Hometown Girls: Beginnings (Hometown Girls Series Book 1) by Tressa Messenger Page B

Lou was a fun Marissa Lou, and a fun Marissa Lou let him do whatever he wanted to her. It was a win win for them both.
    It got worse during their Christmas break from school. Marissa Lou stayed glued to Randy’s side more often than before, instead of hanging out with her friends. When they got back to school a few weeks later, Marissa Lou was almost unrecognizable to those who knew her best. She looked like she had lost some weight and her skin was pale, almost hollow, with dark rings under her red eyes like she hadn’t slept during the whole break. Even her hair, that used to be one of envy, seemed to have lost its shiny luster.
    “My god,” Becca said to her when she met Marissa Lou in the hallway by her locker.
    Marissa Lou turned and seemed as if she was looking through Becca.
    “Maris, are you all right?”
    “Yeah, I’m great,” Marissa Lou said quietly. “How was your break?”
    “It was good. You, on the other hand, look like you haven’t slept a wink. Have you been sleeping?”
    Marissa Lou thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure. I guess I did some.”
    “Maris, you really look bad. I’m really beginning to worry about you. Maybe you should go back home and get some rest.”
    “I’m fine, Bec, but maybe you’re right. I do feel a little tired,” Marissa Lou said and yawned as if on cue.
    “Do you need me to drive you?”
    “No, I can drive,” she said waving her off. She closed her locker and turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back around to face Becca. “Becca, can you not tell anyone you saw me like this? I don’t want anyone worrying about me.”
    Becca didn’t answer right away. “I guess so, but it’s too late about the worrying part because I’m pretty concerned.”
    Marissa Lou waved the comment off again. “Don’t be. You’ll see. Tomorrow I’ll be back to my old self.” She then turned around and slightly staggered as she walked through the hallway toward the exit.
    “I hope so,” Becca mumbled as she watched her leave.
     

* * *
     
    By the time prom rolled around in late May, everyone had gotten back to normal. That is, everyone but Marissa Lou. After the return from Christmas break incident she worked harder to cover her tracks. On the outside she seemed like her usual self, but on the inside she was suffering, but she opted to suffer in silence rather than burden her friends with her problems.
    On prom night, Randy met Marissa Lou at her house. She made her grand entrance when he first got there and made a production of showing off her dress. She looked like the bride in the Guns N’ Roses video November Rain with a tight white sleeveless bodice top which met what looked like a taffeta tutu flaring out around her thigh.
    She matched it with sleek heels and an up do. She decided to keep her neck and shoulders bare of any jewelry and wore a lone pair of dangling diamond earrings. She was perfect, and to her, so was Randy. He wore a black pinstriped suit with a black t-shirt underneath the jacket rather than a white button up like most guys would wear.
    Her mom gloated and took pictures of them, but when that was done, the couple retreated to her bedroom to wait for the limo the group of friends insisted on renting together.
    “I got a little something something,” Randy said sitting down on her bed.
    “Oh yeah?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
    He leaned forward and took something out of his back pocket. Marissa Lou leaned over and craned her neck to see what he was concealing.
    “Pick a hand,” he said smiling, but looking serious.
    “What?”
    “Pick a hand. Left or right?”
    She studied his face, looking for a clue as to which hand to choose. “Hmm, how about right?”
    He smiled wider and brought his right hand in front of him and opened it palm up. Sitting there was a little brown vile. Just staring at it made her nose run and her heart speed up.
    “Oh,” she gasped.
    “You wanna?” he asked her, like he didn’t already know the