The Girl in Blue

43- The Girl in Blue

Two hours before the New Year, Lana and Sutton are both in their apartment about to prepare for the gala. They haven't decided who gets to wear the blue dress yet. Especially since Lana is going with Levi now, Sutton is definitely not giving it to Lana out of sympathy. After talking to Levi yesterday, Lana hasn't been able to wipe the smile from her face.

Sutton is the one who bought the dress in the first place but she did promise a coin toss for the dress today so that's what they're going to do. The twins don't realize what kind of fate depends on who wears which dress, who drives the car, who sits in the passenger seat.

It's a dress-- just a dress.

Heads or tails.

They both sit in the living room, just the two of them. Carmen is already at the ballroom making sure that everything is ready and all of their other friends are getting ready at their own places because they have dates that are going to pick them up like it's prom. Levi and Jonah are both just going to meet the sisters at the gala, it seemed more practical that way.

"Okay," Lana breathes, holding the quarter in her hand that will decide their fate. Who wears blue, who wears purple. "Heads I win, tails you lose."

"Lana," Sutton quickly catches Lana's attempt at a mind game. "Dad taught us both that trick. Heads you get the dress, tails I get the dress."

"I like my way better," She protests.

"Just toss the coin," Sutton rolls her brown eyes at her sister.

"Fine, okay," Lana decides, getting the coin ready for a fair flip. Although she would love to cheat so that she could wear the blue dress, she knew that Sutton would catch her and it wouldn't work. So she tosses the coin up into the air and both girls hold their breath, waiting for what the outcome will be.

Two hours before the New Year, Tristan is already drunk. And alone. His roommates and his friends either went out to a party or stayed at home for the winter break. He is alone in his apartment, wishing that he was the one going to the gala with Lana. If she wasn't so caught up with Levi, he could have taken her. Could have knocked her off of her feet. He could be a romantic if he wanted to be. He had just never wanted to be before Lana.

Before her big brown eyes, before her light laugh, and before he had met a girl who cared so much about so many people, including him. Before he met the girl who wanted to make him soup after waking up with a hangover, he had not been a romantic. Lana changed all of that for him.

It's too late now.

Two hours before the New Year, Carmen is frantically making sure that the gala is ready. In her high heels and long prom dress from high school, she's running around the ballroom to make sure that everything is perfect for this night of dreams coming true.

"Hey, where do you want the punch table, Carmen?" Jake asks her, a guy from the humane society group who is helping Carmen prepare for the night ahead.

"Over there," She points. "Thanks."

"How long has it been since you breathed?" He wonders as the two of them walk with the table to the wall that Carmen pointed to. "Your face is going red."

"A few hours," She jokes, pushing a few black curls behind her ear.

"Everything is going according to plan," He assures her with a handsome smile. "I think that you should just take a small break, take a breath. What are you going to do when the gala actually starts? You have to have a good time, you definitely deserve it."

"I don't have anybody to enjoy it with," She mumbled bitterly, almost unaware that Jake could hear her.

"You don't have a date?" He wonders in shock. Carmen is such a beautiful girl, passionate and kind too. He found it incredibly hard to believe that she had put so much work into this party and that nobody had asked her to go.