Read Online Sing to Me by Michelle Pennington - Free Book Online

lo ser that nobody wants to go to prom with just because I’m me.”
    C olby’s face lost a little of its color. “ Rylie , that’s not what I meant. I’d give anything to go to prom with you.”
    “Really? Well, that’s not going to happen, is it ? Now, can you please move so I can shut the door and get out of here? ”
    “No, Rylie , wait. This conversation went really wrong somehow , but I ... ”
    I’d been swept through too many strong emotions to o quickly to deal with anymore right then. There was a knot at the back of my throat, but I took a deep breath and quietly interrupted him, “Please, Colby, let me go home.”
    “Yes, but can I just…”
    “Please?” I asked again, even more quietly.
    He sighed a nd nodded before standing and quietly back ing away. I pulled the door shut, started the car, and pulled out onto the road – relieved to be gone , hurt that he let me go, and sure that I’d never been so miserable my whole life.
     
    *****
     
    “Honey, I’m not sure you haven’t gotten this all a little mixed up,” my mom told me as she concentrated on the manicure she was giving me. The money I’d handed back to Marcy had been the last bit I’d needed to go get my nails done with my friends, and my Mom was determined to make it up to me. Funny enough, I didn’t even really care that much anymore. Not about my nails, my hair, my dress – anything.
    The worst part was , I was pretty sure I’d thoroughly screwed up the one thing I did care about – my relationship with Colby. So, of course, I was yacking my mom’s ear off about it. “What have I gotten mixed up about?”
    “You seem to think Colby won’t like you anymore. But why wouldn’t he ?”
    “B ecause I got all emotional and mad and drove off when he was trying to talk to me.”
    “So? If he stopped caring because of a little thing like that, he didn’t like you that much anyway.”
    “But he hasn’t called me or anything.”
    “You h aven’t called him either .”
    She had a point, but I hated to admit it. In my misery, I was determined to think the worst. “He thinks Brian only asked me to prom because I got more popular and because our hair is the same color .” It was a sore point for me, so I kept focusing on it.
    I don’t know if she was thinking or concentrating on my nail s , but she didn’t say anything for a minute . When she did speak, there was a note of hesitation in her voice. “You know, I thought it was kind of weird when you told me Brian had asked you to prom because it was only like the day before when you were saying he still didn’t know you were alive. And since then you guys haven’t gone out or talked about anything but what you’re wearing to prom.”
    “So you don’t think Brian asked me to prom just because he thought it would be fun to go with me?”
    “I’m just saying that as someone who cares about you and knows how great you are, I’ve noticed that Brian has n’t seem ed interested in getting to know you. It seems a little suspicious. If Colby does care about you, he probably picked up on the same thing. Tha t’s a good thing. It means he knows you deserve better.”
    A jolt of hope shot through me, but a moment later I sighed as my shoulders sagged. “But how do I fix this ?  I mean, I’m going to show up with another guy that I’ll have to dance with , that he’s already jealous of, while he’s up on stage making all the other girls in the place fall in love with him.”
    “I have a feeling he won’t see anyone but you. Now, sit there and let me work some magic on your hair while your nails dry. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to pla y with your hair, but I studied some really pretty styles on a blog I found . Trust me, you’re going to look stunning tonight.”
    Laughter bubbled up inside me, and I giggled even as a tear st reaked down my cheek. “Thanks, M om. And thanks for making me earn money for prom.”
    “Despite all the bugs you had to deal with?”