Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kiera Cass!
netanyar: Thank you so much!
School was worse. My wig nearly fell off, Kriss and Aspen both seemed detached when I told them about what happened with Maxon yesterday, and even Marlee didn't seem that energetic. Well, until the Autumn Formal was announced.
"We have to go shopping, girls!" I knew that this meant that I would stand back and watch as Marlee tried to find something to impress Carter. Because I wasn't going to the dance.
The fateful Friday afternoon before the Fall dance arrived, girls were haunting department stores, looking for dresses. Unfortunately, I happened to be one of them.
"What about this one?" Marlee twirled in a short orange dress.
"No, it doesn't go well with your skin and hair," Elise commented.
"Oh, this one!" A cheery, long yellow dress embedded with tiny jewels set off her golden glow.
"It's perfect!" I smiled at her.
Kriss had mostly stayed silent the entire time, but added, "Elise, America, and I should pick out dresses too. After all, aren't we also going to the Fall Formal?"
Elise nodded, and I grimaced but also agreed upon seeing Marlee's excitement.
Kriss and Elise went off further into the department store while Marlee stuck with me.
"This one! Ooh, how about this one?" I sighed as Marlee found dresses and piled them into my arms. I spotted an elegant ice-blue dress and added it to my stack of dresses, before heading into the changing room.
"This is too much, don't you think?" I pointed to the skimpy black thing I was trying on.
Dress, after dress, after dress. I tried on at least fifty dresses! But the last one—the ice-blue one I had picked—really stood out. It was a floor-length dress with a modest neckline with blue sapphires, the only embellishments. Underneath the neckline was a small triangle slit in the middle. The dress swept out elegantly towards the floor with a low back that wasn't too revealing. It was perfect and simple.
Just then, the other girls walked out of the dressing room. Kriss chose an extravagant lavender dress, and Elise chose a traditional-looking red gown. When they saw me, they both squealed.
"Oh, Mer, that dress is beautiful! It really brings out your eyes," Kriss exclaimed with a small undertone I couldn't quite place—jealousy?
"You two have found beautiful dresses! You'll steal everyone's breath away." I beam.
The four of us returned to our respective homes quite happily. But for me, the happiness wore out Saturday evening. I had a friend come over to help me, Lucy, who was a nice and sweet girl my age and also helped me with my stage makeup before concerts.
"I'll apply makeup now," Lucy murmured after I slipped on my dress.
"Makeup?" I say disgustedly. I was no stranger to makeup, being on stage required it—but a small high school dance shouldn't need makeup.
Wordlessly, Lucy applied light, natural makeup. I mentally thanked her for not doing much. After pinning up my fake blonde hair into a delicate updo, she quietly left, leaving me to wait for Aspen to pick me up.
I mentally made a note to purchase another, more inconspicuous car. I never drove my car around because it would shatter my fragile disguise of being normal. After all, a flashy Lamborghini is not what you see in small cities.
I heard the doorbell ring and ran downstairs to greet Aspen. "Hey," I whispered, breathless.
Smirking, Aspen held my hand and led me out to his car.
By the time we reached our school, the party was at full blast. I walked into the gym doors and was amazed by the transformation. Streamers, balloons, and fall-themed decorations hung everywhere. Without meaning to, I caught sight of Maxon hovering near the drinks, holding a vodka shot. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I looked away.
Aspen had disappeared, and I wandered over to Marlee, who was sipping water. She was giggling with Carter, the two of them caught up in affection. I sighed and walked towards the side, where bleachers had once stood.
"Mer?" I knew it was Maxon before I even turned around.
"Yeah? What is it now?" I felt moody, and I happened to always take my feelings out on other people.
"Do you care to dance with me?" Woah. I blinked, making sure that I had heard correctly.
I ended up whispering, "Definitely."
I don't know how long we danced, but at the end, my feet were killing me. When I looked for Maxon again, I couldn't find him in the sea of people. I looked up and saw Aspen, eyes red-rimmed and the smell of alcohol oh his breath.
"Aspen, have you been drinking?" Obviously. A rhetorical question.
Aspen's words are slurred and aggressive, but I understand him. "I saw you with that bastard." Oh no.
"Why do you care, Aspen? He's nice to me!" I defend.
"Because he's going to sleep with you and leave you heartbroken like he did to my sister and Natalie!" His sister? I had no idea.
My eyes widen. "A-Aspen, I'm sorry… I didn't know about your sister!"
"Kamber was permanently broken, Mer. Celia tried to help her, but the Kamber we knew was gone. All. Because. Of. Him! Stay away from him, Mer. You're mine."
All of my regrets disappeared. "I'm not yours. I'm a person, you know, not your toy!" I stormed away from him.
I felt a tentative tap on my shoulder. I was done. "What?!" I shrieked, only to find myself face to face with Marlee.
Her brow puckered. "I was just trying to help, that's all! Jeez, Mer, you always take out your anger on others! What did we do to deserve your fury?" She walked away.
Wallowing in guilt and anger, I ran out of the gym, pulled out my phone—my real phone, not the one I use for my disguise—and dialed my private chauffeur. He didn't ask a single question as I harshly commanded him to take me home.
Once I was in the safety of my bedroom, I sobbed. I cried for hours and basked in the awful consequences of my bad decisions. And I'm afraid that it'll always be like this.