affluenza (1.) | ✔️

The Ball

        She's done another braided hairstyle on my locks, three braids flowing to the back and clipping my hair into a half-up half-down style. Paired with my black suit and white button up, I looked amazing.

        "Knocked it out of the park. As usual," I say, giggling. "You're seriously too good at this."

        Hayley backs away from my mirror to get a full body check at herself. She looked good in a dark blue number that complimented her blonde hair perfectly. Hunter had invited her to the Ball, obviously, and I had a feeling they'd be one of the best looking couples there. "You look beautiful," I say.

        She smiles once, rubbing a hand over her dress and chuckling. "Did you think that we'd be here like this back in September?"

         I snort. "Not at all. I never imagined you'd be with Hunter and I'd be...well, whatever the hell Sebastian and I are."

        Hayley takes a careful seat on my bed and frowns. "Is he coming tonight?"

        "I wouldn't know," I mumble with a shrug of my shoulders. "He hasn't talked to me, Hayley. I don't know what I did to push him away like this."

        She purses her lips and then reaches forward to grab my hand. "Hey, B. It's gonna be okay. Sebastian is an adult, alright? Whatever happened, it's not your fault. You can't keep beating yourself up about this."

        The door clicks open and suddenly Robyn and Devin are there, grinning from ear to ear. Both of their cheeks are flushed; it's clear to see what they'd been doing. "Oh, sorry. Were you two talking?" Robyn asks, still sounding giggly.

        Hayley drops my hand and nods her head towards me. "Tell Braylen that he needs to forget about Sebastian and have a good time tonight."

        Robyn and Devin take a breath before reciting together, "Braylen, forget about Sebastian and have a good time tonight."

        I flick them both off and we all laugh before bounding down the stairs, joining my family and Hunter who'd planted himself at the kitchen table and was helping himself to a bag of chips. He was in a baby blue suit, one that would look comical on anyone else but on him somehow worked. Hayley slides next to him, the two of them looking like night and day with her dark blue gown and his light suit.

         "Well, don't you look stunning. And I'm not talking about Hayley," Hunter remarks, sending me a cheeky grin and earning a laugh from Hayley.

        "Are you my date or his?" she questions, nudging his shoulder.

        Hunter turns to her fully and grins. "You look gorgeous, Hayley. Truly."

        She grins brightly as Oba claps her hands together. "Okay! Time for pictures."

I groan loudly. "Do we have to, Aunt Amanda?" I complain, tossing my head back. The group laughs loudly as we slide into a group pose for the photos. There's an invisible space where I know someone should be, but I force myself to focus on the people that were there.

        Oba clicks a few photos, gushing, before lowering her camera. "Ash isn't coming?" she asks, tentatively. "I know you two have been giving each other space a bit recently, but—"

        "He's not coming," I reiterate and drop my hands from around the backs of Hayley and Robyn, moving away from the group.

        My aunt grabs my hand, squeezing it once. "Then, that's his loss. You look so handsome, Braylen."

        I smile softly. "Thank you. But we really should get going. I'm pretty sure we're already late."

        Oba laughs. "No way! Remember what I told you in August? Before the party?" I smile, thinking back to that night that had been the start of something I didn't even know would begin.