Chapter 10 #3
I felt my heart catch in my chest. “Well,” I said hesitantly, “I could always change my mind. That is, if that’s what you want?”
“Yeah,” he said, a brightness finally returning to his expression. “I’d really like that.”
* * *
“Oooh, look at this! Doesn’t it scream Sailor Mars?”
I glanced up from the striped shirt I was considering, which could work as the base for several potential costumes—a mime, a bank robber, a pirate—but each idea felt like a total cop-out. Sofia held up a red skirt for me to inspect.
“Actually,” I said, eyeing the pleats, “I’m getting a Velma vibe.”
The triumphant smile slid off her face. “From Scooby-Doo?”
I nodded.
“Yikes.” She hung the skirt back up and continued her search through the rack.
Sofia and I had been combing Deals ’N’ Steals ever since school let out, but neither of us were having any luck finding a costume.
I supposed the only person I could blame was myself.
Usually I started thinking about what to wear when October 1 rolled around, but for the past three weeks, I’d been distracted by so many things—Comic Con, my Juilliard audition, creating a portfolio for ACM, Xander.
Now my favorite holiday was five days away, and here I was contemplating whether to dress up as a freaking mime.
If I didn’t come up with something better soon, my reputation as the costume queen would be at serious risk.
The telltale ping of an incoming text interrupted my worrying.
Stella:
Just finished editing the shots from this weekend. They look AMAZING!!!! I’ll email you everything tonight. Thanks for letting me help with your portfolio.
Smiling, I quickly typed a response.
Indie:
No, thank you for offering up your photography skills. Can’t wait to see how the pictures turned out!
As I slid my phone back into my pocket, I noticed Sofia watching me over the top of the garment rack. “What?” I asked.
She leaned forward, eyes alight. “Was that him?”
“No, it was Stella. She’s done editing the photos for my portfolio. Said she’d email them to me tonight.”
Sofia visibly deflated. “That’s great.”
“Wow,” I said, trying not to laugh at her obvious disappointment. “Don’t sound so excited.”
“Sorry.” She flashed me a sheepish grin. “It’s just, I can’t believe he asked you to go to the premiere with him.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Ever since I’d filled Sofia in on what happened at Soul Harvest during homeroom this morning, all she wanted to do was talk about Xander.
“That’s not what happened,” I told her. “He assumed I’d be attending with my family and mentioned he was hoping to see me there. That’s all.”
“And that’s bad how?” she asked.
“I didn’t say it was bad,” I replied, pulling another hanger off the rack. On it was a white blouse with navy polka dots, and I stuffed the shirt back into place between an ugly Christmas sweater and a burnt orange turtleneck. “I just think you’re blowing the situation out of proportion.”
“Indie, come on. He’s hoping to see you?” She shot me a look that indicated I was being dense. “The boy is clearly into you. I’m not blowing things out of proportion. I’m stating obvious facts.”
The warmth of a blush crept up my neck. “You think so?”
She nodded. “Definitely. You should invite him to the bonfire on Saturday.”
Lizzie Kravitz, a girl in my grade who I knew from orchestra, always hosted the best theme parties. My favorite, by far, was her Halloween one. It always included a bonfire, enough sugar to open a candy shop, and a costume contest, which I’d won the past two years in a row.
“I don’t know,” I said, thumbing my ear. “He probably has some cool LA event to go to. I doubt he’ll want to hang out at a high school party.”
“I’m pretty sure Xander wants to be wherever you are.”
“What if you’re wrong and he says no?”
“Then he’ll miss out on the best girl who’s ever walked into his life, but trust me—he’s not that stupid,” she said. “Besides, Saturday will be your last chance to see him before he leaves for tour.”
Although the prospect of asking Xander to a party made my hands feel sweaty, the thought of only seeing him one more time was worse. “Oh, all right,” I grumbled. “You win. I’ll invite him tomorrow at the premiere.”
“Good,” Sofia said, her responding smile filled with triumph. “Now we just need to find you the perfect costume.”
We spent the next hour sifting through the store’s remaining clothing racks.
Sofia struck gold with a gorgeous red cloak and decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood, but I had yet to discover anything Halloween worthy.
Just as I was about to call it quits, Sofia extracted a tailcoat from the men’s section.
It was midnight blue and decorated with brass buttons.
Very Victorian looking, like something a steampunk cosplayer would wear.
“Wait!” I exclaimed as she moved to put it back. “Let me see that.”
Sofia glanced at her latest find with a look of doubt but shrugged and handed it over.
The material was thinner than I anticipated, and I gently slid it off the hanger and eased into each sleeve.
It fit my shoulders perfectly, but I wanted to see what it looked like on.
After locating a full-length mirror, I turned in a circle, inspecting myself from every angle.
The jacket had clearly been designed for a man—it was boxy and unflattering on my curves.
Sofia’s reflection appeared in the mirror behind me.
“Do you think you could take this in at my waist?” I asked, pointing to where I wanted a little definition. “Maybe add some lace on the cuffs?”
She took a moment to inspect the tailcoat. “Sure, but I don’t get it. Who are you dressing up as?”
“Can’t tell,” I said, tossing her a smirk. “It’s a surprise.”