Read Again (Brandy Jeffus) for Free Online Page A

the noises in the room, his mom and Bonnie's mom oohing and aahing. He saw his mom dab her eyes with a tissue.
    "So beautiful!" Ms. Cindy said.
    "Gorgeous!" his own mother chimed in.
    Bonnie blushed and walked over to Eli. She shrugged as if saying, well….
    "You're Heaven," Eli whispered and felt his throat close up. He lightly kissed her cheek then offered her the corsage he was holding. It was a white lilac with an assortment of blue flowers. His mom had helped him pick it out.
    Bonnie's smile was so big and bright as she took the corsage and slid on her wrist. Being so close, Eli could see the glitter on her eyelids and on her shoulders. His chest tightened as he caught the smell of his favorite perfume of hers. They hurried and took the obligatory pictures, posing a dozen different ways for all the parents. Eli could tell Bonnie was having fun. She had always been the type who was most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt, but she did occasionally like to dress up.
    They were in the limo before too long and stopped at Bonnie's Dad's house. Things were still tense between Bonnie's parents and it would be too uncomfortable for them to be in the same house, so Bonnie had asked to make a special detour. Eli, of course, obliged. If she had asked for the moon he would gladly do it.
    On the way to Prom, Eli's head was a fuzzy mess. Every time he looked at Bonnie it felt like he was watching a movie. It didn't feel real, this night, this limo ride with her.
    I am the luckiest guy on earth, he thought.
    Bonnie looked at him and smiled, "This is already the best night ever, Eli. Thank you. I love you so much." They kissed slow and sweet. Everything was perfect. Tonight would be perfect no matter what.
    Prom turned out to be a flurry of strobe lights, lots of love songs and pure happiness all around. Bonnie and Eli danced most the time, but also hung out with their mutual friends. Bonnie was so relaxed and carefree, Eli's worry about her having a good time melted away. They took pictures and greeted the teacher chaperones. The night was fun; pure, unadulterated and easy fun.
    Their last dance was to "Yellow" by Coldplay, a song that Eli loved. Bonnie's curls had turned straight and her glitter had worn off, but she still looked gorgeous.
    "Happiness suits you, Miss Jinks," Eli whispered.
    "As it does you Mister Stone," she smiled and rested her head on his chest. "Tonight's been perfect. Even this song, it's perfect for us."
    "I came along. I wrote a song for you." Eli sang quietly, leaning into Bonnie's ear. "And all the things you do. And it was called yellow."
    "Do you still want to marry me? I mean truly think that we could get married and have kids?" Bonnie whispered out of the blue.
    "Of course I do. I've never wanted anything more than that. Nothing else matters to me." Eli answered quickly, never hesitating. He suddenly felt like he had been hit in the gut. "I mean, you want that too, right? It doesn't have to happen right away or anything…” Eli stammered.
    "Eli, of course I want to marry you. I would like to do it sooner than later. I just want to make sure you want to, even after school fades away. Even when our circumstances change," Bonnie answered.
    They continued to dance. Eli was focused on how it would be when they did get married; He would wake up next to this girl every single day. Share a house together. Share nights, afternoons and mornings. They would finally be able to share everything. The thought made him ridiculously happy and he kissed the top of her hair when the song ended.
    "Let's blow this popsicle stand shall we?" Eli asked putting his arm around Bonnie's shoulders. They said their goodbyes to all their close friends and left the auditorium.
    "What do you want to do now?" Bonnie asked in the limo, taking off her heels.
    "I was going to see if you wanted to go to the lake house. Spend the night with me. I've already asked your mom and got the okay," he smiled sheepishly, "Hope that was fine?"
    Bonnie