They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 15: Saving Yourself

Look out for the <>! Man, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy it too.

Darla

Stella POV

"Seriously though, Stella, I don't understand why you are bringing Gray with us," Alice frowned as we got ready for the dance at my house.

I finished putting eyeliner on then frowned back at her. And this was why I waited until the moment of the dance to tell her about it. I knew she would throw a fit about it. She didn't like that I was building a relationship with him. She said she was worried that I would get hurt, and I believed that she actually believed it. I think Alice genuinely was concerned that I was hanging out with Gray, but I also think she didn't want me hanging out in fear that it would mess up her social standing. She was friends with me, but yet I was friends with Grayson and that didn't seem like a very popular move. "He's my friend so I'm inviting him."

"An odd friend."

"So?" I snapped. People were odd. I could name at least a few things that made Alice odd, so who was she to judge?

She placed her hands on her hips, then looked at her friends for backup, but they were silent. "How about we meet you at the dance, then? You know how Grayson makes everyone feel and we don't want to kill our mood in all."

I nodded, happy with this. At least I would have some one on one time with him because as much as Gray made Alice uncomfortable, Alice made Gray more uncomfortable. This was probably the best of both words, since I was already getting tired of her overly cheerful attitude tonight. It was already so much of an ask to wear this dress, let alone go to a dance that was not my scene. "That sounds perfect to me."

"Ok, see you there," she said, then kissed the side of my cheek then left with her friends, leaving me alone in my bedroom, waiting until Gray came. I checked the time and noticed that Gray should be here any moment.

"Knock knock," Bec's voice rang out from the doorway.

I turned to face her with a smile.

"Oh, the dress is so perfect on you," she gushed as she looked at me from head to toe.

After the moderations she did, the dress wasn't perfect by any means, but I did feel more comfortable in it. "Thank you for helping fix this."

"Of course. So what did Alice say when she saw you in the dress?"

I smiled as I thought about the moment I changed into the dress. I was so concerned that she would not be happy with my changes, but she was so caught up in her own world that she didn't even notice. "She was fine with it."

"That's great to hear. Anyhow, I wanted to say, Grayson, he's upstairs in the family room talking to your father."

"Oh gosh," I frowned as I grabbed my shoes from the floor. I couldn't have my dad say too much to him. "How long has he been here?"

"A few minutes."

Panic filled me like an Oreo getting dunked into milk. Dad was going to scare him off, I was sure of that. "I need to save him."

"Are you really saving yourself, though?"

"Maybe," I chuckled as I walked out of the room, then up the stairs to see Grayson in a suit, sitting on the couch, talking to my father. He looked so comfortable as he talked about school and Jackson. I had never seen him look so comfortable talking to someone that I almost didn't want to interrupt. As he finished the answer, he made eye contact with me and smiled.

His dark blonde hair was pushed back and styled as if he actually tried to make it look good. He stood up from the couch and pulled on his slightly loose suit. As we closed the gap between us, I could smell his cologne, which made my heart speed up.