LAILAH
TWENTY-TWO
The rest of the week passed without further incident, and the rumors I was afraid would be spreading didn’t get much traction.
Seems that no one believed I could date more than one guy at a time, so they dismissed it.
The other reason might have been that the guys were busy all week, and I wasn’t seen with them at all.
Cami, Maggs, and I enjoyed the week doing fun girl stuff and taking self-defense classes as a joke.
Cami kept telling me that I couldn’t let someone get the drop on me like Mallory did.
I had to be honest, the classes did make me feel better about protecting myself.
The day of the party had finally arrived, and I spent the whole morning decorating the large hall where the school held events.
Now that I was covered in paint and sweat, and all the final touches were set up, I was heading back to the dorm to get ready for the fun to start.
As I walked down the hall, I saw everyone running in and out of each other’s rooms, giggling, chatting, and in various states of undress.
Clothes and other items were getting tossed from one room to another as girls hollered from somewhere in their rooms. Dodging the chaos, I made it to the bathroom and managed to find an open shower to rinse off in.
I grabbed my stuff and headed down to Cami’s room, where we had agreed to get ready.
I had never been very big into Halloween since I didn’t really have friends to do stuff with.
I went with my little brother when he was younger, but that stopped four years ago.
Cami flung her door open and pulled me inside the moment I knocked on her door.
“Let’s see it. No more holding out on us,” Cami said, her hands on her hips.
Cami and I had argued all week about what costume I was going to wear. I promised her I had something I could make work for the occasion.
“Um, I’m wearing it,” I said, looking down at my clothes.
“Nope, no, hell no, there is no way that is going to fly. Maggs, I told you we couldn’t trust her.”
Maggs walked up, looking like the picture-perfect replica of a red-haired vintage barbie doll. Cami, on the other hand, was dressed like tomb raider, and I expected nothing less from her. Compared to them, my shirt that said This is my costume. was sadly lacking.
“This is what I have, so you’re going to have to deal with it,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“You really didn’t think I would let you pick your own costume, did you? I got one for you weeks ago when I figured out that you were going to be terrible at this,” Cami said, giving me a sly smile as she walked over to the couch where a dress bag was laying.
She unzipped it and revealed a dress that was a pale yellow and seemed to shine in the light.
I walked over and touched the fabric, surprised to feel that it was a soft velvet.
It looked like a replica of a medieval-style dress.
It was simple in shape and didn’t have a crazy amount of detail on it, and I was in love.
“Well? Are you going to put it on, or do I have to strip you myself?” Cami asked, grinning at me.
“Fine, you win,” I said, tugging off my shirt and slipping the dress over my head.
I shimmied out of my jeans and let the dress fall around my legs.
It fit snuggly to my chest and waist, but then it fell away loose and flowing.
The sleeves were long and angled, so they almost brushed the floor.
Cami walked over with a long string of pearls, wrapped it around my waist a few times, and let the rest drape down the front of the dress.
“How did you find something like this?” I said, twirling and looking at myself in Cami’s full-length mirror.
“Surprisingly, no one here at school likes historically-based costumes, so it wasn’t too difficult. It’s not slutty enough for most of the girls,” Maggs said as she sat me down and started doing something with my hair while Cami started to attack me with makeup.
“What’s with all the effort, it’s just a school party,” I said. They were making me feel nervous.
“You want the first time you see all the guys since you claimed them for your harem lookin’ like a bum?” Cami said.
“Seriously, Cami. I did not do that. How many times do we have to go over this? I don’t even know if they all like me that way,” I grumbled.
“As many times as it takes for you to get it through your head, that’s what you did. Also, you’re an idiot if you think they don’t want you in that way. Lord, anyone with eyes can see the way they watch you.”
“You make it sound so simple. We’ve never talked about crap like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t talk to me at all tonight.”
Cami laughed and booped me on the nose. “Lala, just you wait and see. They haven't been around you all week, so they will be running to your side the moment they see you.”
I sat silently as they finished working on me.
Once they were done, I got to look at myself.
What I saw wasn’t the same Lailah Mackenzie who showed up to school three months ago.
This version of myself was much happier and sure of herself.
I grinned at the woman in the mirror and turned to hug Cami and Maggs.
“Thanks, guys. This is amazing!”
“Any time, girlie,” Maggs said, hugging me back.
“Come on, we're already late, as usual,” Cami said, hugging me back, then took Maggs’s hand as we headed out of the room.
As we walked over to the hall where the dance was taking place, it was fun to see everyone in their costumes.
Some people got really creative, and others were so generic it made me shake my head.
With the doors open to the cool night, the music could be heard before we even got close.
The entrance was mobbed with people taking pictures with each other in the dying light.
We managed to shove our way into the hall.
People were already on the dance floor, grinding on one another.
Most of the others were wandering around the border where we had the photo stations set up and props that went with each theme.
“Lailah, this looks amazing, you guys did a wonderful job!” Maggs said, giving me a side hug. “You’ll have to help me with the next party we throw at my house.”
“I’d love that,” I said, nearly yelling over the noise.
“Oh, look, witch’s brew. I gotta try that. Wonder if anyone’s spiked it yet,” Cami hollered as she dragged both of us after her.
It was cool to see the dry ice giving off the smoky effect that we’d hoped it would. The large cauldron was filled with green juice with gummy eyeballs floating around for added drama. I helped myself to some, and the moment it hit my tongue, I knew it had been spiked with something strong.
“Hell yeah, this is going to be a great night!” Cami whooped as she chugged and refilled her cup.
“If you get shwasted tonight, I’m not babysitting you as you puke your guts out,” Maggs warned Cami.
I smiled, the more time I spent with them, the more I knew that she was a perfect fit for Cami’s wild side. Cami pouted at her but nodded her understanding. Something caught her eye, and she grinned, elbowing me. “Looks like one of them found you.”
I turned in the direction she was looking, and my jaw hit the floor.
Hudson was making his way over to us, and I prayed that it would take him a minute so I could stare at him longer.
He had on tight-fitting black pants with a long elegant jacket that fit him so snuggly I was afraid it would rip.
It had blue waves embroidered on the edge of the cuffs and halfway up the sleeve.
The embroidery was along the bottom of the jacket as well.
The deep-blue shirt under the jacket set the whole thing off.
I had to check to make sure I wasn’t drooling before he reached me.
“Lailah, you look amazing,” he said, leaning close to my ear so I could hear him.
I felt his hand brush against my hip as he pulled back to look me in the eye. I placed a hand on his chest to balance as I leaned into him and found his shirt was silky against my touch. “You look quite dashing yourself.”
We grinned at each other while I kept my hand on his chest, not willing to give up his closeness after a week without it.
Another hand brushed down my back, drawing my attention, and I found Parker standing behind me.
I had been so focused on Hudson that I hadn’t noticed him.
Parker was dressed as a pirate with a billowing purple shirt that was only buttoned halfway up.
I grinned at him and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
“Hey, Trouble, you miss me?” he asked, chuckling into my hair as he hugged me back.
“I guess you could say that. It’s been a rather boring week without you guys,” I said, returning his grin.
“That’s not what I heard. Did you really deck Mallory?” he asked.
“Hell yeah I did, that bitch slapped me.”
Parker laughed and hugged me tightly to him again before letting me go.
“Do I get a hug?” Brayden asked, sidling up beside me wrapping his arm around my hips, tugging me from Parker.
“Since you asked,” I said, allowing him to pull me into his arms.
He held me tight and placed a gentle kiss on my head before letting me go. Finally getting to take in his costume, he looked like the Count of Monte Cristo. His Victorian jacket had an intricately woven tree embroidered on the back in greens and browns.
“You guys look so dashing,” I said, not sure who to stare at first.