My mother was waiting for us as soon as I opened the door. I froze and stumbled forward as Brandon and Rose ran into me.
“Jesus, woman! Would you move out of the way?” Rose pushed past me and sent Mom a smile and small wave. “Hey, Mrs. M! How’s it going?”
“Hello, Rose. Are you excited about tonight?”
“Of course she is! They’re going to have the best costumes at the dance!” Brandon was practically dancing with excitement.
I moved out of the doorway and kicked the door shut behind me. Mom was beaming while holding two dress bags in her hands. I swore her and Brandon were about to break out into song and dance. I wasn’t excited about that notion. I took a deep breath and locked gazes with Rose, we followed them into the living room together.
“So, since you guys are being so gracious about all of this,” I almost laughed, we were anything but gracious at this point. “We did as you asked and didn’t use any fluff or girly stuff. Now, there is going to be a little bit of a shimmer,” Lord save me now, “but that’s only because of what we decided to dress you as…”
I started to feel like a dress up Barbie. Rose and I stayed silent through mom’s speech as she eagerly started to unzip the bags. I closed my eyes, praying for a miracle.
The sound of Rose’s laughter startled me. I jerked my eyes open and looked over to see if she had finally lost it. She was doubled over, tears starting to form in her eyes. I looked at her questioningly, but she just gestured to where Brandon and Mom stood. I braced myself and looked up. There they were, holding out our costumes. My eyes were wide as I held in my laughter. We are going as fairies, and not just any fairies, but their rendition of Goth fairies.
I had to admit the outfits were cute, just a little bit. They dyed the corsets and skirts black, but where mine had hot pink lace tying the corset together and trimming the skirt, Rose had electric blue. My mind flashed briefly to the day that I first met Becca. I shook away the similarities and focused on the present.
The wings were iridescent. Mine started out black at the base but hot pink began to streak through it at the top. There was also a shimmering quality to them that made them seem to almost move. Rose’s wings were the same, except with blue streaks.
I looked over at her again to see that she had regained some of her composure. I really didn't see what was funny about the costumes, but she was highly amused by it all.
“So, what do you girls think?” Mom asked nervously.
“They're cute.”
“Yeah, totally cute Mrs. M.”
She seemed a little disappointed that we weren't as excited as her and Brandon were. I looked over at him and his smile had dimmed slightly. I felt bad so I went up to them and gave them a group hug. I sent a glare at Rose over my shoulder and jerked my head, motioning for her to join in. She rolled her eyes and stepped forward, squeezing all of us together.
I stepped back and smiled. “Thanks guys. We are going to be the best there.”
They practically glowed under the praise. I frowned as I looked at them. Surely I wasn't losing my mind. People don't actually 'glow'. I looked closer, and started laughing. Rose patted me on the shoulder as Mom and Brandon looked at me strangely. There was a reason they were glowing. Apparently all the glitter they used wasn't staying on the wings. They were covered in it, making them seem to glow. I finally realized what Rose did. We are going to the dance as Goth Tinker Bell’s.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Just think happy thoughts.” I laughed at Rose’s whisper as we stepped through the gym doors. Thanks to Mom and Brandon wanting to make sure we were perfect, we arrived almost an hour after the dance started. I wasn’t complaining. I didn’t want to be there to begin with.
The dance committee went wild with the decorations. And not in a good way. Cotton spider webs with giant plastic spiders hung in every corner. A fog machine failed epically in trying to make the room appear scary. The fog didn’t even make it thirty feet past the doors. Tombstones were spread sporadically throughout the sitting area, along with crudely painted cardboard coffins. I almost expected a drunk guy in a Dracula costume to pop out of the shadows. “I vant to suck your blood! Ah ah ah!” I smiled at that thought.
Regardless of the poor decorating skills, the dance was in full swing. At least the music was good. I could practically smell all the teenage hormones kicked into overdrive. Gyrating bodies shimmied across the floor, some humping more than dancing as chaperones roamed the area, pulling apart those who were getting too frisky.
Rose dragged me through the crowds, making a beeline for the dance floor. My unease increased as sweaty bodies slammed into me causing me to stumble. I grabbed onto the edge of Rose's skirt, practically gluing myself to her back. I hated crowds, and I hated being touched. This was such a bad idea.
I looked behind me for Brandon, but he was quickly being swallowed by the crowd. I jerked to a halt as Rose suddenly stopped and spun around, throwing my hands off of her skirt, and sending glitter flying everywhere. It gleamed in the strobe lights, making it look like stars were dancing around her.
Seeing the panic in my eyes, she pulled me closer to her body and leaned in to shout in my ear. “No worries, little Star! I'll keep everyone away from you.”
I nodded my head, mute. She started swaying to the music and I tried to fall into step, but the presence of so many people had my nerves shot. I closed my eyes and willed the panic away. If I was forced to be here I might as well get some enjoyment out of it. As I felt my body relax into the beat of the music, I opened my eyes, looking straight into Rose's happy gaze. For someone who hated school functions she was having a lot of fun.
She pulled me closer and my body quickly fell in sync with hers, creating a perfect rhythm. I forgot about everything while dancing, letting the music wash away all the troubles and worries from my mind. For the first time in a long time I felt at ease, peaceful.
My eyes popped open and whatever feelings I previously felt, were shattered as I felt a hand grip my waist. I froze and looked into Rose's wide eyes as I felt a breath caress my neck.
“Hey little Tigress.” Andrei. I relaxed slightly although my irritation steadily rose, along with my desire. I shivered as his fingertips lightly brushed the exposed flesh between my corset and skirt. I turned around and attempted to glare at him.
“What are you doing here?” I shouted above the music.
He shrugged his broad shoulders, my eyes tracking the movement. My god I wanted to touch him. “Couldn't resist seeing you in that outfit again.”
I felt my face flush with heat at I looked into his amused gaze. I stepped out of his reach and bumped into Rose.
“I thought you'd wait for an invitation before you touched me.”
He smiled at me, and I suddenly felt like I was prey. He loomed over me, making me feel small. Although the dance floor was crowded, I couldn't help but feel like we were the only two people in the room, in the universe. Rose smacked me on the shoulder to gain my attention.
“Dance with him.” She whispered in my ear. I gave her an 'are you kidding me?' look. She just smiled wickedly and shoved me, sending me flying into Andrei's arms. I had to admit, it wasn't a bad place to be. I breathed in the scent of him, a heady mixture of forest and a natural musk. It was intoxicating. I stepped back out of his hold and sent a glare over my shoulder. Rose just shrugged and grabbed the nearest guy to dance with. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Andrei, crossing my arms over my chest. That didn't help matters any considering my breasts were pushed as high as they could be in the corset.
“Will you dance with me?” he held out his hand to me, his eyes expectant, hungry. The sane part of my mind was screaming at me to just walk away, that there was too much going on in my life to complicate it with any male. Even an extremely hot, tempting male. But the woman in me yearned for him and begged me to take his hand. I relented, placing my small hand into his large warm one. The woman in me cheered, and I had to admit I felt like breaking out s
ome pom poms myself.
He pulled me quickly to him, effectively pressing ever delicious inch into me. I held my breath as we stood there, motionless. His dark eyes seemed to capture me, trying to pull the essence from me to be consumed. I was ready to be consumed.
I shook my head at that thought and broke eye contact. I released my breath and turned around, leaning slightly against him. His hips started to sway to the beat, and mine quickly followed. I felt his grip tighten at my waist, pulling me flush against him again. We were a perfect fit. Pools of desire started to pop up throughout my body. My mind raced, yelling at me about how wrong this was, how this wasn't normal for me. And it wasn't. This reaction was anything but normal, but I was helplessly lost to it.
The crowd seemed to shrink away as I fell into the music, into him. I leaned my head lightly against his chest, feeling his heartbeat increase and sing to me, call to me. He lowered his head, moving what hair had escaped its twist, out of the way. I felt his breath move across my skin, breathing me in. At this point he could have had any of me, all of me. His lips gently brushed against my neck, causing a small noise to catch in my throat along with my heart. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All I knew was that I wanted this. I wanted him. And it was wrong. All of it was wrong.
He pressed his lips fully against the pulse in my neck, sending my blood pressure skyrocketing. Slowing us, we stopped. Locked in that moment. He eased back and turned me around. I looked into his heavy lidded eyes. The gold flecks seemed to have grown, giving life to his dark eyes. “Thank you for the dance, little Tigress.” I looked around and noticed that the song was over, quickly changing to a slower one. Couples now lined the floor, lost in each other’s embrace. I felt my face redden as I looked back at him. He smiled, lifted my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Then with a wink, he was gone.
I stood there, stunned as I watched his form retreat effortlessly through the crowd, quickly disappearing within the shadows. A couple bumped into me, knocking whatever was left of my senses back into place. I looked around for Rose, and found her standing off to the side of the dance floor, a smirk firmly in place as she watched me. I stormed over to her, grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the shadows.
“Why in the hell did you leave me out there?” I hissed, my migraine from early coming back, throbbing into my temples.
“What? You looked like you were having one hell of a time. I didn't want to interrupt.”
I felt like shaking her. “While your snide attitude is normally accepted, at this current point in time, it's not. Seriously! You could have at least told me you were leaving the floor!” My temper started to flare and I felt the first stirring of the darkness. It was returning, faster than ever.
Her eyes hardened, locking with mine fiercely. “I'm not your mother so I'm not going to hold your hand or coddle you. You were fine so don't turn this around on me. I'm not the one you were rubbing up against. Besides, I tried to tell you, but you were preoccupied.”
I felt my face redden as my anger started to snap. The pain in my temples increased, making my vision become slightly blurry. I threw my hands up in the air and turned away from her only to run into Gabe. Looks like my night wasn't going to get any better.
“Easy there, new girl.” He flashed a smile at me and gently eased me away from him. I forced a smile in return, and sent a 'we're not finished' look back at Rose. She just waved me off. Yes, I definitely wanted to shake her.
“Sorry.”
“No problem.” He was really cute when he smiled. “I was wondering if you want to dance with me?”
I felt my face drain of its angry color. Yes, I danced with Andrei, and that was a big mistake. I knew that Gabe wasn't as much as a threat to my hormones as Andrei was, but I still felt it would be a bad idea. Namely because of Jenni.
“Uh, I don’t know. What would your girlfriend have to say?” His smile increased as he pointed toward the dance floor. I followed his direction and saw the evil Barbie plastered against Brandon. I almost chocked on my laugh at the look on his face.
“So, how about it?” I looked back into his eyes and felt myself start to cave. He really did have the most beautiful amber gaze I had ever seen. Besides, we were friends, nothing more. It couldn't hurt.
I smiled slightly and pulled on his arm. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
So maybe that wasn't one of my best ideas, but it definitely wasn't the worst. So far. There was something extremely comfortable about being in Gabe's arms. While I didn't feel the uncontrollable urge to rub up against him like I did with Andrei, it was still nice.
I shook my head as I compared them. While Andrei seemed to have no problem navigating my wings, Gabe seemed to be smacked in the face at every turn. I would have laughed if not for his almost vulnerable appeal. Andrei was taller than Gabe, and while Gabe would be considered tall, dark, and handsome, Andrei exceeded it. I was comfortable with Gabe. He was safe. Andrei was a danger to me in the most primal way, maybe more than just primal.
I turned my thoughts away from the comparison and tried to make myself feel the music. I just couldn't seem to focus though. Jenni's icy glare probably had something to do with that. She had pushed Brandon away as soon as Gabe and I stepped onto the floor. She stood there, arms crossed, looking like she was preparing for battle. Did I mention it wasn't one of my best ideas? I could almost see her calculating how much force would be needed to strangle me with my own wings. I sighed, my night quickly going from bad to completely ruined.
I thanked my lucky stars as the song finally came to an end. I hoped to get out of dancing with Gabe unscathed, but by her continuous glare I knew I had just jumped into a heap of trouble. While we remained mostly silent during the dance, the walk off the floor was even more so. Gabe kept looking over to Jenni, a frown marring his face.
“Well looks like your girlfriend minded after all.”
He turned his eyes back to me, amusement filling them. “I don't see why she would care though. She's danced with almost every guy here already and will probably make her second rounds soon.”
I could feel my anger brimming at that reminder. I didn't want Gabe, but I cared for him. Sure, he could be annoying at times, but he was really sweet beneath it all. Her abusing their relationship like that set off all of my moral alarms. I never understood girls like Jenni. She reminded me too much of Becca.
I shrugged, trying to seem like it was all inconsequential. “Well maybe you should go placate her. Get her to stop her glare of death.”
“You worried?”
“It may seem silly, but I am rather attached to my head. I'd hate to lose it.” His laughter warmed me, placating my temper until I looked over and found Jenni in the arms of yet another guy. “Or not. Looks like she's handling it all rather well.” I pointed to where Jenni was dry humping the guy on the dance floor. Gabe's frown returned and I almost felt bad about it. Almost.
He forced a smile my way, and that did make me feel bad. I didn't like to see him hurting. With a pat on the shoulder and a longing look, he walked away, heading toward Jenni.
I stared after him for a moment, then turned around, thoroughly done with this night. Rose and Brandon were off in a shadowy corner. Anyone who saw them would think they were in a passionate embrace. Luckily for me, I knew they weren't so had no qualms about interrupting them. “Can we go now?”
“What? You're not having fun?” Brandon looked at me questioningly. I hated to be the party crasher, but I was done.
“Look, it doesn't matter. If you guys want to stay longer, then go ahead. I'll just head home.”
“Oh come on, it's not that bad here.”
I cast a glare at Rose. “Whatever. I've just had all the fun I could handle tonight.” She sighed and started to gather her things. “No, you guys stay. Have fun.”
“You sure?” Now Brandon looked concerned. Great.
“Yup, I'll see you guys tomorrow anyways. We're doing the movie thing, right?”
“And the graveyard.”
At Rose's reminder, a chill raced up my spine. I put a smile on my face and nodded. “Of course. I'll see you guys tomorrow then.”
I dropped my smile as I turned around and began fleeing the gym. This wasn't a good night, but I had a feeling tomorrow would be even worse. I shook my head as I made my escape.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I woke up with such a feeling of dread that I didn't even want to move from the bed. Unfortunately that didn't stop Rose and Brandon from ambushing into my room and scaring the hell out of me.
“Jesus H!” I bolted upright as they pounced onto the bed.
“Morning Sunshine!” I glared at Brandon's cheery smile, wishing they'd vanish. Rose rolled her eyes and held out a to-go cup of coffee. Being friends with someone whose mother owned a coffee shop definitely had its perks.
I grudgingly took it from her, the intensity of my glare diminishing some. I still wasn't completely happy, but the coffee helped.
“What time is it?” I asked between inhaling the God-like aroma of caffeine.
“It's past five. You've been sleeping all day.”
I looked up, startled. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time in horror. She wasn't kidding. I rubbed my forehead, confused as to why I'd slept for so long. It's not like I did anything really tiresome lately. Jenni's face flashed quickly into my mind, reminding me that while I haven't done anything physical, my mind was still exhausted from the ordeal with her. I roughly shoved the thoughts of her almost drowning out of my mind. I couldn't handle it.
“I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
“Really? Ya think?” Rose's eyebrow arched as her sarcasm snapped into place. I was glad to see that the event hadn't ruined her personality. Well, I was almost glad. She wasn't something you became used to easily. I was still tempted to fight her again from time to time.
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