Across the Hall (girlxgirl)

sixteen

• E m b e r •

"Hold still, I'm nearly done." Naomi urged, nearly sticking a makeup brush in my eye as I forced myself not to flinch.

"Are you sure about this? I still think I look weird." I murmured, trying not to move my lids too much as Naomi applied the fake lashes.

"You know holding still means not talking too." She joked lightly as she moved back, putting down her equipment. "And how many times do I have to tell you that you look hot before it actually sticks in here?" She asked, tapping my forehead as I mentally rolled my eyes.

Naomi and I had spent the last two hours getting ready and even though I could hear people arriving we were still up in my room. I didn't mind though, I was still working through my anxiety for the upcoming night and I welcomed being away from a crowd of drunk people for as long as I could.

"You know, I think you should shoot your shot with Naya tonight." Naomi smiled as she grabbed a different makeup product.

"You're crazy, besides she invited both Olivia and Sophia tonight so I think she's going to be a bit preoccupied." I pointed out.

"So what I'm hearing is you're afraid of a little competition?" Naomi cocked an eyebrow in question. "Not gonna lie, Mozart, I'm a little disappointed."

"She doesn't want me, Naomi!" I insisted. "I know when I'm not wanted." This only seemed to further irritate her.

"Okay, fine, what if we find you a really hot girl or guy for you to make out with?" She winked, already grinning at the idea while I sighed.

"No thanks, I'm taking baby steps- let me get through my first night out and then we can talk," I explained and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll leave you to your boring ways. I'm done anyways." Naomi grinned, pulling me out of my thoughts as she took a step back to admire her work. "You can go look now." She said before I walked over to my mirror.

As soon as I saw my reflection my jaw dropped- I looked good. My makeup was simple but well executed with sharp black wings, thick lashes and a natural lip, I was shocked at how alluring Naomi made me look. I also noticed the weight I'd gained living with the Whites, not that it was a bad thing, I looked healthier, more like a human being than a frail shell, my curves were rounder, my skin was brighter and I had a little bit of a tummy.

"Thank you so much, Naomi." I smiled as I twisted and turned, making sure to get a look from every angle. 

I was actually kinda hot.

"Come on, let's go, we're already a little too fashionably late for a function that's happening right downstairs." She smiled, grabbing my hand as she pulled me out of the room and I followed, my anxiety increasing as we headed down.

There were already a few people drinking and socialising when we made it downstairs but I was surprised at how much space had been transformed with the lights and music- I had to give Naya props.

Naomi on the other hand? I wanted to fight her because as soon as we had made it down she disappeared, probably on a mission to find Gabe while leaving me in the hands of a tipsy man named James who was determined to get me to join something he dubbed "the business move of the century".

It had already been 10 minutes.

"So anyways," James smirked like he had the world's best secret, "It's about twenty dollars to attend the class but if you bring around six friends I could probably get you in for free. So what do you say? Can I add you to the list?" He asked, grabbing his phone from his pocket as I took my window to escape.