Cupid's Daughter

Chapter 26~ Barbie Threw Up On Me

"I'll look like the tooth fairy." I warned flatly, tugging at the pale chiffon skirt that was currently draped over the back of my chair.

Ash rolled her eyes as she leaned in towards me with a deathly-sharp eyeliner pencil, "Will you shut up?"

"You're going to look like a princess if we have anything to do with it." Ari agreed. The stunning dark haired twin fixed up her own flawless skin in the mirror, smoothing ivory colored foundation over her cheeks and forehead as Ash stared at me like I was a blank canvas waiting to be brought to life.

I stayed quiet as the twins worked their magic on me, not even sure how I'd gotten into this situation in the first place. It was the night of Senior Prom, and somehow I'd been roped into going, despite my best wishes. One minute I'd been sat on my mom's couch watching How I Met Your Mother, and the next I was being shooed into the bathroom by a pair of psychotic twins as they yelled in a war-cry that they'd found me a dress and I had five seconds to get my butt in a chair.

Being the idiot I was, I obeyed... more so out of fear than anything else.

"Where did you guys even find an extra ticket at such late notice anyway?" I asked, the words sounding marred because I was trying not to move while Ash slathered lip gloss on my bottom lip.

The twins exchanged a glance and then shrugged, busying themselves with my face. "Well Levi asked Elisa Merrihall but she already had a date and no one else was available last minute so we just figured..." Ari trailed off, making me sigh.

"That we'd go together?" I finished for her, and she nodded with an overly cheesy smile.

"You're going to have so much fun, Issy." Ash gushed, reaching over to grab a curling iron from her little beauty-suitcase.

I forced myself to smile, which turned into more of a grimace.

Sureeee I was.

***

"Where did Isabelle Conway go and what did you do with her?" I asked in astonishment as I stood in front of the full length mirror and stared at the reflection. Whoever the person looking right at me was, it wasn't me, that was for sure.

Ari grinned and propped a hand on her hip. "You're still you, Issy, just..."

"Hotter." Ash concluded, making me frown.

Hotter?

I looked like Barbie threw up on me.

Okay, maybe a little less pink, but the point is that I didn't look like me.

My usually bare face was caked in makeup and my hair hung in long, loose curls down my back. The dress they'd forced me into was sleek and elegant and the color of snow— a strapless number swept across the floor when I walked. The shoes I was trying to hobble around in were too high and uncomfortable to even talk about. The one good thing that came out of this though, was that the heels gave me a couple more inches of height and I was no longer midget-like.

"What do you think?" Ari squealed, clapping her hands in excitement.

"I love it. Thank you girls." I smiled half-heartedly, trying to appease them. As grateful as I was for their help, I just couldn't find the right enthusiasm for the night.

As we pulled up outside the school an hour and a half later, the gym was jam packed full of puffy dresses that probably cost more than the worth of my life, and bored-looking guys in suits. Huge purple and pink ribbons hung from the ceiling and there was a disco ball in the centre, with tables and chairs surrounding a huge dance floor where a few couples were already dancing.

Matilda and Luke came to greet us at the door, a cup in each of their hands. Matilda looked absolutely stunning in a vibrant red gown, and Luke complimented her nicely with his slicked back blonde hair and scarlet tie.

"Let's dance!" Ash wooped, grabbing hold of her date Kyle and towing him onto the dance floor. Ari, her date Graham, Luke and Matilda all followed soon after, leaving Levi and I to our own devices.

We stood in a tense silence for a few moments until Levi scratched the bag of his neck nervously and held his palm out to me. "Would you like to dance?"

No. I hate dancing. I suck at dancing.

"Sure." I smiled gently, letting him lead me towards the other couples who were swaying and twirling.

"You look incredible, by the way." Levi informed, making me blush.

I didn't feel incredible. I didn't even feel like me.

Damn, there I went being mopey again.

Sensing my hesitance, Levi started to dance slowly, his hands brushing the delicate skin of my waist as I placed my hands on his shoulders. We swayed awkwardly from side to side, not matching the fast paced tempo of the pop song that the DJ was playing. My gaze wandered numerous times towards the entrance, subconsciously searching for a certain face, but I always looked back down at the floor a moment later in disappointment. It was stupid what I was secretly wishing for, considering that we hadn't spoken in months, he had no idea what was even happening tonight and we had decided to platonically go our separate ways.

"Looking for someone?" Levi asked me in a strained voice, staring over the top of my head.

My cheeks flamed up bright scarlet as I brushed my hair behind my ears, clearing my throat.

Yes.

"No, I was just..." I trailed off, not quite sure how to respond.

"Looking for someone...?" He continued, causing me to sigh in defeat.

"I'm sorry, it's stupid." I reasoned, more with myself than with him.

So maybe some part of me was hoping that Noah would come bursting through the double doors in a tuxedo to make a grand gesture and declare his love for me, and I also knew it was absurd, but I couldn't stop myself from wishing.

"What happened then?" Levi asked, his dark eyes shining underneath the fluorescent lights. "Why are you looking for someone instead of dancing with him right now?"

I bit my lip as we continued to dance awkwardly, dodging other couples who glared at us for slow dancing to a pop song.

"He's in love with someone else."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I guess a part of me was just hoping that he'd eventually come back for me even though I was the one who told him to let me go."

Levi pursed his lips and then grinned a cheeky smile, jerking his arm so that I flung out to the side and then twirled back in, my body pressed to his back. My heart pounded as I laughed, having been taken completely by surprise. Levi's lips pressed against my ear, and I could feel his cool breath against my skin as he spoke, the words sounding husky and low.

"He's a complete idiot."

A/N: 1 more chapter and an epilogue until the end! D: Thanks for this wonderful journey and for being such wonderful readers, I appreciate each and every one of you whether this story has 2 reads or 2000 I will always be grateful for you.

And a big thank you to HahaFunnyStory for letting me know that this chapter couldn't be read by some of you... hopefully it works now! :)

Meg x