s greeting seemed to break the ice as a new song started and the chatter once again rose loudly throughout the space.
Max kept my hand firmly wrapped in his, obviously still puzzled over the strange reception we had gotten.
I pushed my unease to the side, deciding to enjoy the luxury of being around Max. Glancing around the space, I saw Max’s mom and another lady I didn’t recognize refilling snacks on a long makeshift table that was resting on two giant wooden barrels. My eyes moved on, taking in the small dance floor that was empty as everyone stood around talking. I had been to a few dances over the years and was used to seeing the dance floors overcrowded as the entire student body bumped and grinded against each other. Since I had no rhythm, I usually avoided the dance floor like the plague, but I allowed Max to pull me to the empty floor when a slow song began to play. He looped his arms around my waist, interlocking his fingers together so I was pulled snugly against his chest.
“Hmm, this is nice,” I muttered as I rested my head against his heart.
“Yeah, I could definitely get used to this,” he said, pulling me more snugly against him.
I sighed with pleasure. Taking things slow would be a chore considering being in his arms felt so right.
“I think I should use the ladies’ room,” I finally said, pulling away reluctantly when the slow song ended and a faster one began.
“Okay, it’s inside the house. Do you want me to walk you in?” he asked as Clint called his name across the room.
“Nah, I got it. You go join your friends.”
I pulled the heavy barn door open, stepping into the chilly night air. I immediately began to shiver, missing the warmth of the space I had just left. Hurrying up the path, I entered the house without bothering to knock. The interior of the house had a classic feel to it and I instan
tly felt out of place, passing expensive antiques as I hunted for a bathroom. Coming up empty after passing several doorways, I sighed in frustration. I heard voices coming from the back of the house and went searching for help before my bladder got the best of me. I paused outside the large swinging doors as I heard my name mentioned, recognizing Max's mom's voice.
“She seems like a sweetheart,” I heard her say. I smiled at her words, pleased that she seemed to like me.
“And she’s quite pretty,” a voice I didn’t recognize said. “But I almost died when I saw her wearing the same dress Alicia wore last year. We had it specially, made so I know it’s the same one. The poor dear must have gotten it from the thrift store we donated it to when we did that big spring cleaning last year. Thank God all our kids have the couth not to mention it.”
Mortified by her words, I looked down at the dress I was wearing and began to feel sick at the ramifications of what she said. No wonder everyone looked at me like I was a leper when we walked in. They all knew I was wearing a used dress. I couldn’t help wondering if that’s what Clint had wanted to tell Max so badly. I slowly started to back away from the door until their words once again stopped me in my tracks.
“Well, it’s only to be expected. As sweet as Katelyn is, her mother is some piece of work,” Max’s mom continued.
“What do you mean?” the other voice asked, their enjoyment for gossip obvious.
“Well, she tried to buy cigarettes with her food stamp card a couple days ago. When Patty informed her it wasn't allowed, she went ballistic. Patty tried to explain that it was all computerized and that the transaction wouldn’t be approved anyway. She caused such a ruckus that Maxwell, who happened to be there, had to step in. He took her to the side to explain the situation, and if you can believe it, she tried hitting on him.”
“Oh my God, you're not serious?” the other voice said incredulously.
“I kid you not. I guess she thought she would be able to charm the cigarettes out of him.”
“And her daughter is dating your son?” the voice I was slowly beginning to hate asked, making her point clear.
“Well, we had our reservations at first, especially after this incident, but when we tried to talk to Max, he wouldn’t hear any of it. He seems to have an unnatural hate for her mom and told us in no uncertain terms that Katelyn is nothing like her. We’re going to trust his judgment, but this is one time that I’m hoping the apple does fall far from the tree, because if she’s like her mother she could have a hidden motive.”
“You think she would try to trap Max?” The voice asked.
Shaking with rage, I slowly backed away from the door, wanting nothing more than to get out of there. Just like always, Lucinda was ruining everything and taking me with her. I fled the house, not even bothering to confront Max. I couldn’t believe his mom thought I would try to trap him. I had so much more to worry about than trying to trick some guy into getting me pregnant. Her words ran through my head over as I hiked along the road. I would never consider tricking Max, but the possibility of getting pregnant wasn’t as farfetched as it seemed before our heavy make out session in his vehicle earlier. Who knows how far it would have gone if he wouldn’t have stopped?
I walked the long two miles home, feeling like I'd been sucker punched. I had no idea how I had let things get so out of control. This is exactly why I kept my personal life a secret. By the time I neared the entrance of the trailer park, I was shivering uncontrollably. The pain in my heart made the cold seem insignificant. I willingly embraced it, knowing it was a small price to pay for my actions. I was so lost in my self-punishment, I didn’t notice the vehicle until it was almost on top of me.
Screeching to a stop, Max jumped out of the vehicle looking frantic.
“Katelyn, what the hell is going on? You leave to go to the bathroom and never come back. Why did you leave?” he asked, grabbing onto my shoulders to halt me. “What happened?” he demanded, taking in my ashen face.