Chapter 16

"I think it looks great." I try reassuring my beautiful friend standing in front of the mirror.

"Really?" Lucy asks sounding uncertain, she must really like Mr. Grover, "It's not too blue?"

"Can anything really be too blue?" I joke, trying to make her smile but it doesn't work and she just stares at her reflection and pulls at the material around her waist.

"Hey, hey! You look great, okay?" I insist, removing her hands and smoothing out the satin material she's wrinkled, "In fact you look beautiful, as always."

I fluff up her hair and she screeches, swatting my hands away.

"Sunny!" She laughs.

She chases me until I'm back on her bed and I hold my arms up to defend my body but she doesn't do anything. She just stares at the strings of my cardigan.

"Your turn.” She says, turning and walking to her closet, "I'll let you decide between white or pink and that's your only decision." She warns.

"No bl-"

"No, Sunny there are other colors in the rainbow." I know she's rolling her eyes, "So?" She turns to me awaiting my decision.

"Pink." I whine.

She reaches into her closet and pulls out a hanger with a dusty pink dress covered in glitter.

"Yes!" I rush over to her excitedly.

"Okay, Okay." She laughs at my enthusiasm.

"It's one strap." She says, handing the dress to me.

As she zips me up I notice how perfectly it fits and it stops right above my knee.

"Oh my god, Sunny." She gasps from behind me.

“He's going to die." She whispers the last part to herself but I catch it.

"Who?"

"Ronald, obviously." She rolls her eyes and giggles but it seems forced.

"Hey Luce... How does Dione know Leo?" I ask the question I realized he didn't give me a straight answer to when I asked earlier.

"They hook up I guess." She shrugs, walking to her boudoir.

I gasp silently but I see her rolling her eyes at me in the mirror.

"Not everyone's a virgin at 20, Sunsun." She teases.

I feel very uncomfortable suddenly. In this dress and this body.

They had sex? I mean they're two grown adults of course they had sex. Plus Dione is lovely. We met the few times I had dropped Lucy's lunch off when she was in too much of a rush to remember to take it. I also know her through the Dolton Elementary's food drive program she signed up for.

I wonder how long they've known each other or if they're one of those on and off couples because they can't be a steady couple if I kissed Leo the other day. Unless they are! Are they? Is that why Leo pushed me away? Because I'm an adulterer!

"Sunny.” Lucy calls, getting my attention.

“Gloss or lipstick?" She asks agitatedly, clearly I didn't hear her the first time.

"Gloss."

"Kay. You need me to help with your hair?" She ask with a mischievous smile.

"No, it's okay." I urge.

"Well you better hurry up then before I decide to help." She threatens and then laughs at how quickly I exit the room.

Last time Lucy helped me with my hair I looked like a monster straight out of a children's book.

I make quick work of doing my hair and put on the golden sandals Lucy got me for Christmas.

“A ver, mami." Lucy almost snaps my neck when she pulls my chin to the side.

She applies my makeup and then reapplies it when I ruin it by moving too much. Eyeliner is the worst.

"Okay done. Let's get going." I take a minute to take in my appearance and I look fancier than usual.

The only times I dress up is when Momma has a gala or is receiving some award so I cherish moments when I get to look like the princesses I grew up watching.

"Gold purse, Sunniva. Let’s go." Lucy demands as she rushes around the room, clearing the bed but all she's really doing is throwing discarded outfit choices on the floor.

"God, I hate country music." Lucy groans, turning the dial.

I giggle at her disgusted expression but I notice nervousness beginning to bubble up in my tummy. Mainly because I've never met Ronald before and I will be spending most of my night with him and also because as upsetting as it is to admit I think I still much have a little bit of a crush on Leo and I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to see him with his possible girlfriend.

Adulterer! My subconscious yells at me and I think I might throw up.

"Hey, hey!" Lucy calls out, "We're here. Don't be nervous, Sunny. Ronald is lovely, okay? I promise I'd never hook you up with an asshole."

She turns in her seat and pulls my hand in her, hitting my hand like she always does when I nervously pull at my skin.

"Be brave my Sun." Her voice deepens.

"You're silly." I shake my head at my beautiful friend, "I'm okay. Let's go." I nod and we exit her car together.

A pretty girl in a bow tie greets us at the door with flutes of champagne.

I've never actually been inside of the building before, only at the front desk, but I can tell they really transformed the place by the mystified look on Lucy's face.

"Okay they're coming, Sunny." Lucy whispers, taking my champagne and placing it on the table beside us.

I look ahead to see a man with a well groomed beard who I'm assuming, by the way he's not taking his eyes off Lucy, is Mr. Grover and the guy next to him with skin a shade darker than mine is Ronald.

"Hello ladies." Mr. Grover greets, extending his hand to Lucy and kisses her knuckles making her turn bright pink.

"You must be Lucy's friend. I'm Alister Grover."

"Hi, I'm Sunniva." I greet and smile between Alister and Ronald.

"I'm Ronald Holden." He extends his hand to me and I shake it as firmly as I can.

Ronald has a kind smile and adorable thick glasses.

"Lucy, I need to introduce you to some of the sponsors." Alister says, offering his arm and Lucy takes it, winking at me before departing.

"Well that didn't take long." Ronald comments in a flat voice and we look at each other and laugh awkwardly for a moment.

"I'm sorry I've forgotten how to properly socialize. Between work and my son, my conversations are either with old men or kids." He admits shyly and lifts his finger to his glasses.

He seems lovely.

"I understand." I giggle trying to ease his nerves, "I'm a student teacher so most of my conversations are with kids as well."

"Oh that's great. What school are you at? My son goes to Lowback Elementary." He says, picking up confidence when mentioning his kid.

"That's a great school but I teach at Dolton Elementary. It’s closer to home."

"Dolton is great too but Lowback is also closer to home and work."

"I understand. How old is your son?" I ask, more at ease now.

"He turned 9 on Friday. His name's Harry." He smiles when he says the name.

"Oh that's a great name, Harry Holden."

"Yeah, he'll probably despise me in the future." He laughs but his eyes turn cold when something catches his gaze behind me.

Leo

This stupid shirt is too tight and it's making me uncomfortable.

I turn into the parking lot of the address Dione gave me and it takes me a couple minutes to find parking.

"Fuck me." I grumble and snatch off this dumb ass bow tie I borrowed from Luther and throw it onto the front seat.

What am I even fucking doing here? Oh I know. The second I heard the words 'Sunny' and 'date' I was on edge and I shouldn't be. I know I shouldn't but at this point I'm in too deep.

I convinced myself that it's part of the plan getting closer into her life but standing here in this stupid shirt and these fucking slacks I know I'm getting too deep.

It's not too late though. I can just get in the car and drive off. I don't owe Dione a single thing and I doubt she'd have a problem finding another date.

"Leo, you found it." I turn to face Dione formerly known as Didi and am shocked to see her in an expensive looking red dress and hair running past her shoulders.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Little Woo" That sly smirk is the only thing about her I recognize.

"I guess so, I haven't seen you in 2 years." I remind her.

"You're right.” She plays with the bracelet on her arm, "Let's go inside before they start to think we're slashing tires." She waves me over.

Against my better judgment I follow her inside and watch her reach for a glass of champagne on an abandoned tray.

She sees my expression and shrugs, "We're 20 minutes late."

"What kept you busy?" I ask accepting the glass.

"My hair."

"You stopped shaving your head." I point out.

"I did." She confirms and I follow her further into the building.

"And you're Dione now."

"I am."

"And you live in Lowback."

"I do." She says and abandons her glass on a sculpture, "Well I live in this crappy apartment building but it's the only thing I can afford here."

"You miss me?" She teases.

"No." I respond.

"Good, I was a piece of shit anyway." She laughs dryly and her pale blue eyes look so much brighter than I remember.

"You were a drug addict." I correct her.

"Yeah I was." She pulls at my arm and we move inside a hall filled with people.

Without trying to spot her I see Sunniva's bright head of hair but she's not facing me. Her dress glitters under the light.

"You know her?" Dione asks and I pull my eyes from Sunny.

She laughs when I shake my head.

"No? It sure looks like you do." She teases and I see her eyes lingering in Sunny's direction as well.

It's not until I see the lost look on Sunny's date's face that I realize who has Dione suddenly entranced.

"I guess we both clearly came here with the wrong people." She sighs, eyes lingering on the man wearing big ass glasses.

"Why'd you invite me here?" I ask the question that I thought about on the way here.

"Lucy set it up actually but I wanted to see you.” She turns to me now, "I wanted to thank you." She smiles softly and reaches for my hand.

I pull back on instinct and she laughs as if she expected it.

"I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, you did." She frowns, "That night you told me to get lost when you busted that house you saved my life." Her eyes are piercing into mine trying to get her words to penetrate as well.

"D-"

"Leo, if any one of the Red Kings found me in that house they would've thought I was the one who gave that information to Finley and I would've died."

She chokes up and I hope she doesn't start crying, "I realized that if the drugs weren't going to kill me then it would've been my stupid decisions and I got the hell out of the North as fast as possible and started a new life here."

I'm stunned recalling that night. It was the last run I did for my brother and I went in with few other guys to Finley's place, an aspiring drug dealer at the time, because Lan figured out he was the one who stole their shipment and we blew up the house.

I chased Didi away because... well I don't know why exactly. I just knew that they were about to kill her and I when looked at the skinny girl with bruises on her body I remembered the annoying as fuck lab partner I had in ninth grade who wore too much eye makeup and I told her to fuck off.

I guess I just thought she skipped town and who knows what but I didn't expect her to still be in Finridge and have her shit together.