wayward // d. hale

seventeen

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Willa's not entirely sure how she had let Allison convince her to chaperone a high school dance. Thinking back on it, it was probably the dimples framing the sweet smile she had given her when she had dropped her back home and Allison had mentioned looking forward to seeing her at the formal.

After returning from her shopping trip with Allison and Lydia, Willa let Scott know that his girlfriend convinced her to chaperone his dance. A typical teenager would hate having a semi-parental figure hovering over them at a school dance, but Scott had been ecstatic that his cousin would also be there. Willa rolled her eyes, teasing him by saying, "You're just glad you have a ride to the school now."

He hadn't even had the decency to disagree with her, instead letting her know he'd grab the necessary paperwork from the school she would have to fill out. When he asked if anything else had happened on their shopping excursion, Willa hesitated before mentioning Peter. Scott had been livid, but Willa assured him she had taken care of both herself and Allison and that neither was harmed. 

She sighs as she glances over her reflection one last time in the mirror. Willa can't deny that she looks goodーshe had meticulously straightened her hair before letting it hang down her back and had put on a full face of makeup for the occasion. Every time she catches sight of the smokey eyes looking back at her in the mirror, she startles as she's used to just swiping on a coat of mascara and calling it a day. 

The dress she had grabbed at the mall hugs her figure nicely. She debated with herself for a bit whether it was a bit too much for a chaperone to be wearing, but as soon as Melissa had caught a glimpse of her in it her aunt wouldn't let her even consider taking it back. 

With a quick touch-up to her hair and a spray of her favorite perfume, Willa deems herself as ready as she'll ever be for the night. Turning off the lights in her bathroom, she makes sure to leave her beside lamp on for when she returns before grabbing her phone and keys, stuffing them both in a small clutch she had borrowed from Melissa.

After closing her bedroom door, she makes her way further down the hall to Scott's room. She smiles to herself as she watches her aunt smooth out Scott's suit jacket on his bed as the boy himself tries his best to fix his tie in his bathroom. 

"This is really nice," Melissa tells him. "How did you afford a... oh."

Willa walks further into the room and nearly laughs when she sees the pieces of tape holding the old suit together. She refrains for Melissa's sake, knowing it would make her feel bad for not being able to afford to buy Scott something new for the formal.

 Clearly stressed, Scott turns toward the two while continuing to fiddle with his tie, "It's not going to work, is it?"

"No, no, no, it's fine, it's fine. No one will notice," Melissa assures him with a grin. As Scott turns back to the mirror in the bathroom, her aunt mumbles, "No one legally blind."

"I heard that!" Scott calls, frowning through the mirror at his mother. Willa laughs as she walks over to him, motioning to his tie.

"Need some help with that?"

His shoulders sag as he pouts, but he nods anyway. "Yes, please."

Willa smiles at him as she quickly loops the fabric around itself to form a classic Windsor knot. For a moment, it takes her back to when she would tie her father's tie every Sunday before they went to Mass. She herself had never been religious, but her father had been a devout Catholic so she often found herself going to the service so he wouldn't be disappointed.