Ray ||l.h.||

0.8

(A/N: wow i actually updated??????)

Ray waited for Calum and Michael to show for what felt like hours, but she knew it had only taken them the length of the High School Musical 3 Soundtrack, which couldn't have been more than only one hour--she had Ashton download it for her a while back while explaining to him that no one can outgrow The Wildcats; they're almost like a disease, a sparkly and harmonious disease.

"What took you guys so long?" She asks, once they've made it up and into her room. Ray would've gone down to them, but she didn't want to risk talking to Ashton and potentially making things worse. The boy's proven to be as argumentative as his parents would say he is, after they would get into little fights when they were younger.

Calum grins, bringing Ray in for a hug. She feels something against her back, but it doesn't feel threatening--whatever that feels like--so she disregards it and pulls back so Michael can hug her too. 

"We stopped by the mall and got you something that's going to make you love us ten times more." Calum says, rattling a shopping bag in the air. Ray shakes her head, squeezing Michael a bit tighter. She feels like she should tell them that they shouldn't have spent their money on her, and they should take it back, but she also feels like--or knows, really--they're well past the courtesy stage in their friendship.

"Who says I love you two at all in the first place?" She says, trying not to act like this is the sweetest thing they've ever done. Well, back in the eighth grade Michael told some kid off for stealing her orange at lunchtime, so, she guesses this is a close second.

"Says our six years of friendship, duh." Calum retorts, poking her in the side. Ray giggles and shies away from his finger as she goes to sit on her bed. 

"Before Calum tries to take full credit, it was my idea to get you this, therefore I deserve more of your love." Michael cuts in, sitting next to her on the bed. Ray snorts and briefly leans on Michael's arm, trying to convey her appreciation.

Calum rolls his eyes and sits next to Ray, setting the bag on her lap. She feels for the top of it, then slips her hand in until she feels fabric. 

"It's a dress," Michael supplies before Ray asks what's inside. "Don't worry, it's black, so it won't clash with anything." He adds. Ray grins and pulls it out of the bag. The straps feel thin and when she stands up and holds it against her body, it stops just above her knee. 

After tackling the two of them and snuggling them for a bit as a thank you, Ray sent them out of the room so she could get dressed. In the span of half an hour she put on her dress and shoes--a pair of gladiator sandals that you tie up your legs, or as Ashton calls them, the ones with the long strings--and had Calum and Michael help her fix her curls while she brushed her teeth. Ray felt ready to go once she shimmied through a cloud of perfume and chewed a few mints on her way downstairs.

Ashton had gone to his room at some point, or at least wasn't visible since neither Calum nor Michael said anything aside from wishing her a good time. Ray tried to care for a moment, but she was too focused on the fact that Luke was there to pick her up for their date.

"Have fun, but not too much fun!" Michael yells after them with a wink, waving obnoxiously with Calum. Ray giggles as Luke leads her to the passenger seat, her somewhat clammy hand in his marginally less clammy hand.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of your friends, but you look absolutely gorgeous and I'm feeling really out of my league right now." Luke says, trying to sound casual as he quickly glances at his rear view mirror, then at Ray.

She grins as she bashfully ducks her head. Ray was cute when she was younger, so she guesses that cuteness carried over into her teen years, since more than one boy has been attracted to her--though the opinion of boys weigh less than her own, she kinda has to take their word for it since she can't really see and judge herself, no matter how beautiful she and her parents say she is.