Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,43
I'm going to lose it. The anticipation is killing me.”
Laughing, I settled into the booth beside Callie. “Where to begin?”
Ginger gave me a look.
Rory said, “Start with skipping school! Why did you ditch? No one ditches at the Academy.”
“I wasn't planning to skip yesterday, but Ronan offered me to hang out with him, and I said yes.”
Callie shook her head, like the thought of breaking a rule was obscene. “That was it? He just asked you?”
“I don't know why I said yes.” I looked down at my hands on the table and picked at the back side of my acrylic nails. “I guess I just thought it might be one of the last crazy things I get to do before graduation.”
Callie’s expression changed from shock to understanding. “You had to go,” she said.
Feeling understood gave me the courage I needed to say the next words. “You know when you guys said you'd be there for me if I backed out of the marriage and my dad disowned me?”
They looked at each other and nodded.
“Is that offer still good?” I bit my lip, terrified of their response.
Their eyes widened, as if they were understanding what I was saying.
“Of course,” Jordan jumped in. “Our new place has an extra bedroom. It's not anything like you’re used to, but it’s yours if you want it.”
“I do,” I said.
Ginger’s mouth practically fell to the table. “You're going to tell your dad about Ronan?”
I shook my head. “It's not about Ronan, not really. He just showed me what I’d be missing out on if I committed to Ryde. I'm going to tell him that I don't want to get married after graduation. And that I want to choose the person I marry—if I ever do get married.” I took a breath and continued.
“I'm tired of always having to live according to this arranged marriage nonsense, like having a husband is life’s purpose. Going on dates with older men when I should be having a good time, enjoying my last year of high school. We're not in India anymore; we're in the United States, and even though I still love my culture and my Indian heritage, I don't need to keep all of it. Eventually, I'll need to choose which culture is mine.”
“When are you telling your dad?” Rory asked quietly.
“After my dinner with the Alexander family tonight.” A sense of purpose settled over me. I would tell my father that Ryde and I would not be getting married. That I was going to choose my own path, one that included Ronan, and I was willing to take the consequences.
If Ronan could be so brave to leave behind a life of wealth and forge his own path, I could do the same. Especially with my friends and someone like him at my side.
Ginger reached across the table and rubbed my shoulder. “Good for you.”
Rory chewed her lip. “What do you think your dad will say?”
My chest tightened at the thought. “Best case scenario, he's angry with me and doesn't speak to me for weeks. Worst case scenario, I'm going to need that extra bedroom. And a job.”
Beside me, Callie stayed quiet.
“What do you think?” I asked her. Of all of us, she had the biggest heart. Maybe she had picked up on something I was missing.
“It sounds like you have your mind made up,” she said, not quite meeting my eyes. “What do you need? How can I help.”
“That wasn't an answer,” I accused.
She turned her blue eyes on the table, and then looked back at me. “Do you think it's too soon to be making major life decision based on some guy you hardly know?”
Her words sliced through me like a knife in the back. Some guy? “First of all, Ronan isn’t just some guy. He’s kind, vulnerable, honest, and brave. All qualities that I want to have in my life. For myself. And second of all, marriage is a major life decision. Don’t you think I should have some kind of say in it? I’ve been wanting to make my own choices for a long time, long before Ronan.”
“Of course I think you should have a say,” she said. “That's not what I meant. I just want you to make the right choice for you.”
“I will,” I said, “now that I actually have a choice.”
Ginger nodded. “What can we do for tonight? Do you need help getting ready or planning what you're going to say?”
I shook my head. Planning it and overthinking it would