The rest of the day passes in a blur as I replay the day's events in my mind, alternating between anger, humiliation, devastation, and numbness.
When we get back to our room, I change out of my clothes and get back into my pajamas. I spend the next couple of hours in bed, but not even Schitt's Creek or Gilmore Girls can lift my spirits.
I relay my awful encounter with River when Jessica returns to the room to get her dress. She listens in silence, her expression becoming more outraged with every detail I divulge. Thankfully, I make it through the whole story without crying.
When I'm done, she calls him every bad name in the book and promises me he's dead to her. She asks me if I can make it through tonight and I assure her I'll be okay. I don't think either of us believes me, but Jessica seems like she doesn't have the heart or the energy to refute me.
As Jessica gathers her things to go back to Carly's room, I make myself climb out of bed and trade in my pajamas for the black dress I purchased at Nordstrom Rack. My hair is thick and naturally wavy, but most of the time, it falls in weird kinks instead of elegant waves, which is what I'm going for tonight, so I take my hair curler in addition to my makeup bag before we head to Carly's room to get ready for the dance.
As we walk, people stream through the hallways, some already in formal attire, others in sweatpants clutching makeup bags.
I knock when I arrive and a girl I've never seen before opens the door for me. I peek inside. Jessica is straightening Carly's blonde hair, and both are laughing as Jessica pulls the straighter down Carly's blonde hair with perfect precision. Despite being dateless, I'm glad Carly appears to be in good spirits, and (to my surprise) so does Jessica. The sound of her laughter makes me feel slightly more optimistic about tonight.
"Hi, I'm Zoey! You must be Brooklyn!" The girl who let me in the door greets me enthusiastically.
"Um yeah hi. Zoey from yearbook?" I guess, remembering that Jessica told me about her yesterday. She's the one who deleted my absence from the attendance records.
"Yep," she confirms, in the same bubbly tone.
"Thanks for the help yesterday, I really appreciate it," I tell her.
"No problem!" She responds, ushering me in the door. The other two girls look up as I enter the room.
"Wow, Brooklyn, you look fantastic!" Carly beams at me. I thank her and return the compliment. She's wearing a light pink satin mini dress with matching heels and simple gold jewelry. The look is elegant and stunning on her. When Jessica is done with her hair, Carly gets up to admire her finished look in front of the full-length mirror on the right side of the room.
"Johnny's gonna realize he made a huge mistake when he sees you tonight," Zoey says as we watch Carly admire her killer look.
"Screw him, I don't care what he thinks. I'm gonna find someone else to kiss. Or maybe two or three," she says, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, and we all laugh in response.
"Going with you guys is way better anyway," she assures us when the laughter dies down.
"So Brooklyn, what are we doing with you?" Jessica asks, brandishing the straightening iron at me.
"I was thinking you could curl my hair," I tell her, pulling out my own iron. "And then maybe you could help me with makeup?" Carly and Zoey look like they hired a professional makeup artist, as did many of the girls I passed in the hallway. It's expected that the girls here put a lot of time and effort into their appearance.
"I can do your hair, and Carly can do your makeup," Jessica says, looking at Carly, who nods in agreement.
To say I don't have a knack for cosmetics is an understatement. My mother never had the chance to teach me before she got sick, and after, I never cared enough about my appearance to try. The best I can manage is concealer, lipstick, and some eyeshadow. Thankfully, Carly comes to my rescue, applying light but artfully done makeup that makes my skin glow and brings out the amber flecks in my brown eyes. When she's done, Jessica curls my hair and then braids half of it back, leaving the other half to flow down my back in gentle waves before taking my place in Carly's makeup chair.
YOU ARE READING
Eastwood Academy
Romance"I have to bite back a gasp as River's hand comes up, brushing my long hair back behind my ears. He doesn't stop there, letting his hand travel to my cheek and stroking lightly. His thumb brushes over my lips, parting them, and I barely stop a moan...
