Chapter 33: Date with Danny

(Cassie POV)

I spent eight hours at the mall with my mother. EIGHT. HOURS. I felt like a walking dress-up doll, whose opinions and style did not matter even a little bit. My mother happily went from store to store, talking to the clerks, pulling clothes, pushing me into dressing rooms to try one hideous thing on after another.

On the bright side, my mother did not make as many snide comments as she usually does. I think that’s because I held back my own tongue and just let her have her way all day. She also seemed sincere in the outfits she picked out; nothing she selected seemed to be selected as joke (like the wedding dress I ultimately bought).

By the end of the day, we had our arms filled with bags of dresses, skirts, heels, and everything else a “proper” lady should have. No leather, no denim, nothing too short, nothing too loud.

At one point, my mother had to use the ladies’ room, and I used the opportunity to sneak into a store that appeared to have eclectic leather and