a/n: yay for an early update ^ ^
S E V E N : PARTY
MAE WAS 100% convinced that the world hated her. Her feet would not fit into the nice ankle boots she had bought last year that she never wore. She had on her typical Hollister hoodie zipped up to hide the black t-shirt underneath. Beside her, sat a small, standard backpack that hid her bomber jacket, makeup, and Parker's sketchbook. She would take the terrible risk of changing at the party... that is, if she could fit her foot into the damn shoe.
She huffed in irritation. "Lyn, I can't fit into these shoes—I think it's a sign I shouldn't go!"
Icelyn came zooming out of her room in half a second and into Mae's room. She plucked up a pair of Converse and chucked them at her. The shoes nearly hit Mae square in the face.
"Thanks for almost whacking my face off," Mae deadpanned, swiping the dirty shoes off her rumpled bed.
Icelyn beamed, "You're welcome! Now, get your pretty little feet into those shoes and let's go!"
Mae frowned. Icelyn noticed, moving to sit next to her best friend on her bed. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I don't think I want to go..."
"Why not?" Icelyn asked, fidgeting with a tassel on her romper. "You told them you were going, right?"
"Yeah," Mae muttered, "but I just changed my mind. I'll probably stay around here until later."
Icelyn fixed her with a hard look. "So you can go as Snow? Why can't you just come as Mae? And also, wouldn't it be less suspicious to go so that Parker would think you wouldn't transform into Snow there?"
Mae winced; she hadn't thought about that. "I don't know, I guess I just don't want to go as me."
"Well, fine then. I'll just go pick up Jo by myself. Maybe I'll see you there," Icelyn sighed. She slung her handbag over her shoulder on her way out of the dorm.
Jo's dorm room was only a little ways down the hall. She was wearing a baby pink cropped sweatshirt and leggings for the night.
"Hey, where's Mae?" She asked hyperly, skipping down the stairs alongside Icelyn to her car.
Icelyn shrugged. "She didn't want to come."
"Oh." The two hopped into Joanna's Toyota Prius and drove off to the direction of Dustin's house. Even with the radio on, the two could hear the loud music blasting from the huge mansion. The iron gates were left open and cars lined the circular driveway.
Dustin always managed to keep everyone from dumping their trash on his lawn, and only a few people were lounging across the grass.
Dustin was at the double door entrance, his arms crossed, as he paced. He seemed anxious, but no one could figure out why.
His head perked up at the sight of Joanna and Icelyn, his normal smile springing to life. But it fell just as quickly when he realized Mae wasn't with them.
Another person, he thought to himself.
"Happy birthday!" The two girls chorused cheerfully, handing their gifts to him.
He smiled. "Thanks guys. Did Mae back
out?"
"Unfortunately," Icelyn confirmed. "Sorry."
"Naw, it's fine." His smile was forced, and it wasn't hard to see it. "Well, thanks for coming. There's food and drinks in the kitchen, and a lot of people are out in the backyard. Most people who are in the pool just stripped to their undergarments."
"Oh okay," Joanna said.
"Alright, enjoy the party!"
"Wait," Icelyn paused, "when's cake?"
This time, a genuine grin twisted onto his lips. "Right, cake will be handed out at 8 o'clock. It's chocolate chip."
The two girls squealed in delight. "Ooh! Nice." Then the two passed him and into the mildly crowded foyer of the mansion.
Icelyn pulled out his phone, hurriedly sending a quick text to Mae: Hey, cake is @ 8 if you change your mind.
She was just about to send the message when another thought occurred to her.
Plz come, the poor dude looks depressed.
And then she hit send.
SHE WAS LATE. Icelyn had texted Mae that cake was being passed out at 8 and it was 8, but she was still 2 minutes away. Mae had her backpack in the passenger seat of Icelyn's red Mini Cooper while she raced to arrive at Dustin's house.
Yes, she had changed her mind. Whether it was the mention of cake at 8 or the guilt pooling at the bottom of her gut was becoming more overwhelming as time past, she had changed her mind.
This party was going to get a taste of Mae for a couple of hours.
Mae had wrapped up Dustin's present in thick paper and painted a few things on it for decoration while she was waiting for 8 o'clock to strike. Never did she anticipate she would stop looking at the time and end up late.
Nonetheless, she had still arrived, even if she might have to wait for a slice of heaven.
The party was well in full swing—Drake's God's Plan was currently blasting and the lawn had a few drunk teenagers roaming around. She snickered at the lightweights. They would be fun to play Truth or Dare with later.
The double doors were left open and it seemed as if the majority of the crowd was towards the grand dining hall where the cake must have been.
Mae clutched the present in her hand, hoping to find Dustin quickly, apologize, and then hope he still gave her cake.
But suddenly, Dustin came dashing out of the dining hall and up one of the twin stairs. Mae instinctively followed him up quickly. Voices trailed after her, but she was luckily able to reach him before he could lock the door to his room.
She locked herself and Dustin in his bedroom, then placed her back against the door.
"Mae?" He whispered in disbelief. The room was pitch black, but it wasn't hard to get accustomed to the darkness. "Icelyn said you backed out."
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" She managed to get out. "Oh right. Happy birthday." She shoved the box into his hands and watched him walk away from her and further into his room. He plopped onto his couch and turned on the electric fireplace for a little light.
Mae approached slowly, watching him carefully strip the box and savour the painted paper.
"I didn't really know what to get you since, you know, you could buy any—"
"Don't remind me," he interjected. He placed the box with a custom mug Mae had made for him onto the coffee table. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said, cautiously taking a seat on the couch. "Why'd you run away from the cake? If you really wanted me to have it all, then you could've just said so," she joked.
Dustin laughed a little and Mae was relieved. "I ran because... 18 is a big year right?" His eyes pleaded for an answer.
"Yeah, of course. You're officially an adult now."
"Exactly," he nodded his head. "My parents are in China for a medical conference. They haven't called or texted or contacted me at all today." He let out a wry laugh that turned into crying.
Mae was shocked to see tears streaming down his face. She was even more surprised when he laid his head in her lap.
"Sorry, I'm a little tipsy," he apologized, sniffling.
She smiled gently. "It's fine."
"I-I just... I just wanted a mom and dad," he confessed feebly, a tear falling onto her leggings.
"Yeah," she whispered, "me too."
MAE DIDN'T feel like being Snow tonight. After Dustin had fallen asleep with his head in her lap her mood had dampened. But then again, maybe she needed some alcohol to brighten her spirits. She was able to carefully transfer his head to a pillow and found a blanket to drape over his body.
She frowned as she stated at his sleeping form. She felt bad for him. She understood him. On the outside, he had everything, but on the inside, he had absolutely nothing.
Mae ruffled his hair gently before escaping to his bathroom to transform herself. She tore off her hoodie and replaced it with her bomber jacket. She removed the hair tie from her hair and allowed her locks to flow.
After stuffing the hoodie into her backpack, she applied eyeliner and eyeshadow. The people at this party would be getting Snow a tad early tonight. But maybe she wouldn't stay long.
When she was done, Snow pulled out Parker's sketchbook and zipped up her backpack, slinging it onto her shoulders. After glancing at Dustin one more time, she unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Like good friends, Lewis and Parker were patiently waiting outside the locked door. Their heads shot up when the door opened.
Parker narrowed his eyes. "Snow? What were you doing in there?"
"He fell asleep. I just took care of him," she half-lied.
"But everyone said they saw Mae run up here," Lewis acknowledged. "Did you see her?"
Snow shrugged. "Nope, sorry." She turned to Parker and handed him his sketchbook. "I believe that belongs to you."
He gaped at her like she was a fish out of water. "How'd you—what did—where... where did you find it?"
Snow smirked lightly. "I'm glad you didn't automatically think I stole it. But I found it outside the mansion peeking out of a bush. Did you drop it?" She rose one of her eyebrows at him.
He nodded, flipping through the pages to check that none had been tampered with. "Yeah, yeah I did. Thanks."
"No problem."
Lewis crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "So I'm guessing you're staying for the rest of the party?"
Snow pressed her lips together and gripped onto the straps of the backpack. "No. I am not. I have somewhere else I need to be. I only really came to return the book."
The two boys looked surprised, but accepted her vague excuse.
"Well," she trailed off, "I'll see you both around." Snow then turned on her heel and descended the stairs. No party for her tonight. But before she could leave, she had to find Icelyn first.