Love's Unexpected Path

Winter is a time for comfort. I wrapped a towel around my hair and stepped out of the bathroom, finally giving my toes some rest on the soft, fluffy carpet.

"I bet this rug Lucy brought back from India is worth a fortune," I said as I unscrewed the cap of my toner. "She told Edward and me it was only fifty dollars, but I think she must be lying."

Emma, my best friend and a frequent visitor to my house, seemed impressed with the intricately patterned blanket in my room, as I had expected.

"Seriously, if that blanket only cost fifty dollars, I'm sure every house in the community would have three or five of them. It's as soft as a dream!" she exclaimed.

We both laughed and then I asked, "By the way, what color nail polish are you wearing tonight?"

Tonight was a big night. The school was hosting a pre-Christmas dance that all the students would attend, second only to the graduation prom. Many girls had been preparing for months in advance, and I knew Emma wouldn't want to be outdone.

"Forget about that," she replied excitedly. "Come to the window and see!"

Curious, I put down the bottle of nail polish and walked over to the window. My bedroom, directly beneath Lucy and Edward's master bedroom, was well-lit, but my foster parents had installed thick flannel curtains to prevent me from waking up too early due to sunlight.

"Madison, did you see that?" Emma squealed. "It's snowing! Today is going to be a special night to remember!"

Before I could respond to the rare snowy skies, my prom date arrived. However, our conversation was interrupted by an angry yell from downstairs.

"She's a vampire!" followed by Edward's stern rebuke, "She's your sister!"

The same old story, I thought to myself. I pulled back the curtain and resumed painting my left foot's nails. I had chosen a bottle of cherry red polish with glitter for tonight. Whenever I wore this color, someone would ask me about the brand and shade number.

On a night like this, I figured it was better to play it safe.

The silence between us grew somewhat awkward as Emma undoubtedly heard the yell. Trying to lighten the mood, she said, "Nice analogy. Mr. Evans might give him an A if he knew about this."

I chuckled as I continued working on my right foot's nail. The glitter sparkled in the warm light.

"I should thank him for not comparing me to a bloodsucker. But it's good to be modest. I don't think I'm pretty enough to be a 'vampire.' Do you?" Emma's joke elicited a genuine laugh from me.

I was still working on my right foot when three rhythmic knocks on the door were followed by Lucy's gentle voice, "Honey, your boyfriend has arrived."

I quickly told Emma that I would see her later and hung up the phone. Lucy's eyes were red as if she had been crying.

"How are you getting ready? You look absolutely radiant tonight, and that silly boy downstairs will be completely smitten with you," she said.

With my right foot's nail complete, I smiled and replied, "Tell Edward to take it easy on him. He may be the captain of the football team, but you know Edward is quite tall."

Lucy gave me a warm hug and said, "Have fun."

When I descended the stairs in my dress and heels, James, who had been sitting in the living room with Edward, looked up like a meerkat, his emerald eyes locking onto me. "Madison... are you ready?"

Edward, clearly annoyed by his foolishness, shot him a glare that any father would give before reaching down to help me up the last few steps. "Baby, you look beautiful tonight."

My adoptive father's genuine compliment was followed by a whispered message in my ear.

"If that little son of a bitch ever does anything wrong, come and tell me, and I'll straighten him out."

James visibly tried not to flinch but failed. It seemed Edward had issued a not-so-subtle warning. I glanced at my phone; it was almost time to bid farewell to my dear family—Edward, Lucy, and my non-biological brother, Alexander.

I had to admit, I gave my brother a deliberately casual air kiss.

He looked furious, his blue eyes shifting between me and James.

"Madison, have a great night," he finally said.

In front of our adoptive parents, I patted him on the shoulder as I had done countless times before, genuinely saying, "Thank you, brother. Have a good night too."

With that, I happily made my way into James's car.

James seemed much more at ease with just the two of us. I could hear him whistling along to the radio music, and then he offered me a pretentious compliment, "Madison, this dress suits you perfectly. I mean, your hair, your eyes, and this dress—it's a perfect match."

Edward and Lucy lived in a dull middle-class neighborhood where the majority of residents were elite white people. Non-white individuals, like me—a girl who was half Jamaican and half Korean, with darker skin and curly hair—were a rarity.

At school, some girls envied my skin and hair. I rarely experienced sunspots or heat rash, and my hair was fine, curly, soft, and highly manageable. Emma and Stacy often gathered around me to discuss fashion. James probably thought I enjoyed receiving compliments about it.

"Thanks," I replied casually, briefly glancing at my phone as I opened Instagram. I had heard similar words so often that I had become immune to them.

The poor guy didn't receive the warm response he had expected. Frustration crept into his driving as I saw him sneak a glance at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Your parents make a very happy couple. I can tell your mother must have picked out your father's cufflinks."

He was running out of things to say, I realized.

To ease the awkwardness in the car, I put my phone down and responded, "Yes, Lucy and Edward went to college together. They've been together for over twenty years, and they've always been very happy."

James licked his lips—a gesture he made when feeling tense. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking I could resume chatting with Stacy and Isabella, my male companion brought up Alex.

"Your brother is tall. If he joined our team, I could easily trip him up."

Realizing that Edward was too formidable to challenge, James seemed to turn his attention to Alex, perhaps trying to assert his manhood in front of me.

I grinned at him and said, "I think it's best if you don't get too confident. Alexander played ice hockey for many years."

Alex wasn't just some nerdy guy with glasses. That crazy man was built!

It didn't take us long to arrive at the venue. James held me by the shoulders, acting like a proud rooster.

My friends put down their paper cups and waved at us, "Hey James, hey Madison!"

Emma maneuvered past her date and ran up to me, saying, "I knew you'd pick this dress!"

The music was so loud that I couldn't hear anyone speaking, even when they were right in front of me.

James kissed my cheek and asked, "Do you want something to drink?"

Whispering into his ear, I replied, "Whatever you want."

Emma stood there, arms crossed, squinting her beautiful eyes. Before she could say anything, I blurted out, "He's a dumb jock."

My girlfriend clearly didn't believe me. "You know how many girls at school are secretly hoping to be James's prom date?"

I laughed genuinely.

A few senior boys who had gathered to chat repeatedly looked our way, and Emma immediately said, "No way, James will die from a broken heart."

I didn't respond because the hero character, predicted to die of a broken heart, was already struggling to hold two paper cups as he made his way back through the crowd toward me.

He was sweating a little, his ginger hair around his forehead sticking to his skin as he furrowed his brow. "Holy shit, William is here too."

I froze for a moment, but Emma quickly reassured me with a comforting look.

It was just my ex-boyfriend, my brother's best friend, showing up at a school dance attended by all students.

It wasn't an alien attack or anything of the sort.

RIGHT?