Broken Promises

31 | blake

"I don't know about this," I say to my reflection in the mirror, finding the girl staring back at me nearly unrecognizable.

I suppose I should have expected my appearance to be a stranger after agreeing to let Jess dress me and do my makeup. Though I knew Jess would turn me into an entirely different person, I'm still surprised when I open my eyes and glimpse at myself in the mirror.

"Are you talking about your clothes or the party?" Jess asks from where she sits on my bed, scrolling on her phone.

"Both," I admit, unable to tear my eyes away from the mirror.

My normally wavy hair is now pin-straight, the style completely foreign to me. I can't deny that Jess has applied my makeup immaculately, but I don't look anything like myself. My eyes have been lined in black, my eyelashes long and dark. My lips are painted a bold shade of red I'd normally never be caught dead wearing. I'm wearing a little back dress that's low-cut and high-hemmed, which emphasizes my long legs. The black heels I wear pinch my feet, and I'm unsure of how to walk in them.

As my best friend, Jess is supposed to know me better than anyone else. As I stare at my reflection, I begin to wonder if Jess knows me at all.

"I know what you're thinking," Jess says as she wanders over to me. "I had a feeling you wouldn't like it. But, it's a party. I thought you might wanna switch things up a little."

"This is switching things up more than a little," I argue. "The only thing little about my appearance is this dress!"

Jess laughs like she finds me funny. "Face it," she says, grinning at our reflections in the mirror. "You look hot."

"I don't look like me," I counter.

"There's nothing wrong with dressing up a little." I don't like the smirk Jess wears as her eyes meet mine, gleaming dangerously. "I mean, I figured you'd want to look nice for Noah."

I whirl around to glare at her. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you had a thing for him," she muses. "Now I'm positive you're crushing on Noah Reed."

I want to deny what she's implying, only I can't seem to form the words. Instead, I gape at Jess, no doubt looking guilty.

"I knew it!" Jess exclaims. "You do like Noah! So does this mean you're finally over Mason and ready to move on?"

"I don't know, Jess," I admit. I sigh, feeling frustrated and confused.

"I wasn't trying to upset you," Jess says softly. "If you do like Noah, that's great! I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," I say. "It's just, if I'm being honest, I really don't know how I feel about Noah right now. I thought we were just friends, but then . . ." I trail off. "Besides, what does it matter how I feel about him? He's never going to see me as anything other than a friend. And, after Mason . . ."

I let my words wander off again, frowning slightly. I don't want to think of Mason. It's like his name is a knife that juts into my skin every time it pops into my head, drawing blood in the worst way imaginable. I don't want to hurt anymore.

"Mason is a jerk who didn't deserve you when he had you and doesn't deserve to be thought of by you now that he's lost you," Jess deadpans, squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. "What he did to you was nothing short of awful, and no one deserves to be treated like that. I know he hurt you, but you've got to stop giving him the power to hurt you over and over again. Take your mind off of him, or else that's all he'll do. Hurt you. He doesn't deserve to have you feel anything toward him."

I lift my gaze to my reflection once again. I really don't look anything like the Blake Rhodes I know. The girl in the mirror is bold and daring. The kind of girl who breaks hearts—not the other way around. For the first time since she appeared, I find myself kind of wanting to be her. Even if it's just for a night. Suddenly, I embrace the little black dress and red lips. Fake it till you make it, right?

"You know what?" I turn and glance at Jess pointedly. "You're right. Mason can't hurt me anymore unless I let him."

Jess's grin is proud as she meets my gaze. Smirking coyly, she loops her arm around my shoulders as she says, "Let's go show Noah and Mason what they're missing tonight."

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a/n: school being cancelled and having to teach myself everything is stressing me out lol.