Finding Laila: Some Changes are Necessary (27 page)

“Well,
I bet the runner up wasn’t too pleased with the pig’s blood being dumped on her
head and all,” I deadpan.

“She
screamed a little, but luckily we got out before Kasey went truly psycho,”
Bailey chimes in.

“Who’s
up for a swim?” I ask as I try to stand up, but Haden keeps me locked in place
when I look at him.

“We
didn’t finish our one and only dance.” He shrugs.

Oh, thank God!
I wasn’t finished with our dance either.

“And
I told you I was saving a dance for you,” Joey adds.

“Next
time,” I laugh but Braxton sides with the others.

“C’mon, Laila,” Ree goads.
“You know you can’t say no to these
guys.”

“Fine.”
I feign annoyance and stand up. “Who’s first?”

Braxton
jumps up and pulls out his phone while Joey runs inside to grab something. He
comes back out with a speaker and sets it on the ledge of the deck and attaches
Braxton’s phone to it.

“If
it’s okay with you, I’d like to finish dancing with my girl,” Haden says, never
taking his eyes off of me.

Everyone
remains on the deck, so we head back to finish what we started.

“Your
girl, huh?” I ask when we’re out of earshot.

“They’re
the only ones I’ll ever share you with,” he laughs.

“I
guess that makes me stingy because I don’t plan to share you at all.”

“Good,”
he answers.

“Haden?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank
you.”

“For
what?”

“For
making this year so special,” I smile.

“Thanks
for being worth it.”

“Can
I cut in?” Joey asks from behind me. Haden kisses my nose and hands me off to
Joey. He takes my hand in his and wraps his other around my waist but remains
still until his song for me begins to play.

“Aw,
you remembered,” I laugh as we start to move to “You’re my Best Friend” by
Queen. When I was younger, my mom was listening to their greatest hits and this
song came on. I listened to the words and was so excited that I ran the three
houses down to Joey’s to tell him that we had a song. Of course he laughed at
me and said friends don’t have songs, but I knew it was made just for us.

“Lai,
you have it as my ringtone when I call you,” he smirks as we dance awkwardly to
the beat. “I know the song.”

“You’re
the best,” I say and hug him tightly.

“I
know,” he agrees but pulls away as the song ends and spins me into the waiting
arms of Cole.

“And
what did you pick?” I ask with my hands playfully on my hips.

“Lai,
did I ever tell you you’re my hero?” he says with a straight face and I try
hard not to laugh.

“You
know you can lean on me,” I deadpan.

Everyone
is watching us with a strange curiosity and I wonder how long we can drag it
out.

“And
you can stand under my umbrella anytime,” he answers.

“Ella?”
I ask with neutral expression on my face.

“Ella,”
he adds.

“But
we’re just friends,” I answer in monotone.

“I
need help from my friends,” he says as Joe Cocker’s version of “With a Little
Help from My Friends” begins to play.

He
pulls me toward him and smiles as we sway to the music. Cole’s song selection
almost has me tearing up because it’s very unlike him. I feel like the luckiest
girl to have these people in my life. They are going out of their way to make
prom special, even if I didn’t get to the formal.

As
the song comes to an end, Haden rejoins me and gives me a hug while
conversations are going on. He dips his head and kisses my lips, but it’s interrupted—again—by
the sound of a familiar song and I laugh as Braxton steps in between us.

Everyone
starts dancing—or rather jumping around—to “Sweet Caroline” by Neil
Diamond and I can’t keep a straight face.

We
all hate this song, but our parents would get together, and after a drink or
two they would start reminiscing about their youth—and this song always
accompanied the memories. They would start dancing, singing, and laughing as
they belted it out as loudly as possible. We know this song, all of us, because
it was ingrained in us so young.

I’m
not sure how long we dance as everyone takes turns playing DJ before we finally
change into our swimsuits and spend the rest of the night hanging out the way
we always have—with a few extra people along for the ride.

“Did you have fun last night?” Mom asks
when I stumble down the stairs.

“Yeah,”
I yawn and wipe the sleep from my eyes. “Never made it to the prom though.”

“I
heard.”

“You
did?”

“Yeah,
Tara called looking for Haden and I told her that he and the boys were sleeping
in the living room. She kept apologizing for ruining his night—is there
something I should know?”

I
sit down at the barstool and rest my head in my
hands
as I shake my head no. Of course, when I look up at her, she’s still waiting
with that expectant mom look on her face.

“Later,
when everyone’s gone,” I whisper, making sure no one hears me. “The guys are
still in the living room?”

“Yeah,
and one of them was snoring like a trucker,” she scoffs before taking a sip of
her coffee.

“Been
around lots of truckers, huh, Mom?” I raise a brow and watch her stifle a
laugh.

“You
know me,” she shrugs.

“Does
Dad know about your trucker fetish?”

“He
didn’t tell you that’s how we met?”

“I
give up,” I laugh and stand up to get something to eat but she gives me a sly
grin so I wait to see why.

“What?”
she asks, maintaining her
composure.

“You’re
the one looking at me all crazy-eyed, so you tell me,” I say, mimicking her
stance.

“Something
came in the mail this morning.” She smiles and slides a large envelope over to
me.

If
I was tired, it’s gone now and replaced by the sudden rapid pounding in my
chest. My hands are clammy and I feel too warm in my pajama shorts and tank. I
look around to see if anyone else is up, but no one is. The entire future of my
academic career is just inside this piece of paper, and as soon as I open it
I’ll know whether I got into my first choice.

“Should
I stand here and watch or are you some sort of freakish teenager that can touch
the thing and know what it says?” She smirks.

“I
can’t do this right now, not with everyone here,” I say with a slight shake in
my voice. “I have to wait.”

“I
don’t,” she answers, snatching the paper from me.

“Mother,
give it back,” I say, louder than intended, and she laughs.

“You
said you can’t do it, but I can.”

“So
help me,” I warn as I narrow my eyes and smile because I know she has no
intention of opening it.

“So
help you what?” Haden asks, catching us both by surprise.

Mom
shoves the envelope behind her back, slips it onto the counter, and shrugs. “Oh
you know how she is,” Mom says. “Are you hungry, Haden?”

“I
could eat,” he says, taking a seat in the barstool I just vacated.

“Me,
too,” Joey says while stretching as he enters the kitchen.

“You
kids have a seat and I’ll get it together,” Mom says.

I
walk over to sit with the guys and slowly the rest of the crew enters and fills
up the kitchen table. It’s loud and there are at least three different
conversations going on at once. Dad strolls into the room and grabs the pot of
coffee and pours a glass but stops mid-pour and sets it down.

“Laila,”
he holds up the envelope, “what’s this? You didn’t open it yet?”

All
eyes turn to me and heat stings my cheeks. I don’t want an audience, but it appears
I have one.

“No,
I was going to wait.” I smile an uneasy grin.

“What
is it?” Braxton asks.

“It’s
a letter from Baylor,” Mom says with controlled excitement. “She’s scared to
open it.”

“Open
it, Lai,” Haden nods and smiles, encouraging me because he knows what this
could mean for us.

I
exhale loudly and take the envelope from Mom, and rip the opening back before
pausing. Everyone looks at me and waits until Joey nudges my arm, prompting me
to pull the piece of paper out.

Dear Laila,

Congratulations! On behalf…

“I
got in,” I scream and jump up and down. “Mom, I got in!”

“I’m
so proud of you,” she says with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She
wraps me into her arms and hugs me, followed by my dad, who hugs both of us.

Dad’s
eyes are glassy, but he clears his throat and manages to hide the emotion. One
by one, everyone hugs and congratulates me—everyone but Haden. He’s still
sitting in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin on
his face. He finally stands up, walks over to me, and pulls me into a big hug.

“Congratulations.”
He smiles before he kisses my cheek. “I knew you’d get in.”

“Thanks,”
I sigh, looking at the letter and reading the first word over again. “Now if we
can just get your letter in.”

“Actually,”
Joey punches him in the arm as he walks past, “someone already did.”

Haden’s
eyes widen with shock and the two exchange a look that piques my interest.

“Are
you serious? And you haven’t said anything?”

“Maybe
I didn’t get in,” he reasons.

“Yeah,
he did.” Joey nods his head.

“What?”
I gape, not even trying to hide my shock. “Haden! When did you find out? Where
did you get in?”

“I
found out a couple of days ago,” he admits while everyone watches us.

“So?”
I ask.

“So,
what?” He smiles, knowing that he’s getting me worked up.

“Haden
Searle, you better tell us where you got in,” I demand. There were only a few
places that he applied to, but I was never sure which was his first choice.

“TCU,”
he finally confesses. “I got into their Studio Art program.”

“Do
you know what this means?” I ask purely out of shock.

“That
we’ll be going to school less than two hours away from each other?” he says as
if it’s a question.

“No,
it means that you and Braxton are going to school together,” I tell him and
watch his ego deflate a little before I finish. “And yes, we’re only two hours
away. Wow,” I breathe out and look around at everyone wearing smiles of
their
own. “This is it, isn’t it? Prom is over. All we have
are finals and graduation.”

“Don’t
get all mopey now,” Cole pleads. He walks over and wraps an arm around me and
squeezes tight. “You just found out that you got into your dream school. Can
you be happy for at least another ten minutes? And don’t mention finals again.
Got it?”

“So
I know where Scot already goes and where Laila, Haden, and Braxton got in,” Dad
says with a smile. “What about the rest of you?”

“I
guess now’s as good a time as any.” Cole places his hands on the counter. “I
had a hard time deciding, but I talked it over with my parents and they’re not
exactly thrilled.”

“Are
you going to Texas?” Joey asks in shock. The
Camerons
’
are not Longhorns fans.

Ree
looks at me and I can tell she’s trying not to show her emotions, which makes
me uneasy. I study everyone present, trying to see who may know what’s going
on, but we all have the same confused looks on our faces.

“Nah,
they’d disown me if I did that,” he laughs. “I’m actually going to The
Citadel.”

“You’re
doing what?” I ask. “You’ve never mentioned this before.”

“It’s
something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and after talking with Mom and
Dad, I think it’s the best place for me.”

“But
you’re not joining the military after—are you?” Bailey asks.

“That’s
the plan,” he grins.

I
wrap my arms around him and hold him tight, because for the first time I feel
like I’m going to lose him. He hugs me back, but I look up and smile as best as
I can through the tears clouding my eyes.

“When
did you grow up?”

“I
know. It’s Joey’s fault. He’s been on my case about choosing a school.” He nods
at Joey. “Besides, you haven’t heard where he’s going, have you?”

“Thanks
for that, man. Appreciate it,” Joey coughs. “I got my letter a couple of days
ago, too. I got into Columbia.”

“Congratulations,”
Mom says with excitement. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks.
Unfortunately, Bailey and I will be on opposite sides of the country.”

She
raises her hand and offers a timid smile. “UCLA.”

“What
about you, Ree?” I ask.

“Vanderbilt.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Ree,
that’s so amazing.” I hug her and she returns the embrace with a small one of
her own. “You don’t want to go, do you?”

She
looks around, clearly uncomfortable with all eyes on her, but she answers
anyway. “When my mom took off, it left just me and Dad. We had never had much
of a relationship before, but her leaving forced us to try. If there was
something good that came from her leaving, that was it—and now, just when
things are good with us, I have to go?”

“So
what are you gonna do?” Cole asks as he stands next to her.

“I
didn’t say anything to Dad, but I was looking at some colleges closer to home
and I think I want to stick around.”

“Will
he be okay with that?” I ask.

“I
hope so, because I already turned it down and I’m on a waiting list for Rice. I
might have to do a junior college for a year, but I have the grades to get in.”

“Sounds
like you have it all figured out,” I answer.

Bailey
and Mom are reduced to ‘how sweet’ comments and drag Ree into hugs she doesn’t
seem to be interested in. Cole walks over to hug her and whispers something in
her ear that makes her laugh before he gives her a sweet kiss.

Mom
starts cooking and everyone does something to help out.

Thirty
minutes later, biscuits, eggs, waffles, bacon, fresh fruit, sausages, and some sort
of casserole are waiting in dishes to be eaten. Everyone grabs a plate and
fills them up before finding any spot to sit down and eat. There are at least
three different conversations taking place and I look at Mom and Dad, who are
standing near the living room entrance with wistful looks. Mom winks at me and
drags Dad out of the room, leaving me to resume my own conversation.

“Damn,
Lai,” Braxton announces as he gets up to fill his plate again. “This is some
after-prom breakfast.”

Haden
leans over and whispers in my ear, “You disappointed we missed it?”

I
look at everyone sitting here, completely oblivious to what happened last
night, and shake my head. “I loved last night. I got to dance with you, hang
with our friends, and now this—I think things worked out the way they
were meant,” I laugh.

“Road
trip,” Joey says through a mouthful of food. “When are we going?”

“First
week in August,” I answer. “Who’s in?”

“I’m
going with my dad to see my aunt, but maybe we can hang when I get back,” Ree
says.

“I’m
out,” Bailey says and I’m surprised because she really wanted to go. “I think
this is one for the five of you. Besides, I’ll be packing.”

Joey
leans over and tells her something, but she shakes her head in disagreement
with a sweet smile on her face. She looks over and mouths “good luck” to me.

All
I can do is laugh, because we’re going to need it.