Finding Melody

48: Pretend

"I don't get it. Why would he surround himself with alcohol if he promises to stay sober at his house nonetheless?" I asked Davina, as I stood in front of her elegant mirror, watching as she pressed clothes against my body. Trying to find my revenge look of some sorts. I don't think I needed one.

"Maybe he wants to prove to a special someone, he's okay. He did make sure you're coming". She said, factually she seemed to be one of the few factual people in my life. When I told her about Dallas and I, the whole full blown story between us, leaving out details that I couldn't share, they were too private. She could fill the blanks in, I left out most of the words he had said that made my stomach swirl, my heart pound. She concluded that we were lovestruck with each other and we were horrible at saying what we felt, because of those and I quote "stupid love stories" we both read. It was hard to avoid it for him, his father was a genius writer, he probably grew up with brilliant ideas being coursed through his head for bedtime stories.

"I don't know at parties, how would he have fun without drinking?" I asked, knowing each time I had seen him, he had always been with a drink in hand. I was worried about him, worried about how he was exposing himself out into the open and free to be manipulated.

"You've been doing it for years. He's following his queen's lead". She said happily, finally picking a black dress for me, a small black dress.

"A little black dress, god you look perfect". She moaned aloud as she held the dress up to me, making me run to change into it. I slipped the dress on, staring at it in the mirror. I had always felt like I was dressing up for someone else. But now I felt like I was finally doing it for myself and Davina. She needed to see this through.

"Remember I'll stay away from Liam, if you stay with Dallas". She said, talking to me as I stared, still unaware that I had finished changing at all.

"What if I want you to be with Liam?" I begged her as she scoffed. I knew she hated what he had done, and she would never get over it until she was ready, but he groveled, like a lost puppy dog and his eyes weren't the only obvious ones.

"He may seem sweet now, but he's always used people for his own advantage". She said sourly, and I knew she meant it and she was probably right. But it didn't stop me from thinking they would end up kissing by the end of the night.

I stepped out of the changing room, as Davina melted, hugging me tightly as she cheered crazily, Liam completely washed from her mind.

"We look too good for this party". She said, laughing to herself as she was absolutely lost in the fact that this had happened, let alone that she allowed it to happen.

"Now let's not let a single man ruin this for us. They can only make it better, if they make it worse we walk". She said, sure of herself and I knew she was referring to both of our situations in her own unique way, with twisted wording and poetry slams.

Her twist on our motivational speech drew me back to the other day, a week ago, marking Dallas opening up to me. I kept that night, the words a secret between the two of us, not muttering a word about it to Davina.

I still hadn't read his book, I think I was too distracted when he had left the next morning, his head ducking out of my window, like it was normal. Like everything about us was normal, him just sneaking out and going.  I went back to school, avoiding everyone, except for Davina and on the rare occasion Dallas showed up. It was small talk between us, the less we said, the more we knew the other had to say. I avoided my soccer coach like the plague and I hadn't seen Lola since I quit, and I was happy about it. I loved soccer, but soccer at this school wasn't for me.