“How’s the group chat going?” Ms. Moreau asked from the opposite side of the circle of chairs. “Has it been helpful? Not that I’m encouraging texting during class.”

We smiled. We were at our fourth session with her. No one mentioned the fact that Tori wasn’t there. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be coming anymore.

I volunteered. “We actually talk all the time. At lunch or in class or in between classes.”

“Yeah,” Selena spoke up, “some of us are in the same classes.”

Ms. Moreau nodded in approval. She jotted something in her notebook. “I’m sorry Tori didn’t find the group as helpful as the rest of you, but I’m glad you four seem to be getting along well. I met some of my closest friends in high school. I still talk to a few of them today, even though we ended up on different paths.”

As she said that, her pumpkin earrings dangled back and forth. They perfectly matched her bright orange pumpkin sweater.

Ms. Moreau was the kind of person who was hard to miss, mostly because of the crazy things she wore. Even the other teachers seemed to think she was weird. A lot of the students didn’t really get her, but I really liked her.

She was nice and smiled all the time. Not just with her mouth but with her eyes too so I could tell it was genuine. Not the way my stepmom smiled at me in public when she didn’t have any other choice.

After catching up with Ms. Moreau, we walked out of her office together, taking our time since class was almost over anyway.

I exhaled and looked at the others, stopping where we were. “Well, I need to figure out this whole Homecoming situation ASAP because I finally told him yes.”

Rey gasped. “No way.”

“That’s so awesome,” Selena said, her mouth turning up into a smile.

Harper clapped. “Yay! I can’t wait to find out who he really is.”

“Easy for you to say,” I said. With each second that passed, I felt more nervous about the whole thing. “I still don’t know how I feel about this. Not to mention the dress. What if it doesn’t fit?”

Harper said, “Hey, worst comes to worst, you can have my dress.”

I stopped, not believing what I’d just heard.

“Or mine,” Rey said.

“Take mine too,” Selena said, giggling. “The rest of us can go in our underwear. As long as you get to meet Baller929.”

A few feet behind us, the door to Ms. Moreau’s office opened, and we automatically turned at the sound.

Tori walked inside. She didn’t give us a second glance.

I still hadn’t said anything to the others about her crying in the bathroom. And I wasn’t planning on it. They had quickly become my best friends, but somehow, it didn’t feel right to tell them about Tori.

We all interlocked arms and kept walking.

“You guys are the best,” I said. “But I’m going to take a chance and ask my stepmom if I can go shopping with her and my stepsisters today. They still haven’t found their dresses, so maybe, maybe, I can get one too.”

“She sounds kind of strict,” Selena said. “But whatever happens, you have my sister’s dress as a backup. I won’t get offended if you decide to go with something else, though.”

I gave her side hug. “You’re awesome, you know that? As for my stepmom, I guess she just won’t expect me to go. I never really go out.”

Mostly because Courtney and Lindsay did their own thing. Always had. And we had never gotten along like real sisters.

But I was fine just being on my own. I realized, though, how much I had been missing out on now that I had gotten to know Selena, Harper, and Rey.

Who needed two stepsisters who couldn’t care less when I had my friends?

“Sophia,” I started, not quite sure how to go on.

“Yes,” she replied, already sounding annoyed.

We were sitting outside the dressing rooms of a fancy shop in town, waiting for Lindsay and Courtney to try their dresses on.

I hated asking her for anything, but it was now or never.

“What is it?” she snapped.

I released my breath. “Do you think I could get a dress too?”

I was expecting a no, but I wasn’t expecting a laugh.

Sophia rarely laughed.

“Why in the world would you need a dress, Ella?” She actually looked at me for an answer to her question.

“Um, to go to Homecoming tomorrow night?” I asked.

She started laughing again, and a couple of older women stared at us for a second before going back to browsing the sales racks. My cheeks grew hot in response.

“Oh, you’re serious?” Sophia said. “But you never go out, much less to school dances.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Besides, the way she had laughed had completely deflated me. I clenched my teeth, determined to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t cry in front of her.

Meanwhile, the words I had crafted inside my head, the hope I had that she would say yes, maybe even be excited for me, had vaporized.

Courtney and Lindsay opened the dressing room doors to show Sophia their ball gown dresses, and I walked away, leaning against the opposite wall to watch.

I took in their perfect figures, blinking through the tears.

Courtney flaunted a light pink, off-the-shoulder dress. “Don’t you think this one will be perfect for me as Sleeping Beauty?”

“Oh, you’re completely right,” Sophia said, admiring her. “And when we put some curls in those blonde tresses of yours, nobody will even be able to tell the difference.”

Her gaze shifted to Lindsay, who was in a yellow dress with short sleeves.

Lindsay stared in the full-length mirror. “Everyone on the squad is going as a Disney princess. I decided to go with Belle. Cinderella was taken.”

She rolled her eyes as she said it, and I wondered which of the cheerleaders got to be Cinderella. It only made my stomach sink as I realized there would be two Cinderellas at Homecoming. If not more. And I was pretty sure they would have way better costumes than the one my friends were helping me throw together. This was not good.

Lindsay took out a long brunette wig from her bag and put it alongside the dress she was holding. “What do you think?”

“Well, I hate that you have to hide your blonde hair,” Sophia said. “But you will make the most beautiful Belle, sweetie.”

I blinked and stood up.

“I’ll wait in the car,” I said and left.

All I heard was the bell of the door to the shop as I made my way to the car.

Selena texted me to let me know her mom was done altering her sister’s dress for me.

Which was good because Homecoming was tonight.

I was supposed to go to her house in a couple hours along with Harper and Rey. We were going to do each other’s nails and hair and makeup before riding together to the dance.

Apparently, Sophia thought it was laughable that I would go to a school dance like Courtney and Lindsay, but I decided I would go anyway.

Tonight, I would finally meet Baller929. I had no idea how it would go—if things would never be the same between us again or if we’d stop being friends once he found out who I was.

But I knew I had to do this.

After doing my Saturday morning chores in record time, I was putting away all the cleaning supplies in the kitchen when Sophia walked in.

I started walking out without a word. I had to be at Selena’s house in half an hour, and I needed a shower. I could blow-dry my hair at her place.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sophia asked, hands on her hips.

“I’m done with my chores for today,” I said, turning to face her. “I was going to get ready for Homecoming at my friend’s house.”

Lindsay and Courtney had already left for their hair and nail appointments, and I needed to get going too.

Sophia looked a little shocked before she recovered. “You know the rules, Daniela. You’re supposed to ask me permission in advance.”

I blinked. “I told you I wanted to go yesterday when you guys were shopping.”

“Well, that wasn’t asking for permission. Besides, I thought you really were just goofing around.”

She began rummaging around for something in the cabinet behind her.

“Can I please go to Homecoming, Sophia?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

She put a bag of organic protein powder on the counter and turned to look at me. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, I really thought you weren’t going to the dance. So I signed you up to volunteer at the gala I’m hosting at work tonight. We were short on servers.”

I stared at her, mouth open.

“Oh, honey, I told you about it last week. It’s not my fault if you forgot about it.”

“That’s tonight?” The same night as the dance?

“Oh, Daniela, I wouldn’t have signed you up if I thought you were going to the dance. And you can’t cancel on me now.” Her voice dripped with fake sympathy, but I knew not to believe her act for a second.

“But I have to go,” I blurted out.

“Oh, yeah? Why is that?” she asked, unable to hide the curiosity in her facial expression.

I shook my head. “Nothing. I just really wanted to go.” I bit my lip and looked at the floor.

The freshly mopped floor that I had spent all morning cleaning.

I was not going to cry. It was one of my rules around Sophia.

“This isn’t easy for me either, Ella,” she said, her tone changing to annoyed. “I work night and day for you girls. I’ve treated you as one of my own. Your father didn’t leave nearly enough for us to survive on, much less to send you to college. Do I need to remind you of that?”

Her words stung like pinpricks to my heart. My eyes went to her freshly highlighted hair, her done nails, and the expensive clothes she was wearing.

“Nonetheless, I said I would do the right thing and pay for your college education along with Courtney’s and Lindsay’s. But you know college isn’t cheap. I had money saved for my girls. Unfortunately, you need to pitch in for yours.”

“I know, Sophia.” It was the reason I put up with everything. I wanted to go to college. I needed to go, to get far away from here. I blinked as the tears pooled in my eyes, making the edges of my vision blurry.

“Well, this is one way you can do that,” Sophia said. “You need to be there at six o’clock sharp. At the Mariott. You’ll ride with me.”

I nodded and swallowed. “Okay.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “I’m glad you understand.”

As soon as I texted Selena that I couldn’t go to Homecoming, she called me.

“What do you mean, you can’t go?” Selena said over the phone. “Everyone’s already here. We’re waiting for you.”

“I know. And I’m sorry I’m bailing on you guys. But I really can’t go. I have something I need to do.” I explained about the gala and my stepmom and how it was part of pitching in for my college tuition.

“I can’t believe this,” I heard Harper say.

“I can’t believe she would do that to you,” Rey said.

“I know,” I said. “It’s just the way things are, though.”

“There has to be a way to make this work,” Selena said.

“Lena’s right,” Rey said.

My heart warmed a little. Another nickname. More glue holding us closer together.

I ached to be with them, painting our nails and giggling over school gossip like we had planned.

“Ella,” Harper said, “is there any way you can get out of this?”

“There really isn’t,” I said.

“Can’t you, like, sneak out and just say you were there?” Lena asked.

I shook my head and lay on my bed with my phone to my ear. “No. Believe me, she’d notice in a heartbeat if I left.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Ella, what if your stepmom wasn’t there to see you leave?” Lena asked. I could practically hear the smile on her face.

“Um, she’s kind of in charge of the whole thing,” I said. “She has to be there.”

“Well, what if a matter of…urgency took her away?”

I paused, a grin forming on my face. “What does that even mean?”

“What she said,” Rey chimed in.