28. Daisy
DAISY
It takes all morning to move the party from the banquet room on campus to the gym of The White House. It’s located on the second floor, so we’ll be at Gavin’s party but in our own area where Violet won’t have to worry about mingling.
Gavin even agreed to block off the stairs so people don’t wander up to see what’s going on. It isn’t perfect, but it stays within Violet’s constraints of not being a pizza place or dorm lounge.
A smile tugs at his lips, and his brown eyes crinkle at the corners as he looks around his transformed basketball court. “This is epic. We should throw more parties in here.”
“Thank you for letting us use the space.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Oh, and happy twenty-first!”
His smile lifts. “Thanks. Speaking of, I better go drink some more water and Gatorade. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Yeah, it is,” Jordan says, coming up behind me. “Twenty-one shots with your name on them.”
Gavin groans, but his smile pops right back up. “Catch you guys later.”
“Do you have to go get ready now?” Jordan asks when he’s gone. He faces me and runs his hands down my arms. I don’t know how I would have pulled this off without him. When I told him my plan, he rounded up guys and made it happen.
“Yeah, I already missed our nail, hair, and makeup appointments.”
“Whoa, that’s a lot of appointments.”
“Tonight is a big night,” I say, and nuzzle into his chest. “I’m so glad you’re coming.”
“And miss seeing you in that yellow dress?”
My smile widens as I look up at him. “You’re pretty wonderful.”
“Me?” His laughter vibrates in his chest. I like the way it feels against mine.
“Yep.”
“I think you have me confused.”
“I don’t.” I wrap my arms around his back and place my head over his heart. It thumps quietly in a steady rhythm that somehow makes mine beat faster.
He kisses the top of my head and then fists my hair, tugging it gently until I look up at him.
“I might have my moments, but right now, it’s purely selfish.
I get hard every time I think about you playing dress up in those big, poofy dresses.
The number of times I’ve looked at the pic of you in the red dress basically makes it porn. ” He sucks on my bottom lip.
Butterflies swoop low in my belly. “You kept it?”
“Fuck yeah, I did. I think I wanted you long before I was willing to admit it.”
“Same.”
He kisses me again, and I’m perfectly content to stay here, but he pulls back, and I know I need to head home.
“Go get ready,” he says. “Violet’s probably in a fit that you’re still gone, and I have a bottle of Jager to buy.”
“Okay.” I start to go, and he grabs my hand and flings me back to him for one more kiss.
“Okay, seriously, now.” He steps back and shoves his hands in his pocket. “Save me the first slow dance.”
At seven-forty-five, four wallflowers are dressed and ready for the ball. We look pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. And I do. Violet is so freaking talented. We’re all wearing her creations. And Dahlia made us all masks to match our dresses.
“You missed all the pampering,” Jane says with a pout. She wiggles her fingers in front of me, showing off her manicure.
“Oooh, pretty.”
“I think you look gorgeous, and you didn’t have to spend three hours sitting still while people poked and prodded at you.” Dahlia touches a curl hanging over my shoulder.
Her hair is sleek and straight, and her eye makeup is thick and black. She looks beautiful, but I can tell she’s far less comfortable with all of it than Jane and Violet.
“Thanks. I’m sad I didn’t get to spend the day with you all, but everything is set for tonight.” I check the time. “We should go.”
“How are we going to let everyone know the new location?” Violet asks. I still haven’t told her where we’re going, and now that the party is minutes away, I’m nervous.
“I thought of that,” I say. “Dahlia and I will go to the original location. I hired a bus that will bring everyone. You and Jane will be there putting any of your last-minute touches on it.”
“Bring them where?” Violet whines through an excited smile. “Where are we going?”
“You’re just about to see.” We walk outside, and I take off down the sidewalk.
They follow, but Vi asks, “Why are we walking? Are we meeting an Uber or something?”
I walk to the front of The White House, where a path to their front door splits off from the sidewalk. I stare back at my friends.
My pulse bounces and my hands shake as I wave toward the big party house next to ours. “Ta-da!”
Violet’s smile falls instantly.
“I thought Gavin’s twenty-first party was here later tonight,” Jane says as she glances at the quiet house.
“It is, but upstairs they have a big, open space that we can use. It’s totally separate, and Gavin promised he’d keep people out.”
“Right, like he keeps people from parking in our driveway.” Vi cocks a brow.
Dahlia and Jane don’t look convinced either.
“It looks amazing,” I press. “The guys helped me move everything here. We have even more space than we did in the banquet room.” I sway my hips. “Bigger dance floor.”
My pep can only take so much silence.
“I don’t think so.” Violet turns like she’s going home.
I look to Dahlia and Jane for help.
“I worked really hard on this for you,” I say to her back. “I promise it looks just like you imagined. At least come inside and see it.”
Violet pauses, her shoulders stiffen, and she cuts me with a glare over her shoulder. “No, you think you did this for me, but you did it for you.”
“What?” My cheeks heat even in the cool night breeze.
“Tonight was supposed to be about us.”
“It is!”
“No. Jordan blew you off for his friends, and you saw this as a perfect opportunity to force your world into his. He isn’t different. He’s exactly the same as the rest of them. He won’t bend for you, so you will until you break.” She spits the words, and each one slices through me.
Violet’s hate for anyone associated with the basketball team is well established, but I don’t understand why she clings to it. Or why she wants to drag Jordan into it. He’s done nothing to deserve it.
“You're mad. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I promise you won’t have to see Gavin. I will stand guard at the door myself. Please just come inside and see it.”
“You think I could go in there and enjoy myself knowing he’s downstairs with all his awesome friends? In his house? Seriously, did you for one second think about how I would feel taking charity from him?”
My throat tightens.
“He destroyed me,” she yells, and for an instant, I can read every emotion on her face—pain, betrayal, humiliation. She steels her expression and repeats it. “He destroyed me. Just like Jordan is going to do to you.”
Any remorse I was feeling is wiped away with anger. “You’re wrong about him.”
“I guess we’ll see,” she says, and it feels like a curse.
Someone clears their throat, and we all look over to find Gavin standing on the stairs. His eyes are wide, and his hands are shoved in his pockets.
“Perfect.” Vi throws her hands up in the air. She heads back to our house, pulling pins from her hair as she goes. The long, dark strands shine and bounce in the moonlight. Jane offers me a sad smile and then follows her.
“Go,” I say quietly to Dahlia. “Make sure she’s okay, and I’ll take care of the party.”
She nods and gives me the same sad smile as Jane.
I take an Uber to the banquet room. The bus driver is waiting. Inside, a small line of people has gathered, waiting for the doors to open. Moving to the front, I let everyone know about the location change and that the bus is waiting to take us.
As more people arrive looking happy and excited, it hits me just how many people are looking forward to tonight.
It might have started as Violet’s need to create something that rivaled the big parties on campus, but she instilled a hope in our classmates and friends that had been waiting for a chance just like this to dress up and dance with their friends.
Vi did this. She created something just for us—the wallflowers, the non-Greek, the unpopular, the whatever you want to call us. And now she isn’t even going to see it.