“Are you really okay with Noah taking Veronica to the ball tonight?” Anna asked.
It was Saturday afternoon, and we were getting our hair and nails done at a beauty salon in town. The place was fully booked up with Weybridge students, so Anna was keeping her voice down to make sure we weren’t overheard.
“I told you already. I was the one who suggested he go with her. It’s fine,” I muttered.
“He really wouldn’t be going with her if he didn’t feel like he had to,” Cress added, giving me a reassuring smile. “I know my cousin, and I can tell he’s crazy about you.”
“I still don’t like it,” Anna grumbled.
I wasn’t totally on board with the whole thing either, but I understood why Noah had little choice in the matter. It really didn’t help that Veronica had been all over him this week. She always seemed to be hovering around Noah and took every opportunity she got to touch him. He never responded to her advances, and I knew he had to put up with her because his grandfather was doing business with her parents, but it still made me uncomfortable.
“I’m just glad my parents don’t choose my dates for me,” Cress said. “I could think of nothing worse than being stuck all night with a guy I didn’t like.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re going with Sawyer,” Anna grumbled. “It’s the best of both worlds. You both get to arrive at the event with a hot date, but because you’re going as friends, you get to leave with whoever you like. I wish I’d thought of that.”
“You didn’t have to agree to go with Angus,” Cress said.
“I know.” Anna let out another grumble. “But he’s hot. So hot. And when he asked me to go with him, I forgot for a moment what an ass he is.”
“How could you forget?” Cress laughed. “That’s all you ever complain about.”
“Yeah, but we were at the boathouse party, and I’d had a few drinks, and he was kind of kissing me when he asked me, so I think my brain kind of short-circuited.”
“We really need to find you a new hook-up buddy,” Cress said.
Anna slumped in her chair. “Ugh, we totally do.”
The conversation turned much lighter after that as the girls started making plans for after the ball. The event itself was apparently a bit of a drag because so many parents attended, but the party afterward was meant to be awesome. Everyone was heading to Luther’s house, and according to Anna and Cress, the party lasted all night and people didn’t head back to their dorms until the sun came up.
I wasn’t so keen on the crazy party part, but I was looking forward to having Noah back once the formalities of the night were through.
We spent several hours at the salon before Cress drove us back to school. We were walking back to the dormitory when we spotted Wes pacing up ahead. He was on the phone, speaking quickly and quietly, and from the way he kept gripping at his hair, he seemed stressed. His usual friendly smile was nowhere to be seen, and I had a bad feeling that whoever was on the other end of the call was giving him bad news.
He hung up as we approached and let out a heavy sigh as he tucked the phone away in his pocket. It wasn’t until he looked up that he realized we were there.
“Oh, hey, guys.” His voice was melancholy, and it wasn’t hard to see that he was upset.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
He traced his hand across his jaw as he looked at me. “Sarah just canceled on me for the ball tonight. She was supposed to be coming down for it, but something’s come up, and she can’t make it.”
“Oh no,” Anna gasped.
“She couldn’t have told you sooner?” I asked.
“Guess not,” he replied.
Cress reached out and squeezed his arm. “Wow, that really sucks.”
Wes nodded, but he looked far more miserable than I would have expected. A part of me wondered if there was more to his disappointment than simply his girlfriend not coming tonight. He’d told me she didn’t make time for him when he planned a surprise trip to visit her in New York a couple of weekends ago, and I had to wonder if things were a little rocky with them. I hoped she had a good reason for letting him down tonight because he didn’t deserve to get ditched at the last minute.
“What are you going to do?” Cress asked, her voice soft and gentle.
“I guess I’ll have to go stag.” He shrugged. “My dad’s supposed to be coming, so he’ll expect me to be there.”
“You should go with Isobel!” Anna practically yelled the words, and she was grinning widely as she looked between the two of us. “Just as friends, obviously. She doesn’t have a date either because of the whole Noah situation. At least you both wouldn’t have to rock up alone this way.”
Wes seemed unsure as he looked at me and then back to Anna.
“Really?” It wasn’t clear whether Wes was asking Anna or me.
“Yeah, of course,” Anna replied. “Cress is going with Sawyer as friends. You two can go together. This way we all have a date.”
“What do you think?” Wes was looking directly at me now. “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but it might not be so bad if we went together. As friends, of course.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t be silly,” Anna interrupted, clearly worried I was about to ruin her grand plan. “Noah won’t mind, and by the end of the night, I’m sure we’ll all be hanging out together anyway.”
Maybe she was right. Noah would be busy putting on a show for his grandfather for the first part of the dance. There was no reason why I shouldn’t have some fun while I waited for him. I slowly started to smile. “Yeah, okay, it actually sounds really great.”
“You sure?” Wes’s expression had clearly brightened.
“Yeah, I think we’d have a good time together.” I was also relieved knowing I wouldn’t have to arrive at the ball on my own. And if I couldn’t go to the ball with Noah, I was glad I got to go with Wes.
“Great.” His face transformed with a wide smile, and I found myself echoing the look in return. Wes’s sweet smiles were contagious.
“This is going to be fun.” Cress clapped her hands together in excitement. “You can come meet us beforehand with Sawyer, and we can all head across together.”
“Sounds perfect,” Wes agreed. “I better go get ready. I’ve got to look good if I want to impress my hot date.” He winked at me, and the gesture reminded me far too much of his brother.
I folded my arms over my chest. “We’re going as friends, Wes, so you can’t say I’m hot.”
“As your friend, I can’t be expected to lie.”
“But—”
“Just accept the compliment, Isobel. I’ll see you later.”
He was still smiling as he left, and I felt a little better myself. I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to going to the ball alone, and I knew Wes would be good company. Knowing Veronica, she’d be all over Noah tonight, so I was going to need someone to distract me.
“Thanks for suggesting Wes and I go together,” I said to Anna as we continued back to the dorm. “I’m almost looking forward to tonight now I know I won’t be going alone.”
She waved my thanks away. “It was nothing. Though I have to admit, I’m kind of jealous. I wish my date had zero expectations of me tonight.”
I laughed at the sour expression on her face. “If Angus is all that bad, just ditch him and come hang with us.”
She perked up a little at the idea. “You make a good point. Although, knowing my luck, he’ll kiss me, and I won’t be able to resist him the rest of the night.”
“You’re hopeless,” I said with a laugh.
“Completely.” Anna smiled, and her eyes seemed to cloud over briefly as she became lost in her own thoughts. “Kisses are my kryptonite.”
“Me too,” I agreed.
Once we got back to our room, we all got dressed in our formal white gowns. I was surprised to find I’d actually arrived at school with one already packed for me. The stylist Matthew hired must have known about the White Ball because the dress they’d selected was perfect for the occasion. I’d tried it on earlier in the week to make sure it fit, but it was only now with my hair elegantly twirled up and my makeup done that I didn’t feel like a total impostor. I was surprised by how well it suited me, and for the first time since I’d arrived at Weybridge Academy, I finally felt as though I looked like I belonged.
“Damn, Isobel, I wish I had your legs,” Cress gushed as I stepped into the bedroom. The dress had a fitted bodice with a long slit that reached high up my thigh. I never would have picked something quite so revealing myself, but as soon as I’d touched the material, I’d fallen in love with it. It was crafted from the softest silk that had a gorgeous shimmer when it caught the light. I’d never worn something so luxurious before, and the dresses I’d worn to dances back home all paled in comparison.
“I wish I had your booty,” I replied.
“Well, I have been doing extra squats all week to look good in this dress.” Cress wiggled her butt in my direction, and I laughed as I swatted at her to keep it away from me.
“And we all know you both wish you had my boobs,” Anna said, walking in behind me. Her dress had a low-cut front that really drew the eyes to her cleavage. There was no denying it; she was right.
Cress started to laugh. “Our nicknames should be Tits, Legs, and Ass.”
“Ah, I love it!” Anna exclaimed. “We should get matching tattoos with our new nicknames to celebrate.”
I didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm, but I couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow in response. “You really want to walk around with the word tits tattooed on you?”
“Hell yeah, I do,” Anna shot back. “If anyone asks about it, it’ll be a great excuse to tell them how great my tits are.”
I burst out laughing. “How have I spent seventeen years without you guys in my life?”
“I know, right?” Anna agreed.
Now that we were dressed, we spent the rest of the time before the ball listening to music and putting the finishing touches on our makeup. Just before eight o’clock, there was a knock at the door, and Anna went to answer it.
She grinned as she started to pull it open. “Legs, Ass, your dates are here,” she called over her shoulder to us.
The door opened wide to reveal the twins both standing in the entrance with equally confused looks on their faces. They were always strikingly similar, but their matching expressions and tuxedos made them look more identical than ever.
“Do I even want to know what you’re talking about?” Wes asked.
“I definitely do,” Sawyer said, a cheeky grin forming on his lips as he stepped through the door. With the tall, athletic Montfort twins now in the room, it suddenly felt a lot smaller.
“Those are their new nicknames,” Anna said with a proud expression on her face. “And mine is Tits, just in case you were wondering.”
“Are you planning on telling absolutely everyone?” Cress gently slapped Anna on the arm.
“Everyone who will listen.”
“I can totally see where you get the names from,” Sawyer said as he ran an assessing eye over our outfits. “You girls look hot. If I didn’t actually like you, I’d probably want to bang you.”
Wes had walked over to stand near me, and I leaned in close to him. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not,” I murmured.
“It’s the biggest compliment you can get from Sawyer,” he said with a laugh. “You do look beautiful though, Isobel.”
I flushed at his compliment. “You look quite dashing yourself.”
“Thanks.” He smiled and tugged proudly on the lapels of his jacket.
The twins were both wearing matching tuxedos, and if I didn’t already know who was who, it would have been nearly impossible to tell the two boys apart. Wes’s hair wasn’t gelled back like his brother’s, and it was easy to tell it was him when you looked into his kind brown eyes.
“So, who wants some vodka before we get this party started?” Sawyer grinned, offering a hip flask.
Cress and Anna happily took a swig, but I quickly shook my head when he held it out to me. “I’m not letting you be a bad influence on me tonight, Sawyer.”
He winked. “The night is young, Grace. Don’t make declarations you don’t intend to keep.”
“Oh, I’m keeping this one,” I muttered.
Sawyer moved on to offer a drink to his brother, but Wes also refused. “I think I’ll follow your lead, Isobel. If I have too many drinks, I’ll probably start spilling my guts about Sarah ditching me tonight.”
I reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry she bailed on you.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I guess it’s not all bad. I do get to take the infamous Legs to the ball, after all.”
“Shut up!” I swatted a hand against his chest, and he laughed. “Who’s to say I’m Legs anyway?”
He glanced down at the long slit that cut up my thigh, and my cheeks heated under his gaze. “How could you not be?” he asked.
My throat restricted slightly, and for a moment. I had to remind myself that Wes was just a friend—a really hot, sweet friend who happened to have a girlfriend. He also wasn’t Noah. He didn’t come close.
“We should get going,” Anna said. “I’m meant to be meeting Angus there in a minute.”
“He’s not coming to get you?” Wes asked. It wasn’t hard to miss the judgmental tone in his voice.
“Nope. Angus is a dick.”
“Yeah, remind me, why are you going with him again?” Sawyer asked.
“Because his lips are my greatest weakness,” Anna said, a hint of defeat in her voice.
Sawyer scoffed. “Angus? Really?”
“Yeah, the guy has skills.”
“Huh. I’ll have to ask him what his secret is.” Sawyer had a thoughtful look on his face as he considered the idea.
“No need,” Anna immediately responded. “I can tell you right now what it is. He has this way of curling his tongue—”
“Why don’t you guys talk about this later!” Cress practically leaped forward to interrupt them.
I nodded, relieved Cress had stepped in before we all had to hear about Angus’s tongue. “Yeah, we don’t want to be late.”
“We aren’t done with this conversation,” Sawyer said, pointing at Anna who nodded firmly in response.
Cress and I began to usher everyone from the room before Anna and Sawyer could start up another conversation we didn’t want to be a part of. We left the dorm and headed across the courtyard to the main building. I’d been at Weybridge a month now, but I hadn’t come close to exploring the entire school in that time. To get to the ball, we walked to the far end of Esher Hall where people were gathering outside a set of wide-open doors.
The women were all dressed in gorgeous white gowns while the men wore tailored tuxedos that fitted them perfectly. I’d never seen so many people all dressed so beautifully before. The air practically radiated with wealth and privilege. I smoothed my hands over the front of my dress, once again caressing the unfamiliar feeling of smooth silk. I might have looked the part, but I was still worried people could see I didn’t belong in this dress, let alone this school.
“Ugh, there’s my date,” Anna groaned. She reached out and swiped Sawyer’s hip flask from his hand before taking a long drink. She grimaced as the alcohol hit her mouth, but that was the only sign of discomfort as she quickly knocked the drink back.
“I’ll see you guys inside,” she said, giving a miserable scrunch of her nose before she marched over to greet Angus.
I skimmed my eyes over the waiting crowd, looking for any sign of Noah. It was the first time since we’d started dating that I wasn’t completely sure whether I wanted to see him or not. As much as I understood his situation, I hated knowing he’d have Veronica on his arm tonight, and it wasn’t something I particularly wanted to witness. I felt slightly relieved when I couldn’t find him among the huddled crowd outside the entrance.
“You ready for your first Weybridge event?” Wes caught my attention as he took my arm in his.
“Sure, let’s go,” I replied with an empty smile. The truth was, I wasn’t ready. Not even close. Thoughts of Noah and Veronica had wedged their way into my mind. And even with Wes by my side, I had a bad feeling this night was going to be far more difficult to endure than I’d imagined.
