Dani gives me this tight, red tube top and a pair of black, ripped up skinny jeans. Biting my lip, I ask for a jacket to go with it. She gives me a look, but hands me a black leather jacket. She grabs a slinky black dress with some fishnet leggings and turns to dress. While she's got her back to me, I dress too.
I slip on the jacket, closing my eyes with my back still to Dani. I feel rude about asking for the jacket, but that tube top didn't have sleeves, and I can't show my arms. There are too many scars from too many things. Broken bones, knives, razors, cigarette burns. Some scars cause by me, some by my mom and dad. I've got scars like that all over my body, but they're usually covered. I have to be more careful about my arms.
I don't want anyone to know about them. Not just because I don't want people to know, which would be pointless because obviously the United States government knew now, but because I don't want people's pity. If they knew, they would pity me, and I hate that. I don't like for people to feel bad for me. I can handle my own without people pretending to care about me, when they didn't give a damn before.
I turn back around, just as Dani does too. We chuckle, because our movements were in sync. "Come on, and we can do our hair and makeup." She says, and I smile again. Hair and makeup are another thing that friends do together, and I'm excited now. Dani fluffs her already curly hair and adds smoky eye makeup and blood red lipstick. She straightens my hair, puts on some smokey eye makeup and bright red lipstick. I look at my reflection in the mirror and have to stifle a gasp.
"I've never worn makeup before.." I say, glancing up at Dani. She smiles. "Well, you look totally wicked, babe." She says and laughs when I give her a confused look. "Wicked means good. And around here, we call everyone babe or love." She says, and slowly, I nod. I understand that London is much, much different than the small, backwoods town in West Virginia that I came from.
Dani looks at me. "Well, you ready to go?" She asks, and I nod. "As I'll ever be. I've never been to a real party before." I offer shyly, and she laughs, grabbing my hand. "Well, be prepared. We get a little.. rowdy, I guess you could say. But it's totally killer, and we have a wicked time. Let's book it." She says, pulling me out the door. We were there before I could decipher what all she meant by that.
We walk into a dark room that was lit by bright strobe lights. The music is pounding, driving notes into my brain at warp speed, but I don't mind. It's nice to think about the music and not have time to think about how nervous that I am. It's going to be so difficult to fit in here.
I look around the room, noticing immediately that eyes zoom to me. It's hard to miss, especially when guys are letting out whistles. I know they aren't for Dani, because I have a feeling that Liam would kill any guy who touched her or even thought about touching her. I catch the eye of the blonde again. His gaze moves from mine, going down my body and back to my face. I sigh and pull my gaze away, disgusted. "Dani, who's that..? The blonde.." I say, giving a discreet nod at him. She looks over, then back at me. "Oh, that's Niall. He's actually a really funny and sweet guy when you get to know him, but he's got a mean streak, so don't get on his bad side. But he'd never hurt you. He'd never hurt a girl." She says, and I glance back at him. He's still staring at me. But this time, instead of shying away, I pull away from Dani and march right over to him. Standing in front of him, I look up into his gaze, planning on telling him off for staring at me, but I don't get the chance. As soon as his gaze meets mine, I'm pulled away.
My eyes lock onto his and I can't tear them away. It's like I was drowning in those sapphire blue eyes. I feel my mouth open slightly, but nothing comes out. "Do you wanna dance?" Niall asks close to my eat to be heard over the music, and I shiver, partly at his voice in my ear, partly because of his Irish accent. I close my eyes a moment, then open them and nod. He pulls me out onto the dance floor. My eyes stare into his as our bodies move to the music, and there was no one else in the world but him and I.
