Page 86 of Monster's Edge
WHEN I OPEN MY EYES, I’m not sure if it’s one hour later or five, but Ian is gone. His side of the bed appears to be unmade. Did he seriously sneak away but make his side of the bed? This isn’t the first time he’s done something weird like this. I’m learning to just let it go.
Ian has his secrets and his routines. He has the things that he needs. I don’t have to understand why he is this way. It doesn’t really matter because I’m here. Trying to understand him more deeply will likely just confuse me, and that’s trouble I have no time for.
Slipping from bed, I head into the bathroom. I brush my teeth, take a shower, and then blow-dry my hair. When I’m done, I walk back into the bedroom to decide what to wear. To my surprise, I don’t have to worry for long because Georgetta appears holding a large dress bag.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask her. I try to hide the fact that I’m very relieved to see her. There was a part of me that really worried Ian had actually killed her. Even though I don’t think he has any reason to, guys like him can be unpredictable and wild. They can be a little bit dangerous. They can be fucking awful. She’s not dead, though, which means I feel like I still have at least one friend in the world. I have one single person who will be on my side, on my team, but that’s all that I need.
“It’s your wedding dress,” she tells me. “Let’s get it on.”
Georgetta unzips the bag and holds up the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen. It’s a soft creamy color that is dangerously lowcut. There’s almost no back to the dress at all, which means that a bra is out of the question. She seems to notice me looking at that because she smiles.
“He says no panties today, either.”
I snort. “Yeah, I bet he does say that.”
Asshole.
I smile, though, because it’s my wedding day. It’s not really the kind of day I thought I would have. I’m not marrying the man of my dreams. I’m not doing anything truly, wonderfully fantastic. I’m just showing up, really.
Still, it has to count for something.
“Hey,” Georgetta drabs my hand. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Because it’s okay to not be fine.”
“I know that,” I insist.
Something in my voice must let her know just how final this entire thing is because she nods and holds up the dress once more. This time, I hold up my arms and she drops it over my head. The dress slides down my body, covering me, and a moment later it’s on completely.
“Thank you,” I tell her.
“It was nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. I appreciate you.”
“I’m worried about you,” Georgetta admits.
“You don’t need to be.”
“I still am.”
“I know.”
Georgetta will probably always worry about me. That’s because it was literally her job foryears. She was the only one who really looked after me at my dad’s place and now she thinks that my life is heading in a dangerous direction. Oh, she can’t stop it or anything. Neither one of us can. Neither one of us is strong enough to stop the trajectory that is my future.
All we can do is take deep breaths and hope.
“He’s not going to hurt you,” she tells me.
“We both know that’s a lie.”
I want to say more, but just then, there’s a knock at the door. Before I can answer or call out for the person to come in, Eduardo opens the door. He leans in, keeping his feet outside of the room, and smiles.
“Are you ready?”
“She’s ready,” Georgetta says.
