by Zara Rivas
"Ess," Chris began and she knew that he was going to manage to pull a 'yes' from her somehow.
Holding up a hand to stop him from speaking for a brief moment, she bit her lower lip. "Before you say another word let me voice out why I hate parties first." She announced and didn't like the knowing grin smeared on Tynan's handsome face. "You haven't won this argument yet," she pointed but it only caused him to grin wider.
"Your expression says otherwise,"
As her anger flared, she leaned forward. "Well my expression should also be telling you that you are not my favourite person right this instance." She shot back, and her tone changed drastically as she backed down.
"Chris I really despise parties..." She complained in a whiny tone, "The girls there are mean, the boys are only there to check out the skimpiest dressed chick and there doesn't seem to be a place where I belong at these kind of events." She breathed and continued on with her statements. "I can't drink for the life of me and I'm not the most sociable person either. Also as you're well aware I'm a walking target for all the girls in your fan club. So if you care for my safety and well being, you will not force me to go."
Tynan chuckled at her last statement, only able to stare at her with glittering eyes. She always did have a way with words and her sarcasm never failed to make him laugh.
"Ginger Ale," he began but was intercepted by Essa's spontaneity.
"Did I also mention the fact that this party is worse 'cause Creston is hosting it? And don't call me 'Ginger Ale'" she protested.
Smiling Chris placed an arm over her shoulder. "Well I don't see how your safety will be compromised seeing as I'll be there too. Besides, you and Creston both appear to be better acquaintances these days." He informed and tapped a finger to his slightly stubbled chin, before adding: "Don't forget that you owe me for being a complete snob for the past few days,"
Throwing her arms up in despair, she huffed out a sigh. "And why doesn't it fail to alarm me that you'd be using that line to blackmail me for the next few days?" Essa queried frustratedly. "I should have waited til after the party before talking to you again. That way you wouldn't be here blackmailing me to come with you," she muttered.
Grinning, Chris arched a brown at her. "You do know that had you not made up with me, I would have come stalking you down so that we'd be talking again just before the party."
With her eyes wide, she started at him in disbelief. "You wouldn't,"
"I would." He replied seriously.
Essa crossed her arms over her chest whilst throwing him a glare. Chris returned her stare squarely only he was grinning softly. Silence was coursing through the air before he shuffled closer to her with an inquiring gaze; as if to ask 'please come'.
Essa shook her head at him and he took another step towards her in response.
Backing away from him, Essa continued to refuse Chris and he continued to close the distance between them until he had her backed up against the wall.
"Essa please," he breathed staring down at her.
She could feel his breath on her skin, could practically feel the warmth that oozed from his body as she lifted her chin defiantly to meet his gaze.
"You will concur," Tynan said roughly as he placed both arms on the wall to trap her.
Feeling claustrophobic, Essa tried to get out of the space she was confined to. It was a smart move on Tynan's part – he was the only one that knew of her slight phobia. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to move out from Chris' towering figure, she stared up at him and blew her fringe from her eyes.
Her heart was pounding in her chest and she despised the fact that she was caving in. However she couldn't stand being so close to Tynan anymore as she opened her mouth to let out a single syllable.
"Fine," she stated grudgingly.
The moment that lone word escaped her lips was the instant Chris dropped his arms. A triumphant smile overtook his handsome features as he put some distance between them.
"I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow," he informed and with that he left her standing at her front porch staring after him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Stop sulking Ess," Soph commanded. "If you would just open up a little I'm sure the party will be a blast."
Throughout this Trish was busy rummaging through Essa's wardrobe.
"I just don't understand why you guys can't come with me," Essa nagged.
"Ess we weren't invited." Trish said for the fifth time tonight. "And to be honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of having to see Creston and Cassandra parading around doing goodness knows what. So I guess you're gonna have to endure this on your own."
Looking at her best friends with what appeared to be the biggest death glare, Essa sighed. "And you two were supposed to be my best friends," she grumbled.
"That's why we're here when you called," Sophia replied, peeking through her make-up bag and flicking through whatever makeup Essa possessed.
Trish's infuriated tone from the back corner caught everyone's attention, "Damn you for not owning anything else but hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts." She cursed with vigour.
There was silence from the three girls as both Sophia and Essa listened to the rustling and ruffling that Trisha was making as she searched through a cupboard she hadn't taken notice of until now.
"Jackpot!" She called and pulled out a pretty black silk dress.
Shifting around to face her friends, Trisha grinned enthusiastically as she spread the garment out onto Essa's bed in satisfaction. It turned out her two hour search for something decent paid off.
Glancing up, Sophia took a peek over Essa's shoulders and laughed in delight. Essa however moved an inch from her mirror, to look at the attire Trisha found. She was scared of what she'd be greeted with – the thought of having to wear a dress made her want to cry.
It was only when her two friends started fervently discussing makeup, accessories and shoes to match her outfit that Ess shifted around to bravely take a glimpse. There sitting on her bed – and back to haunt her – was the long forgotten black lace dress her aunt had bought her a year ago.
Essa had only ever worn that dress (if you could call it one) once and it was to a family gathering. Had she had a choice, she would have never worn the thing, but to show her aunt how much she liked it, she had worn the thing because her aunt would be at the occasion.
Ever since that event she had hid the piece of cloth in her cupboard, letting it slip from her mind that it ever existed.
"Guys," she breathed and was met with two pair of eyes – one green and the other brown. "I've only ever worn that thing once and it's not going to be worn again,"
Perfectly aware of the expression now etched on her friends' features, Essa found herself unable to meet their gaze. She already found her resolve and she definitely was not wearing the black thing to a party.
"Ess, I spent the past few hours hunting for something in that wardrobe of your. The least you could do is try the damn thing on to satisfy me," Trish demanded and cooled off a little. "At least if you try it on, we can tell if it's suitable for the party or not." She bargained but she knew that there a chances were slim for the outfit to look horrible on.
Groaning and knowing that there would be no other way to weasel herself out of her current predicament, Essa got to her feet and grudgingly grabbed the dress off the bed. She sauntered into the bathroom across the hallway from her bedroom and locked the door.
As a good fifteen minutes lapsed, she was greeted with resounding knocks on the bathroom door. Throwing one last glance in the mirror, she heaved a sigh and opened the door.
She was just about to mouth her disapproval when squeals of delight flooded the room.
"Oh my goodness! You look hot Ess." Trish remarked.
"You are definitely wearing that to the party," Sophia stated.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Essa felt self-conscious. She didn't want to wear a dress and she definitely didn't want to be in this dress she was currently cl
ad in. In her opinion the thing was too short and she didn't like the feel of her chest being exposed. It was a low cut dress that left her shoulders were uncovered and her arms were bare for all to see. In fact, Essa didn't like the length of it either – it rested above her knees, leaving her calves uncovered.
"But don't you think it's too short? And it's revealing too much of my chest," she commented and to emphasise her statement she arched her chest out.
"You're just not used to dresses considering all you wear are your t-shirts and jeans," Soph replied.
Essa gave the girls a doubtful look.
"Essa you look fine," Trish assured. "Just stop jutting out your boobs. The front is supposed to show off a bit of your chest but the knee-length doesn't make you seem skimpy. See? It evens it all out – you're revealing but yet you're mysterious at the same time."
Turning her mismatched coloured eyes to Sophia who had always been the rational one out of the three of them, Essa hoped with all her heart that Soph didn't agree with Trish's opinion. She was greeted with a small apologetic smile and it was then that Ess knew she had lost this battle.
"Essa," called a familiar voice from the hallway.
Lifting her head to face her two best friends, Essa stared at the both of them in astonishment.
"You two got my sister involved?" She asked and saw Soph was bite her lower lip in reply. Trish on the other hand had a grin across her face. "She's supposed to be flooded with work this weekend." Essa scolded, "I'm sure she'd rather be completing those assignments of her than be helping me with my attire."
Giving both Trish and Sophia a pointed stare, she wasn't in the least startled by the expression of defiance on Trish's face.
With her arms crossed, Trish could not hold back her argument. "Where did you think we'd get a matching pair of shoes for your dress from?" she shot back. "Besides, Erica was more than willing to help. She said it'd be a nice break from college work to see you in a dress."
Shaking her head and covering her eyes, Essa felt a sudden urge to pray. "Oh Lord!" she sighed wanting to hit her forehead against the wall. This was the sole reason why she despised shopping with her friends.
Erica Desna Evans poked her head into the somewhat crowded bathroom. She grinned at the sight of her sister in a dress and pushed the door open a little further to fully reveal Essa in her outfit. Smiling with satisfaction at the image before her, Erica gave a nod of approval to the two brunettes' that had dressed her sister.
"I think I have a necklace to go with that," she voiced.
Essa couldn't hold back the bewildered expression. It was one thing to have her best friends choose an outfit for her, but it was another to have her sister joining in and selecting her accessories. It seemed everyone around her had gone mad these days.
Standing in the doorway, Erica tapped a finger to her lips in contemplation.
Both sisters appeared to look the same however they had a few ambiguous contrasts. Erica had dark blue eyes whereas Essa had heterochromia – her right eye an emerald green and her left a sapphire blue. Essa had inherited her father's jet black hair whereas Erica had their mother's light sun-brown. Despite their age difference, the two sisters had gotten along well all their life.
"Come, I have just the shoes for you too." Erica explained and the three girls marched after her, following her into her bedroom.
Reaching into her jewellery box she pulled out a pretty silver necklace with a snowflake made of crystals dangling off it. She also brought out a pretty diamante bracelet. Heading to her wardrobe, Erica pulled open the doors and looked at her large shoe collection.
"About time you were a little more girly Essie," Erica advised as she shuffled through a few pairs of shoes. "Ah-hah!" she exclaimed and pulled out a pair of pretty silk heels from her closet. "These should go well with your outfit though I don't really have a jacket."
"That's okay I can wear one of mine." Essa explained and caught the expression on Trish's face. "What's that look for?"
"Remember my comment about you owning nothing but hoodies and t-shirts?" she queried and Essa frowned.
"I know!" Sophia shouted in delight. "Don't bring a jacket and steal Tynan's," she announced and all the girls chuckled except for Essa.
"I don't think Ess will have to resort to stealing." Erica stated. "Knowing what a charmer Chris, he'll have her covered the moment he sees her shiver." She voiced, "He didn't get his 'Ladies man' title for nothing. And speaking about that guy, who is he dating these days?"
At Erica's question, Essa threw her two best friends a look of warning and there was no doubt that her sister had caught it.
"And that look is for?"
Silence ensued and it was evident that both Trish and Soph were leaving all the explaining to Essa. It was as if the three of them had the power to read one another's mind because Essa knew what they would tell Erica had she not silenced them with a death glare.
"What look?" Essa asked, feigning innocence and she half cringed at the pointed expression on Erica's features. It was always that face that had made her confess everything to her sister since she was young. "It's nothing," she began nonchalantly. "Oh, I think just the necklace would do." She informed, hoping to change the topic.
Crossing her arms Erica quirked a brow. "Nice try little sis,"
Sighing, Essa threw her hands up in defeat. "It's just that people at school have noticed how close both Chris and I are and well, people tend to stretch the truth," she explained.
Trying hard to suppress the urge to laugh, Erica failed miserably as she chuckled aloud. "I'm sorry Ess," she apologised, able to see the way her sister's expression morph into anger. "I just hope mum doesn't hear any rumours about you and Chris," she announced. "You know her hopes of the two of you getting together. She and Chris' mum had always talked about you and Chris falling in love, and you grew up trying to do the exact opposite. You've always had that rebellious streak Ess."
"It's embarrassing," Essa confessed. "That's why I try to stay away from him at school, but the idiot will have none of it."
Smiling, Erica turned her eyes to Trish and Soph. "So what are the rumours?" She enquired, knowing Essa wouldn't reveal anything to her.
Unable to endure the oncoming conversation, Essa made her way to her own bedroom. She wasn't prepared to have this talk with any of them and frankly she wasn't going to chat to them about some 'love' that didn't exist.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ava Evans opened the door to be greeted with a suavely dressed Christopher standing before her. Clad in a white dress shirt which was tucked in a pair of black pants topped with an expensive brown belt. She allowed him into the house and couldn't hold back the smile.
If only… She thought but shook the fantasy out of her mind.
Heading for the stairs, Ava called for her daughter. "Essa, Chris is here," she informed and turned back to smile at the semi-guest.
"I'll have her home by 1 tonight Ava," Tynan assured. He still felt awkward calling Essa's mum by her first name, but since he was young the woman had insisted that he call her Ava.
No more words were exchanged as a tall, feminie figure caught their attention.
There standing before Tynan Christopher Welling in a black dress and heels was his childhood friend – the girly one he had never really seen nor noticed until now. In all his eighteen years of life he had never seen Essa in a dress before. Okay, maybe he had, but that was when he was young and hadn't hit puberty yet. But now that they had both grown up and out in a few ways… Chris couldn't believe how much had changed from when Essa was in diapers until now.
Breaking through his concentration, Ava's voice interrupted the silent atmosphere.
"Oh my," she marvelled and entered the living room to retrieve her husband. "Our baby has finally grown up," she exclaimed as Mr. Evans peered into the hallway.
By now the raven haired beauty was feeling slightly embarrassed as three pairs of eyes stayed glued to her, as if she was s
ome alien species.
"Would you look at that," came a deep throaty voice that belonged to Mr. Evans. He was smiling, stubbles on his chin, "Though I think you'll need a jacket with that." He demanded as his eyes shifted over to Essa's escort tonight. "And Chris," he called and observed the blonde in a speculative fashion. "I expect her home by ten tonight," he requested.
"Harold!" Ava scolded, "That's not even a curfew!"
"It's more like jail," Essa mumbled and saw Tynan's mouth twitch in response.
Crossing his arms, Harold arched a brow at his wife. "I think that's a reasonable time,"
It was Erica's tone that had caught her father's attention as she trailed down the stairs. "Dad seriously, the girls and I spent so much time and effort getting that outfit together and you're only allowing her one hour at the party?" Erica queried, standing at the top of the stairs with a camera held in her hands. "Say cheese," she ordered dismissing her father as she snapped a few pictures of a rather unenthusiastic Essa.