Red

Chapter Seven

*TWO WEEKS LATER*

Chandler POV:

I have to get dressed and made up for homecoming in the next hour so that I can pick up Veronica from her house. God help me.

I begin to rummage through my closet, searching for the dress I had bought last weekend. Veronica was with me when I bought it, and I begged her to show me hers (and trust me, I'm not the begging type) but she completely refused to show me. How dare she.

I finally find the dress: form-fitting, red, and just short enough to piss off Fleming. It's perfect for me, really. I pull it on, smoothing it out in front of my full-length mirror. I look pretty hot in this. As long as Veronica likes it, it'll be worth it.

I head to the bathroom, opening the cabinet. As I take out my makeup, I suddenly feel nauseous, and I steady myself with the kitchen counter. The nausea only lasts a few seconds, and then I'm fine again. I probably haven't eaten enough these past few weeks. I stand still for a few seconds more, waiting to see if it returns. It doesn't.

I pick up my mascara wand, applying it liberally to my eyelashes. Once they look good enough, I start to add eye shadow to my lid. It's gold and shimmery, and it makes my grey eyes look less grey and more blue. I put on my usual bright red lipstick, smiling in the mirror. This is my favorite lip shade of all time.

Once I've applied as much concealer as I feel is necessary, I get out my hair straightener and straighten my hair. It looks nice like this, and I want to have something to shock Veronica. Once I've straightened every last curl, I move away from the mirror, heading back into my room. I check the clock in my room and realize that I have fifteen minutes left to pick up my girlfriend who lives twenty minutes away. Crap.

I hurry out of the room, slipping my feet into my red heels mid-stride. I go downstairs, past my parents, and head outside. I hear my mom calling after me, but I ignore her. I told her I was going to homecoming. She'll see me when I get back. I slide into the driver's seat of my car and begin the drive towards Veronica's house.

***

Veronica POV:

I've just finished putting on my dress when I hear the doorbell ring. "Mom, tell her I'm coming!" I call to my mother downstairs.

"Alright, sweetie!" Mom calls back. She's been very supportive of my relationship with Chandler, as has Dad. I appreciate them for that. They've always seemed to support me. I've tried to never take that for granted.

I look at myself in the mirror once more. The sequins on the bodice of the dress might be a little flashier than I usually wear, but this is homecoming. The tulle skirt looks amazing, and I can't help but smile. I'm glad I decided to wait to show Chandler the dress. Hopefully, she likes it. I look down at my shoes: a simple pair of black flats. I've tried to walk in heels, but it really doesn't work out for me. Plus, this way, dancing will be ten times easier.

Finally, I head downstairs. As I descend the staircase, I lock eyes with Chandler, whose lips part slightly. Her eyes widen as I reach the bottom of the stairs. "Well...?" I prompt her, wanting to know what she thinks of the dress.

"You're... you're beautiful, Sawyer," she tells me.

I blush. "You're stunning," I tell her honestly. I can't help but stare at her. She looks gorgeous. The dress suits her perfectly, and the heels are a nice touch.

"Alright, ladies! Picture time!" my mom says, and I turn to see that she's holding up a camera.

"Mom," I say, and I can hear the whine in my own voice. "I love you, really, but do we have to take pictures?"

"Oh, just one?" Mom asks, her eyes almost pleading.

"Ok," I concede. "Just one."

A smile spreads across Mom's face. "Get together, then, you two!" she says happily. Chandler follows Mom's directions, moving closer to me. Her arm slinks around my waist, and I feel her rest her hand on my hip. A shiver runs up my spine. I still get nervous around here, even after having dated for two weeks. I smile brightly for the picture, if not slightly forced. Chandler smiles her typical smile, the one that she occasionally has to fake for Mrs. Fleming. This smile is different, however. This smile is real.

Once Mom has snapped the picture, I head straight for the door. "Not even one more?" she asks.

"Sorry, Mom. Don't want to be late!" I call back into the house as I walk outside, dragging Chandler along by the hand.

"See you later, Mrs. Sawyer!" she calls back to the house, laughing as I drag her towards her car. I can feel myself blushing again.

"Goodbye, Heather! Take care of my little girl!" Mom calls.

"Will do!" Chandler replies. I let go of her hand as I slide into the front seat. She gets into the driver's side, and I sigh.

"Finally, we're out of that house," I say. "Sorry about my mom."

"Your mom is fine," she replies. She seems to sense that I'm still a bit nervous. I've never been to a dance with a date before, much less a girl. She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. While that does nothing to help my nerves, it does change the nerves from bad feelings to butterflies. "Don't stress, ok?" she tells me.

"Ok," I reply.

"You ready?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

I sigh, nodding. "Ready. Let's go."

***

Chandler POV:

The homecoming committee did a pretty decent job this year.

I walk with Veronica into the gym, looking around at all of the decorations. Sure, they're sort of complete shit, but somehow they're better than usual. As I feel Veronica squeeze my hand. There's punch, loud music, and shitty lighting. Usually, this would suck, but I have a girlfriend now. She'll make this experience more livable.

"Want some punch?" I ask, gesturing to the punch table near the back wall.

"Sure," Veronica replies over the music. She follows me over to the table, and I pour her some punch. "Thanks," she says brightly. I'm about to reply when I feel sick again. This time, however, it feels much worse than before. I feel almost dizzy, and I lean on the table for support.

"Hey, are you ok?" she asks, concern lacing her voice.

"I'm... I'm fine," I reply, but even as I say it, I leave the dance floor and head straight for the bathrooms. I go into one of the stalls, getting on my knees and retching into the toilet. Shit. So much for this experience being livable.

***

A/N:

Thank you for waiting! I know this chapter was shit, but the next one will be better, I promise. I'm pretty busy these next few weeks, but I'll try to update as much as possible. AS always, please vote and comment! I love feedback, positive and negative.

Thanks for reading.

-LittleMissBlitz