“Just make sure Georgia has a good night.”
“I will.”
“You’re early!”
“And if anything unexpected happens, stay calm.”
I frowned. “Uh, what kind of unexpected thing?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Right then, Georgia came downstairs.
She looked beautiful, but the moment she saw me, her smile vanished.
“What kind of unexpected thing?”
Sheldon immediately started taking pictures. “Stand closer!”
We moved closer.
“Smile!”
I smiled.
Georgia said almost nothing while her father took pictures and looked like she’d been sentenced to three hours of accounting.
The drive was painfully quiet.
“Stand closer!”
***
I tried asking my date about her friends, her favorite music, and whether she was excited about prom.
Georgia answered with a few words before turning toward the window.
Eventually, I stopped trying.
When we reached the venue, I turned off the engine.
I stopped trying.
“Well,” I said, forcing a smile, “I hope tonight won’t be too terrible. I guess your dad really wanted you to go to prom.”
