the malfoy boy

XII

"Okay, deep breath," Cass coached Joey. The three girls were standing in the dorm room looking at their finished project. "You look amazing, and you're going to have a great time."

Joey did look amazing.

After she showered, Cass used magic to curl her hair into waves around her face. Joey's hair didn't hold a curl well when it came to curling irons or straighteners, so magic was really her only choice. Her hair fell past her shoulders, bouncing up to touch her elbows. She put in contact lenses, and she was trying to adjust to them to avoid the inevitable wave of nausea she got when she went too long without wearing them. Her eyes were lined with mascara and winged eyeliner, making the emerald and caramel irises pop more than usual. Her lips held dark red wine lipstick. She didn't have fancy clothes at school with her, but she wore a black, short-sleeve, button down shirt that tucked into her high waisted, charcoal jeans. She finished the look off with white sneakers, crossbody purse, and cardigan that she draped over her arm.

"You've spent almost every day with him, so all you really have to do is just pretend like it's another day," Viv said as she straightened out Joey's collar.

"Yeah, I mean, he clearly already likes you if he asked you out," Cass said.

"What if he didn't mean it as a real date? What if it was just a saying?" Joey asked, her voice starting to get a little high in her anxiety.

"Joe, breathe," Cass demanded of her, grabbing her shoulders. Joey looked at her with wide eyes.

"I've never been on a date before," Joey said in anguish, fear clear on her face.

"Joelle," Viv said as she took Cass' spot, looking her friend in the eyes. "Take it from me: You're going to be fine. You're going to do great. Because you're great. And he knows it. That's why he asked you to go with him," she said. Viv always had this aura about her, this calming presence, and Joey felt like she could breathe in deeply with her hands on her shoulders. Viv smiled and nodded in success. "Good."

"Don't be late! Go on!" Cass said with a grin and started pushing her out of the dorm. Joey peppered the two with questions about dating and how to behave, but they just ignored her and reassured her she would be fine.

"You weren't very helpful, you know," Joey huffed at them as they reached the exit to the hallway beyond the common room.

"Yep! Go have fun!" Cass said as Viv cackled, the two pushing her out.

She was a little surprised to see the hallway was empty, but she was pretty sure she was early anyways. Being away from her friends, waiting for her first date, and with Abraxas Malfoy(!) no less... She could feel the jitters starting in her fingers. She dug the toe of her right shoe into the ground, eyes focused on the wall, before she finally took in a deep breath and decided to go back into the common room. But movement from the corner of her eye made her turn toward the other side of the hallway, where the painting and stairs were, and there she saw him. There, he took her breath away.

His wavy hair was down and had the top part pulled back into a small pony-tail that he then braided on the back of his head. He wore a black t-shirt underneath a knit, navy blue cardigan and paired with khaki jeans that stopped just above his dark loafers. He noticed her standing there, and she was not ignorant to his wide eyes and small gasp.

Something about seeing his reaction gave her the boost of confidence she needed, and a smirk peeled across her face. "Sure took your time, didn't you, Brax?" she asked lightly, walking toward him as she did. He was still stunned at her appearance, and he couldn't even stammer a reply back yet. "C'mon! I wanna get some caramel clusters while we're there," she said and didn't even break stride as she slipped her arm around his to pull him toward the stairs. He flipped around to face the right direction, moving her hand to his other arm, and he escorted her up the stairs.