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“Yep,” Eric said, “Now just eat your berry and be quiet.”
The rest of the table laughed. No matter how much Aimee asked what they were talking about, the guys kept their mouths shut. The girls would find out soon enough. After finals, he could breathe easy and have some fun. For the first time in his college career, he was anticipating a school dance.
7
Holly
Holly stared at herself in the mirror. A little thrill went through her. It was as if Aimee had taken a paintbrush and created a new face for her. Who would’ve thought makeup could work wonders at hiding her scar? The bald part of her head, where the fire had singed her hair close to her ear, had been tastefully covered up with a clip they’d found to match the midnight-blue dress. The girls had talked her into it, but as soon as she’d seen it on the rack, she knew it was perfect. Compared to the other formal dresses, hers was very unusual and not one of the top sellers. In fact, it had been on a discount rack. Even though the fabric of the dress was crushed blue velvet and had a beautiful flowing skirt, turtleneck formal dresses were not popular, which made her discovery all the more exciting.
“You look lovely,” Diane said, drying her hair with a towel. “I’m so glad you let me get it for you. Mom and Dad are going to love seeing pictures of this.”
“You haven’t done your hair yet?” Holly asked, completely panicked. This was her first college date, and there was no way she was going to be late.
“All part of the plan, my dear. Don’t stress. I’m going to roll it dry, and I’ll be ready to go. Nothing fancy, but you might have to answer the door. Lucky you.”
Holly bit the side of her lip. “Yeah, lucky me.”
She’d avoided the door ever since creepy Collin, but Aimee and Diane hadn’t seemed to mind kissing perfect strangers. Actually, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Collin anywhere near the apartment complex recently. When she’d brought it up with Eric, he had just nodded, but something felt fishy, and she had a good idea he had something to do with it.
Other than a few random neighbor guys dropping by to borrow ingredients, they hadn’t had many visitors to kiss. It was probably a good thing word hadn’t gotten around that mistletoe hung above their door? What would Eric and Cameron think of their dates kissing other people?
Holly shook away her negative thoughts. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she glanced once more toward the mirror, grabbed Aimee’s borrowed silver clutch, and headed to the front room. Aimee was checking her own reflection in the mirror. She looked beautiful. Her dress matched her cheeks perfectly, and her hair had been straightened and flowed over her shoulders in a smooth cascading river. Eric didn’t stand a chance.
She smiled to herself as she gave herself a once over. Neither did Justin. “Ready to go?” she asked Aimee.
Aimee turned around, and Holly jumped back. Smeared across Aimee’s cheek was a thick glob of mascara.
“Dang it, Holly. You scared me. Now I’m going to have to wash my face and start again.”
Holly bit her lip. “Sorry. I can help if you—”
“It’s all right. Go wait for the guys in the front room, and I’ll touch it up. You couldn’t stick makeup on a person to save your life.”
Holly laughed, more so because it was true. She’d always been told she was a natural beauty until the accident. Afterward, their compliments changed to backhanded ones. Such a shame. You were such a natural beauty. What a waste.
It had bothered her at first, but she hoped the person inside made up for the fact that she looked a little different than others on the outside.
A soft knock sounded on the door. There was still ten minutes before the guys were supposed to be there. “I think they’re here,” she called to the back room. “Hurry.”
Aimee squealed, and both girls rushed through the hallway. She giggled and shut the door behind her to block out the crazy. Her heart pattered at the thought of Justin on the other side of the door. She was finally going on a date, and somehow, she’d been transformed into her natural beauty for the night.
With a shaky hand, she grabbed for the door and turned it.
It was Eric. And he was alone.
Eric’s jaw dropped. “You look... Wow, Holly, you’re beautiful.”
Heat rushed up the sides of her neck, tingling her scar on the way. “Thanks. Aimee did my makeup.”
He stood in the doorway glancing down at her. “Should we?”
“Should we what?” she asked suddenly.
He pointed up at the mistletoe, and adrenaline pumped its way through her body, making the cool night air welcome.
“Uh...” She dropped her head, not sure how to proceed. This was Eric, her favorite of the guys, the one she felt the most comfortable with. The cutest one. The one who was going out with her roommate in a few minutes.
He said, “We don’t have to if you don’t want.”
