I stood in front of my full length mirror all dressed up and ready to go. I’d actually bothered to do my hair for the occasion; it was cascading in loose waves around my face. I’d left my makeup pretty natural, only going slightly heavier on the eyeliner. My father walks past my room, backtracking slightly to get a good look at me.
“You look beautiful, dear.” I turn towards him, smiling shyly. We hadn’t been on good terms lately. This was actually our first interaction in days. I didn’t like not speaking to my dad. Even if he made me want to rip my hair out over the things he wouldn’t let me do.
“Thanks, daddy.” The doorbell rings, and the nerves are back. My father smiles at me once more before heading down the stairs to answer the door. I turn back to look at myself in the mirror. I’m not going to lie, I look good. I reach over to my dresser and grab the small clutch holding my essentials. I grab my jacket from my bed and take a deep breath.
“Alright… let’s get this over with.” I flick the light off in my room, then make my slow descent down the stairs. I hear Alex making conversation with my father, but I’m unable to hear their words. Alex comes into sight. He’s wearing some dress pants and a light blue button-up. He glances at me briefly, before doing a complete double take. His jaw visibly drops. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that shocked.
“Holy shit,” he says under his breath. I feel myself blush. I give my dad a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll probably be home late. Don’t wait up,” I say.
“Be careful and have fun,” he tells me. My attention goes back to Alex. He’s no longer looking at me. He’s looking off and he looks a little… guilty?
“Alex?” He looks at me wide-eyed, then a smile forms. Maybe I just imagined it.
“Are you ready?” he asks me. I nod. He opens the door for me and leads me out to his car. The drive to the school is eerily quiet. Alex has a look of concentration on his face for the whole ride. It worries me slightly, and I wonder if whatever he’s thinking about has to do with me.
“Well, here we are,” he says finally. I make to get out of the car when he places a hand on my arm.
“Have I told you how amazing you look?”
“You haven’t actually,” I say bluntly. He chuckles lightly, “I apologize for that. Y/N, you look amazing.”
“Thank you!” I smile widely and hop out of the car. Alex lingers behind briefly. I watch as he frowns and sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. When he gets out of the car, his confidence is back in full force. He wraps his arm around my waist and we begin to make our entrance. My heart is racing as we walk through the doors. Alex’s arm tightens around my waist. I’m not sure if it was for reassuring me or himself, because when I looked up at him, he was frowning again. I scanned the crowd for Dan and Phil. You’d think two giants would be easy to find, but no. That was not the case. Instead, Alex led me to his friends. That sick feeling was returning.
“Hey guys,” Alex greets. His friends all turn and greet him in a friendly manner. I’m almost positive he’s not going to say anything about me, when he looks down at me.
“You all know Y/N, right?” One girl, I believe her name is MacKenzie, looks at me with the most devilish look.
“Oh, we know who she is.” I didn’t like how she said that. A nervous smile makes it’s way to my face. I find myself looking around for Dan and Phil again. I finally spot Phil over by the refreshments.
“Hey, “ I put my lips right by Alex’s ear, “I’m going to go say hi to Phil.” He turns his head so he can place his lips on my temple.
“Make sure you come back,” he smirks.
