PART 1

My classmates made fun of me all the time.

I had a large birthmark on my face. I was born with it.

On top of that, I was raised by a single mother, and money was always tight. I often wore thrift-store clothes while my classmates showed off their new handbags and outfits, pointing at my old clothes and laughing.

When prom got closer, I didn’t even want to go.

Then, out of nowhere, Jonathan asked me to prom and said he’d be happy to spend the evening with me.

He was the popular, handsome guy everyone at school knew.

The girls were crazy about him.

He was one of the school’s football stars.

We’d never really been friends, but he was one of the very few classmates who NEVER laughed at me.

I was shocked, but I said yes.

He took me to prom, held my hand, and danced with me all night.

Everyone stared.

Then the laughter started.

Someone shouted: “”Did Jonathan decide to host a charity event tonight?””

Another girl yelled: “”Oh my God, did someone actually pay Jonathan to do this?””

I felt humiliated.

Right there in the middle of the dance floor, I, Fiona Sterling, burst into tears and told Jonathan I wanted to leave.

He looked upset and was already leading me toward the exit to take me home.

Then, suddenly, several police officers walked into the gym.

They headed straight toward us.

One of the officers cleared his throat, looked at Jonathan, and said: “”Sir, you need to come with us IMMEDIATELY.””

The blood froze in my veins.

I asked the officer what was going on.

He looked at me in surprise and asked: “”So… you have no idea WHAT Jonathan did?””

Jonathan turned pale.

And when the officer explained what was REALLY happening, the entire room fell silent.

I burst into tears and cried: “”NO, THIS CAN’T BE TRUE! Jonathan, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?””

My classmates made fun of my birthmark for years, and by senior year, I had already accepted that no boy would ever ask me to prom. Then the most popular boy in school reached for my hand and changed everything. But when police officers walked into the gym looking for him, my whole world broke apart.

The hallways at my high school always seemed to stretch farther whenever I had to walk through them.

I kept my gaze lowered to the floor, my dark hair brushed across the left side of my face to hide the birthmark that spread over my cheek like a map of a place nobody wanted to see.

At 17, I, Fiona Sterling, had become very good at disappearing.

I headed home to the small apartment Mom and I shared. Mom worked two jobs, and most nights, I heard the front door click open long after midnight.

That Tuesday, she was actually home for dinner, which almost never happened. She placed a plate of spaghetti in front of me and lowered herself into the chair with a tired sigh.

“Fiona, sweetheart, you’ve barely touched your food.”

“I’m not hungry, Mom.”

She looked at my face with that quiet attention only mothers have. “Is it school again?”

I shrugged. “They put up the prom posters today. Diana was handing out the tickets like she owned the place.”

My mother’s lips pressed together. She knew Diana’s name. Diana had bullied me for years and somehow always escaped consequences. I suspected it had something to do with the fact that she had led the cheerleading team to a state championship.

I pushed a noodle around my plate. “Mom, I don’t want to go to prom. I really don’t.”

She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Fiona, listen to me. You only get one senior prom. Just one. Give yourself one good memory before you graduate. Please.”

“A good memory,” I repeated quietly. “Mom, the only memory I’d make is being the girl in the corner.”

“Then stand in the middle of the room for once,” she said softly. “Just once.”

I did not answer. I just kept staring down at my plate.

The next morning, my bestie, Arthur, was waiting for me at the bus stop with her backpack hanging from one shoulder. She was the only person in that school who truly cared about me.

“You look like you didn’t sleep,” she said.

“My mom’s pushing the prom thing.”