chapter by chapter,
i'm falling faster and f a s t e r . . .
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Being with Blair is a lot like being with Gracie. She doesn't run out of energy, she gets excited about literally everything, and her mind is always in six different places at once. It's tiring if you're not used to it, but unfortunately I've become accustomed to her craziness.
It's the morning of the Snow Ball and it's obvious she didn't take a chill pill with breakfast.
Christmas is on Tuesday and yesterday was our last day of school, so now it's winter break. It's barely even lunchtime right now and this day has felt like the longest day in history. Blair made sure to wake me up extra early so we could talk about life and get ready for the dance. It's amazing that I've been able to keep my eyes open this whole day.
"I'm hungry. Can we get lunch? I can't start getting ready on an empty stomach," Blair shook her head vigorously.
"Sure, I'll ask my mom to make something," I sighed, ruffling my damp hair around with a towel. I just got out of the shower five minutes ago, with sleep still in my eyes as I keep yawing every few seconds.
"Okay," she agreed to it. I threw on a pair of leggings and a crew neck sweatshirt, then we left my room and went downstairs. "I'm so glad the dance is on a Saturday. That's such a smart thing to do, because then we have all day to prepare!"
"Yeah, it is," I yawned again.
"Stop yawning," she scolded me, grabbing my shoulders from behind me and shaking me. I laughed tiredly as we approached the kitchen, and my mom was already standing at the counter making something.
"Are you girls hungry?" She asked us without looking up. "I think I'm going to make grilled cheese and tomato soup."
"That sounds perfect," I smiled, taking a seat at the island with Blair next to me.
My mom started on her cooking as I rested my head in my hands, while Blair kept quiet for the most part. She was hooked on her phone, probably pestering Matt about plans for tonight.
"You all ready for tonight?" My mom turned around to grin at us.
"Yes, I'm so excited!" Blair piped up now, putting her phone down and grinning at me. "We're going to be the best dressed couples there."
"You and Matt are a couple," I clarified. "Josh and I are not."
She scoffed in annoyance and looked to my mom for help. "Tell her she's being ridiculous."
"You're just so stubborn, my love," my mom smiled warmly at me.
"I think I'm being completely normal," I justified, crossing my arms and leaning back in my seat.
"The first sign of being in denial," Blair looked at my mom with a small smirk. I rolled my eyes at the two of them and their weird behavior.
We talked about life as our lunch was done moments later, while my mom sat with us and ate too. My dad is at work in the meantime, but he said he'd be back in time to take pictures of us before we leave.
Not being able to handle my mother and Blair in the same room anymore, I picked up my empty dishes and put them in the sink, exiting the kitchen and thanking my mom. Blair thanked her quickly too as my mom took her dishes and she skipped after me to go back to my room.
"Okay, so I was thinking we-"
"Can I please just take a nap?" I begged, turning around to face her and sticking out my lower lip.
I know if I do get to sleep, I'll be in a much better mood when I wake up. I'll be refreshed and ready to take on the world. But right now, I want to crawl in a hole and never see sunlight again.
Blair pouted back at me, crossing her arms. "You're not going to have enough time," she whined.
"I'll have plenty of time," I scoffed and took a seat on my bed. "It doesn't start until seven-thirty, right?"
"Yeah," she shrugged as she sat down on my floor, looking through the bags of clothes and makeup she brought here.
"And it's twelve-thirty now," I pulled the covers over myself and curled into my pillow. "Wake me up at two."
"Vic-"
"An hour for my hair, and hour for my makeup, and ten minutes to get dressed," I told her my plan, shutting my eyes.
"Don't forget we have to take pictures," she grumbled.
"Okay, and another hour for pictures. That still gives me enough time. Trust me," I sighed sleepily, keeping my eyes shut.
She groaned again and I could just picture her rolling her eyes at me. I smiled to myself and felt myself quickly slipping into a deep sleep in a matter of minutes.
"You make me anxious," she muttered to herself.
"You make me tired," I replied, then I fell asleep.
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Just like I said, I was like a new person after my nap. The sun was shining into my room, Blair was humming quietly to herself as she curled her hair, and I smiled at how much better I felt. It's 1:58 and I still have two minutes to spare.
I'm telling you – a little sleep does amazing things.
I sat up slowly, stretching my limbs and hearing some bones crack. Blair glanced at me for a second before focusing back on her hair.
"Wow, I didn't even have to wake you up. You just did it on your own," she commented.
"After awhile, you get to be a pro at naps," I grinned. She just chuckled at me, as I got out of my bed and went to wash my face.
By the time it came to be about 6 o'clock, we were pretty much done. Our hair and makeup was all good to go, and we had our dresses on. All that's left is shoes and pictures, then we can get on our way.
I tamed my hair to a point so it's not its usual, messy self. It's mostly straight, but with a slight curl on the ends of my layers. I have to admit, it's a pretty nice change. I'm all about leaving it the way it is and letting it fly, but tonight it actually feels nice to have done it. I kept my makeup pretty simple and girly with winged liner, pink lips, glowy skin and false lashes.
Blair ended up twisting her hair into a low, messy bun while leaving some stray pieces out to frame her face. Then her makeup is sort of similar to mine, but more nude and neutral because she's not a fan of too much – her skin is super sensitive to it.
I grabbed a pair of small, silver hoops and slipped them into my ears, then pulled on a silver bangle and a simple ring.
"I can't get the zipper up, help me," Blair struggled from across my room. I laughed as I made my way over to her, helping her zip up. "Thanks."
"No problem. You look so cute," I smiled at her.
"You too, girlfriend," she smirked back as she sifted through her heels.
I turned back to my shoes as well, looking at a few pairs quickly. Since I'll probably end up taking them off, I picked out a pair of basic, black sandal heels and put them on. Blair's heels looked almost identical to mine, but were white instead of black. We both laughed, but didn't change.
"Are you done?" She asked me.
"I think so," I nodded, a little breathless for some reason.
"Okay good, because Matt and Josh are on their way," she grinned, making me roll my eyes playfully at her abruptness.
We finished up quickly and then made our way down the wooden stairs safely without breaking any bones. My parents came running to the bottom of the stairs, my mom ready with her disposable camera and my dad ready with his iPad. I laughed at the two of them acting like a couple of kids on Christmas, and couldn't help but notice their eyes on Blair at first.
The thing with having Blair as my best friend is that she's a natural beauty and she doesn't even realize it. She's that girl who everyone gawks at, even though she's surrounded by a bunch of other people. Anything she wears looks amazing on her and she can never go wrong. I really don't know how she does it.
"Blair, your parents are on their way over to see you before you go," my mom told her with an awed look on her face.
"Oh, okay," Blair nodded with a giggle. "This is so exciting," she whispered to me.
"Yeah, yeah," I chuckled.
The doorbell ringing cut me off from saying anything else. All of us stared at the front door for a second, before my dad sprang into action and opened it up.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunn walked in, gushing and grinning once they saw Blair. I started breathing again once I realized Josh wasn't here yet.
"Blair, baby! You look wonderful," Mrs. Dunn said as she wrapped her daughter into a tight hug.
"Thanks, Mom," Blair smiled widely, hugging her dad too once her mom let go of her.
We took a few pictures of just the two of us in my living room, making sure we got at least a couple decent ones. Then the doorbell rang again, and I felt my heart stop for a second.
I went numb briefly and dipped into another world. One where I'm a bundle of nerves and intense anxiety. My breathing went shallow and my heart started racing like never before.
But for what? A boy?
It's definitely not like me to be nervous about being around a boy. If anything, it's like I'm more comfortable around teenage guys than anybody else. Except this teenage guy isn't like the rest.
He's done something to me that no one else would ever be able to do. He's cracked open a little part of me and squeezed his way in. And I have a feeling that he's not going anywhere for awhile.
"They're here!" Blair squealed, clutching onto my arm and shaking me. It brought me back to earth and I shook off those weird feelings. She smiled at me and didn't let go of my arm, as we watched my dad open the door in what seemed like slow motion.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. My mom standing nearby sent me an appalled look, but I didn't notice it. All I could focus on was Josh in front of me, taking my breath away.
If perfection had a persona, it'd be him.
After shaking my dad's hand and hugging my mom, he walked up to me with a charming smile. I felt frozen in place, but I played it off like I was relaxed.
"Hey," he breathed. Then his hand held onto my waist as he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.
I tried to say "hi", but it came out more like a small whimper. I'm actually pathetic. I get a simple kiss on the cheek and I can't breathe.
He stepped back and cocked the side of his mouth up, then looked to Blair beside me. "Hi Blair," he smiled.
"Hi," she chirped, her elbow nudging mine briefly before she went over to Matt, leaving Josh and I alone.
His eyes raked over my entire figure, making my cheeks warm up instantly. I crossed my arms and kept a cool, calm smirk on my lips.
"You look amazing," he stated, the words easily coming off his tongue.
"Thank you, so do you," I nodded my head and gave him a quick once-over. He's wearing a black dress shirt, black slim-fit slacks and black dress shoes. And I didn't forget to notice his skinny tie, which has a small, black and white checkered print on it. His whole ensemble probably costs more than my entire closet. "I love your tie."
"Thanks," he grinned proudly as he tugged at it. "I got inspired by your Vans that you always wear."
I smiled at the stupid, little detail that he remembered. My heart thumped in my chest at the thought of him thinking about me as he tried to pick out a tie.
God damnit, I'm a pile of mush right now.
"Let's take some pictures so you kids can get going! There's not much time," my mom announced, her and Mrs. Dunn trying to corral us into the living room by the fireplace. I rolled my eyes at her playfully and Josh saw, which he chuckled at.
Mine and Blair's parents crowded around each other, trying to capture the perfect picture as the four of us impatiently took photo after photo. My mom took some candid's of us not paying attention or laughing at something stupid, my dad made us take a few standard pictures, and we all insisted on taking silly ones because that's all we really wanted to do.
"I don't care about having a nice picture. I like the candid ones better," I shrugged, playing with the ends of my hair.
"Me too," Josh's voice surprised me as it vibrated through my body. He's standing behind me, his arms around my waist with our bodies pressed together as Blair and Matt are positioned the same way. Thanks to my father.
My heart thumped furiously again at our close proximity. I swallowed thickly and turned my head to smile at him from the side. I could see him smiling right back at me, then I looked back to face the four confused parents in front of us.
Pull it together, Vic. Pull it together.
After a few more pictures and rounds of hugs and goodbyes, we were finally on our way. Matt was driving us because he's always the one playing taxi driver, so him and Blair got in the front as Josh and I got in the backseat.
I shivered from the bitter cold, feeling goosebumps cover my legs in a matter of seconds. Matt quickly started up his car and turned the heat on, pulling away from my house and heading to our school.
"So do you guys have plans after this?" Matt spoke up, glancing at Blair.
"Nope, I don't care. I'll do whatever," she shook her head and turned around to look at Josh and I.
"Y-yeah, whatever," I stuttered, shrugging my shoulders. She rolled her eyes with a smirk and looked to Josh for an answer.
"I guess we'll see when we get there if anyone is having a party," he nodded, and she smiled. Then she turned back around and began babbling to Matt about some kind of nonsense.
I still shivered in my seat, trying to keep as warm as I could but it's a bit difficult when you're wearing open toe heels and a short, skin tight dress.
Suddenly, Josh's hand came in contact with my shoulder and it slid around to the other side of me. I turned to see him looking at me, jerking his head over to his side of the small backseat.
"Come here," he whispered. I smirked and willingly moved over, closer to him. He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tight into his side. And I can't lie – it's so much warmer. "Better?"
I breathed a laugh, stubbornly nodding my head. "Yeah," I mumbled, making him chuckle deeply.
He squeezed my shoulders a bit. I felt my heartbeat start to relax. My senses are tingling because of how good he smells right now. His arm feels perfect around me.
What the hell is happening to me?
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A/N - this was supposed to be one big long chapter with the dance and everything in it, but i decided to split it in half instead :) i feel like i say "it's the beginning of the end" in every author's note of this story but idk how else to describe it lol. any thoughts or predictions?! comment your lovely ideas.
so sorry i missed the update last night! i wasn't home all weekend – busy drinking and bein' with my friends hehe ;) but here it is a day late! thanks for reading as always, and i love ya lots.
song: disgusting by ke$ha (this song is literally perfect for this story)
photo: story aesthetic
xoxo, sabbbycat