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I felt so relieved and triu well at the sa my mom "Thank you, mom I feel so much better now"

My dad walked in and said, "Did you one?"

I walked over to ed my dad, my mother said, "Don’t be fooled, sweetheart, because that isn’t what this is about Your daughter just told uy in her life Just like you said, so you were right"

"Aren’t I always right, DeeDee?"ht," she playfully argued

"Okay, I’ll let you have that one,"done instead of putting it off and I waited until they were gone fro up and doith joy "I can’t believe how easy that was"

"You’re so lucky your parents are cool like that I wish mine were more like yours"

"I know I have great parents, even better than I thought and I can’t wait for Jessie to ht it would-Jessie and I were the talk of the school, but I didn’t care I no longer had to hide s for him and I proudly showed hi the world knoasarrived and ressed into full blown certainty I had talked withher little tidbits of information about Jessie and my apparent happiness with him seem to make her happy

Seven o’clock arrived and I waited anxiously for Jessie to arrive I stood by thein the living roo the curtains back every few seconds

"Claire, you’re going to jerk the drapes off the rods if you don’t leave them alone," my mom warned

"Sorry I’m just really excited and anxious and nervous I really want you to like Jessie because he aveIf you like hi to put my mind at rest

I heard his loud truck in the front of the house anda million miles a minute

"He’s here," I said as looked out the"Will you lethim in the kitchen to meet you so it doesn’t feel so forht I was being silly

"Where’s dad?" I panicked

"His office"

I straightenedfor his knock When I heard the three thu there not quite looking likea checked button up shirt with the sleeves rolled just below his elbows and khaki cargo pants I knew the longer sleeves were to hide his tattoos and my heart leapt because I knew his choice of attire was all in an atteh I never wanted hi he wasn’t

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" I whispered

He smiled and held out his hands "Does this pass inspection?"

I stepped outside the door and gave him a quick kiss and said, "You always pass inspection" I reached up to wipe the evidence of our kiss from his lips and asked, "So, are you ready for this?"

He sed hard "Ready as I’onna be, Princess" He s ot this," I encouraged "I love you, so there’s no way they won’t love you"

I opened the door and took his hand inhi the sacrifice to the alter, but everything would be fine in a hter

Jessie

I was a coward I wanted to turn tail and run, but I didn’t because this wasn’t aboutClaire happy If it required , there would be no debate-I would do it for her

If I was going towould suck worse than Claire’s parents hating me, so I admit I wore the shirt to hide ht distract the to know me if they becah h they foyer "You didn’t have to hide them"