Cecily couldn't remember deciding to go to Diagon Alley, but she must have at some point because that's where she ended up after she ran out of the church. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cecily realized that the service would be over by now. Shawn and his family must be wondering where she had gone. She wondered how long they would wait for her before they decided to go home and have dinner.
This had been a mistake. Cecily knew that now. She had known that when Shawn asked. She didn't do families. She didn't do church. She had tried telling him that. It wasn't her fault he insisted he wanted her to meet his family. It was her fault that she decided that sounded like a better idea than going to her parents' house and watching the monsters bite the heads of their chocolate bunnies.
Cecily came to a stop outside Flourish & Blotts. This was getting ridiculous. She suddenly realized that she must be a sight to see, pacing the street in the outfit Eliza picked out for her. Cecily nearly laughed aloud when she caught a glimpse of herself in the shop window. If anyone she knew saw her now, she bet they would walk by without recognizing her. Who would have ever thought that Cecily Catherwood would willingly wear a white dress with pink flowers and a matching hat? Cecily's mother had spent years trying to get her daughter into similar dresses, only to be laughed at mercilessly.
Cecily sat down on the ground outside the bookstore. Eliza would have yelled at her for getting the dress dirty, but Cecily wasn't concerned about that just now. She supposed she should go meet up with Shawn's family and try to salvage what was left of the day. They were decent people. They genuinely cared for their son and wanted to like Cecily. It wasn't their fault she was such a wreck. Cecily didn't know if she could make herself face the Finnigans again though. How would she explain why she had left? Could she make them believe she had actually been in the bathroom the entire time? Cecily didn't know the answers to those questions. She didn't even know if they were worth answering. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling her it was finally time to end things with Shawn.