“When do you ever find time to study lately? Or for any homework? You seem like you’re either at class or working. You’re not overloading yourself, are you? I know you have to pay bills, but I can help you out. I don’t want you failing all of your classes.”
Amelia finally took a breath, stopping to take a sip of her smoothie. It was our first break of the day after hitting up a few different stores, but I knew we were just getting started. Amelia was on a mission to charge up her credit cards. I think it had something to do with her mom. She kept mumbling about ‘that overbearing woman’ but when I tried to bring it up, she just smiled and flipped back her long, blonde hair, acting as if everything was just peachy keen. I let it go. I didn’t want to ruin her day, or fun. Amelia didn’t normally let herself go crazy when it came to shopping, but if she was sticking it to her mom, there was probably a good reason and I was totally for it. Mrs. Emerson most likely deserved it.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not overdoing it, and I’m definitely not taking money from you. I’m pretty sure you know me better than that.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Uh-huh, Monroe Hartley, Miss Independent. Even if you were freaking killing yourself, you wouldn’t let me know. Someday it’s all gonna catch up with you. But don’t worry, I’ll be here to clean up the mess. ‘Cause that’s what best friends are for, right?”
“Right.” I grinned as she jumped to her feet and tugged on my hand, our short break already over. I was glad to have a friend like Amelia in my life, and I’m not sure how I got through high school without someone like her. Yeah, Carter was always there for me, but boys were boys and sometimes just didn’t get girls like they understood each other.
We shopped for what felt like hours, and probably was, before we ended up in a small boutique with an endless amount of dresses for all different types of occasions. I surprised both of us by splurging a little on myself and getting a complete outfit, including shoes. I couldn’t remember the last time I bought new clothes since money was always pretty tight, even when I worked at the sandwich shop. But now, tips were rolling in and I decided it was okay to actually enjoy spending my money for once.
“You need to try this one on,” Amelia demanded, shoving a short, blood-red lace dress into my hands. It was the kind that you needed to have somewhere important to actually wear it, not just an everyday, casual thing. This dress screamed expensive.
“Why? I don’t have anywhere that I would wear this.” I pushed the dress back into her hands but she simply shook her head, pointing to the fitting room manned by a snooty looking boutique employee, her nose turned up as if we weren’t good enough to shop there. Or she thought we were going to steal something. “Now, Monroe.”
“Ugh, fine. If you’re insisting.”
The clerk reluctantly let me into a changing room, and after quickly stripping out of my clothes, I slid the dress over my head and twisted around to pull the zipper up. It fit like a glove and I couldn’t help but grin when I looked in the mirror. I had to give it to Amelia. She has the best taste when it came to clothes. The shade of red complemented my coloring perfectly and it was short and sexy—not short enough to make me look slutty, though. I had no idea where I would wear it, and after a quick peek at the price tag, realized it cost about four times the amount I would ever pay for a dress, even my wedding dress. I’d be the first to admit that, yes, I was extremely cheap. My mom taught me well over the years how to find the best bargains whenever she was able to drag me shopping.
“I’m waiting,” Amelia called in a sing-song voice from the other side of the door, and I pushed back a piece of hair before hesitantly opening the door. I already knew what Amelia’s reaction would be—she tended to get overly excited by just about everything—but I couldn’t help to smile when she whooped loudly and then proceeded to whistle. The store clerk, still hovering close by, even cracked a smile. “Damn, girl,” Amelia dragged out. “I knew it would look perfect on you, but still.” She tugged on my hand. “Okay, we need shoes.”
I played her game, letting her pull me along while she scanned the rows of shoes on display before picking up a pair and shoving them toward me. I slipped them on my feet and turned to look in the mirror. Of course, they went with the dress perfectly and I could actually walk in them without tripping. Another bonus of working at the club, getting used to walking around in stripper shoes. Yay me.
“And this.” Amelia slipped a necklace over my head before stepping back and clapping her hands together. “There. Okay, now I get to put mine on. Don’t you dare change out of that.” She narrowed her eyes at me before scooping up several dresses that she picked out for herself. I think she was back in no time, probably afraid I had changed back into my jeans. Amelia had picked out a dress that was just so Amelia in my eyes, what any southern belle would wear. The peach-colored, silky material flared slightly at the hips before landing modestly above her knees, making it much longer than mine. I felt like I couldn’t bend over without flashing my business to the other customers wandering around the boutique.
“I love it. If I needed a dress, I would get something more like yours. I think this one is way too short.”
“No it’s not.” She looped her arm through mine. “Okay, we’re ready to go.” She started walking toward the cash register and I pulled back on her arm.
“What? No, we’re not. I can’t get this, Amelia.”
“Why not?” she asked, like my words were ridiculous.
“Well, first of all, I don’t need it.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Do you always have to be so responsible, Monroe?”
“Yup.”
“Fine. What’s your other reason?”
“Have you looked at the price tag?”
“Don’t worry about that.” She waved her hand and started dragging me to the front once again. “This is my treat. You’re always my guinea pig for every new weird idea that I have, so I think you deserve it. Don’t think that I don’t know some of it’s crazy and doesn’t always taste so good? So let me thank you. I’m sure we can find something to wear it to.”
“Like what?” I questioned as she reached for her purse and pulled out a credit card. I tried to stop her, but it was no use, she was determined. Amelia ignored my question, making small talk with the clerk that I tuned out, while trying to figure out exactly what Amelia was planning. Most of the time her schemes ended up being crazy and something that I never expected.
I could be in some major trouble.
I WAS LOOKING forward to a much-needed, relaxing night. Amelia and I had a low-key evening planned, vegging out on the couch with some takeout food, and I couldn’t be happier. A knock on my door told me that she had arrived and the fun could begin, so I yelled for her to come in.
I didn’t realize I had let Hurricane Amelia in.
“Hey, hon, let’s go.” She yanked on my hand and I slid off the couch, quickening my pace to keep up with her as she hurriedly walked down the short hallway and into my bedroom.
“Um…what are we doing? I thought you were supposed to be bringing movies over?”
“We’ll save that for another night,” she answered, waving one hand before she spun around and opened my closet doors, shuffling through the contents before she spotted whatever she was looking for. Amelia didn’t normally borrow much from me, so I wasn’t sure what she was doing. She was more of a frills and lace kind of girl where I was good with just about anything. “Found it! Here, go in and get this on.”
“Found what exactly?” I looked down at what she had shoved into my hands, seeing that it was the ridiculously expensive dress she had bought for me. “Why do I need to put this on?”
“Quit asking questions.” She shoved me into my bathroom. “I’ll get dressed in here while you’re changing. A little bit of hair and makeup and we should be good to go.”
“Amelia,” I whined. “I thought we were just staying in tonight. I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“I don’t care,” she
answered stubbornly, pointing toward the bathroom. “I bought you that dress, remember? So now you’re going to wear it and we’re going to have fun. We’ve barely gotten to hang out lately, so let’s go out. We can do movies some other night. I promise.”
I sighed loudly but didn’t argue anymore and instead headed into the bathroom to change. Then I let her fuss with my makeup and hair, not as long as she normally would because she seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, and then we headed out to her car.
When reached our destination, I mentally chastised myself, deciding I would try to have some fun since Amelia and I really hadn’t spent much time together lately. Well, aside from yesterday’s shopping trip. At least I’d been able to get a quick nap in after classes. I still hoped it would be an early night though.
“Amelia, I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” I hissed, teeth clenched, while trying to force a smile onto my face.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she coerced me into going out, my idea of it possibly being fun was quickly squashed as soon as we entered the restaurant. She ignored me, nudging my back with her elbow, causing me to lurch forward into Carleton, who was apparently my date for the evening.
I couldn’t believe she set me up, knowing that I was totally against dating, especially someone like Carleton. No, I wasn’t one of those poor girls that hated all rich people or something. Usually, I did give people a chance, even though I joked with Amelia about guys named Franklin or Carleton, but ninety percent of the time, they lived up to their names. Judging by his slicked back hair, pressed khakis, and pink polo with the collar flipped up, I was pretty certain I was right about him. Too bad I wasn’t the type of person to leave their best friend hanging. Even when their best friend set them up on a blind date that they had already refused to go on.
We were going to have a serious talk about it later.
“A pleasure to meet you, Monroe.” Carleton’s hand lingered on mine longer than necessary until I finally pulled it away and let out a nervous laugh. He looked offended. Oh, I could tell it would be a fun night. I suddenly felt relieved that Amelia insisted on buying me this dress. The place was probably the fanciest restaurant I had ever been to in my life. I mean, there was a valet that parked Amelia’s car. That was considered fancy to me.
The four of us made small talk until a young woman led us to our table, and I about kicked Amelia when she headed to the other side, leaving me to sit right next to Carleton. I decided to take one for the team because she obviously really liked Franklin and he seemed genuinely nice. I would just have to suck it up.
The night went on in slow motion. Amelia insisted that we have a bottle of wine, so I made sure my glass stayed full to the very tippy top and I tried to always have some kind of food in my mouth to avoid contributing to any discussion. Really, it wasn’t necessary because Carleton loved to talk about himself and I probably wouldn’t have gotten a word in even if I wanted to speak.
Just as I expected, his family was loaded, as he mentioned…multiple times. He was also extremely gifted in the intellect department—his words, not mine—and he seemed to think the University of Georgia was beneath him, but since all of his family had attended, he kept up the tradition. He also belonged to the same fraternity Franklin did and was in the running for president next year.
I was staring off into la-la land, half-listening to Carleton, when I saw him. Our eyes connected across the restaurant. He appeared to have just arrived, his gorgeous date walking in front of him, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her toward their very private looking table. Light scruff covered his jaw, something that was most likely frowned upon in this kind of place, but a guy like him probably didn’t care and I was glad. It managed to make him even sexier, which I didn’t think was possible. He stopped into the club a few nights a week, which was more than usual according to the girls, but I didn’t mind.
The sight of him gave me a warm, gooey feeling and no matter what kind of mood I was in, I felt better. Too bad he rarely spoke to me.
His eyes widened slightly in my direction, probably shocked to find one of his employees in a place like this. One corner of his mouth lifted up slightly when I half-waved at him, before he turned back to his date who was already seated at their table.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Carleton asked, his hand landing on my bare shoulder, and I jumped at the touch, pulling my attention back to him.
“Sorry, no.”
He repeated the question, and surprisingly, he seemed interested in actually getting to know me. I tried to focus on the conversation but my eyes couldn’t stop searching out Miller every few minutes. It was impossible.
We talked for a little while in between bites of our dinner, but I knew that there would be no second date for us. It wasn’t that I was completely against dating. I just didn’t have time for it, and if I made time, it wouldn’t be for Carleton.
I had barely heard a peep out of Amelia because she quietly talked, and giggled, with Franklin all night. It was hard to tell whose body parts were whose they were so tangled up in each other. I couldn’t help but snort loudly when I saw him feed Amelia some of his dessert. They were clearly infatuated with each other, but it almost seemed like too much. I couldn’t tell if Amelia was just faking it with him to make her parents happy or not. Maybe I was just overthinking about the whole situation. She seemed to be genuinely happy, and seeing my best friend happy was a good thing. So, I guess I couldn’t be too mad about her blindsiding me with this date.
“Monroe.” Amelia stood up, grabbing her purse and holding a hand out. “Come with me to the bathroom?”
I placed my napkin on the table before following after her, slowing my pace as I passed Miller’s table. He didn’t look up, his attention solely on his date. Or maybe it was his girlfriend, maybe he was married. I didn’t know anything about his personal life, he was my boss. So, why was I so interested in him? Why was I trying so hard to make him look at me?
“Monroe.” My head snapped up, effectively putting a stop to my gawking at Miller, and Amelia tilted her toward the bathroom, her eyes slightly squinted. She was probably trying to figure out what I was staring at but the by the time we got into the bathroom, she had forgotten and was gushing about Franklin.
“I think I’m in love already.” She clutched her chest before opening her purse and pulling out a small makeup bag. “Do you like him? I know you don’t like the whole frat scene but when I met him at that party a few weeks ago…there was just something about him. He’s so hot, don’t you think?” She paused for one second while applying a fresh coat of lip gloss, but not enough time for me to get a word in. “And he’s such a gentleman. That’s hard to find in guys from the Midwest. No offense. I’m just usually looking for one of those southern gentleman my mama’s always trying to set me up with. So, what do you think? I need my best friend’s opinion.” She smacked her lips together.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged one shoulder. “He seems nice and you’ve been all over him the whole night. I guess that’s a good thing, right?”
“No I haven’t!” She slapped my shoulder but the upturn of her mouth told me she knew I was right. “How about Carleton? Do you think we can do a double again? Don’t you think they’re fun? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we were dating best friends?”
“Um…well, I guess Franklin should get a new best friend because I’m definitely not going out with Carleton again. Do you not know me at all? Did you really think I would be into a guy like Carleton?”
“Well, I was sort of hoping. So, does that mean if I were to ask you if it’s okay if Franklin and I left by ourselves, you would probably say no?”
“Amelia.” I sighed loudly. “Why are you torturing me?” She frowned and I hated that I sounded like a bitch. “You know what? I’ll just get a cab back to my apartment, that way I don’t have to deal with Carleton. How’s that?”
She squealed. “That sounds awesome. As long as you’re sure.” I nodded my head a
nd she looped her arm through mine so we could head back to our table. When I sat down, I noticed Carleton drinking another glass of something expensive, and knew I definitely wasn’t going to catch a ride with him anyway. Amelia whispered to Franklin and he smiled politely at me from across the table before motioning for the server who promptly brought our bill. Carleton made a big show about paying for everything and I tried to contain a groan. I would’ve happily paid my own check, but I’m sure that happiness would’ve been short-lived when I saw how much a simple salad and a few glasses of wine cost.
Franklin and Amelia said their goodbyes and I watched as she practically skipped out of the restaurant clutching his hand. She seemed so happy; hopefully it was for real and not just to please her parents, though.
“Well, I guess I should get you home then, unless you want to go back to my place.” My hand paused in my purse where I was searching for my phone.
“Seriously? What gave you any idea that I would want to go back to your place?”
“Um….” He scratched his head before grinning and taking another sip of his drink to finish off the contents. “At least let me get you home then.”
“I’m fine taking a cab. You might want to, too.” I tipped my head toward his empty glass. “Haven’t you had a few?”
“I can drive,” he replied with just a hint of smugness. Standing at the same time as I did, he placed his arm around my waist when he wobbled slightly on his feet. Yeah, he was totally fine to drive. I didn’t much care for the guy, but I at least wanted to make sure he made it home okay.
Midnight Ballerina Page 6