(unedited)
Oh, lights go down,
In the moment,
We're lost and found.
I just wanna be by your side,
If these wings could fly.
"Wings" –Birdy
"What do you mean you don't have a dress?" Vanessa demanded.
I shrugged. "I haven't gotten a dress."
"The formal's tomorrow!" she exclaimed. "We have to get you a dress!"
"I don't think I'm going to go," I told her.
"What?" she shrieked. I cringed when everyone in the hall turned to stare at us. I turned away from their eyes, shoving my Calculus and Biology binders in my locker. "You have to go! It's the Winter Formal. You can't just not- oh hey, Skylar."
I looked up to see Skylar leaning against the locker beside mine, an amused expression on her face. "What are you guys talking about?" She glanced at Vanessa and raised an eyebrow. "You look ready to have a seizure."
"Elena says she's not going to the Formal," Vanessa told her.
"What about Jace?" Skylar asked, turning to me.
I shrugged. "What about him?"
"He asked you," she said.
"I told him no," I replied.
"What about Ashton?" Vanessa asked. "Didn't he ask you?"
I shook my head.
"Then what'd you guys do after you dragged him out of the cafeteria? You guys never came back," Skylar said. What? I had gone to Kit's with Jacen for an explanation, so yeah, I had ditched, but where had Ashton gone?
"We didn't go anything. He apologized and then walked away," I told them. Which I still didn't understand. Why had Ashton said sorry?
"He apologized?" Skylar repeated.
"For what?" Vanessa asked.
I shrugged. Skylar muttered something under her breath and shook her head. "You should still come to the Formal," she said.
I shook my head. "I don't really like dances."
"Have you ever even been to one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," I admitted.
"What?" Vanessa shrieked again. This time, though, most people had gone to the cafeteria for lunch, so only a handful of people gave us a brief stare. "Okay, now you have to go, and you have to get a dress."
"Okay, okay, I'll get one after school," I muttered in attempt to get them to stop talking about the dance. I didn't want to go, I didn't have a dress, and I wasn't planning on changing my mind. I wouldn't get a dress after school, but I'd lie if it meant them dropping the topic.
"We should leave now and have a girl's day!" Vanessa exclaimed. "It's been a while since we've had one of those."
No, no, no it's all good, I don't even want to go to the dance, we don't need to go dress shopping to get a dress for a dance I'm not going to. "What about school?" I said instead.
"It's exams next week," Skylar replied. "We're not going to be doing anything anyway."
"But I wasn't- I don't want to go the dance," I sputtered.
"You have to go! There's only the Formal and Prom left. Prom can't be your first and last high school dance!" Vanessa protested. Prom... Which I won't be going to. At Blaire Academy, at least. I wasn't going to tell Vanessa that, of course. She'd probably have a heart attack. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about LA.
Skylar shot me an amused look. "You better agree, Elena, she's not gonna let this go."
I groaned. "Fine."
Vanessa clapped her hands together. "Come on, let's go!"
I sighed, and allowed myself to be dragged towards the door. I glanced at Skylar who was following behind us, a bemused smile on her face. "If I regret this, I'm blaming you, you know," I told her.
"Whose car do you want to take?" Vanessa asked. "I got a ride with Jacen today."
Skylar shrugged. "Ashton drove me."
I debated lying, and saying I didn't have my car with me to get out of shopping, but I had a feeling that wouldn't stop them. They'd probably call a driver, or get one of the guys to give them their car for the afternoon. "Guess it's my car then."
"You don't have to look so scared, you know," Skylar said as we walked towards my car. "This isn't a death sentences."
"I don't like dances," I repeated.
"You've never even been to one!" Vanessa exclaimed, sliding into the passenger seat when I unlocked the doors. "You have to go to at least one high school dance."
"There's Prom. I can go to that," I told her. Even though I won't be here.
"Other than Prom," she corrected.
I pulled out of the parking lot. I started towards the gate, then stopped. "Wait, what are we telling them?"
"Just a sec..." Skylar answered. I turned around to see her reaching into her bag. She pulled out a piece of paper, read it, then scribbled something at the bottom before holding it out to me.
I turned and grabbed the slip of paper from her hands. "How'd you get a permission slip from your Dad already?" Skylar had been with us the whole time since we had been planning this, yet the slip had the date, permission for us to leave for the afternoon and Mr. Blaire's signature. There was no way Skylar could've forged all of that this quickly.
She grinned. "I know Dad's signature well enough to copy it."
...But apparently she did.
I pulled to a stop at the gate and rolled the window down. A guard approached the window. "Do you have permission slip?" Wordlessly, I handed over the sheet of paper. He read it over, then stepped back and signaled to someone behind him, and a moment later the gates opened.
"So the Hampton Hills mall, then?" I asked, looked past Vanessa to turn onto the main road.
She wrinkled her nose. "The stores there are awful, though."
"I don't know if we'll be able to find anything there," Skylar agreed.
If I hadn't been driving, I would've turned to stare at them. The Hampton Hills mall had over two hundred stores, most of which were high end designer boutiques. It was huge, with dozens of dress shops or stores that would have formal dresses. How could we possible not find anything there?
"Maybe we should go to LA," Vanessa said.
I blinked. "That's a two and a half hour drive." There and back would be five hours. Five hours to get a dress that I might not even wear sounded kind of ridiculous to me. They didn't know about the not wearing part of course, but still.
"We could take the jet," Skylar suggested.
I shook my head so hard I almost crashed into the car in front of me at a red light. "No, it's fine. There are a lot of shops at the mall. I'm sure we'll find something."
I glanced over to see a small frown on Vanessa's face. "Alright if you're sure."
I nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Have you guys gotten your dresses yet?" I asked changing the subject. They probably had, considering how badly they -well, more like Vanessa- had reacted when the founded out I didn't have one yet.
"Of course," Skylar said, sounding offended. "I got mine custom from Terani Couture. You'll see it tomorrow." I glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see her grin.
"I got mine from Jovani," Vanessa supplied. "It's white."
"Do I need a long or short dress?" I asked.
"It's up to you," Vanessa replied with a shrug. "Mine's short."
"And mine's long," Skylar said.
A moment later we arrived at the mall. The parking lot was pretty full, even though it was one in the afternoon on the school day since I think people came here just to shop. I found a spot near the side entrance and parked.
"Since the dance is tomorrow," Skylar started as we walked towards the doors. She narrowed her eyes, looking me up and down. "You probably won't be able to get a good custom dress in time."
I shrugged. "That's okay. It's kind of whatever to me."
"No!" Vanessa yelled so sharply I almost jumped. "You can't have that attitude!"
I shrugged again, choosing not to respond. If I was suddenly enthusiastic, they'd know it was fake and any more indifference would probably just make Vanessa more upset.
"Alright where to first?" Vanessa looked around the mall, tapping a finger against her chin. She glanced at me. "We have to get you shoes and accessories too, you know."
I sputtered. "No!"
I wasn't even planning on going, they'd go to waste.
"Yes!"
I shook my head. "No."
"You need shoes and jewelry!" she exclaimed.
"Just shoes," I compromised. If I could find something in a neutral kind of colour, like black or white, then at least I would be able to wear it for other formal events.
"But accessories!" she protested.
I held my ground. "Shoes."
She stared at me for a moment, pouting, then sighed. "Fine."
Skylar cleared her throat. "Now that you guys are done arguing like three year olds, let's try Jovani first."
And so it began.
♡ the trouble with love ♡
It took five stores to find a dress.
Which may not have sounded like much, but each of the stores had hundreds of dresses. I kind of let Skylar and Vanessa go crazy, which I regretted fifteen minutes later when they -or the store workers they had roped into helping- brought back armfuls of dresses.
There were colours of every type. Long ones, short ones, one for every colour of the rainbow and every shade of grey between black and white, tight ones, poufy ones, plain ones, ones with so much sparkle it turned me into a disco ball. By the third shop, I was ready to just give up and grab the first one that looked marginally decent.
But Vanessa and Skylar weren't having it.
I think they could tell when I was saying I liked a dress to get this over with despite how hard I tried to look enthusiastic. Somehow, they found something they didn't like in every designer dress they had picked off the rack. Something about how it didn't go with my skin tone, or my eyes, or my hair, or how it looked better on the hanger, or how it was too tight, or not tight enough.
I was the one who had suggested the store we found my dress in.
It was a small shop, almost hiding between two large high-end boutiques. It was called Originals, and while it was small, it wasn't messy or bad, or anything- I don't think that would be possible for a store in the Hampton Hills mall. It was a lot more simple, and quiet than the extravagant designer shops.
It had only strengthened my resolve to check it out when Skylar had frowned and said, "I've never heard of them."
The store was filled with dresses, but unlike the previous ones, they were a lot simpler. There was nothing in here that looked like it had been made to replicate the effect of a disco ball. Unlike the other shops, the storekeeper didn't immediately bring out the flashiest, most expensive dresses when when she heard we were looking for a dress and that I didn't really know what I wanted. Instead, she suggested colours, and cuts, but left us to our own devices.
It was Skylar who found the dress.
Sort of. She had called me over to see a dress she thought I would like, and the dress I had ended up getting had been hiding behind it.
The dress was strapless, and a blue green colour, with a little bit of jewels and sparkle decorating the right side. It was asymmetrical, the right side in the back longer than the rest, but it wasn't cut directly, it fell in little pieces of fabric. It was perfect.
Fancy enough for the Formal, but not so fancy that I wouldn't be able to wear it to anything else.
And as an added bonus, the only thing Skylar and Vanessa had said was that the brand was pretty much unknown, which I didn't mind. They hadn't been able to find anything else wrong with it. Or maybe it was just because they could tell I genuinely liked the dress.
They -well, primarily Vanessa, though Skylar had agreed- had wanted all of us to get ready together, but I was able to convince them I would be fine getting ready by myself.
Truth was, I wasn't planning on going to the dance. I had never been to one before and I doubted that I would enjoy the experience, especially with the recent events. I had other stuff to worry about anyway, like studying for exams, which I was way behind on given everything that had happened and packing for Los Angeles.
I felt bad, since I had gotten a dress, but it wasn't like I would never wear it. It was something I could probably wear to a formal event so it wasn't like that was a complete waste.
Vanessa might be angry with me, but next week was exams, and then I'd be gone. So even if she did get mad, I probably wouldn't be around to see it or deal with it.
It all worked out pretty well, I had it all figured out.
Sort of.
There was one thing I didn't count on.
It was a little before six when the doorbell rang. I had told Skylar and Vanessa that I would 'meet' them there, so I figured it was someone for Raine or Kaden. I was up in my room studying so I let them get the door.
A couple moments later, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called, not getting up since I was in the middle of highlighting a section of text in my binder. I heard the door open, but didn't look up. "I thought you said dinner would be lat-" I cut myself off when I finished highlighting and finally looked up.
It wasn't Raine or Kaden at the door.
It was Ashton.
In a suit.
He glanced at me, lying on my bed, in a tank top and shorts, with binders and textbooks scattered all around me and sighed. "Well, that would explain why Kaden let me come up so easily."
I stared. "What are you doing here?" He was dressed in a dark grey suit, with a tie that surprisingly matched my dress. The dress I had gotten yesterday with Skylar and Vanessa. Okay, maybe not surprisingly. "Did Skylar put you up to this? Or Vanessa?"
"Skylar might have played a small part-" he admitted, dragging a hand through his hair.
"You didn't have to do this," I told him, sitting up. "I wasn't planning on going anyway."
He shook his head. "You didn't let me finish. Skylar played a part, but I wanted to."
I raised an eyebrow. "Did she tell you to say that?"
"No," he said, with a slight scowl. "I didn't punch Jacen when he asked you to the Formal for no reason, Elle."
"You and Jacen hate each other," I pointed out. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Sounds like he was jealous, Lena," Raine answered before Ashton could answer. She walked around Ashton and into my room, grinning widely. Ashton didn't deny it, though a faint blush did creep up his cheeks. Raine turned to him. "Oh, Kaden wants to talk to you."
Ashton winced. "I have a feeling I know what about," he muttered.
"Come on," Raine said once he was gone. "Let's get you ready."
I stared at her. "What?"
"For the dance."
"I wasn't planning on going," I told her. "And aren't I supposed to be grounded or something?" I mean, I had run away, which had made Kaden pretty mad, though I wasn't sure if agreeing to go to Los Angeles balanced that.
"You can't stand him up like that, Lena," Raine said.
"I don't think that's standing him up," I replied. "Standing him up would be agreeing to go with him then not showing up at all. We never agreed to go in advance. He didn't ask." Or at least, as far as I knew, he didn't ask. Did punching Jacen in the face count as asking? Because if it did, then the custom of asking a girl to a dance was getting a little caveman-ish.
"He came here," Raine countered.
I sighed. "Fine, if Kaden lets me go." He probably wouldn't I mean, I had ran away and stayed with the Sinclairs, so there was no way he would've let me go to a dance with Ashton.
"Already done," she said, with a wide grin and raised eyebrow. "What do you think they're talking about now?"
I shot up from my bed and started towards the door. Before, I could get very far though, Raine stopped me. I struggled against her. "No, that's embarrassing! I have to go stop him!"
She laughed. "Let Kaden have his fun. Come on, we have to get you ready." She walked over to my closet. "Where's your dress?"
"What would you do if I said I didn't have one?" I asked.
Raine raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that you're not as good at hiding things as you think you are." She stepped into my closet and appeared a moment later with the dress I had gotten yesterday in hand.
My jaw dropped.
Okay, add Raine to the list of people who have freakish all knowing powers... Is this an adult thing?
Or maybe I just really am horrible at hiding things.
"I know you well, Lena," she said. "I also know the sound of a crinkling dress bag makes when you try to sneak it up the stairs."
I blinked. I had gotten home yesterday just before dinner, so I had figured that Raine would be busy in the kitchen. I hadn't tried my hardest to be quiet, I guess, since I had heard the banging of cupboards and the oven door and stuff.
"Go change," Raine instructed, pushing me towards the closet. I sighed and took the dress from her hands. I closed the closet door and glared at the dress accusingly for a moment.
"I hid you, you know." I had put it at the back with all the other fancy, misfit things I wasn't sure when I would wear. I grabbed a strapless bra from the drawers then changed into the dress. Might as well grab the shoes as well.
They hadn't taken long to find yesterday, thankfully. They were silver, with little jewels and shiny beading to match the dress. They were a bit flashy, and a little on the tall side, but I could walk in them fine. When I stepped back out, Raine was trying to open a package.
"Oh good, you have shoes," she said when she saw me.
"What's that for?" I asked, nodding at the box. I couldn't read the label since her hands kept covering the words as she turned the box over and over, peeling off the tape.
"I was thinking we could curl your hair," she answered. "A company sent these to me. I haven't tried them yet, but Kallie got them to and swears they're miracle workers."
"Hot rollers?" I asked, finally able to identify the product.
She shrugged. "Faster than a curling wand. They need to heat up first, though." She ducked down to plug them in, then set the rollers and their heating rack on my desk. She turned back to me. "In the meantime, accessories. Do you want a clutch?"
"I don't know." I paused. "What do I need to bring?"
"Your phone. Lipstick or mascara if you want to touch up your make-up. Gum. Some money just in case," Raine suggested.
"What are you supposed to do with it when you dance?" I asked.
She shrugged. "You can put it down."
"Okay , sure," I replied.
"I have a silver one. I'll go grab it," she said. "Grab any jewelry you have that's silver."
I ducked into my bathroom and dug through the drawer with my jewelry. I didn't have a lot that would work and most of what I pulled out had been given as a gift. I liked buying necklaces, but not the fancy, elegant kind that I would need for the Formal. No, I had a lot of the long ones with multiple chains or charms dangling at the bottom. Bracelets and earrings I didn't have many of, period.
All in all it was a pretty small collection.
Raine returned a moment later with a small, silver bag in one hand, and something sparkly in the other. "I also found this," she said, opening her hand. "I think it'll match your dress pretty well."
I gasped. "Wow. Thank you."
It was a delicate-looking necklace, thin twists of silver wrapping around each other forming a complicated, yet simple pattern. There were also little turquoise gems scattered over the intricate design. They weren't a perfect match to my dress, but similar enough that you wouldn't notice unless you examined both of them closely.
It also looked unworn.
Which it could've been, I wouldn't be surprised. Raine got things from companies and designers all the time that she didn't wear often, or at all, since they were usually fancy stuff that the creators hoped she would wear at some high-profile event.
She grinned. "I think the curlers are heated now, so time to do your hair."
As Raine put the hot rollers in my hair, I put on some jewelry. I left the necklace on the table, not wanting something to happen to it in case there might be an accident or something while getting ready.
I chose a silver cuff that had a weaving design that sort of matched the necklace, then swapped the simple studs on my ears for a fancier pair. They were little silver drops with a diamond-like gem, dangling enough to be noticeable but not so much that my ears hurt.
"Alright," Raine said once she finished. "We can do makeup while the rollers cool down."
"You don't have to do all of this, you know," I told her. I felt kind of bad, sitting around while she found accessories for me, and did my hair, and everything.
"You're going to your first dance, Lena," Raine said. "I want to help you get ready, even if it is as last minute as thus us."
"Wow," I muttered, closing my eyes when she came at me with an eye shadow brush. "I didn't know it was such a big deal." First Vanessa, now her.
"Maybe it isn't, but you've been so anti-social up to this point that I thought you wouldn't even go to prom."
I gasped. "Hey!"
"Careful," she chided. "You're going to end up looking like a clown if you keep moving so much." I heard her rummaging around a little bit, then felt something thin and slightly sharp glide along my eyelid- eyeliner, probably. "Okay, open your eyes."
I did as she instructed, blinking a couple times at the light and opened my eyes to see Raine standing in front of me with a black pencil.
"Look up," she instructed. I glanced up at the ceiling, feeling, and partially seeing her run the pencil along my bottom eyelid. "Okay," she said, stepping back a couple seconds later. "You should do your own mascara, since I'll probably poke out your eye."
I took the tube from her hand, then turned to the mirror beside my desk and resisted the urge to laugh. I looked kind of ridiculous, make-up half done and hair up in rollers like woman in those old fashioned movies.
It took another ten minutes to finish my makeup and for the curlers to cool down. When we took my hair out of the rollers, it took some finger-combing and pulling, but they eventually fell down in soft curls.
We were done.
And now it's time for the dance.
....Great.
-- ♡ --
continued in next chapter because this was way too long.
QotC: Skylar or Vanessa?