Between Love and Hate

Crop Top

*Violet's POV*

I rush up to my room after dinner and text Stella.

Me: Help, fashion emergency. Facetime?

A couple minutes later, I'm receiving a facetime from her. I answer quickly and see that she's sitting in our dorm room.

"Stella! Help me!"

"What's the problem? You look super cute right now. Love that blazer."

"I know, you picked it! The problem is I'm going out to a night club apparently."

"What?! How? Why?" She asks. I briefly explain the whole situation at the garden party to her and she nods and then says, "I see. Alright well, obviously you cannot wear that blazer to a club. The skirt should be fine with the right top though. The white has to go. What do you have with you?"

I empty out my duffle onto the bed and spread everything out.

"OH! How about that black lacy top on the far left!" She says.

"What are you talking about? This?" I ask pointing to a black tank top. It's not lacy though.

"No further left! By the pillow."

"This?!" I exclaim.

"Yeah that!"

"Stella, that is a bra! It's meant to be worn underneath a shirt, not as a shirt."

"What?! No, it's like a crop top. Trust me, it'll look good! Put it on!"

"Stellaaa!"

"Come on, please, just try it! If you hate it I'll pick something else."

"Ugh, you're the worst!" I set the phone down so that the camera is facing the ceiling as I put on the bra/shirt apparently. I hold the phone up again and she says, "Yes! You look so hot! You have to wear this!"

I walk over to the mirror and look at myself. Between the skirt and the shirt, only about an inch of my stomach is actually showing, but my boobs are on full display and my entire chest and shoulders and arms are on uncovered. I have never in my life shown this much skin. I feel so naked.

"Stella, I don't know about this."

"This is how people dress at clubs!" As she's saying this, I hear a knock on my door.

"Vi, it's me!" Lucas. Thank God, maybe he can help me change Stella's mind. I grab a sweater and hold it over my front as I open the door, pull him in quickly and then close the door behind him.

"Lucas, please tell Stella that I cannot wear this in public."

"What, the hoodie? Of course you can't," he says giving the sweater a very judgy look.

"NO, this!" I say, releasing the sweater.

"What?! Of course you're wearing that, you look hot as fuck!"

"Told you! Hi, I'm Stella by the way," she says from the phone. Great, now they're ganging up on me.

"Hi, it's good to meet you. So you're the one behind Violet's good fashion."

"Of course, before me she was all jeans and flannel. It was tragic."

"Ugh, guys, focus!" I tell them.

"I am focussed. Focussed on how hot you look," Lucas says. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle against these two.

"Are you sure I should wear this?"

"Yes!" They both shout at the same time.

"Seriously, that's how everyone dresses. I promise," Lucas adds.

I look in the mirror again and say, "Alright, if I'm gonna wear this, I need more alcohol."

"I got you covered," Lucas says, pulling a bottle of vodka out of his bag. Him and Stella really do need to meet. What is the deal with vodka?

I tell Stella thanks and goodbye and she tells Lucas she wants him to come visit us. Lucas puts some music on while I let my hair down, curl it a bit more and then add more makeup to my face.

"So, you and Kane have a bit of strange tension between you, huh?"

"Yeah, we don't really get along that well," I say, hoping he doesn't push the topic.

"Hm alright. If you say so. Oh! You know what would complete this?" Lucas asks, gesturing to me. Good thing focussing on one thing isn't his strong suit when he drinks.

"What's that?" I ask.

"A leather jacket."

"I don't have one."

"I bet your mom does. I'll just go ask her," he says, getting off my bed and rushing out before I can stop him. He returns 10 minutes later with a cropped leather jacket in hand. I slip it on, push up the sleeves and actually do feel a lot better with more skin covered up.

A little while later, Lucas gets a text from Cara saying they'll pick us up in 5. I zip my wallet, a hair elastic and my phone into the jacket pockets and walk into the hall with Lucas and then knock on Kane's door. He opens it wearing the same thing from earlier and looking just as sexy in it. Woah, what? That was totally the vodka talking...

"Ready to go?" I ask him. I see his eyes scan my body and his pupils dilate. I attempt to control my breathing because I know the alcohol in my system will not help my decision making skills and with him looking at me like that, I'm half tempted to just jump on him right now.

I see him swallow and blink a few times before saying, "Yeah, let's go." I turn and link my arm with Lucas' to walk down the stairs, hoping to use him to ground myself. It helps a little and when we make it to the door, my mom comes around the corner. I instinctively try to cover up, which is apparently not necessary because she thinks we all 'look great.'

She tells us to have fun and be safe and to call if we need anything, as though she would be able to do anything to help us. Just as we're closing the door behind us, a limo pulls up in front of the house. A window rolls down and Cara yells out for us to get in. We all slide in the back with the rest of the people from the party today.

After a short drive, we stop in front of a tall building. Apparently the club is on the top floor of a hotel. We head inside and Cara gives the bouncer her name and we are all admitted instantly, no questions asked.

The club is classy and there are windows on every side, giving us an uninterrupted view of the Manhattan skyline. It really is gorgeous. We all grab drinks and then take a seat around one of the tables. I sit in between Kane and Lucas.

We sit and listen to the others chat for a while and finish a couple drinks and when the club begins to get more full, we decide to hit up the dance floor.