"'Kay. Thanks." My voice was strained before I hung up. I closed my eyes and groaned. I really needed to stop crushing on Asher and Miles. I pushed it out of my head and started on my make-up, for once I was doing a full face of makeup. Isaac was going to lose the bet hard. I smirked as I worked on blending my foundation. My mind went to Zeke and Riley. What were they doing tonight if not going to the dance? I hoped they were talking things out. I pushed all that away as I started on my eyes. Tonight, I was going to the Winter Formal, I was going to be glammed up, and hopefully get a slow dance while I'm there. I was going to have fun tonight and forget about the dead for once. The door downstairs opened and closed.
"Ally?" Asher called.
"Upstairs bathroom!" I shouted back. I started working on my other eye by the time I heard him on the stairs. I focused on not messing up my makeup. When I was done, I turned to find him standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I went still. He looked fantastic in the tux, it fit him perfectly through the shoulders and chest. His hair was brushed, gelled, and his eyes were glowing. I had to remind myself to breathe. He smiled as his eyes ran over me.
"I think you need to dress up a little more, Ally," Asher said as he reached my eyes. I shot him a look. "Your hair is cute, though." He said smiling. I smiled back.
"Thank you. I got this far, now I'm stuck." I grumbled. "Seriously, I'm going to kill Tara for bailing." He stepped into the bathroom and gestured for me to turn around. I did, ignoring the way my pulse picked up. This was Ash, come on Lexie, get over this. Yeah, so what if he's hot? Sweet, a cooking god, with amazing ocean eyes... I needed to stop thinking about this.
"What did you want? Up or down?" Asher asked. I watched him running his eyes over my hair.
"I don't care at this point, as long as it's not.... this clown hair," I told him honestly. I watched him smirk in the mirror.
"Ally girl, you don't have clown hair," He reassured me. "You have thick, long curls going on, which should work." He looked up and met my eyes in the mirror. "Anything I do is going to be pretty basic."
"Anything will be better than my usual down." I gave him pleading eyes, he chuckled.
"Alright, you have bobby pins, right?" I grabbed the pack of them and held it up. His hands went to my hair, and he went to work. I held up the bobby pins one by one as he went.
"Your hair has gotten really long." He said as he took another bobby pin from me. "Are you going to cut it or are you just going to grow it to your feet?" He asked. I rolled my eyes at the image.
"Yeah, I just haven't gotten around to it," I admitted. "It's almost to my butt now, so it's catching on more stuff." The mirror showed me his smirk.
"What are you getting caught on?" He asked around the bobbin pin in his mouth. I sighed.
"The usual. Door knobs, my backpack, my own weight when I try to roll over in my sleep." He chuckled. "I need to cut it, but I don't know how short to go. Maybe I should just cut it all off, buzz my head." I joked. He frowned. "What? Did my hair do something crazy?"
"No, it's..." He said as he grabbed another pin. "Ally, without her long hair going everywhere, is a picture I can't really imagine." His eyes met mine in the mirror. "You're Ally, crazy long red hair kind of, well, fits you." I smiled.
"Okay, I won't shave it," I groused. He grinned and went back to work. When he was done, my hair was back in a loose bun type thing near the top of my neck. A few little strands had slipped out and were hanging near my face. The whole thing looked soft and, well, romantic. It was going to look killer with the dress.
"Well?" He asked cringing. I turned around and hugged him.
"Thank you so much, Ash!" I practically shouted. His arms went around me. "You totally saved my ass." He gave me a light squeeze. I tried not to feel that flip in my stomach, but my body wasn't listening.
"No problem, Ally girl," He assured me quietly. I let go and turned back around to finish my makeup. He went to the doorway and leaned against the doorjamb. "That'll work for your dress, right?" He asked. I talked while I put a little gold in a line along my lashes.
"It will work perfectly." I told him. "There's a lot of lace on the dress." I noticed an eyebrow went up out of the corner of my eye. I smiled, I loved surprising the guys. Asher watched me do my makeup, seeming content to just watch me get ready for tonight. It was... new. It felt like this was my secret world, and he was looking around.
"So, do I get to see it?" He asked, grinning at me. "I did just save your butt and all," He pointed out smugly. I smiled.
"Go ahead, it doesn't look like much on the hanger, though," I warned him. "It's on the closet door." He walked off as I concentrated on putting a thin layer of blush on my skin and blending it in, so it didn't look like I was wearing anything. He came back as I reached for my lipstick. I peeked at him in the mirror. He had a small grin on his face.
"Lace and beading," He said in his teasing voice. "Ally girl, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were a romantic." I smiled.
"It was the only dress I liked, and the beading makes it sparkle like black diamonds," I said, then looked over my shoulder at him. "Besides, I'm a girl, I do sometimes like girly things." He chuckled as I turned back to the mirror and concentrated on putting my lipstick on. I went with a natural rose tonight. When I looked in the mirror, Asher was still watching me. Something about the way he was looking at me sent hot shivers through me. I focused on grabbing a tissue.
"I know you're a girl, Ally." His voice wasn't teasing now. I looked up at his reflection, he was rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze running over me. His eyes were warm and growing brighter. My pulse raced. Then he blinked and his eyes were normal again. I focused on blotting my lipstick. Did he...? Did he like me? The same way I liked him? Nah, no way. This was Ash, he probably was just.... making a point to notice I was a girl? I decided to ignore it as I turned to him.
"Good, because I need to ask another favor," I announced. He looked up from the floor, his ocean eyes met mine as he raised an eyebrow. "I need someone to zip up the back of my dress," I said, smiling sweetly. His eyes got a bit wider, then he seemed to wince.
"Ally, I'm a guy. I am not helping you get in that dress." He said adamantly, his cheeks turning pink. I chuckled at what he thought I meant.
"I don't need help getting in," I said, still laughing. "I can get in, put it on, and zip it up to a point. But there's only so far I can reach." He looked relieved.
"Okay, that I can do." He said, his cheeks were still pink, but it was fading. It wasn't often that I could make Asher blush, but it sure was fun. I gave him a big smile and slid by him.
"You are the best, Ash!" I all but gushed as I hurried into my bedroom and closed the door. I quickly yanked off my robe and grabbed the dress. Almost feeling giddy, I unzipped it carefully, stepped in and slipped it on. Because of the V in the back, I couldn't wear a bra and to be honest, it didn't really matter in this thing. I reached back and pulled the back shut as much as I could. The black lace and beaded gown on the hanger was shapeless but on me, it ran down my body showing all my curves. My tucked-in waist, the flare of my hips. I wasn't super curvy, but I did have enough to make the dress look killer. I had a small hourglass figure that I usually didn't completely show off. It ended up looking like a trumpet cut dress, but I could move in it. The v neckline wasn't showing as much as the other dresses, but it was still showed a little skin between my breasts. The fabric was midnight black lace, the black beading that covered it made it glitter in the light. And with the hair Ash managed, it looked amazing.
Then I noticed it. In the line of the dress down my hips, there was a bump on both sides. I felt it. Damn it, it was my underwear. Shit, I didn't have a thong or anything like it in my drawers. I hated that Jake was right. I looked at myself in the mirror. Those bumps really ruined the line. Screw it, I reached up my skirt and shimmied my panties down my legs. I picked them up and tossed them into the laundry basket. I held the back of the dress again and smiled. That fixed it. As long as I didn't have a
wardrobe malfunction, I'd be okay. I reached back and zipped the dress up over my butt and up to my lower back. I couldn't get the last couple inches so I made sure everything was in place and opened the door. Ash was leaning against the bannister at the top of the stairs waiting for me. When he saw me, his mouth dropped open and his eyebrows went up. I smiled, thoroughly pleased with myself.
“Shit," He said. It seemed that that was all he could get out. I snickered. I loved his reaction. He was looking over the dress when he managed to say something else. "Ally, you look beautiful," He said, his voice soft and rich. I was sure I started to glow, at least it felt like it.
"Thank you." I waited a beat. "Told you that I could bring it." I giggled at myself. He nodded taking in a deep breath.
"And you definitely did." He admitted. I turned around and pointed to the zipper. He came over and zipped me up carefully. "I can't wait to see the other guys' faces." He mumbled. I chuckled.
"Want to film it?" I asked, looking up at him over my shoulder. His eyes were warm when they met mine.
"Maybe, I'll think about it." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself. He backed up a couple steps as he started to rub the back of his neck. "Anything else you need help with?"
"Nope, you are my hero for the day," I told him in my sweet voice. He smiled.
"Then I need to go get my date." He turned and headed down the stairs. "See ya there, Ally." After Asher left, I walked into my room and put on my jewelry. Jake and I picked out a thin gold y-chain and matching earrings. I looked in the mirror and smiled. The thin y-chain set a teardrop shaped fake diamond pendant just above my breasts and the small matching tear drop earrings were understated but sparkling and I loved them. I picked up my gold glittered clutched and filled it with everything I would need tonight. Then I pulled on my black four inch heels which sparkled just as much as the dress. I sighed. I hated heels, but they looked great with the dress. I carefully made my way downstairs. Hades was on the couch, stretched out on his back asleep. I blew him a kiss before I slipped my coat on and headed to the Rec. center.
I ended up parking a couple spots down from Asher. He got of his truck with a petite blonde who wore a dark, blood-red satin gown that screamed 40's femme fatale. Her blonde hair was perfectly curled to her shoulders and her makeup was flawless. I loved her dress instantly. They both walked over to meet me at the back of the Blazer.
"Ally, this is Lisa." Asher introduced us. I shook her hand.
"It's nice to meet you," I said. Lisa's eyes ran over my dress.
"You too. I love your dress," Lisa said, smiling.
"I was just thinking the same about yours, where did you get that?" I asked. Lisa chuckled.
"I made it. I can never find anything I like." Lisa admitted.
"Wow, okay, I may need to hire you next year," I warned her. Lisa chuckled.
"Give me a couple months' notice, and I'll help you out." She promised.
"Ladies," Asher said. "It’s a bit cold out here, let's get inside." Lisa rolled her eyes as we headed towards the doors. Asher started texting on his phone.
"What are you doing?" I asked, being careful of where I stepped in the parking lot.
"I'm telling the guys to get in the foyer," Asher admitted. "I think Isaac's going to lose that bet." I snickered. Lisa looked at us with an eyebrow raised so I explained. When I was done, she chuckled.
"Oh yeah, you're going to win," Lisa assured me. As we neared the doors, Asher stopped me. "Wait here, I'll text you when to come in," Asher said. Lisa laughed as they walked into the Rec. center. It wasn't too long before I got Asher's text. I headed into the foyer grinning mischievously as I walked. I spotted them first, Asher and Lisa were to the side with a perfect view of the boys. Isaac was in a black tux with a tie, his blue hair brushed and held back for once. Ethan was in a simple black suit, tie, and black dress shirt. When they spotted me, Isaac's jaw dropped. Ethan chuckled then whistled loudly as I walked toward them.
"Damn. Beautiful," Ethan all but shouted as he smiled at me. I was laughing as I took off my jacket and hung it up on the rack. "She's showing skin. She's showing skin!" Ethan announced in an excited voice. I shook my head, laughing as I walked toward them.
"That is the most skin you've ever shown," Isaac announced, his voice still stunned. I smiled sweetly up at him.
"I win," I declared. The guys burst out laughing, Isaac turned crimson as he nodded.
"Yes, yes you do." Isaac agreed. The brunette next to Isaac elbowed him. He turned to her and smiled awkwardly. "Nell, this is our friend, Lexie." Isaac introduced us. Nell was about my height, with a sweet face and eyes. Her dress was a particular shade of mauve that I loved. I shook her hand.
"It's nice to meet you," I said. "Thank you for saving me from having to go as
Isaac's back-up date." Nell chuckled, then relaxed as she let go of my hand.
"Where's your date?" Nell asked. I sighed.
"I'm solo," I admitted without shame. Nell gave me a sympathetic smile but I ignored it.
"Hey, if we don't get photos Ma will kill us all," Ethan announced. I took Asher's phone and moved back far enough, so everyone fit into the shot.
"Say 'my feet hurt!'" I said. The girls chuckled. I got a few great pictures like that. "There, photos are done." Ethan shook his head and handed his phone to Nell while Lisa took Asher's out of my hands.
"Lexie, get in there with the guys," Lisa ordered. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to them. Asher was behind me, and the twins on both sides. The twins each wrapped an arms around me as the girls took pictures and Asher's hands ended up on my shoulders. I took deep breaths and reminded myself to stay calm. When the girls were done, Asher took his phone back.
"Hold on Ally, let's get a few with just you for Rory," Asher suggested. The twins moved off to the side as Asher took a few more pictures.
"I'm done," I announced then walked over to the girls. The guys chuckled. I was listening to Nell talk about where she got her dress when the boys grouped up behind us.
"What are you doing?" Isaac asked in a hushed voice. Asher snickered.
"I'm sending a picture of Ally to Dylan, with the message 'you're an idiot.'" Asher said matter-of-factly. I smirked as I half listened to Nell. It wasn't long before Asher chuckled.
"What did he say?" Ethan asked.
"He said, 'believe me I know.'" Asher read out loud, they all snickered as I bit back a smile of my own. It was always good to know that your ex realized what he lost.
"Alright, I have to get back," Ethan announced, drawing everyone's attention as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Can you bring us some water bottles after the first set?" I smiled up at him.
"You got it," I answered before I eyed him. "Do you need me now?" He gave me a reassuring smile.
"I already had my pre-show freak-out." He admitted quietly. I reached up and squeezed his chin between my fingers.
"You'll be great. You have this set down and you are a singing badass." I reminded him. He smiled, then gave me a squeeze and headed inside. As a group, we soon followed. The large hall was decorated as a winter wonderland. Fake snow covered the floor here and there, white and blue twinkle lights were everywhere and the LED candles sat in silver glittered holders on blue table clothes. It looked amazing. I walked with the others to claim a table near the dance floor. I set my clutch down as the crowd applauded. We watched as Ethan, Ryan, and Oliver walked out on stage. Apparently, they were all wearing matching suits tonight. Ryan yanked at his tie as he settled behind the drums. They didn't bother announcing themselves, they just started playing. Everyone went on to the dance floor. We danced, moved to the music, and had fun. I eventually spotted Tara, she wore an ice blue strapless dress that looked amazing on her. I thought about going to tell her how great the decorations were. But before I could, she spotted me and shot me a look. Oh well, I decided to ignore her. Asher spun me under his arm and back. Isaac danced with me as well.
I was having a blast
until the band started a slow song. I made my way back to the table and sat down alone. I looked around the room, Asher had been right. This really was a couple's thing. I sighed and watched the couples on the dance floor. My phone vibrated in my purse. It was Miles.
Miles: Asher sent me a photo, you look incredible.
I bit the corner of my lip as I fought off a girly giggle. Miles had only been gone a few hours to that gaming tournament, and I already missed him.
Alexis: Thank you. Too bad you aren't here to see it.
I hit send before I thought about it. Then I realized what I had done. Oh, God, I just sent a flirty text to Miles. Maybe he wouldn't notice? I quickly did damage control.
Alexis: Because Asher was right, you need to have a date to one of these things.
I held my breath wondering if I made it worse. It was more than a few heartbeats before Miles replied.
Miles: I thought you didn't want a date?
I relaxed. Yeah, he didn't notice.
Alexis: Yeah, I said that. But now I'm sitting here, all glammed up, and no one to dance with. Hurts a girl's ego.
Another slow song started. I rolled my eyes.
Alexis: And they're playing another slow song. I think Ethan is doing it on purpose.
My phone rang. It was Miles, he wanted to face chat. I smiled as I got to my feet and walked out into the empty foyer before I answered. My phone showed Miles' face and a small window of what he saw in the top right corner. I instantly brought my phone up to face height. He didn't need to be looking up my nose.
"Hi," I said smiling. His emerald eyes ran over my face as he grinned.
"Hi, how's the dance really going?" He asked, concerned. There was background noise, but not a lot of it, it looked like he was out in a hallway.
"I'm being tortured by my shoes, but I'll survive," I said dramatically. He chuckled. "How's the gaming tournament? Are you kicking ass and taking names?" He sighed and winced at the same time.
"I'm already out." He admitted. "I left a bag, on the tarmac by my car, which had my competition deck."
When To Fear The Living Page 23