Playing His Game

Chapter Fourteen | Dancing In the Light

Fourteen:

"Okay, those hours of torture turned out to be so, so worth it." Lauren muttered quietly, peering closely at her made up face in my mirror.

As I studied myself in the full length mirror that hung on my bedroom door, I silently agreed. It was a tedious process; Carly did my hair and makeup, I did Lauren's, Lauren did Lily's, and Lily did Carly's. But the end result was, indeed, worth it.

In the weeks that had passed since I'd first tried on my dress, I'd almost forgotten how amazing it was. I ran my fingers over the gauzy material that was hugging my waist tightly, admiring it in silence.

I wouldn't admit it-it would only boost her already big ego-but Carly had done an outstanding job on me. Looking in the mirror, I almost didn't recognize myself; gone was plain old Audrey who wore jeans and sweaters everyday, and in her place was...someone else entirely.

Carly had decided to "stick with the mermaid vibe my dress is giving off" and curled my golden hair into loose ringlets, letting them tumble down my back. My makeup was mainly focused on my eyes; she gave me a shimmering smoky eye and emphasized my long, dark lashes. My cheeks were brushed with a faint pink, giving me a permanent flush that almost matched the color my lips were glossy with.

Movement from behind me in the mirror brought me out of my reverie, and I stepped away so Lily could see herself better.

Lily's dress was a long pool of silver that shimmered when she moved. Her snow white hair complimented it perfectly, hanging sleek and straight down her open backside.

I barely had time to sit down on my bed before my phone dinged, signifying that Austin was here and was texting me. I stood, stepping into the white pumps that I prayed wouldn't absolutely kill my feet in a few hours.

"Okay, I guess I'm going now," I announced, which was of course, the exact time my mom stepped into the room.

Because she hadn't seen us at all yet since she got home from work, her eyes widened and she looked like she might either pass out or cry.

"Mom," I started in a low warning.

"I can't believe it, all four of you are absolutely gorgeous!" She exclaimed, catching sight of Carly as she stopped next to me, donned in her bright red dress.

Lauren looked up from the mirror, giving my mom an amused grin. "Thanks, Mrs. Ross."

My mom was still gasping, her red hair falling messily out of her bun as she shook her head excitedly. "I need pictures of all of you, get together!"

"I wanna take them, mommy, let me take them!" My little brother cried, suddenly appearing next to my mom.

"Great," I muttered, suppressing a groan; now that Max was involved it would take extra long.

"Sure, sweetheart!" My mom said happily, squatting down next to him and opening the camera app on her iPhone.

Max took the phone and fumbled clumsily with it, his finger covering the lens of the camera until my mom adjusted his grip.

"Okay, girls. Pose so Max can take your picture!" My mom said.

We all got together, Lauren and I standing to the left of Lily and Carly. We all smiled widely for what seemed like a very long time, before the resounding click of the camera went off twice.

"Thank you, Maxy," Carly said sweetly.
Carly and I had been friends since Max was just a giggling two year old, so she loved him like he was her own brother.

As my brother retreated back down the hallway and my mom was sliding her phone back into her pocket, the doorbell rang.

"That's probably Austin," I said, grabbing my clutch from off of my desk and stuffing my phone and wallet inside of it.