Tailor Made

Chapter Seven

Ruby looked like a massive pimple with a face attached, no, she looked like a huge glob of pus held only together by skin, no, she looked like the embodiment of a sneer. No, Aria shook herself slightly. She seemed ok with large eyes and an up-turned nose that people would probably find attractive.

Aria looked at Chris to avoid taking in any more of the girl into her mind, but found that staring at Chris made her intestines twist.

Luckily Nora took the lead on talking. “I don’t get it, why is it so important we meet your new squeeze?” Nora asked.

Elise nudged her. “Because we’re basically his on-campus family?”

“Family, huh? This is so serious that you’re taking her home to meet the folks?” Nora retorted.

“We actually came here so I could show her the work I’ve done in the club. She was fascinated,” Chris explained.

“Sooo, where’d you meet?” Nora asked, clearly enjoying the awkward atmosphere.

“During the pre-festival arrangements. Aria, remember how Mr Walker asked you for help? Ruby’s who we found next!” Chris said. “Amazing how such a little time brought us together.”

Aria twitched.

“Ooh, that’s rough,” Nora said under her breath, knowing only Aria and Elise would hear.

“Speaking of work, people will be arriving for clubs in a moment. We should clear out and let them get to work,” he said to Ruby.

“You’re leaving?” Aria couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Just walking Ruby to her club, then I’ll be back,” he smiled.

They left. Elise brought out note pads and pens quietly, but Nora was practically skipping. And that shitted Aria off.

“Why are you so giddy about this?” Aria snapped.

“Simple, he’s going to get all invested in this girl, you’re going to get sick of pining over him, and you’ll go back to being awesome with me,” Nora announced matter-of-factly.

“How could you say that so easily? Don’t you care that I clearly was crushed by that interaction?” Aria asked incredulously.

“No,” Nora replied simply. “It’ll sting for a while but you’ll be better off for it.”

Aria swelled in a manner similar to a puffer fish, but Elise called out. “Ladies, you’re not going to send us back a decade or three by arguing over a boy are you?”

“Aria’s the only one hung up about this,” Nora accused, “I’m extremely happy for Chris. Maybe meeting a nice girl will help him settle down.”

Aria snarled, but Nora was unintimidated, and gave her a pat on the head.

They headed inside and Elise and Nora circled Aria as they discussed odd terms such as ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Jewel’, ‘Queen Anne’, and ‘Illusion’. Aria had no clue what they were talking about until Elise suggested ‘Off-shoulder’. Necklines? It didn’t matter to Aria, she was lost in the spiral of her own thoughts. She couldn’t get the sight of those two out of her mind. It was burned in, and no amount of blinking would send it away.

When Mat arrived Aria begged a break and went to corner him.

Mat saw the look on her face. “No,” he warned her.

“No, what?”

“I can guess where that face came from. You met Ruby and you want to get the details.”

Aria frowned. “You knew about her already?”

“I’m his roommate. Where do you think they go to make out?” Mat said with a glint of repressed horror in his eyes.

“It seems a bit sudden doesn’t it?” Aria asked desperately. “They just met on Thursday.”

“Sudden? For people like Chris, that’s just moving at normal speed. You know he’s dated three girls since the year restarted? That’s only two weeks ago,” Mat reminded her.

“Seriously? How did I not know this?”

“Because unlike you, Chris can keep the lives of his friends and his love interests separate,” Mat sighed. “Aria, seriously. You’re just going to make yourself more upset obsessing over this. If you need a distraction I’d be happy for some help on my project.”

“No, that’s ok,” Aria said in a quiet voice.

Mat shook his head and moved past her to his desk, likely to avoid any further discussion.

Aria was distracted throughout the entire session, and was surpassed only by Jarod in un-productiveness. Nora finally dragged her unenergetic body home with a significant look at Elise.

“What should I do, Nora?” Aria asked hopelessly as Nora grabbed her to avoid stumbling into random people. “I feel so crushed. Did you know apparently he’s dated three other people since coming here?”

“In two weeks?” Nora asked, “He moves fast.”

This brightened Aria a little. “It is fast. He’ll probably move on from her quick, I just need to make sure I’m there at the right moment.”

“Yes, Aria! This is the time to buckle down and fight for your man. Fight, woman!”

Aria missed the sarcastic tone. “Really? I should do it?”

“No. Seriously Aria, are you really the kind of person who would jeopardise someone else’s happiness for your own?” Nora asked.

“It might not just be for my own happiness though, Chris and I could be meant to be together,” Aria said earnestly.

“That’s hilarious. You just think that you believe that. You’re in high school. This is the tumultuous time in your life where you’re working out who you are, and what you want to become,” Nora said. “I’ve seen you, like so many teens you naturally pick up on the personality traits of people around you. Do you really want to stunt your growth by following after Chris for the next year? I mean, he’s ok, but you could follow someone better around. Like me.”

“So you’re suggesting you and I should date?”

“Ouch, such scorn in your voice. No, I’m suggesting don’t date. Have all the flings you want, bring ‘em back to our place, whatever. But don’t tie yourself down to some guy just because your hormones are screaming at you. Chances are it’s just your body telling you it wants to get laid. It’s not a good basis for finding a life-long partner.”

“You’re so cynical!” Aria cried. “I just want to know what love is like. Is that so bad?”

“You already know what love is like,” Nora retorted. “What do you feel for your brother? Your family? Me?”

“Well, yes, I feel love to them. Amusement for you, mostly. But I want real love! You know it’s not the same,” Aria argued.

“It’s not the same,” Nora agreed, “But that doesn’t mean it’s not real. It’s just a different kind of love. Familial love, or the love you feel for friends. It’s not an inferior sort. And honestly I’m kind of wounded if you think it is.”

Aria cringed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes, you did. This is just how you feel about the topic. But that doesn’t mean it can’t change,” Nora reminded her. “Friend love is so easy, comparatively. Romantic love… it’s complicated, and there’s no clear definition for it. It’s so easy to be infatuated with someone and think that you’re in love.”

“It sounds like there’s a story there,” Aria suggested.

Nora pursed her lips. “Yes. And that’s why I can tell you it’s a bad idea. I became someone I don’t like. Can you imagine me not liking me? I’m great.”

“We’re not the same person though, I might have a different experience to you,” Aria said earnestly.

“Sure. It’s possible. But you’re saying this because you want to believe things could work perfectly. Life generally doesn’t work how you want it.”

Aria looked down.

Nora’s intense expression dropped. “I hurt you, didn’t I?”

“It’s not that. I guess I just feel a bit upset. It sounds like you’re saying that the love I want is nearly impossible so I should give up,” Aria said.

“No, no…” Noa replied. “I don’t know, maybe it’s not that hard. Why would I know? I’m just trying to say that… you’re pretty cool, and I’d hate to see you do the same thing as me where you lose yourself in someone else. When it comes down to it, you’re the person you’re going to be stuck with your whole life. Best focus on yourself too.”

Aria didn’t say anything, but she linked arms with Nora, and appreciated the warmth beside her.

Aria spent the next week with her head down working on a top to go with the skirt she made before. With Elise’s help she was progressing fast. Well, she supposed, that was what happened when you worked on a skill daily. She wasn’t that pleased at her progress though, and occasionally sighed over her work. Elise and Nora glanced at her when she did this, but didn’t say anything.

On Thursday she leant back from stitching an invisible seam and admitted defeat. It was difficult, yes, but she gave up because she had lost all motivation. Chris had been disappearing from the club more often over the past week with Ruby at the Theatre club. He said their club was hoping to hire the Couturier club for costume-mending for an upcoming performance, but the odd look Mat gave him at that excuse suggested it was exactly that- an excuse.

“Don’t drop it like that, you’ll mess up the pins,” Elise chided.

“I don’t care. I’ve been sewing every day, I’m sick of it,” Aria complained.

“Sacrilege!” Nora cried, joining the conversation. “You’re so close to finishing it. Don’t you want to get it done so you can wear it and look fabulous?”

“When?” Aria asked, “We only wear casual clothes on the weekend. Am I meant to wear this when I go riding? I doubt the horses car what I look like. ”

Elise and Nora glanced at each other.

“I’m going home, I’ve got an assignment to work on,” Aria mumbled before packing up her books and heading out.

Nora came home to her an hour later where Aria was slumped over her desk doing nothing. She threw a wad of fabric onto Aria’s back who jumped at the impact. Aria turned around and scooped up the fabric which turned out to be a garment.

“We finished it,” Nora announced.

“What for?” Aria asked.

“Because we’re going out tonight and you need something to wear.”

Aria furrowed her brow. “We’re not allowed off campus though?”

“Are you going to let rules get in the way of a good time?” Nora asked. “Look, just get dressed. I have everything arranged.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret. But honestly, the fact that we’re getting dressed up should suggest a few things to you. You’re all deductive aren’t you?” Nora said, busying herself with clothing as well. “Oh, though wear sensible shoes. You’re already so much taller than me.”

Nora, and Elise too apparently, had finished the garment beautifully. Originally Aria only had her black lace skirt and a matching half-made top, but her friends had finished the zip and fixed a few small errors. The top was essentially the top half of a strapless dress, but given support by the black lace panel which was attached to the bodice and extended up over the shoulders. Elise had explained that it was called an ‘Illusion neckline’. It had the unusual quality wherein it appeared both modest and mildly revealing. Aria loved it.

She flounced a little in front of the mirror, appreciating the skirt which fell to just above her knees. It puffed up nicely when she spun.

“Is there a party happening tonight?” Aria asked.

“Sure is,” Nora replied. She wore a plain black bodice which, just below her collar bone, had a thin strap that reached up and around her neck for support. What was truly stunning though was the green silk skirt. Technically it was pine-green, but Aria felt it was too blue-ish for that name, having grown up around pine trees. The green skirt was a simple cut, but the fabric was occasionally stamped with a faint intricate golden pattern. Somehow it was so Nora.

Nora dragged her out into a warm night of late summer, and they headed down the path she had walked to the party on the first night. Aria wondered if it was something like that first party. Did the students here never run out of the fire to drink and dance? But the amphitheatre was empty, and they passed right by it.

“Where on earth are we going?” Aria asked. “You didn’t get me dressed up and dragged me out here just so you could pull a prank, did you?”

“Shh!” Nora hissed.

“Wait, we’re sneaking?”

“Out! Yes! Obviously!”

“And that’s what you wear to sneak? Nora, you’re in a bright green skirt!”

“It’s pine-green and you know it! There are plenty of pine trees out here to hide in!”

Nora pushed Aria on, and they scrambled through some close-knit bushes which marked the edge of the grounds. Emerging from the other side, they vaulted a low wall and found Elise and Jarod waiting on a street corner for them, similarly dressed up.

“Wow, you two are not great at sneaking,” Elise teased, “We heard you from so far away.”

“What is this? What are we doing? No one’s told me anything,” Aria complained.

“You’ve been a bit distracted recently so we thought we should blow off steam with a girl’s night,” Jarod announced cheerfully.

Aria looked confused. “If it’s a girl’s night why are you here?”

“I'm an honorary girl,” Jarod said in a pleased tone.

Aria couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine, take me where you want. Let’s see this ‘fun’ you speak of.”

They led the way down the main street of the town and all the way to a door wedged between an antique bookstore and a large clothing store. On the door it read Swing 48 and Elise led them inside. The stairs took them sharply down and to the left, where a large underground club opened up before them. It was dark inside, and the only light made everything look red. An old fashioned bar ran along one wall where a man in a grey shirt and suspenders stood serving drinks.

“Nora, this is a bar!” Aria cried, “We can’t be here.”

“Yeah we can. It’s a non-alcoholic bar.”

Aria considered for a moment. “Wouldn’t that just disappoint people?”

Elise grinned. “That’s not what people come here for.”

Aria looked curiously at the rest of the space. There were a few tables close together, but most of the bar was empty space with a small stage in one corner where some musicians were setting up. Aria spotted a saxophone, keyboard, a singer setting up her microphone, and a huge double bass that was almost as tall as its owner. There were a few people milling around and chatting, but it was by no means ‘hopping’ in there.

Elise ushered them to the bar.

The tall bartender nodded to Elise as she sat down and he wandered over to their group. He had a serious face, but he smiled when she reached out and grasped his hand briefly in greeting. “Guys,” Elise said, turning back to them, “This is Noah. Be nice to him; he’s got the bouncer in his pocket and can easily toss you out if he doesn’t like you.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “The bouncer is my fiancé. That doesn’t mean I can evict who I want. Otherwise I would toss you out.”

Elise opened her mouth in mock insult.

“Noah, odd question,” Aria said, “What kind of bar is this? No one’s told me.”

Noah c****d an eyebrow. “You need to ask? I thought the name would tip you off. It’s a Swing Club.”

“A swinger’s club?” Aria asked, feeling both confused and dismayed.

Noah burst out laughing. “No, swing. Dance?” he added at her expression.

Nora touched Aria’s wrist. “Just wait, you’ll see.”

“How about we show her?” Elise suggested to Noah. He looked at the few customers in the bar and shrugged, stuffing the small cloth he was holding into his back pocket. He came out from behind the bar, and taking Elise’s hand, he led her to the floor in front of the stage. After a quick word with the band they struck up a ragtime tune.

The saxophone was most apparent in the air, along with a chipper beat from the keyboard that made the few patrons clap in time. Elise and Noah joined a hand and began shuffling their feet in time and took to the stage.

The term ‘swing’ dance was accurate, the two spun quickly around each other again and again, using the momentum of each other to keep balanced. They moved around each other, sometimes spinning close, and other times stretching out with only an arm each to keep them connected. They jumped and jigged in time with each other, never losing the warm grin for their love of moving. After a particularly intense spin that sent Elise wheeling across the floor, the audience whooped and cheered as the two took hopping steps back towards each other. When they ended in a flourish, even some of the bad members cheered. Noah gave Elise a quick squeeze around the shoulders before returning to the bar where a few new patrons were waiting.

“That was incredible!” Aria squealed when Elise returned to them.

“Ooh, I feel so much more awake now,” Elise replied, shaking out her limbs.

“You two looked lovely together,” Aria said, “How do you two know each other?”

Elise laughed. “He’s my brother. That’s right, Elise and Noah Rhodes.”

Jarod considered for a moment. “Isn’t that the name of Mat’s dorm? Rhodes hall? That’s a cute coincidence.”

“Ahh, not exactly a coincidence,” Elise admitted, “It was named for my grandfather who helped sponsor and build the school.”

“Reeeally?” Jarod asked with an odd look. Aria wondered what he was thinking about.

“And yet despite the family money your brother works as a bartender?” Nora asked sceptically. “What, after the school was built, your grandfather spent the rest on hook-”

“Noah owns the bar,” Elise cut across. “Back at Smartwood he was the president of the Swing Dance club and decided he didn’t want to live without the environment of dance and music once he left.”

“Aww,” Aria and Jarod melted.

“That’s so sweet,” Aria continued, “He really followed what makes him passionate huh? You’re so close to your brother… ahh, I miss my brother.”

“I didn’t know you had one.”

“A twin!” Nora announced. “Who’s prettier than she is!”

“I thought you said you had a brother?” Elise asked.

“She does. He can be pretty if he wants to,” Nora argued. “In fact I told him so when we met and he accepted the compliment.”

“You’re a weirdo.”

“A weirdo who bets she could match you, maybe even surpass,” Nora challenged.

Elise’s eyes narrowed. “Dance off?”

Nora nodded, and the two marched over to the floor together. Aria watched them, but her eyes were drawn to an extremely elegant woman who was an embodiment of the colour red. She was glaring at Elise and Nora, her large eyes narrowing tightly as she watched them with her nose curling slightly. Her eyes flickered towards Aria and the rest of them, but the woman didn’t say anything. She just stared and sipped at her drink.

Aria felt uncomfortable, and wanted to point it out to Jarod, but Elise and Nora began to move, and she was caught watching them. It was the first time Aria had seen Nora dance, and while her movements weren’t as practiced as Elise’s, Nora was extremely graceful after years of ballet.

Jarod got Aria and himself a drink and they sat down together to watch the passion-fuelled display of their friends. Aria played with her straw as she watched them, they giggled together as they stamped and spun. Aria envied how natural they looked together.

“Did you want to dance too?” Jarod asked, noticing her look.

Aria laughed, “Definitely not. I may be athletic but that doesn’t mean I have any concept of grace. I’m happy just sitting here, really.”

Jarod smiled in return.

“I don’t think we’ve had many conversation with just the two of us,” Aria realised.

Jarod shrugged. “We’ve had a few conversations in the club.”

“I’m not sure that counts; you were always on your phone,” she teased. “Who do you even talk to?”

“Friends,” he said simply.

“Right, well, I’m glad that you decided to join us tonight. You always emanate these good vibes, you’re a good guy to be around,” Aria smiled.

“Thanks,” Jarod said distractedly. “Hey, which dorm hall does Elise live in again?”

“Maclear hall, why?”

He just shrugged in response. Jarod was strangely elusive, Aria was realising. Maybe that was why she didn’t know much about him? When they were planning the colour carnival he had arranged the magic trick, and during the occasional conversation he’d mentioned he took gymnastics for his sport. Thinking again of the carnival and the wounds he sustained there, Aria wondered how he had his head screwed on well enough for either of those activities.

“Tell me about yourself,” she asked. “Why did you join the club? What’s your family like? What are you planning on doing after school?”

Jarod paused. “Are you surveying a psychologist?”

“What?”

Jarod put his palm to his face. “I tried to say two things at once. That was a sudden burst of questions so I tried to say “Are you doing a survey’ and “Are you a psychologist’ at the same time. Tried to be twice as funny and ended up twice as lame.”

Aria burst out laughing. “Sorry, that was my fault. I just feel like we don’t know each other that well.”

“My answers are pretty boring though. Because it’s unusual, they’re a bit intense, and I’m not sure yet,” he replied to her questions in turn. “You don’t want to hear about me. Why don’t I ask those questions about you instead? They’d be more interesting answers from a pretty lady like you.”

Aria blushed a little at the compliment. In all honesty, she never felt overly pleased to be complimented on her appearance, but she did feel embarrassed to know he’d been paying attention. “I feel like I’ve answered all these questions a fair amount lately.”

“Not to me. We just learned that Elise is rich, who knows what secrets you’re hiding,” he said.

“Nothing so exciting,” Aria replied, “And Nora just told everyone about my brother.”

“I already knew about him. Remember? You brought him up at the party on the first night.”

“Oh yeah! And you said something about trying to passively freak out your homophobic roommate,” she recalled. “How’s that going anyway?”

“He called it harassment and demanded to swap rooms.”

“Oh whoops.”

“No whoops about it, they said no. He does spend a lot of time in the library though, maybe that’s to avoid me?”

Elise and Nora returned to them, and Aria realised the bar had been steadily filling around them.

“We called it a tie,” Elise said breathlessly.

“You called it a tie,” Nora disagreed, “I was just being charitable and agreed.”

“Hey Mat!” Jarod called over their shoulders.

Aria looked up to Mat walking over to join them. She turned to Nora. “You really don't know what a girl's night is, do you?”

“I do too,” Nora insisted. “And from my research, it usually ends in calling guys to come and dance for them.”

Aria smacked herself in the face.

Mat must have heard the tail end of the conversation because he said; “I’m afraid I don’t dance. Or remove clothing, if that’s what you were wondering. I’d hate to be thrown out.”

“Maybe we could use you to find the willing guys. Mat, can we interest you in some bisexuality?” Nora suggested, mock displaying a product in her hands.

“I already convinced Jarod to join the club, I’ve done my part,” he replied.

“Was I volunteered for something?” Jarod asked, “I lost track.”

Mat clapped him on the shoulder. “Only something you’d enjoy.”

Elise looked at her phone. “Hey guys, I just got a message from Chris.” Aria’s heart jumped unpleasantly at the sound of his name. “It sounds like there’s going to be something special happening tomorrow for the club.”

“Did he say what?” Mat asked.

Elise scanned the message again. “No, just that we should all arrive on time, and that we should be on our best behaviour.” Elise put down her phone and looked at the group, focusing on the least law-abiding citizen. “Nora, are we going to have a problem tomorrow?”

Nora flounced her hair. “I suppose I can keep my delightfulness to myself for an afternoon.”

She looked like she was about to start challenging more people, so Aria turned aside and focused on Mat. “We were just watching Elise and Nora dancing, they were incredible,” Aria informed him.

“Yeah, Elise has been doing it a few years. Did you get a chance to see her perform with Noah? They’ve got a few good routines,” Mat said, spotting Noah at the bar. “I’m not much for dance but if you want we can go out there to flail awkwardly together,” he offered.

“Nonsense, I’m teaching you real swing dance,” Nora cut in. She took Aria’s hand, ignoring the hesitance, and pulled her towards the now crowded floor.

“Nora! Wait!” Aria called over the noise of the music. “I can’t dance! At all!”

Nora drew extremely close to be heard. “It’s fine,” she said, her face a few inches from Aria’s. “True dance isn’t about skill, but passion. And I know you have plenty of that.”

Aria maintained her unsure face, but she nodded.

“Ok!” Nora stood back. “We’re going to do some pretty simple steps. Now you just want to mirror me. Start with feet in the centre. Take a rocking step backwards with your right foot. Right. You're mirroring me remember? Unless you wanted to be the lead. No? No. Ok, step back into starting position with your right, and go forward and make a quarter turn to face the left. Now bring your feet together. Take a step to the right, turning slightly in the same direction.”

Aria had taken many steps, most of them wrong. “I'm already lost.”

“You're doing great. Place your left foot behind your right. Pivot on both feet to turn your body... bringing both feet back to original standing position. Take two steps to the left, your left, follow me! And now we repeat!”

Aria stopped about two beats out from Nora. “That's impossible!” she cried, feeling flustered.

“Aria, half the people here are doing it right now. Don't worry, no one will be looking at you with me here.” But she winked, so Aria knew she was kidding. “We'll go slow until you feel comfortable.”

It was hard to build confidence when trying to match Nora’s graceful but sprightly jumping. Aria optimistically thought that understanding foot placement for parkour would help her to understand foot work in dance, but apparently they called on entirely separate parts of the brain.

“You’re getting it!” Nora cried as Aria was definitely not getting it. But Aria laughed and her self-conscious feelings flowed from her. Slightly. But it was nice to move together with Nora. The excitement that bubbled up inside her was not unlike how she felt when she ran, and she revelled in the movement.

Nora grasped Aria’s hand firmly and explained that the next step was to rotate around one another as they performed these steps, relying on each other’s weight as a counterbalance. Nora was enjoying herself too, she could tell. Normally Nora’s smile was sly or cocky, with the corners of her mouth quirking. But instead she smiled broadly, exposing her teeth as she laughed. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she did, and a single dimple appeared on one cheek. Aria adored her in that moment, she loved the completely open way Nora laughed.

Nora spun Aria quickly. While Nora’s hand was like a hook, Aria’s was instead a clamp. In one brief moment Aria’s hand slipped and she went spinning into a table. She slammed into the table and kept going. It was a poor design, she thought in a strangely calm way as she fell, having top-heavy tables near dancers just seemed like an oversight. She and the table keeled over as everyone else jumped back. Everyone except the woman who was sitting there. The woman in red.

Feeling rather tender on her arm, Aria looked up to see the nostrils of the woman flaring like an enraged bull. Aria hesitated a guess that in the fall the woman’s partially finished drink had crashed towards her, dousing her in cranberry juice.

Even the musicians had stopped. Everyone stared, waiting for the inevitable screaming fit that was plastered on the woman’s face.

You have to say something, Aria thought to herself, just say sorry, smooth it over somehow!

Instead she said, “At least it matches your outfit!”

There was a whoop from the dance floor. Aria was certain it was Nora, but she was engaged in a deadly staring contest and didn’t dare look away.

The woman in red stood out of her chair and leaned down towards Aria. Briefly she thought that maybe she had imagined the look and that the woman was checking to see she was ok. Instead the woman spoke in a low voice. “You may think that was a cute little joke, but did you pause to consider that this outfit is worth more than your tiny body? This is an establishment for adults, and a child such as yourself should be home with your parents. Pray that I do not meet you again, for otherwise I will make you pay for this transgression.”

Out of the corner of Aria’s eye, Noah was coming over to help, so the woman straightened up. She took a half-step to another table and took someone else’s drink while they were too startled to argue. The woman turned and poured it over Aria who yelped as the ice fell against her bare arms. “There,” said the woman, “Now we match.” She swivelled and sauntered past Noah and out from the bar, ignoring the indignant shouts from Nora.

The club surrounded Aria, as did Noah, and they helped get her and the table to their feet. Jarod offered her his jacket, and insisted despite Aria’s worried for getting it also covered in the sticky drink. Aria tried to apologise profusely but Noah instead tried to offer her a drink for dealing with that woman. They all sat down at the bar while the music restarted and the people began to move again.

“What a crazy woman,” Nora said. “I understand the reaction of either brushing off the mistake or blowing up, but she was just cold. If she’d done that to someone else instead I might have been impressed.”

“I get why she’d be pissed though, no one wants their night to be ruined by some kid,” Aria replied, trying to cool her cheeks which had risen to the temperature of the sun on a hot day after the conflict.

“Did you want to go home?” Elise asked. “Maybe shower off?”

Aria shrank. “I don’t want to stop you guys from having fun because I made a mistake.”

“The only mistake you made was not getting into a full drinks-war with that lady,” Nora said.

They agreed to call it a night, and headed back to the school after thanking Noah for his help.

Aria went through most of the next day forgetting about the meeting Chris wanted in the studio that afternoon. During her class on Math she peered over to Nora’s work where Nora was absently doodling dress designs.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Aria asked.

Nora shrugged half-heartedly, “I feel like I’m so close on this. I’ve come up with a bunch of designs, but none of them seem like you yet. Maybe once we get to the studio I should just wrap you in fabric and see what looks best on you. You’re such a difficult shape.”

Aria hesitated. “I admire your enthusiasm of course, but shouldn’t you worry about your grades too?”

“Classes aren’t important,” Nora snorted, “I don’t even remember attending them.”

“You’re… you’re in one now,” Aria replied with confusion.

Nora waved her hand. “Details. I’m more concerned about the club. Chris said something’s happening tonight, but wouldn’t say what. That’s never a good sign. I don’t like surprises.”

“That’s because you’re normally the surprise,” Aria laughed.

Just then, Aria realised the class was silent and staring at them. Mr Walker was watching the two of them with a hard look on his face, the way teachers always would when they’re waiting for the realisation of a mistake to sink in. Aria turned beet red and hurried herself with her work, but Nora smiled up at him with narrowed eyes; a sure sign that she was preparing herself for battle.

In the end, both Nora and Aria were blamed for Nora’s unrepeatable outburst towards Mr Walker, and they were both detained while he spoke to them about respect, the importance of their grades, and how to argue with logic and reasoning rather than swear words. It was the last class of the day so he had no issue detaining them for twenty minutes, and once it had finished the two sprinted to the studio.

Aria blurted out an apology upon bursting in, and screeched to a halt when she noticed her friends standing formally in front of the principal of Smartwood; Mr White, and behind him was a woman in red. Aria had seen him during school assemblies, and despite his short stature he seemed a man not to be trifled with. He had huge grey eyebrows which only accentuated his disapproving face. Aria stammered out an apology, but he waved it aside.

“As I was just telling the club, we’ve been made aware of your interest in the Raywyn Fashion and Design competition, and we’ve decided to arrange some extra assistance to prepare you all for this event. We want to see our students succeed.” Mr White’s words sounded friendly enough, but his face made him look so angry. “As such, we have hired Ms Reid to teach some workshops for the Visual Arts classes, and while she is here she is happy to assist you into the world of design.” Mr White indicated to the woman in red behind him.

Aria’s heart jolted. She recognised Ms Reid instantly. And by the way Ms Reid was smiling tight-lipped back at Aria, the recognition was mutual. Ms Reid was smiling in a manner similar to how Nora did when she was about to pick a fight; her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she locked onto her prey.

Aria gulped. She wondered if she should just stop walking into the club. Nasty surprises were popping up in there a lot lately.