Page 70 of Beauty and the Beach
“This is stupid,”I say, tugging the neckline of my dress up so it will cover more skin.
The dress I’m wearing doesn’t actually belong to me. It’s my roommate’s, because I can’t afford to buy a fancy new outfit if I’m only going to wear it once. So she let me borrow one of hers—a little black dress that hits just above my knee, fitted, with a sweetheart neckline and thin straps. It’s simple, which I prefer, and it’s definitely better than the other option she presented me with, which was mossy green with lace.
“It’s not stupid,” Trev says, his voice blaring into my room as we chat on speaker. “And what do you have to complain about, anyway? I bought your ticket. You’re basically just getting free food, Holl.”
“My dress is too tight,” I grumble.
“Suck it up,” he says, as cheerful as ever. “We’re almost to your place. Come wait outside.”
“It’s raining?—”
“But we’re like two streets away. Come outside. I don’t want to wait thirty minutes for you to walk down three flights of stairs in heels.”
“Fine.” I hang up on him, grab my little black purse, and leave my room, waving goodbye to my roommate.
It doesn’t take me thirty minutes to get down all three flights of stairs, but that’s only because I take my shoes off to walk. Trev isn’t far off on his guess; I love cute dresses, but I’ve never been good at heels. The staircase is outdoors, so I’m already contending with the wind and the rain; no need to stack the odds against myself.
Trev and Phoenix are just pulling up when I get to the ground floor. I walk carefully through the light rain, dreading every step that takes me closer to Trev’s black car.
Phoenix and I haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the disastrous closet kiss two weeks ago. I wouldn’t say I’m avoiding him, exactly, but I’ve been happy not to see him. Since he’s Trev’s roommate and best friend, however, that can’t last forever.
Trev pops out of the driver’s side, looking dapper in his suit. His light hair blows in the wind as he jogs over to me. “I need to use your bathroom really fast,” he says, and then he goes right past me. I hear him taking the stairs two at a time, an obnoxiousclang-clang-clangsound that I’m sure my neighbors will appreciate, and I roll my eyes as I climb in the back seat of the car.
Phoenix doesn’t turn to look at me; he doesn’t even speak. All I can see of him is that he’s wearing a suit, like Trev, except his is probably tailored and more expensive.
When I finally can’t stand the silence anymore, I clear my throat. “You didn’t say anything to Trev, did you?”
Phoenix’s eyes jump to mine in the rearview mirror. “No,” he says, sounding horrified. “And you can’t either. Don’t even think about it, Holl, or I’ll?—”
“Threaten me? Are you serious?” I say, scoffing. “Or areyou going to blackmail me? Because if you do that, I’ll have no choice but to tell Trev about the tampon incident.”
Phoenix snorts. “He wouldn’t care about that.”
“Yes he would,” I say. “You were a total jerk, and I’m his beloved little sister.”
Silence from the front seat, accompanied by his dark-eyed glare in the rearview mirror.
“We’ll both keep our mouths shut about anything that’s happened between us in the past,” I finally say. “Tampons and closets included. No threats or blackmail will be necessary. Deal?”
Phoenix just grunts, which I take to meanyes.
Trev fills the car with his chatter as we drive to the event. He’s always talkative, but more so tonight; he’s part of the university’s outreach organization, so he’s been helping plan this benefit gala for months, and he’s more excited than I’ve ever seen him. All proceeds will go toward local disaster relief, which I guess is a good cause.
I just wish he hadn’t dragged me along with him. But he paid for my ticket and begged me to come, so here I am. I can only assume he forced Phoenix to come too, because Phoenix doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who enjoys dinners and galas and fancy events.
A shame, because that man in a nice suit is a sight to behold.
When we arrive at the hotel where this thing is taking place, an actual valet takes our car and gives us a ticket. I’ve never used a valet in real life; it’s counterintuitive to me, letting a stranger drive away in your car, but Trev doesn’t seem to mind. He just hops out, and we follow suit, taking the ticket and then going in.
There’s a large sign that points us in the right direction, but Trev obviously knows where he’s going; he and Phoenixstride across the lobby like they were born to stride across lobbies, and I scurry along after them in my uncomfortable heels, following until we reach the entrance to Ballroom A.
It’s huge. So big, and there are so many people, and all of them are wearing fancy dresses and suits. There’s vaguely familiar classical music playing, and there are even a decent number of couples dancing.
“Food,” I say as my eyes find the table on the other side of the ballroom, full of silver platters with what look to be appetizers. There will be an actual meal served later, but for now…
“Have at it,” Trev says with a smile. “We’ll go get settled at the table.”
“Are there assigned seats?” I say, looking around.
