better than winning

19 | Em.

Nayla pov

I wipe the beads of sweat off of my forehead and throw myself down in the backseat of the car. I watched the clouds pass through the roof window, my chest heaved up and down, slowly calming down. "Great session. You did well!" I look up to Celine, who's getting in the drivers seat.

She throws a towel at me, it lands straight in my face which I just accepted. "Jalen really outdid himself with the car. Tell him a big Thank you, please.", I muffled through the towel. She pulled out of the parking lot and got onto the highway, "Will do.", she mumbles while focusing on the traffic.

Bored, I fumbled around the bandages of my hands. While suppressing the demand to rip them off.

"At what time do I have to be at the gala?" "Depends on how long Xander and you are going to need." Celine parks the car and I force myself out of the backseat lazily.

-

"Your make-up stylists are going to arrive in 15 minutes."  Celine came out of the closet with a beautiful, playfully ruffled dress. It was in the light tint of the blue sea in italy.

"Mamma mia.", my jaw dropped. Celine smiled pleased at my expression. "Did I choose the right blue?", she rolled the stand over to the couch. I stood up and walked to the dress like moths to the light, "È perfetto." I praised, my hands examined the ruffles that were laid out carefully.

Celine came to me with another gorgeous dress. It looked like it was drenched in blood. It was kept simple with an opened back. "Cee!" I exclaimed as I examined the square neck cutout.

"If the stylist don't completely drown you in gold jewelry-" I cut myself off and notice that Celine already put her loads of jewelry out.

"Good thinking, Cee"

One necklace was specifically placed on a white porcelain tray. It was a pearl necklace, knots between the pearls to keep them in place one sea shell in the middle as a pendant.

My hands reached for the necklace and I laid it around my neck, I sighed and looked up to Celine for help. She clasped it together.

"I know." I told her.

"I know, you always will.", she smiled warmly at me.

-

Cee zipped my dress up, I looked at myself in the giant mirror I was dipped in gold bracelets and wore the pearls around my neck. The stylist did wavy curls for my light brown hair which they darkened to a deep brown with some chemical magic.

Celine smiled, "You are all grown up now." I look over to her over my shoulder, "You sound like my mum." I chuckle and snapped my head to the knock on the door. In came Xander, he wore a black suit with the tie hanging untied and loose around his neck.

He had his eyes covered with hands, immediately bumping into the wall he asked, "Are y'all done?" "Yeah you can look Xan." Celine chuckles. Xander removes his hands and his jaw dropped, "You two clean up well." Celine made her way to him and tied his tie for him. He eyed our dresses from top to bottom and his eyes were glued on my necklace .

I raise a playful eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" He chuckles and ignores my question, while throwing himself on the couch after fetching a scone of the plate.

He takes his phone out. In another life Xander Hawthorne is an iPad kid.

While mindlessly scrolling on twitter, he asks, "Prepared for the questions yet? Avery's having her media training right now, and unfortunately it isn't going well." Celines eyebrows shot up, "I told Alisa, but she didn't listen."