Nothing But Bad

Thirty Three

Arden
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Tonight is the night of my ball. Me and Will's ball? Party? Whatever you want to call it. I didn't want to go.

   Gwen and I have spent the whole morning recovering. Will had sent servants this morning with all sorts of hangover cures. I'm shocked to say they had worked. That's not the reason I didn't want to go. I just didn't want to. It's pretty self explanatory.

   "We should ditch." I whisper to Gwen. Since her room is still not ready, she's been getting ready in mine.

   "You can't ditch your own party miss." Alison tisks, shaking her head. "It doesn't look good."

   "Alison."

   "Yes miss?"

   I was going to tell her to be quiet. I wanted to, so badly. But she was too nice, and I wasn't that mean. Instead I settled for, "I don't appreciate your negativity."

   She giggles, while Gwen snorts. I look at the two girls. They look like cousins, but they don't act like it. Honestly, I wouldn't have guess they were if it Alison hadn't told me.

    "What dress had you decided on Gwen?" Alison turns her direction to her cousin, ignore my words.

   She sighs, "One that will look like everyone else's."

   I turn my head her way. Alison makes a noise, signally me go turn back forward. "What do you mean?" I ask trying to look at her in the corner of my eye.

   "It's an engagement party Arden, everyone wears white."

   "That's stupid." I scoff. I haven't been to many engagement balls. Well, I haven't been to any. But it didn't seem right.

   "It's tradition." She says. "Anyone who doesn't won't be allowed in."

   "What if I don't wear white?" I don't want to go to this stupid thing. Maybe it could be my way out.

   "Well, I think..." she starts to say. "Well I don't really know." A smile forms on my face. "Oh no," Gwen laughs. "That's your evil smile."

   "Maybe."
***

   After Alison had finished my hair and makeup, I had gotten into my dress. Well, Gwen's dress. The dresses I had were all white. Gwen first refusing to join my plan, later caved in. She had let me borrow one of hers. One of the things I loved about Gwen, was her confidence. Which led to her less modest ways. She was confident, didn't care what others thought of her. So she would wear whatever she wanted, show off whatever wanted.

   That came to my benefit tonight.

   My hair was done up, showing off my collarbones. My makeup sharp, my lips matching the color of the dress. The dress, the dress was the thing that was going to get me out of the ball. They wouldn't want me stepping in there, not with what I was wearing.

   The dress was deep red and covered in lace. Lace that covered most things, but was sheer at my sides and some parts of my stomach. The cut was deep showing off my cleavage, maybe just a little too much. It was tight hugging every inch of my body. Up until my feet where it went out just a little. Whereas my white dress before had a slit going up to my knee, this one had one cut up all the way to my upper thigh. It was dangerous, risky. I looked so wicked, they couldn't let me in.

   It was perfect.

   "Wow." Gwen breathed out looking at me.

   "I know."

   "The king will have my head." Allison whispers looking at me through the mirror.

   "He won't know you had anything to do with this. Either of you." He might have my head also. This might be pushing it. I was practically spitting on his tradition. But he was forcing me into this marriage. So the least I could do, was make him regret it.

   Gwen was ready before me, she needed to go meet her farther before heading down. Leaving me to go on my own. I leave the room, go through the hall, entering a pair of doors. I notice three figures laughing down the hall.

   Perfect.

   There stood Will, Christian, and Levi. Christian was the first to notice me. He was in the middle of talking, completely losing his words at the sight of me. Levi facing my way as well, quickly caught on. Will was facing his friends, I didn't know what his face looked like but he was most likely confused. It took him only a few seconds to realize they were staring at something behind him, causing him to turn around.

   I was slowing walking up to them. Not because I was nervous, no I had a huge smirk on my face. I walked slowly so they could get the whole concept of my dress. I wanted him to notice the way it hugged me, the inappropriate amount my leg and breast showed when I walked.

   His eyes darken at the sight of me. "Change." He ordered, once I was close.

   I blink innocently, "Is it because I'm not wearing white?" I asks. I was too distracted, to even notice him. I wasn't nervous until I noticed him, how he looked. Like a prince, one to make all the ladies drop to their knees. "You're not wearing white either." He wasn't. He was dressed in all black. A suit, minus the tie. Instead, he had a few buttons unbuttoned. His hair was styled, in a way where it looks messy but neat at the same time. It made me feel nervous.

   He steps forward, looking down at me even with my tall heels. "It's not your dress that's pissing me off." He says in a dangerously low voice. "It's the fact that these idiots hadn't spoken a word, or taken their eyes off of you since you've walked through that door."

   I turn my eyes in the direction of said idiots. Their gazes instantly averts. Levi looking up pretending to be looking at something on the ceiling. Christian looking down at his wrist, checking a watch that wasn't there.

   "Hmm," I smirk. "Your friends do seem interested. Maybe one of them can keep your bed warm with me tonight, since you never bother to be there."

   His eyes darken. "You're playing a dangerous game princess."

   "Your highness, I thought those were the best kind."

***
So my plan didn't go the way I intended. I was expecting for Will to send me away after one look at me. After refusing to change, I thought he would tell me not to bother to come at all. Say that I was ill, or make up something, anything.

   No, instead his lips morphed into a smirk. "Well then," he had held his arm out to me. "It's rude to be late."

   "What?" I try to hide my shock.

    He rolls his eyes, "Is the dress so tight you can't hear?"

   "Don't roll your eyes at me."

   "I'll roll my eyes at you if I want to, I'm your prince. I have the luxury of doing whatever I want." In some point of our bickering, Christian and Levi had run off to what I assume the ball. We walked there, slowly.

   I groan, "I don't want to go."

   "It's not ladylike to groan." He says with amusement.

   I scoff then smirk, "As I remember, you liked when I wasn't ladylike. Especially in things involving  groaning."

   His steps halt, and he looks at me. "Friends don't imply inappropriate things to each other."

   "Friends don't lie to each other either." I cross my arms. A little mistake, seeing that it pushed my chest out more. Causing his gaze to drop.

   He looks back up after a quick second. "I've lied three times to you, since you were here."

   I narrow my eyes. Three times? What could he have lied about? "Are you going to tell me them?"

   His dimpled smirk arrives on his face, giving me the answer. "In time."

   "You can't just say that and not tell me."

   He reaches his arm out again, and I reluctantly garb it. "For every time you share a lie with me, I'll share you one."

    Hmm, I guess that was fair. But there was no way I was doing that.

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