"And then he asked me if I was her sister!" Mother laughs obnoxiously high-pitched, retelling an exaggerated version of an old, worn-out story where someone believed I was her sister.
The other ladies within the salon fall into laughter as well despite the fact that they've heard this tale many more times than I. They only laugh to keep Mother's favor. She holds a lot of pull on a lot of councils and with a lot of people. She also holds a grudge, so it's best not to get on her bad side if you're going to eventually need a favor.
"What's the theme of this year's Winter Gala, Nancy?" Soledad's mother, Lucia Castillo, asks, fake excitement painted upon her plastic face.
"Well, as you ladies know, my family and I host this gala every year as a gift to society," Mother subtly compliments our family's wealth and I roll my eyes. "This year's theme surrounds a ski chalet. No white or snow. Something a little more rustic and less cliche."
"So, like a ski lodge?" One of the less-wealthy women speaks up and my mother glares daggers at her.
"What is this, a backroad mountain trip?" Mother snorts. "It's going to be more elegant than simply a ski lodge."
The woman instantly looks down and goes silent. Leave it up to Mother to put someone in their place.
"Well, I think it's a lovely idea, Nancy," Daniel's mother chimes in after a moment of silence.
"Thank you! It's going to be so lovely! I would absolutely adore your opinion on the orchestra. You patron so many concerts and recitals, you know far more than I do!" Mother smiles.
And here you have it: my mother in her natural habitat. Buttering up women she despises in order to gain favor or advantage.
"Well I would have never pulled off that spring recital without your opinion on flowers! You simply are a genius when it comes to floral arrangements," She responds.
Mother clasps a hand to her chest with a look of gratitude upon her face. "They simply speak to me, is all," She gushes, the rollers in her hair completely taut as she speaks.
I roll my eyes again and flip the page to my book while the stylist sprays water onto my hair.
"So, Blythe," Soledad's Mother catches my attention, "who are you taking to the gala?"
Before I can answer, Mother responds, "Daniel, of course!"
"Soledad is bringing Avery. They're quite taken with one another," Mrs. Castillo lies. Soledad despises Avery and he feels the same about her.
"Yes, it's so wonderful to see them together!" Mrs. Dunlap chimes in from the other side of the room.
"I've seen them also. The chemistry is just amazing!" Mother chimes, trying to reassert herself into the conversation.
"The chemistry between Daniel and Blythe is just palpable!" Mrs. Castillo says, almost as if she's trying to refute our actual chemistry. Which is little-to-none, if we're being honest.
Mother picks up on her sly insult and shrugs, "Well, when you have a daughter as beautiful as mine, it's hard for anyone to resist her."
My eyebrows shoot up and I quickly look back to my book as the stylist begins to trim the ends of my hair.
"Jensen says she's the topic of many party conversations," A different, rich woman adds and I blush.
"We always knew it would be hard to keep the boys away from her," Mother chimes and a few women nod knowingly.
God, please save me.
"What color are you wearing for the winter gala, Blythe?" Mrs. Castillo asks and I exhale, thankful for a reprieve in conversations about my exterior.
"A dark red," I say, looking away from my book for a split moment, "to go with the chalet theme."
"Interesting!" She smiles. "I think Soledad is wearing sage."
"That will go well with the theme also!" Mother reasserts herself once more.
"So, how many more days until the gala?" Mrs. Majewska pipes in.
"Only two weeks. It's always on December first, which is a Thursday this year," Mother informs as her stylist rolls her hair into large pin rollers. "I'm thinking about making it more inclusive this year. What do you ladies think?"
"As long as you don't invite the... middle class, I think you're alright."
"Maybe only extend it to the lower upper class, like Mrs. Tanton over here," Mrs. Castillo gestures to the woman who referred to Mother's party as a "ski lodge" theme.
"Invite a few 'new money' people, but not many. They're too green and don't know how to behave at a party," Mrs. Majewska advises and I roll my eyes.
"What do you think, Blythe?" Mother directs all attention to me. "You're going to be the matriarch one day, you should get some practice."
I internally shudder and protest at being the party-planning matriarch she is. "I think you should include all classes," I say, which earns a few gasps. "It will display the generosity of the Ragin family which will create a better public image of you, since many tabloids paint you as a selfish, greedy witch."
More gasps are heard but instead of anger from Mother as I expected, she's smirking with a proud expression on her face. "Blythe, dear, you are a genius! We'll invite all classes, but only a few. We don't want to be overrun. Also, we can't be too generous or they'll think it's okay to come back when they need something. That would be horrendous!"
All the ladies fall into high-pitched, faux laughter and I roll my eyes once again.
Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
♔
When I step into my house, after finishing my hair appointment, the strong scent of orange spice and ginger hits my nostrils and stings my eyes. This can only mean one thing— Daniel's here.
"Why's Daniel here?" I turn to face Mother who's closing the door behind her.
"I suppose he's here for tea," She shrugs, hanging up her peacoat.
I sigh. I wish someone would tell me he's coming so I wouldn't be blindsided.
I guess they didn't tell me so it's impossible for me to make a quick escape.
I slowly embark into the sitting room, tugging at the top of my corduroy pants before entering the room.
Father and Daniel are seated opposite one another, Father's nose in the Wall Street Journal and Daniel's nose in his phone. I stand at the door for a moment, simply looking at them. They don't notice my presence until Mother comes bursting in around me.
"Hello gentlemen! Sorry we're late for tea. Blythe's hair took a little longer than expected."
That was your hair, but okay.
"Quite alright, Mrs. Ragin," Daniel flashes a bright smile and stands to his feet to greet her.
I meander over to Father's side and prop myself on the arm of his chair, leaning in to look at his paper.
"What are you reading about?"
"The economy," He says, his eyes glued to the page.
"Good or bad?"
He slightly shrugs, "So-so."
I read from the top of the page, which has the headline: "Student-Loan Debt Inhibits Home-Ownership".
"Blythe?" Daniel catches my attention and I spare him an impassive glance.
"Should I wear a tie or a bow-tie to the gala?"
"Tie," I respond, then move my focus back to the article.
"Do I need to get a haircut before then? Or would you prefer my hair longer?"
I sigh, "Get it trimmed."
"Perfect," He flashes me a smile but I don't respond with one.
"Harrison, what should we have for the hor d'oeuvres? I was thinking about doing smoked salmon crisps for the opening, but I'm not sure. What do you think?" She drapes her hand atop Daniel's chair.
"As long as we have duck for the main course, I'm set," Father mutters, flipping the page and cutting off my reading.
"Why don't you wear your hair up for the gala, Blythe? To show off your neck," Daniel suggests, his eyes trained on my throat.
"It looks best with my hair down," I respond, not wanting him to be lusting after my neck all night.
"Maybe you should wear it up, Blythe," Mother suggests even though she's the one who commanded I wear it down in the first place.
"Let the girl wear her hair as she wants, Nancy," Father breaks in, his tone emotionless yet firm enough to make a point to Mother.
"Hmph!" Mother says, standing and tugging on her blouse. She then stomps out of the room, calling Daniel after her in order to go over financial details of the wedding.
I stare at the side of my father's head and admire him for a moment. Sometimes, it seems like he's the only real family I have.
"I love you, Dad," I kiss him on the cheek and go to exit the room.
"I love you too, Blythe."
I stop in my tracks at his sentiment and smile to myself before continuing in my path to my room.
I haven't heard that in a long time. It feels good.
A/N: so, no jesse this chapter. More of a filler to set things up! Plus, I don't want the chapters to be the same thing over and over ya know?
Anyway....
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bella_salvatore