“You look like a pumpkin.”
This came from Zack, who was lying on the velvet bench with his head hanging off the side, and who had managed to stop playing Clash of Clans on his phone long enough to throw his ever-so-astute observation at his sister.
Adriana rolled her eyes. “Thanks, it’s nice to know I have such a supportive brother,” she replied sarcastically.
She frowned in the mirror. The pale orange Lanvin dress did make her look a bit like a pumpkin. Albeit a skinny one.
“Well, I happen to think you look like a beautiful pumpkin,” Parker told her, stifling a smile.
Adriana sighed in annoyance. “How sweet of you, Parker, really, but you should save those kind words for your girlfriend.”
“Are you saying I look like a pumpkin?” Maya asked, raising her eyebrows as she turned to examine her backside in the Givenchy dress she was currently clad in.
“Of course not, honeybee, you look like a work of art,” Parker assured her.
“Literally.” This time, it was from a cranky-looking Roman, who looked more than a little pissed that he’d just spent the last two hours following Adriana and Maya from Bergdorf’s to Bendel’s and then finally to Barneys. His gaze swept over Maya’s black-and-white frock. “You look like that modern art shit my father hangs up in his office.”
“Roman!” Adriana snapped. God, what was she going to do with him?
“What?” Roman shrugged. “It’s true.”
Luckily, Maya didn’t seem at all fazed. “Well, at least I’m not in a yellow Mickey Mouse shirt that makes me look like a demented banana who just escaped from Disney World,” she replied sweetly.
Roman immediately turned a bright red and slumped sulkily down in his chair, but he didn’t say anything else--a fact that didn’t escape Adriana’s notice.
“Huh?” Zack looked confused. He glanced at Roman’s shirt. “But he’s not wearing a yellow shirt.”
“Oh, you know, I was just being hypothetical,” Maya said blithely.
“Oh.” Zack’s brow creased. “Girls are weird,” he muttered.
“Excuse me, Miss Perry, but here are the dresses you requested.” Tracy, one of Adriana’s favorite saleswomen at Barneys, walked in, carrying an armful of designer silk.
“Thank you, Tracy. You can just hang it up right there.”
Tracy nodded, hanging the dresses on the rolling rack she’d brought in specifically for Adriana and Maya before discreetly exiting.
Adriana flipped through the dresses, until she found the one she was looking for. “Aha!” She pulled out the Fendi piece triumphantly. “You should try this on,” she encouraged Maya. “It’ll look amazing with your coloring.”
“Really?” Maya took the dress doubtfully. “I guess…what are you going to wear?”
“Oh, I already know which dress I’m going to wear to homecoming,” Adriana said airily, holding up the purple satin Proenza Schouler in question. “I was just shopping for some other clothes to add to my collection. Go ahead, though, try yours on!”
Maya fiddled with the price tag of the beautiful silk chiffon dress. Suddenly her eyes widened. “Adriana! This is…this is almost three thousand dollars,” she exclaimed hoarsely.
Adriana was a bit confused. “Yeah. It’s Fendi.”
“It’s three thousand dollars? That’s kinda cheap,” Zack commented, going back to his game. “Adriana’s dresses usually run in the five thousand range.”
Maya shook her head frantically. “I can’t afford this,” she protested. “The most I can spend today is five hundred, and that’s already stretching it.” She bit her lip, looking embarrassed.
Adriana was appalled. “Five hundred dollars? Sweetie, that’s for a pair of sunglasses, not a homecoming dress!” She guided Maya to a dressing room. “Look, just consider it a gift from me.”
“I can’t take such an extravagant gift!” Maya sounded horrified.
“It’s not extravagant at all,” Adriana insisted. She lowered her voice. “Trust me, watching you rip Roman a new one was worth at least what this dress costs.”
Maya snickered a bit. “Well…I don’t know…”
“Just take it or I’m going to be personally offended.” Adriana crossed her arms over her chest.
“Gee, how can I say no now? You’re so persuasive,” Maya joked as she reluctantly entered the dressing room. "I'm only trying this on though. I probably won't get it."
Adriana smiled. If her instinct was right—and it usually was—Maya was going to kill in that dress, so much so that she would have to get it.
“Good. Now my eyes can stop bleeding.” Roman’s tone was caustic.
Adriana was about to scold him again but Carlo beat her to the punch. “Rome, give it a rest,” the Colombian warned.
“Yeah, you need to lay off my girlfriend,” Parker added, a bit belatedly in Adriana’s opinion.
Roman glared at them. “Oh, so now you’re choosing that girl over me?”
“Excuse me, but ‘that girl’ is still in the room; hence, she can still hear everything you say,” Maya snapped, stepping out.
The room fell silent.
She blinked. “What? Do I look that bad?” she asked nervously.
Adriana herself was a bit stunned, which was no small feat. “Bad?” she echoed. “Maya, you look freakin’ gorgeous!”
And she did. The dress’ soft cream color stood out in stark contrast next to Maya’s tanned skin and glossy dark hair. The bodice was fitted and showed off her smooth shoulders, but the skirt fell in soft folds to just above her knees. The gold band encircling the waist gave the entire outfit a Greek-goddess feel.
“Really? It’s not too…I don’t know, it’s not too much?” Maya examined herself in the mirror.
“Of course not! Right?” Adriana asked the boys pointedly.
The four of them just stared at Maya like they were in a trance, even the usually composed Carlo.
Even Roman, Adriana thought, rather wickedly.
“Uh, right.” Parker snapped out of it first, a mischievous smile spreading over his face as he wrapped his arms around Maya’s waist. “Man, I’m so lucky to have such a hot girlfriend.”
Adriana smirked when she saw Maya wriggle a bit.
Anyone less dense than Roman and her brother could tell Maya and Parker weren’t really dating.
Thankfully, though, most people in Valesca weren’t that observant, which suited Adriana just fine.
She had her own plans for Maya.
* * *
“Ugh! Why do girls shop so much?” Zack complained, throwing two armfuls of shopping bags from almost every store on Fifth and Madison Avenues into the booth. “Who invented shopping anyway? It’s like torture.”
“Well, you didn’t have to come with us,” Adriana pointed out, looking unconcerned. “You could’ve just stayed home.”
Zack snorted. “Right. Valesca versus New York. Gee, I wonder which one is more exciting? Although I probably should’ve stayed home. At least I could’ve played Halo,” he muttered.
I just laughed. The Perrys’ relationship was just too funny. I stared happily out the window. It felt so good to be away from Valesca, even if I did have to be here with the Scions. They really weren’t that bad, though. Well, except for Roman.
“Hey, I never got a chance to thank you for the lunch, by the way,” I murmured to Carlo, as he slipped a seat next to me. For some reason, I didn’t want the others to know what he’d done.
“It’s no big deal,” Carlo answered, smiling a bit. "I had to make up for that horrific Almond Joy experience somehow."
I nodded slowly. "True, that was a pretty horrific experience," I agreed laughingly, before turning back to the others, who were still on the topic of shopping. More specifically, they were talking about boys and shopping.
“…just because I understand girls doesn’t mean I necessarily enjoy shopping, at least not for myself,” Parker was insisting. “I’m not metropolitan, you know.”
Adriana eyed him dubiously. “I don’t think that’s the right word.”
“Isn’t it cosmopolitan?” Roman sounded bored.
“No, that’s a drink.”
“Isn’t it neapolitan?” Zack tried.
Adriana rolled her eyes. “That’s an ice cream flavor.”
This time, I rolled my eyes. “Metrosexual. It’s metrosexual, people,” I cried, throwing up my hands. “And this is what Valesca charges a hundred thousand dollars a year in tuition for?”
“No, they charge that money so they can switch the chandeliers from Swarovski to Baccarat,” Adriana corrected me.
“It’s good to see my money’s being put to good use,” I huffed.
“I thought you were on scholarship,” Parker pointed out.
“That’s not the point.”
I fished through my bag for my phone as a waitress came over to take our drink orders. After all that shopping, everyone had agreed to stop for some refreshments before heading to some restaurant named Masa for a sushi dinner.
“Oh, no!” I exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” everyone asked at the same time.
“I think I left my phone in Barneys.” My face fell as I scrambled to get out of the booth. “I gotta go get it! My mom will kill me if I need to get another phone again.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Parker asked, playing the role of concerned boyfriend perfectly.
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine.” I was already halfway out the door. “I’ll be right back!” I called over my shoulder.
I nearly ran down the street back to Barneys, glad I was inNew York so I didn’t have to feel too bad about knocking into people.
When I arrived at the dressing room, I was relieved to see Tracy was still there.
She looked surprised to see me. “Hello again, Miss Lindberg,” she greeted me politely. “Can I help you? Is there something wrong with your purchases?” She sounded worried, obviously thinking about her commission.
I shook my head. “No, but did you find a phone by any chance? I think I might’ve left mine here.”
“Oh, well…” Tracy glanced at the closed dressing room door. “A gentleman went in right after you left. In fact, he’s in there now, so after he leaves, perhaps you can check.”
I nodded a bit impatiently. “Ok, thanks.” If that “gentleman” steals my phone, I’m going to kick his butt, I thought, a bit appalled at how violent I was becoming.
Stupid Roman Fiori. This was all his fault.
Ok, so it wasn’t directly his fault that I forgot my phone, but he makes a convenient scapegoat.
A few minutes later, the dressing room door swung open, and a tall, sandy-haired guy walked out.
My jaw dropped in shock. “James?”
He looked up, his eyes lighting up when he saw me. “Maya!” he exclaimed happily. “What a coincidence!”
“What—what are you doing here?” I stammered. I hadn’t spoken to him since the first time Roman “kidnapped” me and caused me to break my phone.
James shrugged, holding up a black suit. “I have an interview for an internship coming up, and I needed to get some business clothes,” he explained. “What about you? You don’t really strike me as the type of girl who shops at Barneys. And I mean that in the best way possible,” he added hastily.
“Oh, uh, I was just here to check out some homecoming dresses,” I replied. “But I think I may have left my phone here…”
“This wouldn’t happen to be your phone, would it?” James held up my new phone.
“Yeah, it is!” I couldn’t have been more relieved. I reached for it, but he held it out of my reach with a teasing smile.
I stopped, confused.
“I’m not giving you your phone back until I put something in it,” James explained, typing something into my phone. When he finished, he gave it back with a wink. “Now, you’ll have no excuse to not call me back.”
I blushed, suddenly remembering how our last conversation had ended. “I’m so sorry about the other day,” I apologized. “My phone, uh, died.”
Technically true. I was just going to spare him all the gory details.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” James assured it. A small smile lit up his face. “Although I do think you owe me a date for making me sick with worry like that,” he joked.
At least, I think he’s joking.
I turned even redder. “Um…well…” What do you say to something like that?
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he persuaded. Oh. So he hadn't been joking. “And we can do something outside of Valesca, get away from all those snobs for a bit.”
I was actually a bit tempted, but I slowly shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” I replied, slightly regretful. James seemed like a cool guy, and he was pretty cute, but if Parker was being loyal as my fake boyfriend, then I had to be loyal too. “I’m kind of…seeing someone.”
“Oh,” he said, sounding disappointed. “I suppose I should have guessed.” He gave me a small smile. “If you ever change your mind though, you know how to reach me.”
I nodded, smiling back. He really was nice. “Well, I should go. He’s, um, actually waiting for me.”
“Ok.” James nodded, gesturing to the suit. “And I guess I should pay for this before they think I’m trying to steal it,” he laughed. “Well, it was nice running into you again, Maya. And you tell that boyfriend of yours he's lucky to have you, so he better treat you right.” He winked at me.
By now, my face could be mistaken for a fire hydrant. “It was nice seeing you again too,” I murmured, and with a quick wave, I headed back downstairs to the café where Adriana and the others were waiting. I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face though.
It was so nice to see a friendly, down-to-earth face, although I couldn’t believe I managed to run into James in a city as big as New York.
What were the odds?
* * *
“Do I really have to wear this? It’s uncomfortable,” I whined, glaring down at the black cocktail dress I was stuffed into.
“Stop being such a baby,” Roman said, sounding annoyed as he got out of the Town Car that had been chauffeuring us around all day. “That dress is Dolce & Gabbana.”
“Considering Dolce & Gabbana seems to be Italian for I-can’t-breathe-right-now, I don’t really care,” I snapped. I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know that, anyway?”
“They make men’s clothes too. Plus, I can recognize their cut.” Roman pursed his lips and gazed pointedly at Parker. “You need to educate your girlfriend on the finer points of life, if she’s going to fit in.”
Parker chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist. “She’s perfect the way she is,” he said loyally.
"Aw, thanks, sweetheart," I gushed with exaggerated sweetness.
Roman grimaced. “I’m about to throw up,” he muttered, not looking at us.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go to dinner, then,” I said innocently.
He ignored me.
“Settle down, children. Masa’s a restaurant, not a playground,” Adriana reminded us, as we entered the sleek, dimly lit restaurant.
We were immediately led to a table in the best part of the room.
“It’s ok, guys, I got this,” Parker said confidently, right after we sat down.
"Yeah, he knows all the best dishes," Zack said, nodding his golden head as he backed his friend up.
I shrugged. I didn't really care. Parker was the one who’d suggested we come here. As he rattled off a bunch of orders to the waiter, I gazed around the room.
It was so quiet and serene. And expensive-looking. I was half-glad Adriana had forced me to wear this dress, because all the other diners were pretty dressed-up too.
“You ok?” Carlo asked quietly.
I nodded. “This’ll be the second time today that I’m eating sushi,” I realized.
Carlo laughed. “Sadly, they don’t have Twix here as a dessert.”
I smiled, feeling touched all over again that he’d gone to all that trouble to send me lunch. Ok, so it had probably only taken a phone call, but still. It was the thought that counts.
“Really? Well, maybe they have a vending machine in here somewhere,” I joked.
Carlo let out another laugh.
I took a sip of my water, pleased. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an older couple enter the restaurant. The man had his arm around the woman’s waist, and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear before giving her a peck on the lips.
The woman giggled. She had on a low-cut green dress that looked even tighter than mine felt, while the man wore a gray suit that actually looked kind of familiar.
As I got a closer look, though, I suddenly realized why that suit looked so familiar, causing me to almost spit out my water.
The man looked up, and we locked eyes. A horrified expression crossed his handsome face as I felt the bile rise up in my throat.
No. No, it can’t be! my mind screamed, as everything else in the restaurant seemed to fall away, leaving only my churning stomach and shocked, frozen body behind. It CAN’T!
I clapped a hand over my mouth, suddenly feeling unbearably nauseous.
“Maya! What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t even sure who asked me that question. I couldn’t seem to think straight right now.
I pushed back my chair with a loud screech, causing everyone else in the restaurant to give me scandalized glares, but I couldn’t care less what those overdressed snobs thought of me at the moment.
Biting back a sob and praying I didn’t throw up right there on the floor, I ran out of the restaurant, even as I heard the man frantically call my name.
I burst through the doors and ran to the edge of the sidewalk, gripping a nearby lamppost for support as I dry heaved. Tears slowly ran down my face and blurred my vision, but they couldn’t erase the image of my father kissing another woman, a woman who wasn’t my mother, from my mind.