New Girl (17 page)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE NIGHT OF THE HALLOWEEN BALL.
FINALLY.

Becca had ordered her Marilyn Monroe dress online a month ago, and couldn’t wait to wear it. Now finally, her hair was curled, the red lipstick on, the beauty mark in place, and the eyeliner had given her that sultry look. She looked in the mirror and seethed.

She was just bland, bland and more bland. Plain hair, plain skin, plain eyes, plain everything. She was boring to look at. Not like Dana, who looked like Cleopatra even though she’d been talked into going to the ball dressed as a witch.

Dana had asked Becca to help her get ready. So now her hair was straightened, her eyes were rimmed with dark liner and she was wearing the same red lipstick as Becca. But she looked too good. And Becca was torn between making her look good to show how she, Becca, could turn an ugly duckling into a swan, and making her look worse.

“Almost finished,” Becca said, grabbing her eye shadow kit. Green. She filled the blush brush with it and powdered it onto Dana’s face. She couldn’t go all-out green, but just enough to take her pristine skin to a slightly sickly level.

“What are you doing? Is that green?”

“You are a witch don’t forget.”

Now, one more thing and Dana would be finished.

Becca drew a big spot on her nose and used other colors from her eye shadow kit to make it look as wartlike as she could.

“Okay, you’re all set.”

“Can I look?” Dana said, standing. It was hard not to laugh as she smiled, having no idea there was a big black dot on her face.

“Um, sure.” She really hoped Dana didn’t object. She still looked good, but hopefully with the green tinge and wart, she’d look at least a little less pretty than Becca.

But Dana just laughed when she looked in the mirror. “I look like a witch, that’s for sure.” Her smile ruined the ugliness.

“Come on, we have to go.” Becca turned and marched out of the bathroom. She dropped her things off on her bed, and they were on their way.

Tonight, Becca was determined to make everyone sure that Max and she were in love. She knew exactly how.

When she met him in the dining hall, she smiled broadly.

“You look very handsome.” Becca reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Max smiled, too, and kissed her back. “You, too.”

“Although it’s kind of a vague costume. Who are you again, just anyone from the fifties?”

He looked down at his suit. “I guess.”

“If you weren’t wearing a fedora it would be impossible to tell.”

He laughed and put an arm around her. “Let’s go.”

They were stopped and asked to place their vote for king and queen at the door. Becca voted for herself and Max. She leaned over to him and saw that he was voting for Cam and Blake.

“What are you doing? Vote for
us!
”

“You can’t vote for yourself, that’s stupid.”

“Everyone is going to.”

“No, I’m not voting for us.” He laughed and dropped it in the box.

Her plan wouldn’t work if they didn’t win. She seethed quietly and dropped in her own ballot.

“Do you think we’re going to win?” she asked happily a moment later, squeezing his arm. “I hope we do. I really do. We are the cutest couple, obviously.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, usually it’s a senior couple who gets it.”

“Well, I’m not giving up hope. Everyone knows we’re perfect together, so…”

Max was barely listening to her prattle on. But Johnny had caught her eye. She looked away quickly, and pulled Max on.

“
God,
Max, can you just
stop?
”

“Am I really the one that needs to stop?”

“What do you expect from me, to be standing by your side all night and never talking to anyone else? Seriously, Max. I can
talk
to other people. That’s what I was doing. Talking. I don’t see why you can’t trust me.”

Her heart was pounding. She’d been around the back of a column with Johnny. She’d known it was risky, but she couldn’t help it. Not that anything had happened. Johnny had refused, saying it was “wrong” or whatever. She couldn’t believe he was still saying it.

Every time she was around him, she wanted more and more to just end it with Max and find a way to be with Johnny.

Max shook his head and bit the inside of his lip. Becca knew when he was really mad. And he was getting there.

“This is so embarrassing, to be arguing outside the dance.” Becca sighed. She didn’t even care anymore.

“You know what you’re doing, Becca.”

She stared at him. “What does that even mean?
Ugh,
I’m not going to sit here and try to figure out riddles.”

“I realize you’re flirtatious. You flit around the party like the social butterfly you long to be so
badly,
charming everyone left and right. All I’m asking is that you stay away from Johnny, seeing as he’s my best friend, and that with other people you just keep your hands to yourself. You always take it too far.”

Becca tightened her jaw with resolve. His words had scalded her. The “social butterfly” she “longed to be so badly”? Was he serious? How
dare
he imply that she’s just some kind of desperate, friendless fool?

There was a pang in her chest as she hoped it was only Max who saw her that way.

“I do not ‘always take it too far.’” She repeated his words in a nasty tone. “And don’t suggest that I’m just some kind of jackass around Johnny. He flirts with me just as much as I do with him. God, it’s not like he just wishes I would back off him.”

She couldn’t bear the thought of Johnny hating when she was all over him. Max didn’t know what Johnny said when they were alone. And she couldn’t tell him.

“Are you serious? It’s just not okay to flirt with everyone around you all the time.”

“You’re
so
annoying. Just an insecure little boy.”

He didn’t freak out. He didn’t yell back. He just looked at her, and laughed.

Panic rose quickly in her chest.
He
couldn’t break up with
her.
She couldn’t let him. They were about to win king and queen. Maybe later she could end things, but not right now.
Not right now.

“Something has to change.” His voice was emotionless.

“Max! Max,
please!
” She couldn’t get herself to cry, but she was really trying. She took his hand. He tried to pull it away, but she wouldn’t let him. “Look at me.”

She yanked his arm and gazed sweetly at him, working in as much worry and desperation as she could into her blue eyes. Time for the last resort.

She’d have to phrase it just right. “But…I mean, I lost my
virginity
to you…and now you’re just…” She looked as emotional as she could.

He froze.

On the inside, she smiled. Bingo. Yeah, she’d told him she wasn’t a virgin, just in case this sort of moment arose.

He sighed, and looked out to the great hall, clearly trying to decide what to do or think. “You said I wasn’t your first.”

“I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Shit!
”

“Is that true?”

She paused. “Yes, it’s true.”

Max clearly didn’t know how to react. After a moment, he said, “Why would you tell me I wasn’t?”

“Because I didn’t want you to stay with me because you felt guilty or anything.” In fact, she was one hundred percent sure that was why he’d stayed with her anyway. Lucky her that he wasn’t
usually
the type to get drunk and sleep with the new girl everyone else wanted already.

“I wouldn’t. I liked you.”

“Liked.”

He breathed in deeply. “Like. But you’re acting different lately. I don’t know if this is who you are or what. Stop trying so hard, just act like yourself again.”

How many times had her mother begged her to be herself again? It was fruitless. Useless. There was no point in begging Becca to stop or change or be someone nicer or easier to be around. This was Becca. And that was all.

The only person who’d ever thought she could really change, apart from her hopeful mother, was Dr. Winthrop. He told her it wasn’t her fault, and that if she just took this, this and that medicine for the rest of her freaking life then her moods would level out.

Screw that. She wasn’t going to do it.

Dr. Winthrop had tried to talk her through her “compulsive lying” and her “pathological desire” to do what she thought would make people like her, instead of what was right.
You have to control yourself,
he’d said.
Or someone else will get hurt again.

She shivered and pushed the memory from her mind.

“Or maybe this
is
you,” he added after a moment.

She was realizing now that she couldn’t let him go. She liked being the golden couple. She liked being enviable, she always had. What would she do without him? No one else could give her what Max could.

The music faded quickly in the dining hall. “And now it’s time for the reveal of Halloween King and Queen.”

Cheering. Quieting. Drum roll. Max looked Becca in the eyes the whole time.

“Maxwell Holloway and Rebecca Normandy!”

She tried to mask her delight, but he knew how important it was to her.

“Come on, your highness,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go claim our crowns.”

They walked onto the stage. Everyone cheered.

“Would either of you like to say anything to your public?”

Max shrugged. “Thanks to everyone for voting for me, I’m really flattered, thank you.” He gave an insincere but winning smile and handed the microphone back to Professor Crawley.

Becca took it. “I’d actually like to take a moment to say something if I could.”

“Sure, go ahead.”