favorite liar | xavier thorpe

12. serial killing and dress shopping

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

"What, you're not going to volunteer?" Xavier looks at Iris as she's still copying down extra notes in her plant class notebook. Iris doesn't look up. "Aren't you pumped about disco balls and spiked punch? There's even a DJ, MC Blood Suckaz."

"Seems like a lot," Iris responds, never really being the party type. The two start to pack up their things, walking out of the class together.

"It's fun, you planning on bringing anyone?" He asks as they take a shortcut to the quad Iris discovered during one of her late-night walks, so they're the only two in the hallway.

"Wasn't even planning on going," Iris answers honestly.

"Oh, come on," Xavier doesn't accept this. "You can't be serious."

"I don't have a dress," Iris starts going through her mental list of excuses.

"We'll go into town and buy one for you," he dismisses.

"I don't know how to dance."

"No one at a high school dance knows how to dance."

"I don't. . ." Iris trails off, in thought.

"Mhm," Xavier says.

". . . have a date," she finishes, looking at him.

He looks down at her too. "Go with me."

"Good one."

"Seriously. You're the only person I wanna make fun of everyone else with."

"So romantic," Iris still isn't sure if she should take this seriously.

She's too busy looking at him to decipher his mind that she doesn't realize some guy rushing past her. He shoves into her slightly, causing her to get pushed into Xavier suddenly.

She's in some kind of shed. There are drawings plastered on every spot of the wall and some on easels spilled around the room. They're all of the same thing. The monster.

"Hey, you alright?" Iris comes to her senses in Xavier's arms, not unlike the first time she experienced a vision around him.

"Yeah," Iris doesn't know what to do with what she just saw. "Um, I just- I just remembered-" she pushes out of his arms, avoiding eye contact. "I just remembered I forgot something in the classroom," and she rushes off, only one thing on her mind.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Iris only knows about Xavier's shed because Yoko took her on a late night walk as part of her apology for the whole Nightshades thing, and she explained how the group often hung out in that area, but Xavier was weirdly protective over what was inside.

She opens the door carefully, kind of thinking it would fall apart at the touch by how fragile it all looks, and then practically freezes in her tracks as she takes in her surroundings.

It's exactly like the vision she just had, with pieces of paper of all sizes plastered around the room, various art supplies also scattered everywhere, only one face looking back at her through the mess. The monster.

I have to tell Wednesday, is the first thought going through Iris's head.

Then, I can't tell Wednesday.

Iris doesn't know what to do. Xavier can't be the monster, otherwise he would've never had that whole conversation with Iris about Rowan. Unless that was to make sure she wouldn't suspect him. No. He wouldn't do that. He's not a serial killer. . . right?

Iris hates that there's even a doubt in her mind, but at the same time, what if she's trying so hard to protect Xavier that she puts other people in danger? But he can't be the monster.

Iris doesn't know much right now, but she does know she needs to get out of this area. So, she grabs two drawings that she can fit into her jacket, not sure what she'll do with them, but she isn't exactly running on logic right now.

Then, just as she gets about ten feet away from the outside of the shed - just far enough for her proximity to not be suspicious - Xavier appears in front of her. Of course.

"I was looking for you!" She lets out before Xavier can say anything. "I wanted to apologize for running off earlier," she doesn't really know what she's saying, all she's really paying attention to is the racing of her heart and the papers burning against her side.

I could be looking at the monster right now. Stop it, Iris.

"Don't mention it," Xavier dismisses easily. "Is everything alright?"

Of course he can see right through you. He's a sociopath. No, he's not. Well. . .

"Yeah!" Iris says in a way that's not convincing in the slightest. "I was just. . . um, well, I wanted to know. . . if you were free right now!" She thinks she's come up with a good coverup. "If you wanted to go shopping? For the dress. . . that we were talking about. For the Rave'n."

Shut up, Iris.

"Oh," Xavier smiles a bit at this. "Yeah, let's do it."

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

"I can't wear white, it blends into my skin tone too much," Iris responds to Xavier after he explains the suggested dress code. "But not black either, I always look like a funeral attendant in black dresses," she explains in thought, not really paying attention to the store he's leading her into now. "And not in a good way. . . gray will do," she looks up and sees the overwhelmingly bright and colorful store, buzzing with a few other girls Iris recognizes from school looking for their own dresses. The store is color coded, and Xavier has stopped in front of the gray section. Iris feels right at home.

"This one," he starts by pulling out a floor-length ballgown from the rack.

"Too poofy," Iris dismisses, pulling out her own choice. "This one," a silk slip dress that looks like it would fall to about her knees.

"Too boring," Xavier's turn. He holds up the next dress against his body as if Iris should imagine it on him.

"It really brings out your eyes," she compliments before turning away, showing that's definitely not the one.

This goes on for a while. Xavier manages to get enough of a pile going that he can drag Iris to the fitting rooms where they must spend hours doing something of a fashion show, Iris's face losing more and more light as time goes on, Xavier getting more amused with every bow he has to tie behind Iris's back.

Every time she finds herself forgetting that Xavier is a potential serial killer, her brain shoves the idea back in her head, and she isn't having nearly as much fun as she should be. She feels like the best course of action is just confronting him directly about it, but then she feels like that's the worst course of action because if he is the monster, then, he'll just kill her and she doubts that'd be as fun as she's made it out to be.

"Everything okay in there?" Xavier's voice calls out from the other side of the curtain as Iris stays in the fitting room for a second too long.

"It was just the zipper," Iris explains as she comes through the curtain at his remark, doing her obligatory twirl in front of him before going in to try on the last three they've picked out.

"Wait," he stops her before she can disappear behind the curtain again. ". . . You look nice."

"Be still my beating heart," Iris puts a hand over her chest dramatically, and Xavier shakes his head at his antics as she goes back to change into her normal clothes - finally.

Don't take the compliment, Iris. He's a serial killer. . . probably. Yes, he is. No, but. UGH.

a/n:
dress reveal next chapter 🤞