by Dela
I checked my watch. “What time?”
“Well, now.”
“Zara needs to eat lunch,” Lucas reminded her.
She rolled her eyes and slouched back in her seat. “Oh okay, fine. After lunch then.”
“Do you think we could stop by my house so I can pick up my clothes?” I asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I already have it taken care of,” she said. I imagined her playing with her long hair, twirling it around her finger with a victorious grin.
After a salad and shake at a café, we pulled into their garage. I remembered I’d promised to call Bri an hour before. I dialed her at once, hoping she wasn’t upset.
She sounded drowsy when she answered. “What time is it?”
“One.”
“Oh, man, I dozed off. We still good for tonight?” she asked.
“Everyone is meeting at eight inside the Lodge.”
“Where are you?”
I looked around at the gods, Gabriella busying herself with product and the boys idly watching sports. I wondered if sports grew duller the longer you lived. I spoke softly into the phone. “I am at Lucas’s. I’m just going to get ready here. I will meet you there.”
“Seriously? Is Gabriella helping you?”
“If you saw me, you’d know that I need the help.”
She laughed. “That may be true. But I will be damned if she can tame your hair. Tell her I said good luck.”
“You’re such a good friend,” I remarked sourly and then hung up.
Gabriella shooed the boys out of the room, shut the door on their protesting faces, and turned to me gleefully. Her and Dylan’s room overlooked the infinite expanse of low clouds over the lake. Two dresses sprawled across the bed, one gold and the other black. The gold was a short, sequined cocktail dress, the black a long, flowing sweetheart dress.
“Yours is the long one, of course, so we can cover up those bruises,” she said.
I nodded in agreement and sat on a cushiony ottoman in her cream-colored bathroom.
Makeup in colors I hadn’t imagined spread over the countertop. Gabriella seemed to have a process down, a nice, painless routine. I thought of Mom and her brutal pageant tricks, and I teared up just remembering. Gabriella’s hands were careful, and she never jerked my head once as she brushed my hair. She hummed a song to herself. As she did something in the back, I glanced over at the black dress on the bed.
“How much was that dress?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” She pulled my head back to face her.
She hummed the same song what seemed like ten more times, and then she backed away. Her delicate face looked pleased.
“Now, let me help you into your dress,” she said, grabbing the expensive fabric off her bed. “Oh, you will need this too. Don’t worry, it’s your size.”
She handed me a strapless bra with a pink-and-black tag still attached. As I gingerly stretched my shirt upward, it caught somewhere in the back of my head.
“Oh, for goodness’s sake, you are a wreck, Zara.” Gabriella lifted it over my head and then waited as I unbuttoned my pants slowly.
“Don’t be shy, Zara,” she said, tapping her foot.
“I’m not, my pants are . . . hard . . . to . . . get . . . off.” I tugged at them with my good arm.
In a swift movement, my pants were around my ankles, the dress was slipped on and zipped, and Gabriella was flipping around the floor-length mirror.
I looked like I belonged in ancient Greece. Gabriella had smudged metallic copper around my brown eyes, and whatever she’d done to my hair, it somehow looked longer. Half of it fell down my back in tight waves while the other half was pulled loosely back. The embellished belt under my bust accentuated my waist, leaving the rest of the fabric to flow loosely to the floor. I couldn’t look away.
“You look gorgeous,” Gabriella said, handing me a pair of flats with attached anklets of gold and stones. “Put these on.”
I slipped into them obediently as she opened her door. “Now, here comes the test.”
Lucas was leaning against the wall, wearing a sleek black suit with a thin blue tie. His hair was parted to the side and combed back. He looked like he was getting ready to hit the set of a telenovela. I stood tall and confident, feeling deserving of him, until his blue eyes struck me and I wavered. He raised an eyebrow.
“You look incredible,” he said.
“Thank you,” Gabriella responded, curtseying. Then she shut her door and left us alone in the hall. We walked to the front door and waited.
“Wow,” he said again.
“You clean up nice too,” I added cordially, though I was steaming underneath my clothes, sensing our connection intensely in this moment.
He moved his hands to my hips slyly. “You sure you want to go out tonight? We could just stay here if you wanted. Play a little game of striptease.”
“Really?” I asked.
He chuckled. “No. That would definitely not be good.”
“You play with me too hard. Don’t underestimate me,” I teased, tugging lightly on his tie.
He played along and drew closer. “I’m begging you, stop.”
I waited until I could feel the warmth of his breath on my forehead. “No.”
Out of nowhere, his hands were around my waist, and he was pulling me toward him until my chest pressed hard against his. Then he lowered his head to my ear. “I want to teach you a lesson so bad,” he whispered in a low, husky voice. It had summoning powers, and all I wanted to do in that moment was run upstairs with him to his bedroom.
We separated reluctantly, realizing that Dylan and Gabriella had appeared. The short gold dress glimmered over her body, and she held a matching clutch in one hand. Dylan went out first and pulled the car up to the front. We hopped in, and then Gabriella handed me a coat.
“Thanks,” I said, shivering as I draped it across my lap.
After dinner, when we pulled up to the Lodge, I saw Jett waiting in the doorway, standing next to an easel with his full name on it in large black type. He wore a vest over a suit shirt and tie, his cuffs rolled. He looked nice, and my heart paced anxiously. He hadn’t seen me since I’d been back, and though I stressed over what he’d think of my unforgiving injuries, I yearned to see him. In fact, I missed him.
“Will you be okay?” Lucas asked, squeezing my hand as Jett turned to look at us.
“Yeah. My friends haven’t seen me since I left.”
Lucas glanced at my fingers, which were fidgeting with my long hair, and then he nodded to Dylan and Gabriella. At his signal, they exited the car and glided down the red rug. I felt overdressed when I saw how many stares they drew.
“Listen, forget about them,” Lucas said, putting a hand on my shaking knee.
“I guess I am the most nervous about what Jett will think,” I admitted.
He glanced past me and out the window toward Jett. “You have to face him eventually.”
“Aren’t you worried about what other people are going to think about us, about you, when they see me like this? They’ll think you hurt me.”
He looked back, nearly appalled. “No.”
I slumped on my good arm, hard enough to hurt my collarbone, and sat right back up.
“Relax. We’re supposed to be having a good time, remember?”
I shook my head and repeated in my mind, I can’t hide forever.
“I can’t hide forever,” I reaffirmed out loud. I put a hand on the handle and paused. “You coming?”
Lucas nodded and moved at a normal human pace to open my door. As he did, I could feel Jett’s glare.
We walked in beneath a rainbow of false pretenses, and I felt Lucas’s muscles tighten when we approached Jett. He glowered at Jett as he gave me a one-armed hug. I knew it was only protective, but Jett did
n’t. He angled his shoulder away from Lucas when he glanced back at me.
“Hi,” I said nervously. Jett took a long look at the dress over my body, like maybe I didn’t belong in it.
“Can I talk to you for a minute, alone?” Jett asked.
Lucas’s eyes widened. I settled my hand softly on his arm.
“Go find Gabriella and Dylan. I will be there in a minute.”
Lucas scowled at Jett as a warning not to do anything stupid, but then he kissed my cheek softly and whispered in my ear, “Of course, princesa.”
I had chills as he straightened up and adjusted his suit stiffly. He spoke again, looking at me, but we all knew it was meant for Jett. “If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m coming to look for you.”
“I’ll be fine. Jett will help me,” I said. “Right, Jett?”
Jett pinched his lips tightly, but then grinned. “Of course.”
After Lucas left, we walked to the back balcony that balanced on stilts over the steep slope. The moon was reflected perfectly in the still lake.
“Zara, are you okay?” Jett asked.
My skin rippled with chills from the freezing air. I rubbed my limp arm, trying to produce heat. “I’m fine. Why?”
“Because you come back from your trip beat up, and the guy who did this to you won’t leave your side. He is possessive. Actually, I think he’s crazy,” Jett said, shaking his head.
“Lucas didn’t do this to me,” I blurted, but then I paused, thinking. “Wait, did Max tell you that Lucas did this to me?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Max doesn’t know what he’s talking about—” I said, raising my finger.
“Look,” he interrupted. “You know that I don’t like this guy. But if he is the one you want to be with, I want you to be happy.” Then he looked at his feet, and I felt the sadness swallowing his baby face. “I won’t stand between you two.”
My mouth snapped shut, my finger falling away from him. “Really?”
He recovered and abruptly trapped my hands in his. They were just as cold as mine, and I noticed his mortal nose pinking in the biting air. “But it doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you, because I do. More than you know.”
I looked down, ashamed. “I am happy with Lucas. He wouldn’t hurt me.”
Unexpectedly, his finger lifted my chin and forced me to stare into his chocolate eyes. “Neither would I.”
I knew that was true, and that we could maybe be happy together someday. But that was before Lucas, before gods and Aluxes and demons trying to kill me. Jett couldn’t protect me from that—if they ever came again.
I shied away from his expression, resisting the swelling in my eyes. “I know you wouldn’t.” I never asked for this. A few months ago I didn’t need anybody in my life, nothing except college. I wanted no reciprocation. Now, I’ve fallen into an impossible relationship just as my best bud decides to pour out his heart to me. “But I chose Lucas, Jett. I always have. Just like you will always be one of my greatest friends.”
He breathed out a deep, piercing sigh and looked away. “That’s all I wanted to say. I needed to get it off my chest.”
“I’m glad you told me this.” When he shivered and put his hands in his pockets, I recalled the poster in the front with his name on it. “Are you singing tonight?”
“Yeah. Will you be here to hear it?”
I poked his arm playfully. “Are you kidding?”
“Good,” he smiled. His bottom lip trembled as he shivered again. “Let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here.”
The convention hall had been transformed into a spectacular ballroom. The round tables circling the dance floor were decorated with candles and feathers and shiny silver ornaments. Swaths of fabric draped from the ceiling. Above the stage on one end of the hall, a large screen played the news channel, showing the east coast crowds at Times Square just moments after the ball dropped. They were hollering, “Happy New Year!” and sharing wild kisses.
Lucas, Gabriella, and Dylan were standing around a table with Bri, Ashley, and Tana. As the girls’ gazes snapped to us, it was hard to say whether they approved of the makeover or disapproved of my injuries. My nerves frayed. They wore cocktail dresses, probably something they’d picked up on sale at the local department store, with cheaper fabric and uneven seams. For a moment I wished I was dressed like them: plainer, less attention-grabbing. And then Gabriella glanced at me, proud of her work, and I felt grateful.
Lucas fixed his gaze on Jett as we neared.
“Thanks, Lucas, for letting me borrow her for a few minutes,” Jett said.
Everyone stared at Jett, shocked at his civil statement, and doubly so when Lucas stretched his hand out. Jett looked down, confused as I, and then shook it.
“Thanks for not making me come looking for her,” Lucas replied coolly, though I felt the truth behind it.
Jett shot me a cracked smile and turned to Lucas. “I would never hurt her.”
When they broke their stare, Jett turned his back to Lucas and closed the space between us.
“I’ve got to go backstage. See you around?” he asked.
“Sure.” I nodded.
“You were right, Gabriella,” Bri started as Jett walked toward the stage. “It doesn’t look like her.”
Ashley touched my hair. “Gabriella, you’ve got to show me how you did this.”
“Extensions,” Gabriella said.
I knew it.
Someone tapped the microphone, and we turned toward the stage as New York City faded off the screen.
“Welcome to the Lodge’s fifth annual New Year’s Ball,” a lean man with mousy hair said. “The countdown to the new year draws near, and I know you’re all anxious, but first we have a special program for you. Our first guest this evening is a very talented young man who was recently invited by Gold Label Records to tour this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the label picks him up afterward. We were thrilled when he agreed to sing for us tonight. So, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for our very own Jett Christensen!”
The crowd rose to its feet, clapping as the lights dimmed, and Jett’s dark figure walked to the center of the stage. He sat down on a barstool and propped one leg up as he adjusted his shoulder strap. Then he strummed his guitar once, and a spotlight beamed down on him. My ears rang as girls shrieked and ran to the stage. I rolled my eyes, though I maybe felt slightly jealous of their swooning nonsense, in which case I was grateful Lucas couldn’t see my face.
Jett paused, waiting for the screaming to stop, and when it didn’t, he casually waved his hand.
“I just wanted to thank you all for being here tonight. I love singing, and I appreciate your support. This first song I’m going to sing I wrote for a girl who has been my best friend for many years. But I made a mistake, a big one. And if I could take it back, I would.”
He looked in my direction, though he probably couldn’t see me in the spotlight’s glare, and a lump congealed in my throat. A few woos rose from the crowd, and he chuckled to himself. They shushed as he pulled the microphone closer.
“I’d like to give some words of advice to you men out there, which I can, ’cause you know, I’m speaking from experience. Don’t waste any time telling the woman you love how you feel, because before you know it, some other man might say it first and take her away from you.”
No he didn’t. I stiffened, mortified, and then checked Lucas, who was statue still.
Jett held his hand up to the awwing crowd and shook his head, looking pleased. “Yes, I know. I lost.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She fell in love with someone else because I was stupid and immature.” He strummed a chord on his guitar and leaned into the microphone again. “But I learned something, and that is that I will never make that mistake again.”
More awws filled the room. It made me
want to shrivel up and die.
“So she is here tonight,” he announced through the mic.
Heads turned in every direction, trying to find her . . . trying to find me. I forgot to breathe until Lucas slid his arm around my waist, easing the immense pressure in my throat and releasing the breath caught behind it.
Jett found me in the crowd and whispered into the microphone, “And I am dedicating this song to her.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Bri staring, admiring what Jett had just done. That is so sweet, she mouthed. I nodded in agreement and leaned happily into my prince, feeling his warm body pressed next to mine.
Why did it have to be the most perfect song? Jett hit every note true, even when he went into falsetto. He sang it with soul, with visible emotion. In that moment, I felt what he did, I really did. But how could I choose between an immortal who’d been waiting hundreds of years for me and a human boy pouring out his heart to me? What more could any human do than be as completely vulnerable and honest as he was right now?
Jett sang a few more songs, some faster, upbeat ones, with keyboard, drums, and other instruments backing him up. In the middle of one of his songs, a boy came out with a microphone in hand and sang in unison with Jett. Bri screamed. I wondered why her eyes were popping out, but then I recognized him. He was the lead singer of one of her favorite rock bands, known for his great dark hair and sexy voice.
Jett looked happy on the stage. It was a good direction for him. He was meant to be in the spotlight, but that truth made me anxious. I couldn’t bear to not see him after this. If this really happened for him, he would travel and meet new people. I was proud of how far Jett had come with his career, but I didn’t like the feeling of him leaving me forever.
Lucas was trying to read my blank expression.
“What is wrong?” he asked.
“Just thinking about next year.”
“What about it?”
“Well, look at Jett. I think it’s kind of obvious that he is going to move to Los Angeles and make it big.”
“So?”
“So, we have been friends for so long. It just makes me sad that we are growing up. Life isn’t the same anymore.”