Page 66 of Evil Queen

“Please. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Just do it,” she retorted. “Oh, unlock the door first.” Not wanting to argue, I unlocked the door and then closed my eyes. Two other bodies packed into the dressing room alongside me—I assumed Colette and Avery—and then Avery said, “Okay, keep ‘em closed. We’re gonna dress you.”

“What?” I screeched. “No!”

“Come on! I want it to be a surprise. Please! Just trust me.”

“Jaxon picked it out,” Colette added. “Really, it’s gonna be absolutely perfect on you.”

I let out a sigh and held out my hands, and an instant later, Avery and Colette’s hands were all over me. It wasn’t a dress, given that someone was working a top over my head while someone else was working pants over my legs, but from what I could tell of the material, it wasn’t the cotton I was planning on. Still, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, not until whoever was handling the shirt pulled it all the way down. It stopped just above my midriff.

“Is it too small?” I asked.

“Nope, it fits perfectly,” Avery said.

I wrapped a hand around my stomach. “My stomach is showing, though.”

“It’s supposed to be that way, Nikki,” Colette replied. “Don’t worry. It’s super sexy.”

Sexy wasn’t ever a look I was striving for, but then Avery let out a quiet hum and said, “Nathan’s gonna lose his mind,” and it sent a chill rushing through me.

For Nathan, it’d be nice to be sexy.

Eventually, Avery and Colette’s hands left my body, so I asked, “Can I open my eyes now?”

“No, wait!” Avery yelped. She reached forward and undid the two braids I typically kept my hair in. “Oh, wow. Your braids give your hair this natural, beach-curl look.”

“It’s super cute, but it’s still missing something,” Colette replied, then screeched, “Oh! I know! Keep your eyes closed.” She clamored out of the dressing room. About two minutes later, she came back, and I felt her tying something around my forehead and knotting it behind my head. “That’s it!”

“That’s totally it,” Avery said. “Okay, Nikki. Open.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked into my reflection in the mirror. A smile rose to my face without my control. I was wearing a pair of black, flared, sequined pants, but the sequins were small and understated, so it didn’t look gaudy. The top was a plain, stain, black top with spaghetti straps that gave a very subtle but very enticing view of my stomach. My blond hair with multi-colored strands dyed in was down in loose beach curls, and they tied a thin rope hippie-style around my forehead.

I looked over at Avery, and I had to imagine that I was blushing. “I look pretty.”

Both Colette and Avery cheered, and then there was a knock on the door. “Hey! I picked it out. Let me see!”

Avery and Colette slid out of the dressing room first, and then I followed them. When Jaxon’s eyes landed on me, they widened, and he got a bright smile on his face that was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

“Holy shit, Nikki!” He stood up. “You look amazing!”

“Yeah?” I asked.

Jaxon looked at Colette. “Clearly, I need to update my resume to include fashion sense.”

“Clearly,” Colette replied.

Avery and Colette had a much easier time picking out dresses. Then we secured Jaxon a last-minute button-up, suit bottoms, and suspenders that deliberately didn’t match Colette’s dress since we’d ultimately decided to attend prom as a group. We took our bags and drove over to Nathan’s house, where we were gathering to get dressed and catch a limo to prom.

Avery, Colette, and I got dressed up in Nathan’s bedroom while the boys turned the living room into their dressing central, and after being talked into applying a very, very thin coat of makeup, we went back downstairs to meet up with the guys. Avery insisted that she and Colette go first so that I could make a big entrance, and with how much fun they were having, I didn’t want to deny them. They fluttered down the stairs, presented themselves, and then made a huge announcement for me.

“Presenting, for the first time ever in formal wear, Nikita!” Colette said.

I walked around the corner, and Brayden and Kyle’s jaws both dropped. Kyle started to laugh from how shocked he was while Brayden just stared.

Finally, Brayden clapped. “You do clean up well.”

“Thanks.” My gaze drifted over to Nathan, who was looking amazing in his navy-blue suit, and he looked dumbstruck. “Well?”

He scoffed. “Are you kidding me with this? I… You…” He looked at Kyle. “You see that, too, right?”

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