PART 1

On prom night, my mother locked my bedroom door.

That was when I knew something was wrong.

Downstairs, Noah was waiting for me in a navy suit with the bow tie he had been talking about for months. I could hear him laughing with my aunt through the floorboards.

Mom turned toward me.

“You can go with Noah tonight, Christina. But first, I need you to hear something.”

I stared at her.

“About what?”

Her eyes moved toward the closed door.

“About Noah.”

Then she added quietly:

“And about me.”

My heart started pounding.