It has been few days since I've seen Braxton.
Sure we've talked and texted each other every day since he took off the night of his mothers dinner party.
But for some reason, not seeing him made me extremely depressed. To the point where I was beginning to mope.
"You've got a letter sweetie."
I rolled off of my bed and made my way downstairs, I found my letter sitting on the small table next to the front door.
I picked up the envelope and found that it was some sort of parchment instead of your everyday run of the mill envelope.
I opened the thick square envelope and pulled out a masculine yet elegant invitation. As well as a simple Lacey black mask.
'You have been cordially invite to the Annual PAK Masquerade Ball.'
My eyes lit up.
I pulled out my phone and called Elise.
"Please tell me you're going to this ball thing!"
"Of course, Vance is in the fraternity." She replied.
"So I guess I should go dress shopping." I admitted.
"Yeah, if you want I can go with, but I've already gotten a dress."
"Okay...I can not wait to see you in a ball gown..." I laughed a little.
"Shut up, it isn't a big puffy monstrosity...think more along the lines of sleek evening gown."
"Sexy...anyways I'll see if Val wants to take me, it's been a while since we've actually gotten to hangout." I said.
"Well tell her I said hi and good luck finding something, I know how much you detest shopping."
I laughed, in truth I didn't mind shopping, it was trying the items on that I hated.
I thanked her and hung up, I called my sister who as it turns out was also invited. She happily agreed to take me shopping so I got dressed and when she honked I left.
Instead of going to the mall we went to a couple of boutiques on the outskirts of town, as we didn't want to run the risk of getting something another girl may have purchased.
"No H, those kind of dresses will look like your being swallowed by them." She said as I was admiring a rather large Cinderella style dress.
"Well then what do you think I should wear?" I asked.
"You've got a killer rack" she grinned, "I think you should show the girls off."
I shook my head, "I don't want anything too revealing, while I don't mind a sexier dress I don't want to look like a whore."
The saleswoman didn't say a thing as Valerie and I spoke openly about our likes and dislikes.
"Well maybe something to accentuate your figure a bit." The woman suggested politely, "I have a few mermaid styles that should suit your body perfectly, without being too much."
I nodded.
Valerie had already picked out a tight little number in vivid crimson...her signature color.
I went into the dressing room and tried on one dress, the style was actually quite nice but the color was completely wrong. I tried the next one but it was a bit more snug than the first. The third one had a weird puffy one arm sleeve so I didnt even want to try it on.
I grabbed the second to the last one and looked at it.
I loved the way it looked on the hanger, the bottom half was black while the top accentuated the bust (like Val wanted) in a pretty silver adorned crystal like embellishments.
I stepped into it and liked the way it fit.
I actually stepped out to show Valerie and the sales woman.
"Very beautiful...We will just pull this back a little more, give more emphasis on your tiny waist." The woman said as she clipped the dress back like she said.
I looked at myself in the mirror and actually smiled at what I saw.
"Oh Harper," Val smiled, "you look stunning!"
I smiled and touched the dress, "I kind of love it."
The dress was like nothing I'd ever worn before. It started off tight to "accentuate my waist" as well as my backside because the dress didn't become loose and flowy until just under my rear. But I liked it.
The sales woman called it "an accentuated mermaid style dress."
And other than the small cap sleeves, the dress was completely backless.
Val paid for both of the dresses (using our dads credit card), but as mine needed small alterations I would have to pick mine up on Friday.
"I really hope it will be ready on Friday." I worried as I got into my sisters car.
"The ball is on Saturday, plus it didn't look too busy so i'm sure your dress will be ready in time."
_____
"Up or down, pick quickly." Elise complained as she ran a brush threw my hair.
Saturday had come by quickly and now Elise had come over to help me get ready.
"I kinda hate my hair up." I admitted.
"Down it is." She sighed.
She plugged in the curling iron and began on my makeup as it heated up.
I simply sat in my bathrobe while she went to work.
"I'm not doing too much for your makeup as you don't need much to begin with, but the black liner and false lashes will make your eyes pop, also I'm giving you a bold wine colored lip."
"I've never worn dark lipstick." I worried, I didn't want to look like a clown.
"Don't worry, it's a liquid lip so it should last a good while."
I nodded and then she grabbed my face as she did exactly as she said she would do.
"Don't cry!" She demanded.
"I can't help it, this glue burns."
She sighed, "just try opening your eyes please.
I let my eyelids flutter open and after a couple of seconds the burning sensation went away."
She painted on my lips and then moved to my hair.
"Your dress has a great open back so I'm going to give you a different sort of side ponytail." She filled me in.
"Just do whatever, I trust your judgment."
It took a bit longer than I expected but when she finished she helped me into my dress and took off to her place to get her own dress on.
I looked at my best friends masterpiece and smiled.
She had somehow made my hair curl into what looked like sculpted roses and from the "roses" thick glossy curls cascaded down my right shoulder effortlessly.
"Sweetie, your car is here."
Besides the initial information on the time and date of the ball. Other things were added at the bottom of the invitation: a dress code was being enforced, every young lady would be required to wear the mask given with the invitation, a car would be arranged to pick each girl up as well as take her home, and no arm jewlery.
I carefully tied my mask on and went down the stairs, of course my mother had to snap a few pictures before I finally left.
The driver was standing in the back of a black town car as he patiently held my door open for me.
I stepped into the car and he closed the door, I looked out the window as he began driving and wondered what tonight would bring.
It didn't take us very long to arrive at the PAK Frat house, only it wasn't your typical fraternity house, this was more like a small castle.
There were other town cars letting other girls out and when my car pulled forward a man dressed in a maroon jacket and black pants opened my door and helped me out.
"First name Miss?"
"Oh," I sounded, "H-Harper."
I was then given a slip of paper and told not to open it until asked to. I was then directed where to go and I hoped with everything that I would run into my sister or Elise.
I found the group of girls all talking wildly as 30 men lined both sides of the wide staircase.
They all wore tuxedos and the exact same full face mask, the only difference was each guy wore a different colored bow tie, no one the same.
Those butterflies I had grown so use to woke up the minute I walked in, but as a tall man walked out wearing a white suite jacket and black pants the girls quieted down.
"You have all been given a slip of paper upon entry." He stated, "on the paper is a number, when your number is called you will have a turn to select a bachelor for the evening, but choose wisely as he will be your companion for the entire evening, you will not be permitted to dance with any other man for the rest of the night."
The room remained silent before he said "please open up your papers now and will number one please step forward."
We all watched as a tall lady in a deep purple dress stepped out of the crowd, she handed the man her number and then stepped up the stairs. She almost went all the way to the top but stopped on the second to last guy on the right.
He tied something around her wrist.
"Lady number one and her chosen a suitor, would you please remove your masks."
The room filled with applause and I gasped to see that it was Elise and Vance. I was glad she had found him.
"Would lady number two step forward."
I looked down at my paper, I had received number five.
I watched as the process was repeated and each time I found that I was letting out a small breath of relief to find that no one had chosen Braxton yet.
"Would lady number five please step forward."
I held my head up and made my way through the crowd of women. I handed the man my paper and then stepped onto the stairs.
All of the men looked identical and I didn't know how I would ever find Braxton. Their hands were behind their backs as well so there was no way he could signal me that he was over here or over there.
With every step I took I worried that I would end up picking just anybody so I wouldn't feel like a moron for taking so long.
Suddenly that new excited anxiousness filled me and I stopped right in between two men, I looked at both of them before noticing that one of them was clearly taller.
From the bottom of the staircase they all looked the same, but standing next to them you could see their slight differences, hair color, height, cologne.
I turned to the left and somehow knew deep down inside of me that this was Braxton.
"Hi" I whispered with a smile.
He held out two hands holding a black ribbon, it was then that I noticed it matched his black bow tie. I held up my hand like I had seen the other four girls do and he tied the ribbon gently on my wrist. His fingers making slight contact with my inner wrist, causing those magic tingles to fill me up with warmth and excitement.
"I knew it was you." I whispered.
"Lady number five and her chosen suitor, would you please remove your masks."
As I untied my mask I looked up and found the ever handsome Braxton smiling down at me, "hello my gorgeous."
He took my hand and helped me back down the stair as the entire room erupted with the sound of clapping.