Jay-Jay's POV
By the time school ended, my nerves were already doing backflips. đ”âđ«
Angelo had been acting weird all day, Kiefer had been acting smug all day, and now Freya was texting me like the world was ending because I had exactly two hours to get ready.
Apparently, tonight wasn't just "special."
It was a party.
And not just any party â one of those rich, fancy, everyone-pretends-they're-important kind of parties. The kind with chandeliers, expensive food, and people who say things like "networking" with a straight face. I was told to wear something elegant. Which, in my brain, translated to: do not embarrass the family, Jay.
No pressure, right? đ
After school, Freya, Rakki, Alys, and Mica practically dragged me into the mall like I was some kind of wounded princess they needed to rescue from bad fashion choices.
"Okay," Freya said, holding up two dresses in front of me. "Which one?"
I stared at both like they were solving a math problem. One was soft pink, fitted at the waist, cute and feminine. The other was a deep blue satin dress that looked a little more dramatic, a little more expensive, and a lot more dangerous for my self-esteem.
Rakki gasped. "The blue one. It screams main character."
"I don't know if I'm ready to scream main character," I muttered.
"You are always ready," Alys said, pointing at me. "You just don't know it."
Mica nodded. "Blue. Definitely blue."
Freya held the dress up against me and stepped back to inspect it. "Yes. That one makes you look elegant but still like you could throw a slipper at someone if needed."
I blinked. "That is an oddly specific compliment."
"That's because it's true," she said with a grin.
They all started laughing, and I couldn't help laughing too, because honestly? I needed this. My brain had been a mess all day, and being surrounded by the girls made everything feel lighter.
We went from dress hunting to shoes, then accessories, then makeup. Somehow, I ended up seated in the mall salon chair while Freya stood behind me fixing my hair like she was preparing me for a royal debut.
"You're being too quiet," Rakki said as she leaned over to blend concealer under my eyes. "Talk."
"What do you want me to say?" I asked.
"Tell us everything," Alys said immediately. "What's the event? Why are you so nervous? Why does Angelo look like he's hiding a crime scene?"
I nearly choked. "Because he is hiding something. I just don't know what yet."
Mica paused mid-brushstroke. "That sounds ominous."
"It is ominous," I said. "He told me to get ready, be nice, and trust him. Which is basically code for something awful is coming."
Freya tilted my chin a little as she checked the eyeliner she'd just done. "What about Kiefer?"
"What about him?"
Rakki gave me a look. "Girl. He's been acting weird too."
I frowned. "Weird how?"
"Like he knows something," Mica said. "He kept checking the time this afternoon like he had somewhere to be."
I looked at her through the mirror. "Wait, he was at school?"
"Yeah," Alys said. "And he looked extra annoying."
"That's just his natural state," I muttered.
The girls snorted.
Still, I couldn't ignore the little knot in my stomach. Kiefer had been acting different lately â more attentive, more careful. And it was driving me crazy because I couldn't tell if that was good or bad. Angelo being secretive was one thing. Kiefer acting like he had insider knowledge was another.
Freya finished my hair, letting soft waves fall around my shoulders. "There," she said proudly. "Now you look expensive."
"I don't want to look expensive," I said.
"You do tonight," Rakki replied. "Trust me."
By the time makeup was done, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly. The blue satin caught the light every time I moved. The hairstyle made my face look softer, prettier, and somehow more grown-up. My makeup was subtle but polished. I looked like someone who belonged in a fancy event.
Which was weird, because I still felt like the girl who tripped over her own feet and called people roosters.
"Wow," Alys whispered, stepping back. "Jay."
I turned toward them nervously. "What?"
"You look unreal," Mica said.
"Like a rich person's daughter," Rakki added.
I laughed nervously and looked down at the dress. "That's a dangerous compliment."
Freya came up behind me and squeezed my shoulders. "You're going to be fine."
"I'm not worried about the dress," I admitted softly. "I'm worried about everything else."
The room got quieter after that.
Rakki's expression softened first. "Angelo won't let anything happen to you."
I nodded, but that didn't fully settle me.
Because Angelo being protective was one thing. Angelo being mysterious was another. And tonight felt like one of those nights where the truth was waiting around the corner with perfect timing and terrible news.
Then my phone buzzed.
I glanced down.
King of Ulupong: Car's outside. Don't make me wait.
I groaned. "He's so rude."
Freya smirked. "That means he's nervous."
"Please," I said. "Kiefer nervous? He probably thinks the universe is his personal stage."
And yet, when I looked back at the mirror, I found myself straightening my posture a little more, smoothing my dress, checking my lipstick again.
The girls noticed, of course.
"Ooooh," Rakki teased. "Someone's getting ready for someone."
"I am not," I said too quickly.
"Sure," Mica sang.
"Jayyyyy," Alys added in that annoying sing-song voice.
I covered my face. "Stop it. All of you."
Freya laughed and handed me my small clutch bag. "Go on, then."
When I stepped out of the room, the hallway felt suddenly too quiet. The house too still.
And then I saw him.
Kiefer stood near the car, dressed in a dark suit that made him look annoyingly good-looking in a way that should have been illegal . His hands were in his pockets, his expression unreadable, but the second his eyes landed on me, something shifted.
Just a little.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But enough for me.
He stared for one second too long.
Then he looked away, clearing his throat.
I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you staring like that?"
He opened the car door for me, voice smooth and too casual. "You look fine."
"Fine?" I repeated. "That's it?"
"Do you want me to say you look like you belong in a magazine?"
My face instantly heated up. "No."
He smirked, because of course he did. "Good, because I wasn't going to."
I glared at him while stepping into the car. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he said as he shut the door, "you still got in."
I made a face at him through the window, but the girls behind me were laughing so hard I knew they'd seen the whole thing.
Freya waved. "Text us everything!"
Rakki blew me a kiss. "Don't let him stress you out too much!"
Alys pointed at Kiefer. "Be nice to her!"
Mica added, "Or we'll jump you!"
Kiefer just gave them one lazy salute before getting in the driver's seat.
I folded my arms and sank into the seat, trying not to smile too hard.
The car pulled away, and the city lights began to blur through the windows.
I looked at Kiefer sideways. "You're being suspicious."
He didn't take his eyes off the road. "You're being dramatic."
"I am correct."
"You're nervous."
"I'm not."
He glanced at me briefly and smiled in that irritatingly knowing way. "Sure."
I looked out the window, but my reflection still showed the same thing â the pretty dress, the curled hair, the lip gloss, the nerves.
Tonight was going to change something.
I could feel it.
And somehow, the fact that Kiefer was the one driving me there made it worse.
Not because I thought he was the date.
He wasn't.
Not tonight.
But because whatever was waiting for me at that partyâŠ
Kiefer already knew.
And that was somehow even more terrifying.