Once Upon An Enchanted Ball ( A Rise of Red/Glassheart Fanfic)

Chapter 11: So This Is Love?

It's finally the big night.

Well, it's six hours before the big night. But when you're a part of the planning committee or E.B.C., as Chloe likes to call it, crunch time is prime time. And although Chloe and Red should be working to finalise the plans for the big night, they had other matters to attend to.

"Are you sure my curls are right? This side looks less even than the other," Bridget whines. If it wasn't the heat from the curling irons, or the blazing sun piercing through the windows, Bridget would assume she was nervous by the way her pace elevated, and her palms began to sweat.

"Not my fault. Don't think I've ever touched a curling iron let alone used one" Chloe sighs, trying to compare her work to the red-haired girl beside her.

The morning had been quiet to begin, but it was hard to be quiet with Bridget's constant panic. Red had arrived to the girls early, prepped with a speech in mind about all the things she couldn't tell Chloe face to face but those plans had to be halted. As soon as she opened the door she had been met with frantic planning, not for the Ball, but Bridget's plans.

"Get on my level, Charming. I've been doing this for years," Red teases, adding the finishing touches to Bridget's hair before dropping the curling iron on the nearby dresser. Chloe shoves the other girl's shoulder and the two share a quick laugh and glance that lasts longer than necessary. And in any other moment, Bridget would be analysing every second through the mirror she currently sat in front of, but today, there was no time to waste on Chloe and Red's too-long-for-comfort staring contest.

"Guys," Bridget snaps, "Focus okay? You two can flirt all you want when I'm gone just- help me pick out a bow." Bridget scrambles, looking around for a coloured bow to match her bright pink dress. One that flowed beyond the chair she sat on, and one that Chloe was sure cost a fortune by the intricate details of sparkles and sprinkle-looking sparkles.

Both Chloe and Red can feel their faces flush at the comment. There was no need to rebuttal, neither girl could deny there was some tension between the two of them that needed to be addressed but that would have to wait for later-

"Or," Chloe drops her curling iron, placing her hands gently against Bridget's shoulders to stop. "You could take a breather? I know you're always frantic but even this goes beyond a 'Bridget-Moment'" Bridget sighs, letting her curls drape over her face.

Red usually wasn't the type for girl talk. Back home she had always avoided such topics with Bridget, which may have directly led to their divide later in life. But there's something about this moment, seeing her cousin the most worried she's ever been, that gets Red concerned enough to intervene. "Are you too scared to face Ella?"

Bridget's face was hidden behind a curtain of pink strands, her fingers absentmindedly twisting them as she spoke in a muffled voice, "I just can't tell." She sighed heavily. "Things seemed fine yesterday, but even then...she didn't speak a word." The sombre tone in her voice caused both girls beside her to pause, their previous tasks forgotten as they turned their full attention to her.

"You could say I'm just worried she won't accept my apology...or my gesture. It's tough, realising you were wrong. I wonder how you manage to do it all the time, Red."

Red let out a small sigh, a smile tugging at her lips. "You make it really hard to want to help you, you know that?"

"The feeling is mutual," Bridget replied, a faint smile playing on her lips, though it was clear she was trying to deflect from her earlier concerns.

Chloe, who had been quietly observing, noticed the shift in Bridget's demeanour. Without saying a word, she reached for a bow from the dresser below, a soft pink one adorned with elegant swirls to match Bridget's dress. As she picked it up, she glanced over at Red, who gave her an encouraging nod.