The dress is Victorian Gothic with a sexy edge. Very Violet. She抯 studying fashion design, and her affinity for all things historical comes through loud and clear with everything she creates.
Violet places a pair of stilettos in front of me and then sits to do the bottom hem.
揥ouldn抰 it be better if you pinned it with me flat footed? That way you抣l be able to wear two or three-inch heels, no problem.?My cousin is a good two inches shorter than me and has a propensity for heels, whereas I prefer to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground.
She shakes her head, black hair swishing around her shoulders with the small movement. I step awkwardly into Violet抯 hot pink stilettos. Her feet are a half-size smaller and pinch my toes. It抯 a good thing the only thing I need to do in these is stand.
Violet removes a pin from the cushion around her wrist and secures the fabric at the top of my foot. I force myself not to fidget. We抳e been at this for the better part of an hour, and Violet isn抰 much company as she works. She is deep in concentration, and any words she speaks as she makes her way around me, pinning the material in place, are to instruct me or comment on the people outside. And Jane spends her entire break between classes reading through the dozen of magazines she subscribes to梡hysical and digital.
揙kay.?Violet stands and does another circle around me. 揥hat do you think??
揑t抯 gorgeous, as always. What抯 it for??I step out of the heels, thankful to feel my toes again.
When Violet grins, her entire face lights up with excitement. 揑t抯 for the Wallflower Ball in January.?
My shock of her creating another dress for the event （this would be number three she抯 designed and made for the ball） is temporarily blinded by her nickname for the masquerade party she抯 putting together. 揅an we stop calling it that??
In a flash, her smile falls into an annoyed frown. 揥allflowers are awesome. Own it.?
Oh, I抦 owning it. Not like I have a choice. That抯 one of many differences between Violet and me. She抯 friendly and outgoing. People are always quick to like her. She did the dance team in high school and, she抎 kill me for telling anyone, was even the homecoming queen. Two months into our freshman year at Valley, she just gave it all up and decided she was over partying and hanging with vapid, self-loathing assholes. Those are definitely words straight from her mouth.
揥hat抯 wrong with the last two you made for the ball??I smooth my hand down the lace skirt. I can抰 get over how soft it feels.
揘othing. This one is for you.?Her smile is locked back in place. She pulls out her phone and snaps a picture of me, all while I still process her words.
揑 can抰 wear this.?
揧ou can.?She moves to stand beside me and holds out the screen of her phone to show me the photo she took. 揑t抯 perfect.?
The dress is perfect. I hardly recognize myself from the neck down. I抦 far more comfortable in my own clothes, not because I don抰 love this but because it抯 far too beautiful for me.
I glance at my stunning cousin. Our fathers are brothers, but our personalities are as different as the way we look. My hair is the color of wet sand, and my blue eyes are nothing special. I抦 average height and just?well, average. Violet, on the other hand, inherited her mother抯 Korean genes. Her long hair is a soft black, and her eyes are a dark brown that lighten when she laughs.
I love my cousin, but she doesn抰 always understand what it抯 like to be the shy, quiet girl.
揇o you not like it??Uncertainty tugs her brows down as she searches my face. Sometimes I forget that Violet has insecurities. It doesn抰 make any sense to me because she抯 so good at everything she does.
揂re you kidding me? I feel like a harlot.?
She still stares at me with big, unsure eyes.
揟hat was a compliment. I抳e never felt more beautiful, Vi. I抦 just not sure it抯 me.?
揧ou could be a harlot. You抎 just have to speak to your crushes instead of watching them from the tree house.?This from Jane, who puts the magazine down and comes to stand in front of me. 揧ou look beautiful, Daisy.?
I appreciate their confidence in me, however unfounded. I have a pretty good idea of how it抎 go if I actually spoke to Liam, and it doesn抰 end up with me wearing this dress on a date where he pulls me into the corner and ravishes me because he just can抰 wait another minute to have me. The dress is good. It isn抰 that good.
Violet抯 lips pull up at the corners, and she squeezes me from the side. 揑t抯 going to be great this year.?She moves to unzip me. 揇id I tell you that I was able to book the big ballroom in the Moreno building? And Jane抯 parents donated tablecloths and these gorgeous candle centerpieces.?She looks at our roommate. 揟hanks again for that.?
揘o problem.?Jane sits back on the couch and picks up her magazine.
揥ow. That抯 quite a step up from last year抯 little shindig in the dorm lounge.?We had flat soda in Solo cups, and the lighting was fluorescent.
Violet first had the idea for a masquerade ball when we were living in the dorms last year. Her roommate was off to some sorority formal, and we were both pining over how there weren抰 big social events for people like us who didn抰 rush Greek life or date guys popular enough to be invited to them. So, we organized one, or Violet did.
揧es, it抯 gotten a little out of hand.?She shrugs through an excited smile that tells me it抯 going to be way, way over the top.
揌ow can I help??I ask.
揅ould you take care of the flowers? The florist up the street already has us on her schedule, but I need to give her specifics.?
揊lowers??
揧es, flowers.?She cuts me a look. 揑t抯 the Wallflower Ball.?
A groan slips past my lips. 揧ou really have to stop calling it that.?
揑抣l text you all the details. Are you sure you can do it? The whole concept revolves around the flowers. They抮e doing an arch and厰 She trails off when it抯 clear I抦 only half-listening. 揇on抰 forget.?
揑 will go this week.?
揟hank you.?
She takes the dress from me, and I pull on my far-less-stylish one and boots.
揑抦 off to class.?My pulse jumps because I抦 going to see Liam in fifteen minutes.
My roommates grin. They know how much I look forward to this class twice a week.
揝ay hi to Liam for us,?Jane teases.
Not likely.
2
DAISY
Our physics professor is a short, bald man with a booming voice and a quick smile. He spends the two-hour lab pacing the front of the room and trying with all his might to get us pumped about our work. He抯 great. Friendly, a little quirky, and a whole lot animated. He teaches with his whole body, hands waving wildly as he gives us instructions for today抯 assignment.
But despite his best efforts, my attention is pulled to the guy sitting at the table in front of me. Today Liam wears a black polo shirt with jeans. His blond hair is covered by a matching black baseball cap. Even when he抯 casual, he抯 put together. He leans on his left elbow, pen poised against his full lips, giving our boisterous professor his entire focus.
He抯 a direct contradiction to the guy next to him. Jordan Thatcher抯 messy black hair curls around a backward hat that says I heart MILFs. His shirt is wrinkled, and his socks don抰 match. He抯 handsome if you don抰 mind that I just finished practice and couldn抰 be bothered to find clean clothes look.
Liam and Jordan are teammates, but they抮e so different I don抰 understand how they抮e friends off the ice. While Liam is known for being a good guy, Jordan抯 reputation is less pristine. If there抯 a party, he抯 there. Girls love his carefree, party-hard attitude. I find it?daunting. Sure, I抎 love to care a little less and break out of my shell, but Jordan doesn抰 seem like he cares about anything.