16 - Borrowed Glitters

JUNE’S POV

Our presentation was fantastic.

I never expected him to do such a deep dive after our revisions. He was phenomenal in front of the class.

He managed to turn politics into something interesting.

“You did a good job.” I complimented him after class.

“Just good? You looked at me with stars in your eyes.” He replied and winked at me.

I didn’t deny it.

“Oh and Max is hosting a party today. Half the school is going to be there, you should come. James is gonna be there as well.” He suggested.

The first thought that came to mind was that I didn’t have anything to wear.

He noticed my hesitation, “Come on,isn’t this part of your revenge plan?”

I had a feeling he wanted me there for a reason only he knew.

“I’ll think about it.” I responded. He smiled at me before he left.

I spotted Jules in the hallway and made my way towards her.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m not.” I responded.

“You looked pleased with life over there.” She teased.

“Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand and we went to the courtyard.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her.

“I feel better now.” She answered with a smile.

“I wanted to ask if you…” I was about to talk when Max made an announcement about his party.

“If you show up wearing anything tragic, you’re getting turned away at the gate!” He said dramatically and walked towards us.

“You’re both invited by the way.” He said with a smile and walked away.

“You’re going.” Jules said, leaving no room for argument.

“But,”

“No buts. I know what you’re about to say, we’re going shopping!” She practically bounced with excitement.

“I’ll meet you at the mall after school.”

Soon, I was back home.

Surprisingly, my mum was home.

“You should go, June.” She said excitedly.

“Don’t let our situation stop you from living the teenage life.” She kissed my head and walked out the door for her next shift.

I heard a notification from my phone.

Adrien : “Don’t tell me you’re bailing.”

Me : “Still deciding.”

Adrien : “Boo!”

I chuckled and dressed up to meet Jules at the mall.

Our first stop was at Solenne Studios, a brand owned by the young millionaire, Solenne Véline.

Jules held up a dress for me.

“This one screams mysterious heartbreak!”

“It screams bankruptcy!” I said plainly.

I checked the price tag and nearly choked.

That was how it went for hours, we moved from store to store, trying to find what I’d like.

People around us bought multiple things, without checking the price.

I couldn’t imagine what that felt like.

I was exhausted but Jules was enjoying herself.

“Come on! This one is not bad.” I tried on a plain red dress.

“You look like you’re going for an interview.” She replied, irritated.

“What’s wrong with that?” I said, intentionally annoying her.

“It’s a PARTY!” She said loudly and everyone around us turned.

I laughed.

We walked into a new store that just recently opened.

Maison Soleil.

“OH MY! I’ve found it! I’ve found the dress!” Jules beamed.

She shooed me into the dressing room to try on a butter yellow maxidress.

The fabric was very comfortable and smooth. The yellow dress hugged my waist before flowing softly to my ankles.

It wasn’t tight everywhere, just enough to remind me I actually had a figure beneath oversized sweaters and uniforms.

Jules stared at me for a whole five seconds.

“Oh, this is sick.” She finally spoke.

“What?” I asked.

“You’ve been hiding all that under school sweaters like a criminal!!!”

I didn’t know how to respond.

“Jules, it’s expensive.” I told her. It was the least priced dress we’d seen all day but it was still expensive.

“I’ve already paid for it, don't worry. Think of it as a borrowed dress.” She winked.

I knew she wouldn’t want me to refuse.

“Okay, thank you so much.” I said.

“Now let’s go get ready for a party!” She beamed as we left the mall.

We reached her house and immediately began dressing up.

She added pink blush to my face and a pink lipgloss after straightening my hair and curling it into waves.

I couldn’t recognize myself in the mirror.

“Wow.”

“You’re so gorgeous.” She complimented, dramatically dabbing tears at the corners of her eyes.

“Oh stop it.” I joked.

I helped her pick her outfit.

We were matching, except her fitted dress was emerald green and stopped at her thighs.

“I’m back outside.” She twirled in front of me. I clapped in response.

I put on the dress and looked at my reflection, observing it carefully.

The dress was simple, no excessive glitter. Just smooth satin, delicate straps and a silhouette that made me look softer than I felt.

I took a deep breath.

I looked like I belonged in their world. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Stop overthinking things and let’s go!”

In no less than thirty minutes, we were at Max’s house.

“Don’t leave my side.” I told her.

“I won’t.” She replied. I eyed her suspiciously, Jules loved parties and loved dancing.

“Just try to not leave me by myself.”

“Trust me, Adrien will be there with you.” She winked.

“And he’ll be forgetting basic human speech when he sees you.”

We stepped out of the car and the house came into full view.

It was glamorous.

I didn’t have much time to dwell on its glamour because Jules dragged me inside.

Bodies were everywhere, the music was loud and the smell of different drinks filled the room.

We managed to reach the center of the room where Theo and Adrien were, with the rest of their friends.

Theo was in the middle of saying something when Adrien raised his head.

Our eyes met.

His eyes remained fixed on me before he took in my outfit.

“Bro, are you even listening to me?” I read Theo’s lips before he followed Adrien’s line of sight and looked at me.

“Oh damn.”