The Joker

Valentine [Part 1]

Chapter 16

Valentine

"Just a little longer," Laura insisted, her twin adding, "Keep still and keep your eyes shut!"

I snapped shut the eyelid that had started crawling open and, to pass the intervening time, started remembering how I got roped into the spa day-they had already slipped a soft, smooth fabric; my dress; over my head, but at that time I had been blindfolded, whereas now I was just keeping my eyes clamped tight as they applied makeup and God knows what else to my face.

On Tuesday, the day after Kat got back, everyone at school found out about Daniel and I. It was also the day that the flyers went up. They were advertising the Valentine's Day Girls' Choice Dance, decorated with the usual hearts and pinks and reds. On an impulse, the first time-just at the start of lunch-that I walked past one of the posters with Daniel at my side, I turned around and outright asked him to go with me. He leaned down towards me, his lips brushing my already warm cheekbone, and said in my ear: "Of course. After all, it is girls' choice, and who else would I go with?" That had been the finishing touch to my overheated face, so I was probably beet red. I had smiled at him, thinking is it hot in here, or is it just me?, and led him outside where the cool breeze caressed the curves around my facial features, wrapping around their structure. But for the rest of the week, I... well, I did not regret asking him, but the nerves started to build as I considered my rashness.

So now I had only myself to thank for tonight's pamper party.

"And...done!" Chloe said, her hands disappearing from where they had worked on my hair and Laura ceased passing her the needed objects. But, though she said she was finished, she draped one last thing over my arms, letting it catch in the crease of my elbows. "Now you can open your eyes." I could hear the smile in her voice as she anticipated my reaction.

I sneaked one eyelid up and gasped, letting them both fly open. I thought to myself, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, that they were both angels, or maybe Aphrodite's stylists. Everything was perfect.

The soft dress they had dressed me in was deep red; almost burgundy; strapless, and half circle, so if I spun around the floor-length supple gathered skirt spun out around me. The bodice-with the sweetheart neckline-clung to my torso until just after my waist started widening onto my hips where it changed into the skirt. The mirror reflected this to my eyes but there was more to behold.

My eyelids were a nice, warm, shiny dark brown and a fine red-black strip of eyeliner was right on the edge of my lid. My cheeks had that slight natural, warm pink look of happy people and my lips were almost the exact matching color to my dress, in not too thick a layer but just enough.

From my ears hung gold chandelier earrings inlaid with what I assumed were garnets-knowing them, probably real ones. A matching necklace was strung from my neck and the same color-scheme ring on my finger. They had left my small silver locket on the long, thin silver chain around my neck, but tucked it down the front of the bodice so no one could really tell it was there unless they looked really hard or were close up, or were looking really awkwardly down my top which I really hoped did not happen.

My hair was straightened, but the twins had used the straightener to twist my hair into natural-looking loose ringlets, so it fell in a cascade of chocolate down my back, past my waist, now, where a lacy black shawl was draped, partially obscured by my long hair. The side parts of my hair were plaited in two parts-one snaking around each side of my head-joining in the middle to be plaited together like the layout of the necklace the twins had put on me except down the back of my head. A few small black and deep red fake-though realistic-looking-velvet roses were threaded alternately through the braids, making a small pretty rose garden on my head. My shoes were black and gold, strappy, and very high stiletto platforms-thank God I'm good at balancing in heels!