The rest of the week passes in a blur of activity. If she wasn't at Bellona's or driving equipment up to the college for Kinzie and Hylla, '"yes you can use the truck for ... Look I don't want to know but you're to help drive the equipment over for the ball" Kinzie said still not handing the keys over "but I swear if anything goes missing or breaks..."' She was with Annabeth.
She still couldn't believe that it had only been a week, or had already been a week. Time was warped with that girl. They still hadn't gotten anywhere near a bed, although Piper had managed a bit more than kissing in the dark of Annabeth's apartment while they watched bad movie after bad movie laughing together at the bad punchlines and snuggling up under Annabeth's grey comforter on her insanely large couch '…"you sure your a student ... Bloody hell Blondie what are you dealing I want in on this cash"...'
Friday the twenty third arrived bringing with it more snow, Christmas week had swept in and with it a torrent of snow and frost. The city had almost been brought to a standstill with most major roads glistening with frost and dangerous to drive, the streets were icy to a point where Piper had to abandon her bike and catch a lift from Paul in the mornings, damn he left for work early, it might have been the only week Piper was early to work.
Standing in the Theseus hall of the English department she had to admire the room. Her parents had dragged her to every party, gala and ball they had attended from a young age, so she was well versed in all the finery and delicacy that came with the festivities of the upper edge. But this was something else.
Everything was set out to perfection. The string quartet setting up in the '… "nortwest corner , no , gah girl , I said northwest not ... Careful with that cello it's a one of kind piece had carved by-"...' Had the most ridiculously exquisite instruments, though she didn't care for their attitude their instruments were pretty fine, the edges gilded gold , the carving... Well she was somewhat regretting abandoning her violin back when she was a kid, though she was still convinced the guitar was the better instrument she just needed to get her's tuned and she could go back to playing... Maybe serenade Annabeth? She seemed like the kind of girl who'd like that?
Shifting from one foot to another awkwardly tugging at the bottom of her far too short cocktail dress with one hand while she waited around for the ball to begin. It was only seven in the evening and whilst the ball officially began at eight it wouldn't really start till nine or later, as always, she was standing around early because there was always eager college freshmen who arrived early and in Kinzie's words 'they need something cute to look at.'
She wasn't entirely a sure how she felt about that. She had a girlfriend now, didn't she? A week of cuddling and dates meant they were together? She wasn't sure about anything when it came to Annabeth for all she knew she's been friend zoned or something. Since she had first gone on her date with the beautiful blonde she had found her perspective had changed.
A week ago if you asked her to flirt with freshmen in a dress that showed off more skin than it covered she would have been over with the spotty nineteen year old straddling ones lap, fluttering eyelashes at another smiling and touching. She was good at that. Of course she was it was in the family wasn't it? Pretending. Pretending to care, to have a thing for the teens her age and over , younger even , if some siblings turns up. She wouldn't have questioned the makeup that she was wearing, smoky and seductive a Drew speciality, the high shoes or the push-up bra, Annabeth was making things weird, changing things. She was making Piper think things threw and she wasn't entirely sure she liked it.
The ball finally started up around half nine, the room filled with couples young and old moving across the floor to the soft classical music, hips swinging heads nestled on shoulders, it was like a scene from a movie come to life. Her mouth was hurting slightly from the fake too bright smiles she had to plaster across her face as she explained to random guys she wasn't interested, old friends that 'yes she was perfectly happy working shifts at unholy hours in a strange diner/bar and no she didn't need any cash of help getting a more "appropriate" job'
By the time ten o'clock came around she had run through eight trays of champagne and had successfully dodged her parents, dancing with different people she acknowledged, her dad sporting a rather buxom blonde who couldn't have been much older than Drew and her mother a young man with a chest so defined she could see it through his dress shirt, he looked like a Neanderthal and the blonde like a moron. Her parents really could choose 'em.
By eleven o'clock most of the more senior member of the college , professors, governors and their associates all at least fifty five, and the music had picked up a slightly faster beat, the string quartet had retired to the drawing room to play for those few who had been invited back to the deans quarters for ... Whatever old people did when they were alone, nothing interesting probably.
It took her a moment to realise someone was calling her name, looking around se spotted Hylla gesturing madly, mouthing something at Piper. Peering through the crowd of people she tried to read the older woman's lips. "Torn? Town? Thorn? Oh Turn.." She muttered to herself as she tried to decode the woman's frantic gesturing. Something turn around... Something turn around.
Shrugging she shot her a thumbs up and a bright smile to let her know the message had sunk in and turned around to see what Hylla wanted her to see.
"don't turn around" she whispered to herself as the message sunk in and she saw what the Woman had been trying to get her away from. Reyna was leaning against a marble pillar a haute couture gown made of tight indigo silk hugging her curves, a gold chain belt hanging low against her hips, drawing Pipers gaze. A glass of champagne, half full, was resting loosely between two fingers as she spoke in a low voice, too softly for Piper to hear above the noise of the ball, to another woman, her free hand resting low against the other woman's hip, moving in slow circles closer to her ass whispering softly as they moved close to each other.
All Piper could see of the woman were her honey blonde curls piled in a twist on the top of her head, a long neck of smooth skin, bare shoulders and the back of a scarlet gown that held tight to her body before fishtailing around the woman's ankles like a Hollywood actress from the golden age had stepped off the red carpet.
She let her gaze flicker to Reyna, trying to ignore the jealousy in her gut, she had a girlfriend now she reminded herself, their eyes met, a spark of interest danced across the older woman's obsidian gaze. She must have said something to the blonde because a slight incline of her head and the two woman turned fully to look at her, she barely had time to register that the blonde was Annabeth before she was twisting through the crowd fury coiling in the pit of her stomach as she tried to escape the college grounds before she did something she did t mean.