The Lonely King [OLD EDITION]

4. Winter Ball

"being alone never felt right. sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right."

- Charles Bukowski, Women

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I tugged at the short, midnight blue cocktail dress Emily had lent me. Although we were about the same size, I was several inches taller than her, which meant the dress was a lot shorter than it was supposed to be. It fell just above mid-thigh, which was shorter than what I was usually comfortable with.

"You look fantastic!" Emily exclaimed, twirling me in a circle. I giggled softly, "You don't look too bad yourself!"

And it was true. She wore a modest pink lace cocktail dress that fell just above her knee, and she tied her hair up into a cute, messy up-do. Her makeup was kept to a minimum, as usual, with the exception of mascara and a light coat of pink gloss.

Aside from my dress, my hair that was usually put into a ponytail, was let loose tonight. With the help of Emily and her trusty iron-curler, she managed to curl my pin-straight hair. My look was finished with a striking red lip that contrasted against my pale skin.

"Are you excited?" I asked Emily as she slathered on another layer of her M.A.C lip gloss. She blinked, "I guess."

Sighing softly, she twisted the cap of the lip gloss tube shut.

"What else am I supposed to feel, Lexi?" Emily said out loud, staring at her reflection.

"Sometimes I wonder if I was born out of the love my parents had for each other or just simply so they could use me to make more money," she muttered bitterly, placing the make-up that was strewn across the vanity table into her make-up pouch.

"Don't think like that, Em. We're here to have fun tonight, regardless of whether Asher Dane will be in the vicinity or not," I declared. Emily sighed, but finally nodded and allowed a small smile to grace her features.

"Yeah, you're right," Emily smiled. I looked at the hand-carved wooden clock over the fireplace of Emily's dorm.

7.48 PM

"They're supposed to pick us up here, right?" I asked. Emily absentmindedly nodded, while she eyed the numerous pairs of heels that sat neatly side by side on her ceiling-to-floor shoe closet. When I first saw the closet, I almost choked. I didn't have one in my room, so that meant she probably had someone custom-build this into her dorm.

"Go for the white pumps, fourth shelf," I suggested, and Emily immediately grinned. She grabbed the pair of heels and set it carefully on the ground. I looked at the heels, noticing the classic gold Chanel embossment on the sole of it.

The boys were supposed to pick us up at eight, so I headed to the door where I placed my only pair of formal heels, a beautiful black pair of stiletto pumps. It wasn't very expensive, and I got it on sale at the thrift store back in my hometown, but I still admired how sexy they looked.

Right as I slipped my feet into my heels and buckled the straps, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I hollered, in which I got a muffled reply from Emily. She was probably in the toilet, doing her last minute touch ups.

Gingerly, I walked towards the door, wincing at the way the heels pierced into my skin. I opened the door, coming face to face with Asher Dane himself. He wore a tailored black suit, with a white dress shirt and pale pink tie that matched Emily's dress. I raised my eyebrows and smiled slightly.

I glanced to his side where Logan stood awkwardly, a leggy brunette hanging off his arm. He was dressed to the nines in a smart grey suit. Yuko stood on the other side of Asher, in a navy blue suit. Beside him stood a slim, petite Asian girl with short, black hair. She looked younger than the boys, which surprised me. She was the only one who offered me a smile. I returned her smile, but it faltered when there was a certain blonde that wasn't around.